The state Department of Public Health has penalized six nursing homes for lapses in care that contributed to residents’ injuries. Continue Reading →
Recent stories
Murphy Calls On VA To Improve Monitoring Of Suicidal Vets
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Alarmed by a new report that found gaps in the VA’s follow-up care of suicidal veterans discharged from Veterans Health Administration inpatient mental health facilities, U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy is asking the VA to “act as quickly as possible” to reduce the risk of suicide. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Veterans' Health, Dr. Robert Petzel, Military Suicides, U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy, Veterans Health Administration
How Much Is A New Hip? Now You Can Compare Prices
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Hospitals in Connecticut charge vastly different amounts of money for the same procedure – sometimes triple the price — according to data released Wednesday by federal Medicare officials. Continue Reading →
Filed under: I-Team In-Depth, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, hospital charges, Manchester Memorial Hospital, Stamford Hospital, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Vets At Risk Of Suicide Not Getting Adequate Post-Discharge Care: Report
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Nearly a third of veterans deemed at high risk for suicide don’t receive the recommended follow-up care after they’ve been discharged from Veterans Health Administration inpatient mental health facilities, according to a new report from the VA inspector general. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Veterans' Health, Dr. Robert Petzel, Maureen Pasko, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, US Department of Veterans Affairs, veteran suicides, Veterans Health Administration, West Haven VA
Connecticut Lags In Kids’ Mental Health Screening; Reforms Considered
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Selenia Velez remembers the near-daily phone calls from the pre-school, alerting her that her 2-year-old son had acted out aggressively and needed to be picked up immediately. The calls went on for months, as Velez, 27, of Hartford, and her husband bounced between the pre-school and their son’s pediatrician, who recommended that they take him to a psychiatrist for an evaluation. But the psychiatrist was booked and held them at bay, as Velez watched her son’s behavior deteriorate. “We just felt hopeless,” the mother of four recalls of her oldest son, now 7. “It was one of the most heartbreaking things you can go through as a mother. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Disparities, I-Team In-Depth, American Academy of Pediatrics, Barbara Ward-Zimmerman, behavioral health screening, Center for Children's Advocacy, Child Health and Development Institute, Connecticut Department of Social Services
State Raises Financial Penalties For Nursing Homes
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Last summer, the state Department of Public Health fined a Danielson nursing home $580 after a resident whose feet were not properly secured to a wheelchair suffered a hip fracture. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Fines & Sanctions, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Matthew Barrett, nursing home fines, William Gerrish
State Orders Clean-Up Of English Station In New Haven
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Two decades after New Haven’s English Station power plant stopped producing energy for United Illuminating, state officials have ordered the owners to conduct a massive clean-up of the property, which is contaminated with hazardous PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Environmental Health, Asnat Realty, Attorney General George Jepsen, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, English Station, Evergreen Power, Mill River, New Haven
Dempsey Hospital Makes Progress Reducing Double CT Scans
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UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital has drastically reduced the frequency of “combination” CT scans of patients’ chests and abdomens, as federal regulators have clamped down on the practice, which carries a risk of excess radiation. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Fines & Sanctions, American College of Radiology, Archives of Internal Medicine, Centers For Medicare and Medicare Services, combination CT scans, Dr. Douglas Fellows, John Dempsey Hospital
Three Nursing Homes Face Fines For Lapses Connected To Injuries
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Three nursing homes face fines for lapses in care related to residents who were injured or whose wounds were not properly treated. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Fines & Sanctions, Apple Rehab Coccomo, Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Orchard Grove Specialty Care Center
State Nursing Homes Pilot Alarm-Free Initiative — Carefully
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When Florence Bolella, director of nursing at Kimberly Hall South nursing home in Windsor, told her staff to remove all the alarms from patients, fear and panic set in. Not among the residents, who were relieved to be free of the annoying beeps and squawks that sounded every time someone with mobility problems moved, but among the nurses’ aides. Continue Reading →