Connecticut Health Investigative Team - In-depth Journalism on Issues of Health and SafetyConnecticut Health Investigative Team | In-depth Journalism on Issues of Health and Safety

Purdue Pharma Payouts Decline As Fewer Clinicians Report Taking Money

By Sujata Srinivasan | February 19, 2020

Purdue Pharma, in bankruptcy and embroiled in thousands of lawsuits for its role in the opioid crisis, paid Connecticut doctors and nurse practitioners $394,662 in 2018, a slight drop of 9% from $433,246 the prior year, federal data show.

Disparities

Preventable Cancer Death Rate Falls In Litchfield And Windham Counties; Comprehensive, Accessible Care Cited

By Carol Leonetti Dannhauser | February 12, 2020

“Potentially preventable” cancer deaths plunged in Connecticut over the last decade, according to a federal study, with two rural counties, Litchfield and Windham, experiencing a nearly 49 percent decrease, the best in the nation.

Though cancer deaths fell overall in the United States, the trend in rural areas was not universal. In neighboring Massachusetts, for example, preventable cancer deaths rose in non-metropolitan areas.

Cases Of Lead-Poisoned Children Drop 17%

By Jenifer Frank | February 11, 2020

A total of 1,665 Connecticut children under age 6 had lead poisoning in 2017, a drop of almost 17% from the year before and the largest one-year decrease in five years, according to a just-released report from the state Department of Public Health (DPH).

Disparities

Homelessness Can Traumatize A Young Child For Life; Collaborative Seeks To End The Costly Consequences

By Peggy McCarthy | January 29, 2020

The repercussions of being homeless as a child younger than 6 can be lifelong, and the strain often shows in their speech, behavior, development and health, according to child-care workers and experts.

Environmental Health

Tracking Types Of Terrain That Harbor Disease-Carrying Ticks

By Christine Woodside | January 15, 2020

On a sunny, cool day as fall gave way to winter, a team of biologists and technicians dragged white cloths through the underbrush at Lord Creek Farm in Lyme. They were looking for blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease and four other deadly illnesses.

Desensitization Gives Some Children With Food Allergies A Viable Treatment Option

By Cara Rosner | December 30, 2019

For Oliver Racco, it’s a part of his daily routine: eating a few peanut M&Ms.

It may seem like a treat to some kids, but for Oliver – and a relatively small but growing number of children – it’s an important way he and his family manage his peanut allergy.

I-Team In-Depth

Parents’ Erratic Work Schedules Put Children At Risk

By Lisa Backus | December 17, 2019

Jesus Manuel Gomez quit his restaurant dishwashing job when he saw the effect his long work days had on his 10-year-old son with special needs.

Although he was scheduled to work from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the Honduran native said through a Spanish-speaking interpreter that he would get out between midnight and 1 a.m. and then still be asleep when his son left for school the next morning.

Women's Health

Most OB-GYN Practices Fall Short In Caring For Women With Disabilities

By Elizabeth Heubeck | November 26, 2019

Over the past 20 years, Connecticut women with cognitive or physical disabilities have found their way to the Gaylord Specialty Healthcare’s Gynecological Clinic for Women with Disabilities in Wallingford. There, obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) Anna Tirado provides routine and preventive gynecological care to disabled women.

I-Team Ticker

State Board Fines, Disciplines Nurses

The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week disciplined three nurses, including issuing a total of $1,500 in fines and placing two nurses’ licenses on probation.
Nursing Homes Fined Following Resident Sexual Assault, Falls, Medication Error

Six nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) for violations that endangered or injured residents.
Lost Lives: A Mother’s Heart Attack, A Daughter’s Disrupted Adolescence

Gail Williams was 15 when her mother died of a heart attack. “The world seemed like it got dimmer, a shade darker than it was,” said Williams, now 60, of New Haven.
14 Hospitals Penalized For High Infection Rates, Injuries

Fourteen Connecticut hospitals are being penalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), losing 1% of their Medicare reimbursements this fiscal year for having high rates of hospital-acquired infections and injuries, new data show.
Nearly 40% Of Young Children Missing Out On Vision Screenings

Nearly 40% of preschool-aged children nationwide have never had a vision screening, new data suggests, and there are disparities in who has been tested.
Med Board Disciplines Two Doctors; Fines Weston Doc $7,500

The state Medical Examining Board voted Tuesday to discipline two physicians including issuing a $7,500 fine and one-year probation to a Weston doctor who prescribed opioids to six people without discussing pain management treatment goals or informing the patients of the risks in taking the drugs.