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

Connecticut’s Halfhearted Battle: Response To Lead Poisoning Epidemic Lacks Urgency

By Jenifer Frank | November 23, 2020

It wasn’t until Bridgeport lead inspector Charles Tate stepped outside the house on Wood Avenue that he saw, immediately, where 2-year-old Rocio Valladares was being poisoned.

The paint around a window at the back of the house was deteriorating. Beneath the window was Rocio’s favorite play area, a sloping basement door that was the perfect ramp for an energetic toddler. Next to the basement door was a patch of dirt where she loved to scratch with sticks. White chips of paint were visible in the dirt.

Health Care

State To Change ‘Problematic’ Health Care Pay Model

By Christopher Hoffman | November 23, 2020

For decades, Connecticut and other states have used a fee-for-service model to pay for health care: the provider bills for each service, every consult, every procedure, every test, every pill. State Comptroller Kevin Lembo and many others have come to view that system as seriously flawed. It not only contributes to skyrocketing medical costs but also fails to deliver optimum care, Lembo said. “The incentives in that model are problematic,” Assistant Comptroller Josh Wojcik said. “It incentivizes volume.

Disparities

Is Food Bank System Contributing To Health Disparities?

By Theresa Sullivan Barger | November 2, 2020

The nation’s food bank system, created to provide emergency food assistance, fills a chronic need. Still, it may be perpetuating obesity among those facing hunger, concludes a new report by the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

I-Team In-Depth

Obamacare: What’s At Stake If The High Court Strikes Down The Law

By Cara Rosner | October 27, 2020

Vyanne Dinh, 21, a senior at New York University, will be paying close attention next month when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a lawsuit backed by the Trump administration to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Women's Health

As Pandemic Grinds On, Domestic Violence Shelters Grapple With Budget Gaps And Growing Needs

By Lisa Backus | October 13, 2020

Katherine Verano is wrestling with an 830% increase in costs compared with last year for hoteling victims of domestic violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

After a quiet period during the first months of the pandemic, when much of the state was locked down, domestic violence shelters started running at about 150% capacity during the summer months. When providers ran out of room for social distancing, clients had to be placed in hotels and fed.

I-Team In-Depth

Survivors Struggle With Lingering COVID-19 Symptoms

By Sujata Srinivasan | September 30, 2020

In April, Rhonda Eigabroadt, 53, showed up at the ER at MidState Medical Center in Meriden, struggling to breathe. Doctors did not expect her to survive the night, she recalled.

I-Team In-Depth

VA Connecticut Hiring Practices Under Investigation

By Peggy McCarthy | September 22, 2020

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is investigating allegations of illegal employment practices at VA Connecticut Healthcare System connected to the hiring of seven employees—some in top management positions—who are all former co-workers of the system’s director.

Environmental Health

Wildfire Smoke Likely To Have Increasing Impact On Health Of Those Already At Risk

By Gregory B. Hladky | September 17, 2020

Connecticut’s weather on May 25, 2016, was hotter than usual for that time of year, reaching a high of 91 degrees. The winds were out of the northwest at about 10.5 mph and state air pollution officials weren’t expecting anything unusual.

I-Team Ticker

UPDATED: Coronavirus In Connecticut

There were 59 new COVID-19 deaths reported since Friday, bringing the death toll to 5,020. Hospitalizations increased by 81 to total 1,098, the Department of Public Health (DPH) reported.
Medical Board Disciplines Two Doctors

The state Medical Examining Board agreed Tuesday to discipline two doctors including a physician awaiting sentencing in a federal health care fraud case.
Medicare Penalizes Hospitals For High Readmission Rates

Most Connecticut hospitals will lose some of their Medicare reimbursement payments over the next year as penalties for having too many readmitted patients, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
State Disciplines Nurses For Drug Abuse, Photographing A Young Patient Without Consent

Four nurses were recently disciplined by the state Board of Examiners for Nursing for drug and alcohol abuse and for photographing a patient without consent.
Access Health CT Open Enrollment Begins Nov. 1; Eligible Consumers Can Sign Up Now

As the state readies for open enrollment for health insurance beginning November 1, those who have lost their jobs or have recently moved to Connecticut can get coverage now through Access Health CT (AHCT).
Coronavirus Conversation: Why The Pandemic Matters In The 2020 Election

Students at the University of Connecticut asked UConn professors who taught the summer COVID-19 course what they think about the pandemic's impact on the upcoming election.
Medical Board Fines Two Doctors $5,000 Each

The state Medical Examining Board agreed Tuesday to fine two doctors $5,000 each and issued a cease and desist order to a woman without a Connecticut medical license who performed a procedure that led to an infection.