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

Long ER Stays For Kids In Crisis On The Rise

By: Lisa Chedekel | July 10, 2014

Just a few years ago, it was rare that children with mental health problems would spend two or more nights in the emergency room at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Only 40 children stayed that long in 2010.

So far this year, more than 250 children have spent multiple nights in the emergency department (ED) – a number expected to reach 500 by the end of the year.

Years Home, Female Iraq Vets Endure The Wounds Of War

By: Peggy McCarthy | July 5, 2014

It’s been nine years since Eunice Ramirez served in Iraq, but she still suffers from war wounds – post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, respiratory problems and frequent crying triggered by her memories.

Suzanna Smaldone, who also returned home from Iraq in 2005, lives in constant pain and can’t bring herself to talk about her war injuries.

Cheryl Eberg, home from Iraq for seven years, counsels other veterans, but their war stories can trigger her own mental health issues.

Though it’s not unusual for veterans of both sexes to struggle for years with war injuries when they return home, officials say that women veterans have their own unique challenges, which can make their transition to civilian life particularly hard.

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Early Pregnancy Blood Test Reducing Need For Amniocentesis

By: Rochelle Sharpe | June 15, 2014

A simple blood test is transforming the world of prenatal screening, offering women a risk-free way to learn about fetal abnormalities early in pregnancy.

Already, the new test has drastically reduced the demand for amniocentesis, an invasive procedure that diagnoses chromosomal disorders in mid-pregnancy and occasionally causes miscarriage. The blood test, which became available in late 2011, can analyze DNA to predict Down Syndrome and a few other genetic diseases as early as nine weeks in pregnancy, says Dr. Daniel Gottschall, medical director of Women’s Health Connecticut, a group practice with 80 offices around the state.

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State Restrains Psychiatric Patients At High Rate

By: Lisa Chedekel | May 31, 2014

As the state works to improve its mental health system, new federal data shows that hospitals in Connecticut restrain psychiatric patients at more than double the average national rate, with elderly patients facing restraint at a rate seven times the national average.

In addition, the state lags behind in providing adequate post-discharge continuing care plans for psychiatric patients, especially teens and the elderly. Connecticut’s 28 inpatient psychiatric units and hospitals developed continuing-care plans for fewer than 70 percent of patients they discharged from October 2012 to March 2013 – indicating that thousands of patients may have left facilities without adequate treatment and medication plans.

A C-HIT analysis of the federal data, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the first time, shows that Connecticut ranks in the top fourth of states (11^th highest) in the use of physical restraints in inpatient psychiatric facilities – and is the third highest state in restraining patients 65 and older.

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Use Of ADHD Drugs Rose Sharply Among Adults, Especially Women

By: Karen Weintraub | May 18, 2014

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isn’t just for fidgety little boys anymore.

The number of young adult women taking medications for ADHD jumped by 85 percent between 2008 and 2012, according to a recent report by St. Louis-based Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical benefits company.

While children are still more likely to have ADHD, the rate of diagnosis is climbing faster in adults – up 53 percent in grownups versus 19 percent in kids over those four years.

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Autism Treatment For Under-Threes Is Key, But Diagnosis Is Tough

By: Karen Weintraub | April 13, 2014

Most children with autism are well past their fourth birthday by the time they’re diagnosed with the condition, according to new government data.

Their parents and teachers may have raised red flags earlier, but it takes months or years to confirm suspicions with a formal diagnosis. And therapy rarely starts without one.

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I-Team Ticker

Ellington Psychiatrist Fined By The DEA Is Reprimanded By Med Board

An Ellington psychiatrist who has already been fined $60,000 by state and federal officials for mishandling a drug called Suboxone was reprimanded Tuesday for the same violations by the state Medical Examining Board.

“Medical Homes” Improve Quality, Lower Costs, But Challenges Remain

The use of nationally certified medical homes to coordinate the care of Connecticut’s Medicaid patients has led to improved quality, a 2 percent cut in per person costs, and a 32 percent increase in the number of participating providers during an 18-month period.

Nursing Homes Fined For Care Lapses, One Cited After Resident Molested Residents

Six nursing homes have been fined more than $1,000 each by the state Department of Public Health in connection with incidents of residents being burned, losing teeth or breaking hips and one resident who molested at least seven others.

Low-Dose Aspirin May Reduce Risk Of Some Cancers

What if an aspirin a day could keep cancer away?

DeLauro Tells USDA: Remove Tainted Poultry From Stores

US Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro today introduced legislation to guarantee that contaminated meat, poultry and egg products are taken off the market.

Five Nursing Homes Fined Following Lapses In Care

Five nursing homes were fined by the state Department of Public Health for lapses in care that resulted in harm to residents.

DPH Fines Stamford Convalescent Home, Requires Hiring A Consultant

A Stamford convalescent home has been fined $2,000 by the state Department of Public Health for numerous violations, including a failure to protect residents and staff members from a knife-wielding resident.

Resident’s Abusive Behavior, Nurses’ Failure To Call 911, Result In Nursing Home Fines

Eight Connecticut nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health for incidents involving lapses in care, including a failure to call 911 when a resident was dying and a case in which one resident attacked another with a butter knife.

By: Lisa Chedekel | July 10, 2014

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, Cheryl Eberg, Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Sally G. Haskell, Eunice Ramirez, female vets, Linda Schwartz

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, amniocentesis, Bridgeport Hospital, DNA blood test, Dr. Daniel Gottschall, Hartford Hospital

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Bazelon Center for Mental Health, Bridgeport Hospital, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Danbury Hospital, Dr. Ryan O'Connell, Hartford Hospital

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Women's Health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Dr. Daniel F. Connor, Ellen Littman, Express Scripts, Thomas E. Brown

Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Amy Daniels, Ann Jordan, Autism Speaks, Bob Wright, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, Dr. Harvey J. Kliman