Connecticut Health News: - Courant.com

Medical Board Opts Not To Discipline Greenwich Anesthesiologist

By KATE FARRISH, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:24:14 GMT

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The state Medical Examining Board on Tuesday imposed no disciplinary action against a Greenwich Hospital anesthesiologist who in 2010 administered a nerve block on the wrong arm of a patient who was about to undergo a wrist arthroscopy.

Jackson Lab Names Scientific Director For Farmington Location

Courant Staff Report — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:08:40 GMT

Company Chooses Harvard Genetics Expert Charles Lee MORE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS

A Harvard genetics expert has been named scientific director of the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine on the campus of the UConn Health Center, the company announced Monday.

Nursing Homes Penalized For Care Lapses Leading To Injuries

By LISA CHEDEKEL, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:23:05 GMT

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The state Department of Public Health has penalized six nursing homes for lapses in care that contributed to residents' injuries.

Drunken Concertgoers Clog Hospital Emergency Departments

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:59:00 GMT

Officials Urge Parents To Take More Action MORE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS

The problem of drunken concertgoers clogging up hospital emergency departments has reached the level of a public health issue, a Hartford doctor said Wednesday.

State's Medicaid Processing On Trial; Suit Charges Lack Of Staff Has Created Backlog

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:32:52 GMT

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The state Department of Social Services is either understaffed, overworked and unable to process Medicaid applications on time, or just starting to recover from a few rough years of layoffs, depending on who was speaking Tuesday in the first day of a trial in U.S. District Court.

Yale Researchers Urge More Street Work When Studying People With Both HIV, Hepatitis C

By WILLIAM WEIR, wweir@courant.com — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:40:15 GMT

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Researchers need to work harder to screen high-risk populations for people who are infected with both HIV and hepatitis C, say the authors of a new Yale University study on the incidence of co-infection in the New Haven area.

Boys Have Eating Disorders, Too

By ELAINE X. GRANT, egrant@hartfordmag.com — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:51:00 GMT

With Fewer Treatment Options, Males Suffer Silently With 'Girl' Problem MORE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS

In February 2010, Jonathan Noyes' uncle died suddenly. Several months later, during a summer trip to see the Statue of Liberty, Jonathan's much-loved grandmother started feeling ill. She was diagnosed with cancer and died two weeks before Christmas. Not long after that, Jonathan's father lost his job.

Hospitals' Prices Vary Widely For Same Procedures

By Sarah Kliff and Dan Keating, Washington Post — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:47:00 GMT

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The price of major joint-replacement surgery, without serious complications, is nearly three times more at Greenwich Hospital than at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.

Vets At Risk Of Suicide Not Getting Adequate Post-Discharge Care: Report

By LISA CHEDEKEL, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:46:18 GMT

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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.

Spurned By Lawmakers, Governor To Revise HUSKY Proposal

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:33:57 GMT

Single Mom Swept Up In Capitol Fray Over Health Benefits MORE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is revising a plan to significantly reduce money for HUSKY A, the state-funded insurance program for low-income children and their parents, after his proposal failed to clear a legislative committee.

Connecticut Lags In Mental Health Screening For Children

By LISA CHEDEKEL, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:29:14 GMT

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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.

Marching To Help Premature Babies

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:38:28 GMT

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Six years ago, State Police Lt. Paul Vance's grandson was born 15 weeks early.

Access To Plan B For Younger Girls Elicits Strong Local Reaction

By DENISE BUFFA, dbuffa@courant.com — Thu, 02 May 2013 03:31:59 GMT

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Opinions about the FDA's approval of the Plan B One-Step contraceptive pill for girls as young as 15 varied sharply among Connecticut groups based on political and social ideology.

State Begins Air Quality Monitoring For The Year

BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:10:08 GMT

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Connecticut residents can now get forecasts of the state's air quality.

Jackson Lab, Children's Medical Center, Hartford Hospital Collaborate On New Cancer Treatment

BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:11:35 GMT

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Connecticut cancer patients will participate in a clinical trial in which researchers extract tumor cells, graft them onto mice, and then use the mice as patient avatars so scientists can develop treatment tailored to the individual.

Rocky Hill Changes Direction On School Security Plans

By DAVID DRURY, Special to The Courant — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:26:00 GMT

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What began as Sandy-Hook inspired proposal to base specially trained police officers in all four of the town's schools morphed into something very different during a council budget workshop Monday night.

Rocky Hill Appeals Dismissal Of Nursing Home Lawsuits

By DAVID DRURY, Special to The Courant — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:00:08 GMT

Seeks Expedited Action From State Appellate Court MORE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS

Moving felons into the nursing home at 60 West St. will cause "irreparable harm'' to the Town of Rocky Hill and its residents, attorneys said as they urged the State Appellate Court to fast-track their appeal of the dismissal of the town's lawsuit against the owners of the facility.

State Raises Financial Penalties For Nursing Homes

By LISA CHEDEKEL, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:51:38 GMT

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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.

Classroom Teaches A Lesson In Mental Health Treatment

By JENNIFER KAYLIN, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:57:20 GMT

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As a "classroom interventionist," Stephanie Galluzo's job is to help students who act out in class to settle down and refocus. Teachers find this new classroom management tool a huge benefit for them, as they concentrate on the whole class and aren't distracted by one child.

Judge Dismisses Rocky Hill's Lawsuit Seeking To Block Nursing Home For Prisoners

By DAVID DRURY, Special to The Courant — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:43:00 GMT

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A Superior Court judge has dealt a devastating setback to efforts by Rocky Hill to prevent a state-backed nursing home for inmates and mental patients from opening.

A New Breed Of Doctor, From New School

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:05:43 GMT

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With the health care system swamped by the Affordable Care Act and a physician shortage threatening the future of health care, the medical community has called for more medical schools to produce more doctors — specifically, more primary care physicians.

Lung Association: Smog Hits Shoreline Hardest, Though State's Air Getting Better Overall

Courant Staff Report — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:03:00 GMT

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There is more smog and soot along the shoreline than elsewhere in the state — a fact of life in Connecticut for years, confirmed once again in a yearly report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association.

Jackson Lab Researchers Say Molecule Could Help Leukemia Treatment

By WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:25:00 GMT

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Jackson Laboratory researchers say a specific molecule can be used to kill certain cancer cells.

Unhealthy Mercury Levels Persist In Waterways And Fish

By THERESA SULLIVAN BARGER, Conn. Health I-Team Writer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:23:51 GMT

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Wethersfield resident Patrice Gilbert knew that compact fluorescent bulbs contained mercury, so as they burned out, she put them aside until she could find out where to properly dispose of them.

Patients, Potential Growers Offer Ideas On Medical Marijuana Rules

By JOSH KOVNER, jkovner@courant.com — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:57:00 GMT

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Patients, child advocates and prospective growers jammed a public hearing Monday to comment on proposed medical marijuana regulations before they get shipped to the legislature in July.