Fines & Sanctions

State Suspends Two Nursing Licenses, Disciplines Four Others

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week suspended the licenses of two licensed practical nurses (LPN) and disciplined four other nurses. The LPN license of Melissa A. Eccles of Norwich was suspended last Wednesday pending a hearing for failing to respond to a court-ordered substance abuse evaluation. Eccles was initially ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) in June 2018. When she failed to do so, the case went to court, and in July 2019 she was ordered to undergo the evaluation. In suspending her license prior to a hearing on her case, the state nursing board found that her continued practice as a nurse represents a “clear and immediate danger” to the public health and safety.

Fines & Sanctions

State Disciplines Nurses For Drug, Alcohol Abuse

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week disciplined four nurses for drug or alcohol abuse. The board placed the registered nurse (RN) license of Sara J. Smith of Shelton on probation for four years after it found she altered a 2018 prescription for codeine after testing positive for codeine on April 3, 2019, according to a consent order signed by Smith. During her probation Smith must undergo random drug tests, attend therapy and support meetings, and is prohibited from solo practice. The RN license of Nicole Loving of Colchester was placed on probation for three years after she admitted to abusing alcohol, according to her signed consent order. During probation Loving must submit to random drug tests, attend therapy and support meetings, and cannot practice in home care, pool nursing, or self-employment.

How C-HIT’s Christine Woodside reported this project

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Christine Woodside had long wanted to understand why sewage overflows regularly in some of Connecticut’s cities. She settled on the Bridgeport neighborhood of Black Rock, on Black Rock Harbor and near the promenades of Seaside Park. There she found recreation, industry, and local people who were getting tired of pollution. She went to Black Rock at least a dozen times between late March and late July. She read sewage plan documents.

State Nursing Board Suspends 4 Licenses, Disciplines 2 For Drug, Alcohol Abuse

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week suspended the licenses of four nurses and disciplined two others, all for drug- or alcohol-related offenses. The board summarily suspended the registered nurse (RN) license of Kathryn Lovejoy after it found her severe alcohol use disorder, as well as multiple emotional and substance abuse disorders, represent a clear and immediate danger to the public health and safety. Lovejoy, of New Haven, entered a rehabilitation program in March 2018 and was required to submit to random urine screens and breathalyzer tests, records show. In June 2019 the rehabilitation center referred Lovejoy’s case to the state Department of Public Health (DPH) after she used alcohol and failed to comply with urine tests, stating “they were unable to confirm [whether Lovejoy was] … fit to practice [nursing],” according to the motion for summary suspension. The board also summarily suspended the licensed practical nurse (LPN) license of Tammy Piccirillo of Seymour who, according to a May 2019 consent order she signed, abused opiates from 2017 to 2018.

Video: UConn’s Dairy Bar A Great Place To Be

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The University of Connecticut’s Dairy Bar opened in 1953 to sell dairy products made by the Creamery. The Creamery was established in the early 1900s and bottled milk until 1991. Today, the Creamery makes ice cream according to its original recipe and sells this ice cream at the Dairy Bar.  — Video by C-HIT campers Luis Mila, Ephemia Nicolakis and Kevin Barahona. Luis Mila is a student at Miami Lakes Education Center, Florida; Ephemia Nicolakis of Woodbridge is a student at Amity Regional High School and Kevin Barahoma is a student from Riobamba, Ecuador.

Work by High School Campers
Students from Ecuador

Photo Gallery: International Students From Ecuador Explore Journalism In Connecticut

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At its ninth annual week-long high school summer journalism workshop at the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Health Investigative Team trained its first-ever group of international students – all of them from Riobamba, Ecuador. The five students – Christina Huisha, (18), Leslie Parra (17), Kevin Barahona (18), Mikaela Romo (16) and Mikaela De La Cruz (16) – had their trip sponsored by the Sister Cities International program. Riobamba is a sister city of Norwalk. Sister Cities International’s goal is to strengthen relationships around the globe based on cultural, educational, informational or trade exchanges. 

While at the summer journalism workshop on UConn’s main campus in Storrs, the other campers made them feel welcome. Brian Ruiz, Luis Mila and Danny Ruiz were three C-HIT students who helped translate and explain American customs so the students from Ecuador were never made to feel excluded.

College Students Turn To E-Communities For Mental Health Support

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About 26% of young adults 18-25 years old have a mental health issue, but only 38% of those affected actually receive treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Colleges across the U.S. have felt the weight of the statistics.  Counseling centers are flooded by an increasing demand for a limited amount of mental health resources, resulting in students getting placed on waitlists. At times, students are turning toward e-communities, particularly ones on Instagram, for support and recovery. Many accounts are dedicated to raising awareness and offering support for eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Instagram users communicate and bond through their captions, stories, and private messages on their mental battles and physical struggles.

Work by High School Campers

Video: A Look At Storrs Center

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Located a short walk from the University of Connecticut, Storrs Center is a mixed-use town center that includes residences, restaurants, shops, businesses and educational, recreational, and cultural offerings. — Video package by Quentin Leahy, Danny Ruiz, Maeve Cox and Cristina Huisha

 

The video team: Maeve Cox attends Cheshire High School, Danny Ruiz attends John F. Kennedy High School, Waterbury; Cristina Huisha is a student from Riobamba, Educador and Quentin Leahy of Southington attends Conn. River Academy in East Hartford.

Work by High School Campers

Corporal Punishment Still Practiced In Some States

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Corporal punishment is practiced in 19 states, mostly in the south, and African American students are more likely to be disciplined with a type of physical punishment than whites, according to recent studies. On average, 160,000 students are disciplined by corporal punishment a year, reported the National Institutes of Health in its study of the prevalence of this form of discipline in 2016. Black children in Mississippi and Alabama are at least 51% more likely to be corporally punished than whites; and in one fifth of the states’ school districts, black children are over 5 times (500%) more likely to be corporally punished, the NIH reported. Corporal punishment is a discipline method in which a supervising adult purposely inflicts pain on a child in response to a child’s misbehavior. In schools where physical punishment is used, common tactics include, paddling, and spanking by hand or wooden stick.

Work by High School Campers

UConn Teams Exceed NCAA Academic Requirements

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The University of Connecticut’s football and men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams are among many teams at the university that have performed above the required NCAA Academic Progress Rate. The football and men’s basketball teams both have improved their APR scores in recent years. The women’s team has repeatedly scored well off the court while also winning national championships. The men’s basketball team earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award for posting a perfect 1000 single year APR score in the 2017-2018 year, UConn Today reported. The football team has had a steady improvement in the last five years in its multi-year APR score, with it starting at 960 in 2013-2014 and increasing to 981 for 2017-2018, according to The New Haven Register.