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Health June 02, 2008 Toxic Neighbors A Dallas Morning News investigation has found dozens of sites with hazardous chemicals that are in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. It is a problem throughout Dallas County. In some cases, plants and warehouses are within blocks — and even across the street — from homes, apartment complexes, and schools. Of the over 900 sites that story hazardous chemicals in Dallas County, 52 have quantities high enough that they must submit a worst-case scenario plan to the Environmental Protection Agency. This investigation explores how it happened and what can be done. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 21, 2008 Chains' claims of healthy menu items not always accurate Eight stations of the Scripps Television Stations Group pooled their efforts to investigate the nutritional value of low-calorie and low-fat menu items at several national restaurant chains. Food purchased from restaurants such as Applebee's and Macaroni Grill was tested at a lab for actual calorie and fat content. "Out of the 23 items tested from various chains, 18 of the items were higher in fat and 16 higher in calories." Al Tompkins, of Poynter, interviewed Lana Durban Scott, director of news strategy at Scripps, to find out how they put this project together. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 19, 2008 Students investigate the suicide of a mentally-ill inmate A three-month investigation by journalism students at Humboldt State University looked into the suicide of James Lee Peters, a mentally-ill Native American inmate at Humboldt County Jail. With few people willing to talk, the students relied on public records obtained through the California Public Records Act to piece together what happened to Lee, and how the system failed him. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 28, 2008 The global food crisis A series by The Washington Post explores the causes and implications of the current global food crisis, the likes of which have not been seen since the 1970s. "A complex combination of poor harvests, competition with biofuels, higher energy prices, surging demand in China and India, and a blockage in global trade is driving food prices up worldwide." The impact is not limited to impoverished countries; consumers in the U.S. and other countries are feeling the impact of rising food costs. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Contaminated drinking water found in some LA public schools A three-month investigation by Joel Grover of KNBC-Los Angeles found lead levels in drinking water that exceeded EPA safety limits at several area public schools. Contaminated fountains were found at nine of the 30 schools tested. An internal report obtained by the network showed that the district had known about the problem for 18 years. In some cases, it was found that employees falsified records to indicate that drinking water was safe. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 16, 2008 Safety issues ignored despite marked increase in nail gun injuries A Sacramento Bee investigation into the dangers associated with nail guns reveals a dramatic increase in injuries over the last decade. Andrew McIntosh reports that despite an increase in injuries — some resulting in death — the Consumer Product Safety Commission has done little to address safety issues. While many accidents go unreported, an April 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that injuries have "increased more than threefold in a decade, from about 12,000 in 1995 to about 42,000 in 2005." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 15, 2008 Industry controls state hospital regulation Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register explores the influence that the Iowa hospital industry exerts over state regulators and lawmakers. In Iowa today, a state license to run a hospital costs $10, just as it did in 1947. That's less than the cost of a state license to open a bait shop. And the state's Hospital Licensing Board is made up exclusively of industry CEOs. Those CEOs belong to a PAC that opposes issues such as mandatory criminal background checks on hospital workers, increases in licensing fees, and updated standards on new hospital construction. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post San Francisco emergency response times lagging Jim Doyle of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the city's emergency response system is failing to meet response goals. In February 2004, the city adopted a 6-1/2 minute standard for emergency response. Since then, at least 439 people have died while waiting for delayed emergency assistance. "The The Chronicle found that delayed emergency medical responses are the result of numerous causes, from chronic understaffing, language barriers and botched dispatches at the city's 911 call center to traffic congestion and unavailable nearby ambulances." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 12, 2008 Unnecessary transplants boon for clinics at great cost to patients The three-day special report by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporters Andrew Conte and Luis Fabregas found that hundreds of patients each year undergo unnecessary liver transplants. The story cites national data for transplants at 127 hospitals across the nation between 2002 and 2006. The reporters looked at MELD scores—a government-approved standard used to determine how urgently a patient needs a liver— to see how sick transplant patients were and how patients with the least urgent conditions fared post-surgery. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 10, 2008 Psychiatric screening of military personel still lagging The Hartford Courant's Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman continue their coverage of the U.S. military's mental health policies with a report revealing that fewer than 1 percent of deploying combat troops received mental-health evaluations in 2007 despite a congressional order to improve screening, as revealed in pre-deployment data for nearly 350,000 soldiers sent to war. Those numbers contrast with several military studies that have found mental-health problems in close to 10 percent of service members awaiting deployment. The Courant's latest story came days after the military released a report that found that repeat deployments are straining soldiers’ mental well-being, with 27.2 percent of noncommissioned officers on third and fourth deployments screening positive for depression, anxiety or acute stress. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Probe finds trace pharmecueticals in US drinking water A five-month probe by Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard, of the Associated Press, found traces of medications in the drinking water supplies of over 40 million Americans. While the testing found pharmaceuticals diluted to miniscule concentration levels, some scientists question the long-term effects of sustained exposure. The AP reports: "The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP. The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 07, 2008 Worst nursing homes collecting bonuses Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register reports that some of the worst nursing homes in Iowa are collecting tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses that are supposed to reward quality care. The bonuses are paid through a little-known program that boosts the amount of Medicaid money received by homes that score well on certain "accountability measures." The Register's analysis of the program shows that 16 of the 23 homes that faced large fines last year for causing deaths or injuries are this year collecting quality-of-care bonuses from the Medicaid program. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Little punishment for doctors who overprescribe In a third installment of "Dangerous Doctors," Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed how doctors who prescribe too many painkillers to patients in Wisconsin are rarely disciplined— even when patients are harmed. One man who overdosed had three doctors with troubled pasts, including a doctor who would later go to prison for selling prescriptions in a department store. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 10, 2008 "Coincidence or Cluster?" A six-part series by Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, Ill.) looks into lawsuits facing two chemical companies after a cluster of brain cancer patients were discovered in a small town. Craver studied documents going back 30 years to investigate the site's regulatory history, inspections, claims and counterclaims about pollutants and human exposure. The 22 plaintiffs in the case point to the disposal operations of Rohm and Haas and Modine Manufacturing Co. and whether the company's practices allowed carcinogens, such as vinyl choride, to leach into groundwater. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 18, 2007 Designed to treat addicts, 'bupe fix' gains popularity on streets A three-part investigative series by The Baltimore Sun looks at the drug buprenorphine which is now being commonly prescribed to addicts to help them kick their addictions. It has shown great promise with opiate addictions by curbing withdrawal symptoms. But in plentiful supply, it is now showing up on the streets where abusers are using it to get high. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 13, 2007 Mood-altering drugs prescribed frequently to foster kids Gary Craig from the Rochester, N.Y., Democrat and Chronicle investigated the growing use of mood-altering prescription drugs among youth in foster care and uncovered cases of children as young as one year old being prescribed psychotropic drugs. The investigation revealed many trends in the prescribing of these drugs, and disturbing statistics about their prevalence in the foster care system. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 10, 2007 Insiders profit from FDA's Fast Track A seven-month investigation by The Plain Dealer's Joel Rutchick and Brie Zeltner into the FDA's Fast Track drug review program has proven benefits to investors while doing little or nothing to speed up the availability of new medical treatments, compared to expedited review options that already existed before the drug industry lobbied to create Fast Track."Fast The news of Fast Track designation creates a boon for day traders, hedge funds and others looking to make quick money off biotech stocks." Securities information shows that stocks surge at the announcement of Fast Track designations, resulting in hefty profits for company insiders. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 07, 2007 Danger of common chemical downplayed In a second installment of "Chemical Fallout," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters Susanne Rust, Meg Kissinger and Cary Spivak found that the chemical industry has funded much of the science claiming that the popular chemical bisphenol A is safe. The reporters built a database of 258 scientific studies spanning 20 years of research into the chemical and found that 80 percent of the research showed the chemical poses health risks to laboratory animals. Bisphenol A can be found in hard plastics — including baby bottles, dental sealants, PVC pipes and reusable water bottles. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Emergency response times lagging in Ohio's Delaware County An investigation by Paul Aker of WBNS in Columbus, Ohio, shows that Delaware County's emergency response times fall short of the industry standard. The National Fire Protection Association's voluntary guidelines call for processing 99 percent of calls within 90 seconds. In Delaware County, the 911 center's interim director told Aker he wants to see dispatches under two minutes. WBNS looked at a sample of calls for suspected heart attacks and found that 59 percent took more than one minute to process and 30 percent took at least 90 seconds. The story also revealed that the center does not track how long the phone rings before a dispatcher picks up. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Lobbyists see 'confidential' list of worst nursing homes The Des Moines Register reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has refused to publicly release its full list of the nation's worst-performing nursing homes, has shared that same information with lobbyists for the nursing home industry. Reporter Clark Kauffman writes that the federal agency has publicly identified only 54 of the 128 homes on its list of "special-focus facilities." The other 74 poor-performing homes have not been disclosed to seniors, their family members and advocates. Yet the American Health Care Association, which lobbies Congress on behalf of 10,000 care facilities nationwide, recently received the full list from CMS on the condition that it not be shared with the public. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 28, 2007 Consumers unknowingly exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals Susanne Rust, Meg Kissinger and Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviewed more than 250 scientific studies and examined thousands of pages of regulatory documents for their investigation detailing the failure of the federal government to regulate chemicals known as endocrine disruptors. The Environmental Protection Agency promised a decade ago to screen 15,000 chemicals, yet this is still not being done. Consumers are unknowingly exposed to these potentially hazardous compounds in the contents and packaging of countless everyday products. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 26, 2007 Haven Healthcare riddled with problems Lisa Chedekel and Lynne Touhy of the Hartford Courant exposed the patient care issues and financial troubles at Haven Healthcare, one of Connecticut's largest nursing home chains. The reporters utilized Medicare data and Connecticut Department of Public Health data to uncover patient care problems. The investigation also revealed that the chain's CEO funneled corporate resources into a country music record label he owns. The series prompted the government to intervene at facilities run by the company, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post State data reveal high veteran suicide rates A five-month investigation by Armen Keteyian of CBS News uncovered a startling suicide rate for veterans. Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs keep accurate numbers on veteran suicide rates. CBS News requested suicide data from all 50 states dating back to 1995, and 45 states provided the information. In 2005, "there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That's 120 each and every week, in just one year." Among veterans 20 to 24 years of age, the suicide rate was two to four times greater than non-veterans of the same age. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 20, 2007 Death rates rise at Kabul maternity hospital supported by U.S. training Maternal and infant death rates spiked at a major Kabul maternity hospital that was promoted as a model of U.S. medical training in Afghanistan. Alison Young of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals that "the rate of normal-sized babies dying in labor and delivery at Rabia Balkhi jumped 67 percent last year." The statistics, including death rates from C-sections, raised concern at U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The same U.S.-funded healthcare program also spent $1.3 million on a no-bid contract for LeapFrog talking books "The idea was to teach illiterate Afghan women about hygiene, prenatal care, immunizations and nutrition from talking picture books popular with U.S. children." Documents from the CDC, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson are posted online. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Energy devices sell snake oil technology Michael Berens and Christine Willmsen examine the global behind fraudulent medical devices that "claim to cure cancer, reduce cholesterol, even eliminate AIDS. Their operators say these 'energy medicine' devices work by transmitting radio frequencies or electromagnetic waves through the body, identifying problems, then 'zapping' them. Their claims are a fraud. The Seattle Timeshas found that thousands of these unproven devices &emdash; many of them illegal or dangerous &emdash; are used in hundreds of venues nationwide." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 16, 2007 Investigation examines how dentists maximize Medicaid payments A five-month investigation by Roberta Baskin of WJLV in Washington, D.C.,"reveals that children on Medicaid who visit two Washington area clinics are suffering pain for profit." Former staffers and patients of the Small Smiles clinics, which are among the few dental practices serving children on Medicaid, allege that dentists routinely put children in restraints during exams, separated them from parents, and gave staff bonuses for upgrading procedures, such as crowns or baby root canals instead of fillings, to get more money from Medicaid. A Colorado-based company called FORBA manages 63 Small Smiles clinics nationwide. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 02, 2007 The Mercury Connection Hundreds of miles of South Carolina rivers are tainted with mercury, and the state warns people not to eat fish caught in some of these waterways. But no one had checked to see if the mercury was harming humans until The Post and Courier in Charleston had tests conducted on people who eat the fish as part of an investigative series on mercury pollution. Tony Bartelme and Doug Pardue report that nearly half of the people tested had mercury levels above the amount considered safe. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 30, 2007 Santa Clara County soil tainted by pesticides Amy Lynch of The San Jose Mercury News reports on environmental issues plaguing Santa Clara County. The county has more toxic cleanup sites involving old orchard pesticides than any county in California, as well as a significant number of other sites contaminated by other types of farming or pesticide handling, according to a Mercury News analysis of state records." It is believed that the problem is more extensive than even these reports suggest because they have only been identified due to pending development. Accompanying materials detail how the contamination occurred, a map of contamination sites, and the types of pesticides (pdf) present in the county. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 25, 2007 Athletes' weight gain can lead to major problems Garry Lenton of the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., reports on the increased average size of high school football players. The newspaper used high school football rosters from 1988 and 2006, calculating the body mass index of 800 players total and finding that "Eighteen percent of 2006 players had a body mass index of 30 or more, twice the 1988 rate." Some of these young athletes, if they maintain their 300-plus pound weight after their playing days are over, risk health problems like leg and back issues, as well as strokes and heart problems. The culture that has led to this trend is discussed, as one coach brings up the old adage that "You can't coach size." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 24, 2007 American Imports, Chinese Deaths Over a 12-month period, investigative reporter Loretta Tofani traveled to China, examining worker conditions and "observed first-hand how Chinese workers routinely risk their health and sometimes their lives making products for export to the United States and other countries." Her series, printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, tells of workers using dangerous, outdated machines, sometimes resulting in serious injury. Also, the air in some factories has proven toxic, with workers exposed to benzene fumes and cadmium dust. The six-part series ends with an examination of who is to blame for these conditions, and what can be done. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 16, 2007 More questionable deaths uncovered at Wisconsin psychiatric hospital Using police and coroner records, Mary Zahn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found three more deaths at a state psychiatric hospital involving questionable medical decisions. One woman complained she was paralyzed after a fall, but doctors and nurses at Winnebago Mental Health Institute didn't believe her. They waited six days to take her to a hospital where she was diagnosed as a quadriplegic; she died 15 months later. State officials didn't know about the case until two years after the fall and spent just one day investigating. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Assisted living residents pay more for over-the-counter medication An investigation by Jesse Jones of KING-Seattle finds that some residents of assisted-living facilities pay up to five times more for over-the-counter drugs purchased from pharmacies, compared to regular retail prices. Health care providers say the costs are justified because state law requires that a nurse or pharmacist package individual doses for patients who need assistance using the products safely. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 08, 2007 Reporting of sudden infant deaths vary wildly across the country The results of an in-depth investigation into infant deaths by Thomas Hargrove and Lee Bowman was launched online this week. They looked at over 40,000 infant deaths since 1992 to find that "the quality of infant death investigations, the level of training for coroners, and the amount of oversight and review vary enormously across the country." An online database of deaths between 2000-2004 allows readers to see how infant deaths are reported in their county compared to others throughout the US. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 03, 2007 Indentured doctors Foreign doctors are being exploited by the Nevada physicians who sponsor their visas for U.S. medical residencies, reports Marshall Allen of the Las Vegas Sun. Under the Conrad State 30 program, foreign physicians are eligible for U.S. medical residencies located in underserved urban or rural areas. Instead, Allen writes, "Those sponsoring physicians pull the foreign doctors away from the clinics and assign them to work in Las Vegas hospitals, where they generate more revenue for their sponsors." In some cases, a portion of the foreign doctors' pay is redirected to the sponsor, too. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 26, 2007 Investigation leads to recall of deadly crib An investigation by the Chicago Tribune prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall popular cribs sold under the Simplicity and Graco brand names from 1997 to 2008. Maurice Possley of the Tribune found numerous complaints about a drop rail that "can detach from the crib's frame, creating a dangerous gap that has led to the deaths of at least three children." After Possley found a victim's family - two years after the baby's death - the commission sent an investigator to examine the faulty crib and issued a recall three days later. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 21, 2007 The football injury to die for Most high-school football players aren't concerned about concussions, nor would they tell their coach if they got one. However, Alan Schwarz of The New York Times, gives some compelling arguments for why they should be a lot more concerned. According Schwarz's investigative report, teenagers who receive a second blow to the head following a first, even benign, injury can very easily slip into a "metabolic chain of events," winding up in a coma or even dying. At least 50 high school football players have been killed or have sustained serious head injuries on the field since 1997. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 19, 2007 US exports unsafe products While much hoopla was made of the recall of certain Chinese-made products by the Consumer Product Safety Division, United States companies have been allowed to export unsafe products overseas, according to a report by Russell Carrollo of The Sacramento Bee. These items included very flammable children’s clothing, toys and wax crayons with toxic chemicals in them and other goods banned in the U.S., but deemed fit to ship. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 07, 2007 Accuracy of 9/11 health reports debated Anthony DePalma and Serge F. Kovaleski of The New York Times explore questions about the health data reported by the Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which has overseen the treatment of thousands of ground zero workers. While the clinic's efforts have been called "well meaning," the resources needed to track and report data have been inadequate and caused many to question the accuracy of their findings. "Researchers in this field say that the clinic's data collection was so badly planned that its usefulness may be limited. Others say that doctors at the clinic, which has strong historical ties to labor unions, have allowed their advocacy for workers to trump their science by making statements that go beyond what their studies have confirmed." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 31, 2007 Disability coverage fails workers in North Carolina In North Carolina, access to federal disability insurance eludes those who need it most. Fred Kelly of The Charlotte Observer found bureaucratic snags hold up disability payments. "The disability program is supposed to provide a safety net for workers who become injured or mentally ill, but an Observer investigation found the system is flawed for a large swath of North Carolina because administrative law judges fail to issue enough rulings to keep pace with incoming cases." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 27, 2007 Prescription pain med use nearly doubles An investigation by Frank Bass of the Associated Press shows that the use of pain medication has nearly doubled in the U.S. over the past eight years. According to the latest figures from the Drug Enforcement Adminstration, "More than 200,000 pounds of codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and meperidine were purchased at retail stores…enough to give more than 300 milligrams of painkillers to every person in the country." Reasons for the surge have been linked to an aging population, unprecedented marketing by pharmaceutical companies, and changes in the medical communities philosophy on pain management. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 02, 2007 Suicide, substance abuse deaths high in Nevada Analysis of the CDC's mortality data by Marshall Allen and Alex Richards of the Las Vegas Sun shows that residents of Nevada and Clark County "die younger and at higher rates of suicide, substance abuse and certain chronic illnesses compared with the rates nationally and in other large counties." Sociologists and medical professionals seek to understand what is behind these trends in Nevada. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 25, 2007 Lead hazards still taint cheap toys Mary Shedden of The Tampa Tribune reports on the continuing problem of lead turning up in children's toys produced outside the U.S. Using independent testing, her investigation turned up toxic levels of lead in one out of three pieces of costume jewelry or trinkets purchased from area stores. In some cases, items subject to recalls were still on the shelves. "About 9 million pieces of children's jewelry have been recalled since 2006, but an understaffed and underfunded U.S. consumer regulatory agency has failed to fine a U.S. retailer or distributor for selling jewelry containing toxic levels." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 15, 2007 ATVs: Deceptively Dangerous An in-depth special report by The Oregonian explores the dangers of ATVs. "Over the past decade, the machines have soared in popularity, with 7.6 million in use. The result: Record numbers of riders end up in emergency rooms and morgues as accidents kill about 800 people a year and injure an estimated 136,700." The multimedia report includes myriad documents and video footage detailing the reality of ATV safety issues and concerns. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 14, 2007 Bomb factory workers seek cancer compensation Nuclear bomb factory workers face steep hurdles getting compensation from the government after contracting cancer. As the U.S. closes many nuclear weapons sites, a growing number of those who helped build bombs are turning to lawyers and legislators to argue they are being treated unfairly, The Washington Post's Michael Alison Chandler and Joby Warrick report. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 02, 2007 Medical research group's conflicts of interest revealed Reporters Susanne Rust and Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel detailed conflicts of interest involving the Constella Group, a private health research company that performs hundreds of millions of dollars worth of work for the federal government while also representing major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. The reporters analyzed federal contracts data to help tell the story. Among their findings: Constella got a federal contract four years ago to oversee a list of carcinogens. Three months later, the company added a virus to the list while two of its private sector clients were developing vaccines to treat that virus. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 20, 2007 Numerous South Florida restaurants cited for critical health code violations Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that nearly 2,500 restaurants in South Florida were cited for critical violations by state inspectors between July 2006 and January 2007. Since 1997, there has been a 66 percent increase in the number of confirmed food-borne illnesses tied to restaurants. "In December, the state issued disciplinary actions against 276 restaurants in the state -- 94 of them in South Florida -- and collected a total of $253,550 in fines, the Sun-Sentinel's analysis shows. South Florida's restaurants paid a total of $101,950 in fines." Included in the story is a database which allows readers to search the inspection records of South Florida restuarants. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 13, 2007 Recurring health violations uncovered in NC university cafeteria In a quick-hit investigation, Corey G. Johnson of the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, uncovered a history of sanitation violations in the Methodist University student cafeteria. "Since Sodexho opened the Green and Gold Cafe in October 2002, 19 inspection reports have pointed to recurring improper sanitation of food contact surfaces and the need to use approved cleaning methods, reports show. Staff also failed to keep foods at the proper temperature in six unannounced inspections since September 2004. Several visits, including one in November — which earned a 90 — found problems with roaches and ants." Since the March inspection, a school spokesperson claims they are trying to improve the conditions. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 26, 2007 Toxic vapors threaten well-being of residents of Victor, NY The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y., presents stories from a two-month investigation into toxic vapor releases related to toxins improperly disposed of near Victor, N.Y., more than 17 years ago."State officials, drawing upon numerous visits and hundreds of water samples over the last 15 years, have mapped the damage: a mile-long plume of contaminated groundwater that underlies about 50 Victor homes and borders dozens of others. The principal contaminant, TCE [trichloroethene], can harm the central nervous, immune and reproductive systems, impair fetal development and cause cancer in people who are exposed to sufficient quantities." The Democrat and Chronicle website fleshes out the story with interactive graphics and links to documents related to the situation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 20, 2007 Healthcare nonprofits spend millions in federal funds, operate in secrecy In a two-part series, Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register examined the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the largest of 53 federally funded Quality Improvement Organizations. The newspaper found that the tax-exempt Iowa foundation, which investigates complaints of poor patient care received by Iowa's 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, reviewed only 12 complaints in 2005. That same year, the foundation spent $85 million and handed out more than half a million dollars to two former executives as severance pay. The Register also reported on the salaries and complaint investigations at all of the nation's QIOs, many of which operate as tax-exempt nonprofits. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Drug abuse, crime on rise among paramedics A special report by Andrew McIntosh of The Sacramento Bee reveals problems with paramedics and EMTs in the state of California. Substance abuse is on the rise among paramedics, including theft of morphine on hand to treat patients in the field. Additionally, lax oversight of the paramedic and EMT licensing systems have led to fired paramedics being rehired as EMTs. The story had led to state legistlative action to tighten the licensing process, as well as a criminal forgery charge related to licensing fraud in Santa Clara County. The package includes online copies of documents obtained under the California Open Records Act. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 01, 2007 Housing conditions for Milwakee's impoverished mentally ill Reforms promised after the story reveals that man under Milwaukee County's care was dead for days before his body was discovered. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Kissinger continues her year-long coverage of housing conditions for Milwakee's impoverished mentally ill. The latest story details how a man had been dead for up to four days before anyone noticed. Records and interviews show he was supposed to receive daily supervision. Kissinger's earlier stories have prompted state reforms and launched a criminal investigation into the starvation death of a woman at the Milwakee County Mental Health Complex. More than $12 million has been pledged to improve housing conditions in the wake of the stories. Read the latest story and the series. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post "Shame of the State" uncovers assisted-living horrors in Pennsylvania Ken Dilanian of The Philadelphia Inquirer found a long list of health and safety violations, a history of substandard care, and a system of state oversight that, until recently, often allowed deficient operators to violate safety rules with virtual impunity in the assisted-living homes of Philadelphia. Since 2000, at least 55 assisted-living residents have died across the state under horrible circumstances. Uncounted others were beaten or neglected at the state-regulated facilities. At least five were raped. With Nancy Phillips, Dilanian questioned the dysfunctional system that let a chain of horrors grow. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 22, 2007 Nail salon violations on the rise in Florida Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that state inspectors issued 163 citations for violations at nail salons from June 2005 to July 2006, compared to 99 in 2003 to 2004. Torres examined three years of inspection data for salons that received citations from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and found "ignoring sanitation rules, failing to use disinfectant to sterilize tools, storing dirty instruments with clean ones and, in some cases, allowing unlicensed employees to work for months." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 08, 2007 A Hidden Shame Alan Judd and Andy Miller of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution presented the first in a series of reports on Georgia's system of state psychiatric hospitals. Reporters used state vital records and death data, autopsy reports and claims filed against the state to flag 115 suspicious deaths among patients in state custody in the past five years. "This study revealed a pattern of neglect, abuse and poor medical care in the seven state hospitals, as well as a lack of public accountability for patient deaths." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 04, 2007 Durham, N.C. fails to report lead detected in tap water Michael Biesecker of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reports that the city of Durham failed to inform state regulators that there was tainted drinking water in the area. A report submitted in October claimed that the city's drinking water met federal standards despite the fact that several tests detected lead in the tap water. "Durham officials acknowledged this week that they failed to disclose at least 20 test results from seven homes to state regulators, a violation of federal rules." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 04, 2006 Too little choice, too much ideology The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists conducted a yearlong investigation into how rigid rules and restrictions of President Bush's initiative to fight HIV/AIDS have affected countries struggling with the pandemic. The investigation found that restrictive funding and emphasis on abstinence have hindered the $15 billion effort. "Information accumulated by reporters in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) through more than 100 interviews, examination of thousands of pages of documents and reporting on the ground in affected countries indicates that this historic opportunity may be slipping away, because PEPFAR's (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) 'flawed framework' has stressed a restrictive use of the funds earmarked to combat HIV/AIDS." The investigation reveals a pattern of contradictory, conflicting and confusing policies and concludes that the picture presented is one of an extraordinarily disorganized operation. The project's home page can be viewed here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 29, 2006 Methadone series leads to FDA warning Six months after the Charleston Gazette ran a series about methadone overdose deaths nationwide, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory and strenghtened the warnings on the package insert for methadone this week. The Gazette series revealed that the FDA-approved recommended dosage on methadone's old package insert was wrong and potentially deadly. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 21, 2006 "Fatal Food" Thomas Hargrove of Scripps Howard News Service, along with contributions from Sruthi Kunnel and Lee Bowman, completed an investigation into food-borne illness outbreak reports made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical officials in Kentucky have already ordered reform's to the state's disease reporting process as a result of this investigation. Links to the stories and data:
Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 20, 2006 Cardiologist given no-show contracts at New Jersey medical school Ted Sherman and Josh Margolin of The Star-Ledger cover the details emerging from a “whistle blower lawsuit” against the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In an effort to make their cardiac surgery program seem robust to avoid being shut down, UMDNJ " paid at least nine local cardiologists in private practice salaries and stipends as high as $150,000 to become "clinical assistant professors" in an effort to increase the number of patients in the university's troubled heart surgery program." These were not physicians who were attending rounds or lecturing, instead they only served the purpose of referring patients to the program. Following the story, the state Senate launched a probe into the allegations. Jobs have already been cut due to the story and probe. "The state's medical university plans to fire two cardiologists who allegedly were given no-show faculty jobs...and plans to cut the salaries of nine other doctors, according to an internal memo from the university president." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 28, 2006 Quality cardiac care correlates with wealthier counties in US A story by Robert Benincasa and Jennifer Brooks of the Gannett News Service shows that the best cardiac care is typically found in higher-income counties. "Using data provided by hospitals to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and covering the period of October 2004 through September 2005, GNS rated the nation's hospitals on heart care. The ratings show how often they gave standard treatments to heart attack and heart failure patients who were supposed to get them." The data used for their analysis came from the US Department of Health and Human Services. It can be found here . Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 18, 2006 CDC bonuses favor management, not scientists Alison Young of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed awards recieved by the employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to show that the most frequent large cash awards and performance bonuses are recieved not by scientists, but mostly budget analysts, accountants, computer experts and other administrative managers. "The 72 CDC employees who received five or more awards of at least $2,500 from 2000 through July 21, primarily work in non-science jobs. Some got $30,000, $50,000 and in one case more than $140,000 in cumulative bonus cash beyond their salaries." As the CDC faces morale problems and the loss of key scientific leaders, the distribution awards provides evidence, critics say, that the Atlanta-based agency is becoming more focused on management and bureaucracy and less on its public health mission. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 24, 2006 Memorial Medical Center Investigation A five-part series by Jeffrey Meitrodt of the Times-Picayune details the situation that unfolded at Memorial Medical Center following Hurricane Katrina, including allegations of the murder of 4 eldery patients at the hands of Dr. Anna Pou and 2 nurses. This series appears as part of the Times-Picayune's coverage of "Katrina: One Year Later." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 28, 2006 Enquirer wins records, shows health department let lead paint violations slide Sharon Coolidge of The Cincinnati Enquirer won a two-year battle with the Cinncinnati Health Department to obtain records of properties cited for lead contamination violations. Coolidge analyzed the city health records and found that "Cincinnati's Health Department is failng to force property owners to fix their buildings, leaving hundreds of children at risk for lead poisoning." The investigation revealed 300 open cases in which children had been poisoned. City officials pledged that property owners who refuse health department orders to clean up poisonous lead hazards will find themselves in court. The original open records dispute went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the Enquirer won its case in March. The city originally had used HIPAA, a federal law designed to protect personal medical information, as a shield against turning over the records, arguing that the records could identify residents who had elevated lead levels in blood tests. The Supreme Court ruled that Ohio open records laws took precedence over HIPAA in this case. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 21, 2006 Disorganized transplant program costly to patients In an 11-part series, Anna Werner of KPIX-San Francisco analyzed national transplant data and found serious questions about the kidney transplant program at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. "Kaiser's transplant program was set up poorly and still today is disorganized" and many patients were left waiting. Numerous accusations of disorganization and delays had have affected patients' health. State regulators launched an investigation into Kaiser Permanente's kidney transplant program. The complete 11-part series began May 2. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 12, 2006 Abuse and neglect at Mo. mental health facilities Carolyn Tuft and Joe Mahr of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reviewed thousands of paper and electronic records from the Department of Mental Health and found that "mentally retarded and mentally ill people in Missouri have been sexually assaulted, beaten, injured and left to die by abusive and neglectful caregivers in a system that for years has failed at every level to safeguard them." The investigation uncovered widespread mistreatment in 19 large state institutions and hundreds of smaller group homes supervised by the state across Missouri. There were 2,287 confirmed cases of abuse and neglect of residents since 2000. Of those, 665 resulted in injuries with 21 deaths. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 08, 2006 Pain drug can kill when taken as prescribed Scott Finn and Tara Tuckwiller of The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette analyzed death certificates and found that "patients could die if they take the "usual adult dosage" on methadone's package insert — information that comes with the prescription and was approved by the federal government." Methadone, once given mostly to heroin addicts to ease their cravings, now is prescribed by more doctors to treat pain. It contributed to 2,992 deaths nationwide in 2003, up from 790 four years earlier. Despite knowing about methadone's dangers, federal officials have not strengthened the warnings most doctors and patients receive about methadone. The series includes information about how they reported the story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 17, 2006 Lawyers market to potential silicosis victims Mike Tolson of the Houston Chronicle examined lawsuits related to silicosis, an occupational lung disease caused by exposure to silica which is used by industry in dozens of ways. He found that "To attorneys who had earned millions from asbestos settlements, it represented the next potential windfall." The lawyers did not need sick people, only doctors who would issue diagnoses. In 2002, "one of the smallest states in the country went from 76 new silicosis suits to 10,642. By the end of 2004, the state's total topped 20,000." Tolson also writes about the role of radiologists in the lawsuits. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 08, 2006 Patients denied kidneys because of paperwork Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein of the Los Angeles Times used interviews, internal memos and transplant records to show that 25 Kaiser Permanente patients in Northern California were denied the chance for new kidneys that were nearly perfectly matched to them last year during the troubled start-up of the giant HMO's kidney transplant program in San Francisco. " The patients missed this opportunity because they were in effect stranded between two transplant programs." Kaiser never properly completed the paperwork to transfer the patients' cases to its program from UC-San Francisco Medical Center, which had been under contract to care for them until September 2004. At the same time, Kaiser would not authorize UC-San Francisco to continue accepting kidneys and transplanting them into Kaiser patients. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 26, 2006 Health agency ignores sexual misconduct complaints Julia Sommerfeld and Michael J. Berens of The Seattle Times used state records to show that Seattle's Health Department has dismissed — without any investigation — 461 sexual-misconduct complaints against health-care professionals in the past decade, or nearly one-third of the 1,494 complaints received. "These complaints include counselors accused of molesting clients, nurses suspected of fondling patients and doctors turned in for demanding sex in exchange for treatment." As a result, health-care licenses were left unblemished, and possible victims were cast aside. And sexual predators went undetected, only to harm again. The three-day series looks at how the Health Department has credentialed more than 17,000 "registered counselors" who aren't required to have training or even a high school diploma but work with some of the most vulnerable clients. Registered counselors account for the largest number of sexual misconduct complaints in Washington health care. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 14, 2006 LA health officials slow to warn public Joel Grover of KNBC-Los Angeles looked through hundreds of internal health department records to show that even though people were contracting the Hepatitis A virus at well-known restaurants and at a catered lunch, the Los Angeles health department didn't issue a public warning for months. The investigation revealed that officials first learned of a reported outbreak in early September in downtown LA, including workers at a soup kitchen and by early October, there was another outbreak with at least 16 more people getting sick after eating at another restaurant. "Weeks later, at least 18 more people are infected on a movie set after eating food from Silver Grill catering." For months, while the Hepatitis A virus was spreading through LA, the health department didn't issue a single public warning. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 05, 2006 Drug companies sponsored FDA staff travel Alexander Cohen of The Center for Public Integrity analyzed FDA reports of privately sponsored trips taken by agency officials between October 1999 and September 2005 that cost more than $250 and found a loophole in the agency rules that has allowed its employees to receive more than $1.3 million in sponsored travel from groups closely tied to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. "The investigation found nonprofit associations that draw their members, their boards and even some of their funding from medical and pharmaceutical-related companies paying for the travel of hundreds of FDA employees." Among other findings, five organizations that were tied to FDA-regulated companies sponsored almost 1,000 trips, seventeen Drug Safety Oversight Board members took more than 160 privately-funded trips costing more than $220,000, and eleven Drug Safety Oversight Board members took 55 trips, costing roughly $75,000, sponsored by one or more of the five organizations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 31, 2006 N.C. drinking water safety in doubt In a three-part series, Pat Stith of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer shows the "state's regulation of drinking water reveals disregard for safety of private wells, weak regulation of public water systems and widespread problems with lead testing." The series includes an interactive map and a sidebar about how the state closely followed Stith's investigation and began responding to problems before the stories were published. "Stith, along with reporters Catherine Clabby and Wade Rawlins and database editor David Raynor, examined a stack of paper records 8 feet high and acquired databases from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health and Wake County. The reporters also interviewed more than 100 people." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 29, 2006 Nev. rural emergency services face challenges Reporters Steve Timko, Jason Hidalgo and Jim Sloan of the Reno Gazette-Journal examine rural emergency services in Nevada. Timko used data from the Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System to identify Nevada's deadliest roads. Other stories in the series look at ambulance response times — finding they are the worst in the country &mdash and the aging equipment used by EMS crews. (Editor's note: For those interested in doing similar stories using FARS data, it is available to journalists through the IRE and NICAR Database Library.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 09, 2006 Tenn. Medicaid pays for most expensive transportation Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville investigated Tennessee's TennCare (Medicaid) rides program and found that millions of dollars may have been wasted. The investigation found the program assigning patient trips to the most expensive companies, even though that is against its own regulations. "Taxpayers have been overpaying by 40% or more for some trips simply because TennCare used companies that charged a high rate per mile instead of companies that charged less." For instance, Sunshine Transportation, one of the biggest providers in the state, was overlooked in favor of a competitor who charged 50 cents more per mile. The state is revamping the program and putting the brakes on a system they admit is out of control. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 08, 2006 County fails to monitor AIDS services program Norberto Santana Jr. and Tony Saavedra of The Orange County Register used data crunching, document digging and old-fashioned gumshoe work to reveal how Orange County bungled its fledgling AIDS program for African-Americans. The investigation found what the county hadn't bothered to look for when hiring an AIDS service provider. " Pastor Aubrey Keys, the person they put in charge had a long history of personal financial troubles calling into question his ability to ably manage federal funds." The reporters audited the county's books and also found Keys, who had disappeared when the AIDS funding ran out. He was unrepentent, as was the county. The story uses a local example to show how AIDS funding nationwide is being put in jeopardy by rogue programs and regulators who are missing in action. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 07, 2006 Former narcotics officers sick, dying Producer Nishi Gupta and reporter Debbie Dujanovic of KSL-Salt Lake City follow up on a series of reports investigating the rate of disease and death in former narcotics officers who were exposed to chemicals in the meth labs they raided. In a recent follow-up report they document a total of 84 officers exposed to chemicals inside meth labs who are sick or have died. After these stories aired, the Utah legislature passed a bill that funds a two-year study to look into a connection between meth labs and officer health. They "discovered 24 of the 42 are suffering with chronic health problems or have died. Ten under the age of 50 have or have had cancer. That's 177 times the rate of cancer for that age group." The initial series of reports, titled "Something Killing Cops," includes the initial piece, a look at what research groups and experts say, and a report on the financial stress these illnesses pose. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 06, 2006 Malpractice cases raise questions about hospital's care Rob Perez of The Honolulu Advertiser investigated the Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii to show that a number of families are seeking compensation for what they allege was substandard care, in a series that looks at medical malpractice at Tripler. "The cases have generated questions about the overall quality of care provided at the landmark pink O'ahu hospital that serves as the major treatment facility for thousands of Hawai'i's military, their families, veterans and others. "The investigation found that the federal government has spent tens of millions of dollars over the past two decades to resolve about 170 cases among more than 600 filed in which patients or their families accused Tripler of shoddy care. The tab to taxpayers has totaled more than $60 million in court judgments, out-of-court settlements and resolution of medical malpractice claims. The government, for instance, has paid more than $14 million to resolve about 150 claims since 1985. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post NFL players dying young because of weight-related ailments Thomas Hargrove of the Scripps Howard News Service tracked the deaths of 3,850 pro football players to show that athletes of the National Football League are dying young at an alarming rate and many of the players are succumbing to ailments typically related to weight. The heaviest athletes are more than twice as likely to die before their 50th birthday than their teammates. "Most of the 130 players born since 1955 who have died were among the heaviest athletes in sports history, according to the study. One-fifth died of heart diseases, and 77 were so overweight that doctors would have classified them as obese, the study found." Twenty years ago, it was rare for a player to weigh 300 pounds. But more than 500 players were listed at that weight or more on NFL training-camp rosters this summer. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 11, 2006 Nation's mine rescue system falling short Ken Ward Jr. reports in the Charleston, W.Va., Sunday Gazette-Mail "the nation's miners face a mounting risk because of a rescue system that is growing ever short on personnel and is in major need of reforms." From 2000 to 2002, the number of safety teams approved by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration dropped by 10 percent. A team of reporters, including Tara Tuckwiller, Scott Finn, Eric Eyre and Dave Gustafson, have contributed to the series of stories. Other stories include a history of the safety violations at the Sago Mine, an analysis of data that indicates lightning strikes may have played a role in the accident, and a story questioning whether the mine had adequate state environmental permits. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 06, 2006 Mercury in seafood at unsafe levels Sam Roe and Michael Hawthorne of the Chicago Tribune published a three-part series on the presence of mercury in fish sold in supermarkets. “In one of the nation’s most comprehensive studies of mercury in commercial fish, testing by the newspaper showed that a variety of popular seafood was so tainted that federal regulators could confiscate the fish for violating food safety rules. The testing also showed that mercury is more pervasive in fish than what the government has told the public, making it difficult for consumers to avoid the problem, no matter where they shop.” In addition to conducting its own tests, the paper relied on documents and interviews for the series. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 22, 2005 Md. oversight of doctors failing public Fred Schulte of The (Baltimore) Sun used state records to show that "Maryland's vow to safeguard patients has been undercut by breakdowns in the state system established to oversee doctors." In a three-part series, Schulte writes that more than 120 doctors have been the subject of four or five malpractice claims and that the disciplinary process for physicians often takes four years or more. "And secrecy policies conceal the names of doctors associated with tens of millions of dollars in injury claims." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 20, 2005 Children die in spite of Okla. abuse reports Ziva Branstetter, Curtis Killman, Nicole Marshall, Omer Gillham and Ginnie Graham of the Tulsa World report in a three-part series on Oklahoma's failure to save at least 30 children who died from abuse and neglect in the past five years. The series detailed cases in which the Oklahoma Department of Human Services had prior reports of abuse and neglect involving children yet the children were not removed from the home and ended up dying from abuse and neglect. The paper also found the state had paid out at least $1 million during that time to settle lawsuits involving child welfare workers. Branstetter notes "Many states have laws allowing release of information following a child abuse death and this is what we used in Oklahoma to get the records." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 15, 2005 OSHA fines minimal, despite serious safety violations Mike Casey of The Kansas City Star examined OSHA's inspection database for the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Mo., to show that low fines for workplace deaths or injuries are common even when OSHA cites employers for a serious violation. The investigation found that in 80 such fatal and injury accidents, half of the fines Kansas City area employers paid were $3,000 or less. "Regulators and OSHA lawyers reduced employers' initial fines by nearly 60 percent. Adjusted for inflation, fines last year averaged less than they were in 1972." The paper also found that in three accidents that killed five area workers, OSHA changed its most serious citations from willful violations to "unclassified" — removing the word "willful" in describing the violations — and then significantly reduced the fines. Nationwide, fines were even lower in the last decade. Half of the fines employers paid were $2,500 or less in fatal and injury accidents involving at least one serious violation. (Editor's Note: For those interested in pursuing similar stories, IRE and NICAR have databases from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration available for journalists.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 06, 2005 Smoking bans not affecting businesses Jason Hoppin and MaryJo Sylwester of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press analyzed Minnesota Department of Revenue data on taxable sales at establishments that sell alcohol to see if there was any evidence of widespread economic hardship due to smoking bans that were enacted in some areas of the Twin Cities on March 31. Because tax return information for individual businesses is not public, the reporters persuaded the Department of Revenue to provide summary data by ZIP code. They also created interactive maps using ArcIMS and ASP so readers could click on individual ZIP codes and see the data behind it. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 05, 2005 Most Tasered suspects unarmed Richard D. Walton and Mark Nichols of The Indianapolis Star examined the use of Tasers by Marion County law enforcement officers. "At least 112 unarmed suspects were Tasered while fleeing IPD or sheriff's deputies. At least 87 people were shocked while handcuffed. And only one in 12 Tasered suspects was reported to have been armed." The review looked at 1,100 instances of Taser use during a 19-month period. "The Star's review also shows that blacks and Hispanics were shocked with Tasers at a far higher rate per number of residents than whites." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 22, 2005 'Guest workers' suffer from exploitation, neglect A nine-month investigation by Tom Knudson and Hector Amezcua of The Sacramento Bee "has found pineros [Latino forest workers in the United States] are victims of employer exploitation, government neglect and a contracting system that insulates landowners — including the U.S. government — from responsibility." The report, "based on more than 150 interviews across Mexico, Guatemala and the United States and 5,000 pages of records unearthed through the Freedom of Information Act" shows responsibility for these "guest workers" is spread among several federal agencies and private contractors with no effective oversight. Part two shows the government has been aware of problems with the program but has failed to do anything to fix it. "First in 1980 and again in 1993, Congress expressed shock at the abuse of Latino forest workers in America's woods and the hypocrisy of undocumented workers doing government work." The third part of the series focuses on "The number one cause of death among pineros" — van accidents. "They are the byproducts of fatigue, poorly maintained vehicles, ineffective state and federal laws, inexperienced drivers and poverty-stricken workers hungry for jobs." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 11, 2005 Narcotics prescribed for inmates at high rates Chris Halsne of KIRO-Seattle spent months detailing a drug distribution system to show that hundreds of thousands of powerful, addictive narcotics like morphine and oxycodone are being handed out to Washington prison inmates every year. Narcotics were being prescribed for almost every ailment including simple ones like toothaches, back pain or a sore toe. The story found that "prison doctors and physicians assistants too often write unneeded morphine and oxycodone prescriptions just to keep troublemakers at ease." KIRO obtained painkiller distribution records for Washington's eight biggest prisons after a long fight. They found that in three years, inmates were fed at least 329,000 Oxycodone pills, a minimum 85-thousand doses of morphine, and 800,000 doses of narcotics like Percocet and Hydrocodone, costing taxpayers millions in drug costs and distribution. Halsne's initial reports has prompted the "Washington Department of Corrections to call for a full scale review of its prescription drug network." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Lack of standards plagues drug industry testing David Evans, Michael Smith and Liz Willen of Bloomberg Markets report on the lack of strong regulation and standards that is plaguing the pharmaceutical industry in the testing of experimental substances on humans, resulting in the death and injury of scores of people. The world's largest drugmakers spend $14 billion each year to test experimental drugs on humans. The subjects, almost always poor or illegal immigrants desperate for money, are often injured or killed. "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the principal federal agency charged with policing the safety of human drug testing, has farmed out much of that responsibility to a network of private companies and groups called institutional review boards, or IRBs. " The investigation found that the FDA's own enforcement records portray a system of regulation so porous that it has allowed rogue clinicians — some of whom have phony credentials — to continue conducting human drug tests for years, sometimes for decades. The extensive report includes analysis charts, records and testimonials from some of the victims. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 20, 2005 Patient care neglected at Texas jail Jennifer Autrey, with contributions from Bill Teeter, of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reviewed documents of JPS Health Network, the organization that runs the county's public hospital and jail health-care system, to show that with the inmates' health care, nightmare medical experiences happened all too often. The investigation revealed that administrators overlooked numerous telltale signs of the medical crisis. "One teen-ager with a known heart defect was given Pepto-Bismol for chest pain, only to collapse and die from a split heart valve. " The jail doctors, who work for a physicians group through a contract with JPS, reported that they were hampered at their jobs. Also see a narrative derived from the paper trail. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 07, 2005 Generous deals for Wash. dentists Michelle Nicolosi of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Washington state's dental board has been slow to act and has cut generous deals with some of the state's most complained-about dentists. The P-I investigation found that dentists were allowed to continue working in Washington with little restriction long after they lost licenses in other states, or were caught running dangerously unsanitary clinics, or had repeatedly injured patients. Dental board members and staffers from other states reviewed actions taken by the Washington's dental board and agreed that Washington has given some dentists much more leeway than they deserve. "The board appears to discipline dentists in a way that doesn't adequately protect the patients of Washington state,"said dentist Peter Hartmann, a past president of the Dental Board of California. "With few exceptions, none of these people should be practicing dentistry on the unassuming public," said Dr. Robert Pattalochi, former president of the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 04, 2005 Sacramento nursing homes fail to meet minimum standards Phillip Reese and Nancy Weaver Teichert of The Sacramento Bee used state inspection reports to show that " Sacramento nursing homes failed to meet minimum federal and state standards more often than facilities in the rest of the top 10 largest cities in California during the last two years". The leading complaints were quality-of-care, and "inspectors levied more fines for state citations against Sacramento homes than in any other city in the state during 2003 and 2004: $444,200 total, an average $19,300 per home." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 30, 2005 Hospitals not prepared for worst quake scenario Duane W. Gang and David Olson of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise examined state, county and hospital emergency plans and found that Inland California counties were unprepared to provide medical services after a large earthquake. "A major temblor could leave multiple hospitals damaged and unable to treat their own patients, let alone the thousands of injured." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 16, 2005 Mo. tops in alcohol-related boating accidents Bente Birkland and Catherine Rentz Pernot of the Columbia Missourian used data from the U.S. Coast Guard to determine that "between 2000 and 2004, Missouri led the nation in alcohol-related boating accidents." Among other findings: "The Lake of the Ozarks topped the list for boating accidents in Missouri, and it is the most dangerous body of water to drink and boat. Between 2000 and 2004, the lake had more alcohol-related accidents than anywhere else in the nation, including the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico ..." (Note: The Coast Guard's boating accident data and boat registration data is available to journalists from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 23, 2005 Day cares fall below standards Lee Rood of The Des Moines Register checked state child care facility inspection records to find that "at least one in 10 licensed centers — including several newer programs — failed to meet several of the state's minimum standards for health and safety during their last licensed renewals." Many of the programs receive only sporadic oversight, with inspectors visiting as little as once a year. "Licensing records do not always include details of abuse allegations or document how centers resolve serious safety issues, such as complaints about lack of supervision." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 10, 2005 Researchers sell secrets to Wall Street investors Luke Timmerman and David Heath of The Seattle Times use sources and documents to investigate at least 26 claims that drug researchers leaked secrets to Wall Street. "In 24 of the 26 cases, the firms issued reports to select clients with detailed information obtained from doctors involved in confidential studies. The reports advised clients whether to buy or sell a drug stock." A sidebar on how this is done is included, as well as information on how the story was reported. The investigation has already sparked an SEC investigation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 09, 2005 Former nuclear workers not receiving compensation Keith Rogers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal used federal data to show that compared to nuclear workers at other sites around the country, Nevada Test Site employees have not received compensation for illnesses at the same rate. "Only 6 percent of test site workers have been approved for claims that typically pay $150,000 in tax-free compensation. That's compared to 26 percent for workers at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., gaseous diffusion plant; 25 percent at the Portsmouth, Ohio, plant; 18 percent at the Paducah, Ky., plant; 8 percent at the Savannah River, S.C., site; and 7 percent at the government's Hanford, Wash., facility." The Nevada site is the only place where nuclear devices had been exploded. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 04, 2005 Water supplies threatened by gasoline contaminates Ron Hurtibise of the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports on Florida's efforts to clean up gasoline leaks in Volusia and Flagler counties, finding that "In 20 years, the state has spent $2.3 billion on cleanup strategies that often haven't worked. Old, steel gas station tanks, easily corroded in porous sandy soils, faithfully serviced generations of Florida motorists but paid no respect to the water supply vital to the state's growing population." Remediation efforts are successful for some spills but not at others, "despite outlays of hundreds of thousands of dollars, reams of paperwork and thousands of hours of employee work time." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 30, 2005 Medicare often pays hospitals to practice bad medicine Gilbert M. Gaul of The Washington Post reports in a three-part series that Medicare policies often pay hospitals to practice medicine poorly. "In a four-year period, 106 heart patients at Palm Beach Gardens developed infections after surgery, according to lawsuits and government records." In part-two of the series, the Post looks at the nonprofit that oversees the evaluation of hospitals. The nonprofit charges hospitals "thousands of dollars for coaching on how to pass its reviews." The last part in the series details how some are finding it very difficult to access records because of privatized groups under contract by Medicare. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 28, 2005 Prescription drug overdoses top illegal drug deaths Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville analyzed state autopsy records to investigate accidental prescription drug overdoses in Tennessee. "In 2004, 300 people statewide died of accidental overdoses of prescription drugs, 70 people more than the year before." Prescription drugs kill far more people than methamphetamine or other illegal drugs. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 25, 2005 Failed oversight helps surge in air ambulance crashes Alan Levin and Robert Davis of USA Today reviewed hundreds of documents on air ambulance crashes and analyzed a database they created from the documents. They found that since "2000, 60 people have died in 84 crashes — more than double the number of crashes during the previous five years." Despite this surge, air ambulance companies and the federal agency that oversees them failed to take steps that might have averted tragedy and saved lives. The FAA issued a warning to air ambulance companies requesting that they adopt better safety practices, following this investigation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 22, 2005 Medicaid fraud plagued by lack of oversight Clifford J. Levy and Michael Luo of The New York Times used state Medicaid data to find that "the program has been misspending billions of dollars annually because of fraud, waste and profiteering. A computer analysis of several million records obtained under the state Freedom of Information Law revealed numerous indications of fraud and abuse that the state had never looked into." Examples of the potential fraud include a dentist who billed for as many as 991 procedures a day and a Buffalo school that sent more than 4,000 students "into speech therapy in a single day without talking to them or reviewing their records." Medicaid fraud has turned into a $44.5 billion target and the Times investigation uncovered "numerous indications of fraud and abuse that the state had never looked into." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 21, 2005 Inspection data shows problems often found with pools Michelle Keller and Kevin Spear of The Orlando Sentinel used county pool inspection data to show that "at least one in eight failed tests for chlorine, meaning they could pose a health risk for swimmers who use them." The findings roughly mirror an early federal study and the paper's previous surveys of inspection reports. "This year's Sentinel survey found chlorine violations at mobile-home parks in Lake County; hotels and motels along U.S. Highway 192 in Osceola County; apartment and condo complexes in Seminole County; beachside motels and resorts in Volusia; and at subdivisions, apartments and condos in Orange County." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 20, 2005 Hospital faces deep problems Julie Bell of The (Baltimore) Sun reviewed documents on the performance of Maryland General Hospital, finding that "from at least the mid-1990s until spring 2004, the hospital's board and a changing cast of top executives failed to act quickly as oversight systems designed to protect patients failed." Breakdowns at the hospital's laboratory in early 2004 scared away patients, but the paper reports that problems ran deeper than that. "Among the doctors who received and retained practicing privileges were an anesthesiologist who was asked to resign from his previous hospital after the death of a patient, and physicians who had been sued more than a dozen times, including a neurosurgeon who had been sued at least 19 times." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 19, 2005 Kentucky residents' health plagued by bad habits, poverty Laura Ungar of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal spent a year assessing the health of Kentucky's residents, finding that "Kentucky is one of the sickest states in America, a place where too many people die too soon, and many who live endure decades of illness and pain." Bad health habits ingrained in the state's culture, including high tobacco use, along with poverty, combine to make the state a "perfect storm" for health. "Poverty is at the center, tied to everything from nutrition to health habits to the medical care people receive. Kentucky has 43 of the nation's 340 persistently poor rural counties. Only Mississippi, which ranks neck and neck with Kentucky on an index of health measures, has more." The report includes loads of graphics describing the state's condition. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 11, 2005 High benefit payouts hurt Oregon schools Betsy Hammond of The (Portland) Oregonian analyzed state education data to find that "for each teacher, secretary, principal, janitor and other worker, Oregon schools paid an average of $18,300 for health insurance and retirement pay in 2002-03. That was 55 percent more than schools across the nation." Matching the national rate of benefits would save about $500 million a year. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 07, 2005 Regulators drop toxic chemical warning after plant lawyer complains Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette used the federal Freedom of Information Act to obtain records showing that a plan by West Virginia environmental regulators to warn residents of Wood County about the spread of the toxic chemical C8 from DuPont Co.'s Parkersburg plant was killed after complaints from a DuPont lawyer. The paper reported that a state science adviser "insisted that DuPont review, edit and approve all C8-related statements issued by the state." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Drug lobby spends millions to influence legislation A team from The Center for Public Integrity reports on spending by the pharmaceutical and health products industry on lobbyists. "The drug industry's huge investments in Washington — though meager compared to the profits they make — have paid off handsomely, resulting in a series of favorable laws on Capitol Hill and tens of billions of dollars in additional profits." Pharmaceutical companies spent nearly $116 million lobbying the government, a figure not uncommon for the industry. "In 2004, drug makers upped their reported expenditures on lobbyists to $123 million, a record amount for the industry." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Contamination levels still high years after discovery Wade Rawlins of The (Raleigh/Durham) News & Observer reports on toxic chemicals that have been contaminating local water sources for the last 15 years. "Ward Transformer spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals on its 11 acres at the edge of Raleigh-Durham International Airport." Investigators knew in 1978 and 1979 of the high levels of contamination, but have done nothing to clean it up, documents show. (Editor's Note: For tips on reporting similar stories, IRE offers "Covering Pollution: An Investigative Reporter's Guide." The book, produced in cooperation with the Society of Environmental Journalists, shows reporters how to tap into resources for local investigations into environmental pollution.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 06, 2005 Drug industry's influence drives doctors' diagnoses Susan Kelleher and Duff Wilson interviewed more than 160 doctors, patients, medical analysts, regulatory officials and other experts for a Seattle Times series about the health care industry and the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. "Suddenly Sick" reveals that perviously healthy people go to the doctor only to be diagnosed with an illness because the definitions of disease have changed. Among the Times' findings: "Pharmaceutical firms have commandeered the process by which diseases are defined. ... Some diseases have been radically redefined without a strong basis in medical evidence. The drug industry has bolstered its position by marketing directly to the health-conscious consumer, leading younger and healthier people to consider themselves at risk and to start taking medications." The series includes a sidebar about sources used in the story. (Duff Wilson reported and wrote this story while working for The Seattle Times. He now reports for The New York Times.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Data shows heart attack death numbers declining Stephen Smith of The Boston Globe used state data to show that "deaths from heart attacks in Massachusetts dropped by 24 percent in eight years," a decline doctors attributed to increased usage of angioplasty and aspirin. "Nationwide, the number of people succumbing to heart attacks has also decreased, although at a somewhat slower pace than in Massachusetts." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Study finds high levels of pollutants in Calif. family Douglas Fischer of Alameda Newspaper Group spent nine months investigating chemical pollutants in a family that "lives at one end of the consumer-chemicals spectrum — they eat organic, avoid common household cleaners and pesticides, don't have wall-to-wall carpets or large new appliances." The paper consulted a commercial research ethics board, responsible for protecting study participants' rights and well-being, and had scientists analyze hair, blood and urine samples. They tested the family's 20-month old boy and found high concentrations of flame retardants, "at concentrations higher than measured almost anywhere in the world for someone not handling the stuff for a living." The series includes information on how the series was done, an index of chemicals commonly found in the body, a virtual tour of the common household fridge and what chemical pollutants reside in common food items, and tips on how to reduce the intake of chemicals. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 20, 2005 Accident-victim law saves lives Suzanne Hoholik of The Columbus Dispatch used state data to show that a 2002 Ohio law intended to direct accident victims to trauma hospitals was working as intended: "More injured people are being taken to trauma centers, and fewer are dying in small, rural hospitals. Trauma experts believe as many as 900 lives a year are being saved statewide." The paper found that "the number of injured patients transferred from community hospitals to trauma centers increased 22 percent from 2001 to 2004." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 17, 2005 Meth crisis moves to Mexico Steve Suo of The Oregonian investigates America's methamphetamine crisis, now rooted in Mexico, where drug cartels are illicitly obtaining tons of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient needed to make the potent stimulant. "Mexico's imports of the cold medicine have vaulted from 66 tons to 224 tons in the past five years, customs records show. That's roughly double what the country needs to meet the legitimate demands of cold and allergy sufferers," an analysis by The Oregonian found. This story follows a five-part special investigation by The Oregonian titled Unnecessary Epidemic that ran in October. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 23, 2005 Mercury levels in fish may mean more advisories Mike Dunne of The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate uses state date on fish containing "action levels" of mercury to "show that about 19 lakes and streams in Louisiana may need advisories to warn pregnant women and children under 7 to limit their fish consumption." Last year the state offered to test residents who ate fish from Bayou Bartholomew or the Ouachita River. "Of the 77 people tested, 25 percent had blood levels of mercury greater than what might be considered "background" and were advised to limit their fish consumption. Seven percent, or about five of those tested, had elevated blood mercury levels and were advised to be evaluated by a physician." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 20, 2005 Many to blame for social programs mess Karen Augé of The Denver Post used state records to show that "nearly every agency, contractor and department that touched the state's new $200 million computer benefits system in some way contributed to its debacle." Colorado's new system was a year late when it came online last fall, and the contractor and state officials have blamed each other for its failures. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 16, 2005 Officers' diseases, deaths linked to meth exposure Producer Nishi Gupta and reporter Debbie Dujanovic of KSL-Salt Lake City investigate the rate of disease and death in former narcotics officers who were exposed to chemicals in the meth labs they once were raiding. They found a high risk of cancers, auto-immune diseases and other illnesses in comparison to national statistics. They "discovered 24 of the 42 are suffering with chronic health problems or have died. Ten under the age of 50 have or have had cancer. That's 177-times the rate of cancer for that age group." The series of reports, titled "Something Killing Cops," includes the initial piece, a look at what research groups and experts say, a report on the financial stress these illnesses pose, and a follow-up piece after more officers responded after the investigation ran. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 11, 2005 State spends millions transporting recovering heroin addicts Chris Halsne of KIRO-Seattle uses receipts for methadone delivery cabs obtained through the Open Records Act to shed light on a system that is spending millions transporting recovering heroin addicts in taxicabs. "Washington taxpayers spend $2.8 million each year for transportation of heroin addicts to treatment clinics that's over and above the cost of serving up counseling and doses of methadone." The story includes links to pdf files detailing the transportation charges by county. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 10, 2005 Pension abuses hurt employees Michael L. Diamond, with contributions from Paul D'Ambrosio and Nicholas Clunn, Eileen Smith and Peter Spencer of Gannett New Jersey newspapers reviewed the state's pension program, finding that "while the private sector has sharply cut pension and health insurance benefits, the state has gone the opposite way. New Jersey's system features generous payouts to retirees and is subject to abuse." Other employees hold multiple positions: using 2002 data, the papers found "at least $238 million was paid in salaries to 9,500 individuals holding 24,700 government jobs. That represents about 3 percent of the entire payroll in local, county and state government, excluding police, firefighters and teachers." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 06, 2005 Pharmaceutical industry uses lobby powers to ensure legislative dominance M. Asif Ismail of The Center for Public Integrity reviewed lobbying records to report on the "deep-pocketed pharmaceutical and health products industry", which "has lobbied on more than 1,400 congressional bills since 1998 and spent a whopping $759 million during that period ..." The story includes detailed graphics, as well as data seperated into categories ranging from lobbying firm donations to issues lobbied by the pharmaceutical and health product industry. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 03, 2005 Restaurant inspections find high number of infractions Lee Davidson of The Deseret Morning News uses computer assisted-reporting to analyze nearly 10,000 restaurant inspections during 2003 and 2004. The data were obtained through a state open records request. "The analysis shows which restaurants had the most violations per inspection and the fewest, with 25 establishments averaging 13 or more critical violations per inspection, while 30 had perfect scores with no violations of any kind during the two years." The most common violation of any type, cited 5,3739 times over the two years, was the "critical" violation of using unclean equipment. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 29, 2005 Medicare schemes may have cost taxpayers millions Erin McCormick of the San Francisco Chronicle investigated Medicare scams dealing with elderly immigrants. What the Chronicle discovered were two scams: the first was a sleep clinic, which billed Medicare for tests that were over-billed and unnecessary. The second scam, the electronic wheelchair scam, dealt with Medicare recipients receiving free motorized scooters. In both scams the Medicare recipients were given $100 for going to the clinics and recruiters were given $50 for each person they brought with them to the clinics. The story breaks down each scam, how they worked, and provides examples of what was going on. The second installment in the series explores the ability of the government to crack down on the fraud. The Chronicle found that the scams growth is far outpacing the crackdown, as scammers are becoming more cunning. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 28, 2005 Radiologist's long hours invoke suspicion Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber of the Los Angeles Times used California's Public Records Act to show that "Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center paid more than $1.3 million over the last year for the services of a radiologist who said he worked an average of 20 hours a day, seven days a week, during one recent six-month stretch." Supervisors signed off on the employee's timesheets even when they indicated working more than 20 hours a day at the facility. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 26, 2005 County workers cashing in on overtime Mickey Ciokajlo and Todd Lighty of the Chicago Tribune used Cook County payroll data to find that "more than 100 county workers were each paid $50,000 or more in overtime last year, with one industrious nurse pulling down $187,500 in extra pay. Oak Forest Hospital nurse Usha Patel, who earned the overtime on top of her regular $92,700 salary, also led county employees in overtime pay in 1996, when the Tribune last totaled up the tab." Overtime spending by the county has more than doubled during the past eight years. Nearly 60 employees, many in health-related jobs, doubled their regular pay through overtime. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 15, 2005 Physicians stay on, despite past drug and alcohol problems Cheryl W. Thompson of The Washington Post studied medical board records from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, finding that "scores of physicians in the area and across the country have been given repeated chances to practice, despite well-documented drug and alcohol problems." In addition, sanctions in such cases can take months or years and rarely result in a loss of the license to practice. "The District and Maryland boards do not permanently revoke doctors' licenses. In Virginia, where a license can be permanently taken away only with a doctor's agreement, just one was revoked for substance abuse from 1999 to 2004, records show." Maryland and Virginia punish their physicians nearly twice as often as D.C. does. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 14, 2005 Police use of steriods a growing problem CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin reports on police officers who use steriods. Griffin reports this is a growing problem across the country as police feel they need to bulk up to gain an advantage over criminals. In an interview with Al Geoit, a former officer in rural Michigan who was fired for poor job performance, which he attributes to his use of steroids. "Far from alone, Al Geoit is one of hundreds of police officers across the country who have been fired or sent to jail for illegal steroid use. CNN has documented cases in 10 different states where police officers were illegally using the artificial hormones." Griffin also talked to Norman, Okla., Police Chief Phil Cotten, who "fired four of his officers when he learned they, too, were on steroids." (Editor's Note: You'll need to search the transcript on this Web page for "Drew Griffin" to find the story.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 12, 2005 Faulty oversight put youth at risk Jonathan D. Rockoff and John B. O'Donnell of The (Baltimore) Sun analyzed spending by 25 companies that run group homes for foster children, finding "a broad failure by the state to protect the interests of 2,700 youths who live in 330 privately run homes in Maryland. The state licenses and funds the facilities but does not routinely hold them accountable for the quality of care they provide - putting children at risk." In some cases, the paper found that deaths of children were not recorded in state files and "unqualified or unfit caregivers are hired because the state does not enforce training requirements and leaves screening to the operators." Also included is a section about how the series was done. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 31, 2005 High-risk drivers make up majority of DUI offenses Matthew Junker of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review used arrest data from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts to determine that fully 56 percent of the people arrested last year were in the most intoxicated category under Pennsylvania's .08 DUI law. "Statistics for the law's first 11 months -- from Feb. 1, 2004, to the end of that year -- show that more than half of those charged with drunken driving had a blood-alcohol content of 0.16 percent or higher, twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 08, 2005 Nonprofit tax breaks scrutinized for hospitals Misti Crane and Geoff Dutton of The Columbus Dispatch reported a three-day series, "Prescription for Profit," that examines the impact of specialty hospitals on general hospitals. The series also examines how nonprofit hospitals use aggressive collection tactics to collect from poor patients and whether the four hospital systems in Columbus deserve their $88 million tax break. Also included is a chart of the highest paid employees. Journalists can access the Dispatch's Web site at no charge using this account: User name: usapress@dispatchpress.com Password: dispatch Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 14, 2005 N. Texas high school athletes using steriods Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson of The Dallas Morning News found that steroids in north Texas high schools are "readily available and commonly used." In a four-month investigation, "The News interviewed more than 100 current and former high school students, coaches and parents about steroids in high schools." They found students buy the drugs from "friends, classmates and sometimes varsity athletes" and coaches rarely confront players or parents when they suspect steroid use. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 08, 2005 Executive pay soars at Indianapolis hospitals Jeff Swiatek of The Indianapolis Star used data from federal filings to show that "high-level officials at Indianapolis' four urban-based hospital systems pulled down average annual raises of more than 20 percent in their most recent reporting period, despite slim earnings margins and growing scrutiny of hospital salaries by federal tax authorities." Most of the top-paid executives worked for Clarian Health Partners, a company that runs four area hospitals. Community Health Network's William Corley topped the list with $777,140 in total compensation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Home-health care problems put patients at risk Paul Garber and Danielle Deaver of the Winston-Salem Journal investigated home-health care in North Carolina, finding that "fewer than 200 of the 1,200 agencies licensed to provide home-health care in North Carolina are inspected on a regular basis," and there were more than 400 reported cases of abuse, neglect or theft by employees since 2000. In addition, "home-health agencies - unlike nursing homes, adult-care homes and mental-health group homes - are free to hire people listed on a state registry of workers who have committed such offenses against patients." The paper built a database of state inspections and criminal claims that can be browsed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 07, 2005 Fire response times on the rise Bill Dedman investigated nationwide fire department response times, staffing, and civilian and firefighter fatalities for The Boston Globe and found that while firefighters are being laid off and fire stations are closing, firefighters are taking longer to respond to fire alarms. Among the resources Dedman used was a database called the National Fire Incident Reporting System, maintained by the U.S. Fire Administration. The online presentation includes a ranking of fire departments, supporting documents and spreadsheets. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 26, 2005 Nursing home deaths preventable Rick Linsk of the St. Paul Pioneer Press used Minnesota death certificate data to show that "hundreds of Minnesotans perish annually from possibly avoidable conditions" while staying in nursing homes. "Nearly 4,000 people died over a 15-year period from pressure sores, dehydration, falls and other injuries." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 24, 2005 Steroid sales bypass security team Mike Brunker of MSNBC.com spent three months following the sale of anabolic steroids on eBay, finding that "a few of the auctions occurred in the open but many used the simple ruse of listing the drugs as 'books about steroids' to avoid detection by the site's security team." An eBay vice president said that such sales haven't received the proper scrutiny:" Until you brought this to our attention, it wasn't getting as close a look as it should have." MSNBC.com worked with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to purchase four of the products and have them tested. "All four products - injectable solutions in factory packaging, oral tablets labeled in Spanish as being for veterinary use and unmarked pills in a plastic bag - turned out to be just what the sellers claimed they were: anabolic steroids like Dianabol, Sustanon and testosterone propionate." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 20, 2005 Europe filling shoes of EPA, FDA Mark Schapiro of the Center for Investigative Reporting reports for public radio's Marketplace that "while the Bush Administration unravels decades of hard-fought environmental protections, a new global force is emerging with the power to reshape American industrial practices: the European Union." The three-part series finds that the EU is filling the void left by weakened health and environmental agencies in the United States. "The E.U. is confronting American manufacturers with a dilemma: either conform to Europe's stricter health and environmental standards, or give up the European market." The second and third parts will air in the next month. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 18, 2005 Data provides insight into NFL injuries Carl Prine of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review used numerous interlinked databases for a comprehensive report on how and why professional football players get injured. "To understand how football affects the bodies and minds of those who play it, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review analyzed four years of NFL injury data; interviewed more than 200 current and former players, coaches and managers; and delved into thousands of pages of the latest medical research." Among Prine's findings: in four seasons, NFL players racked up 6,558 injuries; defenders are injured more than their foes on the offense; and quarterbacks, tight ends, wide receivers, safeties and cornerbacks routinely suffer high rates of brain concussions and spine injuries. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 07, 2005 Volatile mix at Ore. psychiatric hospital Alan Gustafson of the Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal investigated Oregon's treatment of the criminally insane, finding that Oregon State Hospital suffers from crowding, sentencing of criminals that don't belong in a mental institution, assaults on employees and significant overtime costs. "New patients are funneling into the forensic program at a record pace. A scant supply of community housing is stalling discharges for dozens of patients deemed ready to go. It's a perfect formula for perpetual overcrowding." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 05, 2005 Ambulance response times increase Anthony Farmer of the Poughkeepsie Journal analyzed Dutchess County emergency ambulance dispatches from 2001 to 2003, finding that "where you live has a direct bearing on how long it takes for an ambulance to arrive when you call 911 in an emergency." Average response times varied from six minutes within Poughkeepsie to 21 minutes in the Town of Union Vale. "In general, the average response time in the county is up slightly from 10 years ago, the Journal analysis found, reflecting the area's growing population and increasingly limited volunteer pool. The average response time in the county went from just over nine minutes to just under 10 minutes." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post State mental health program lacks competence Scott Finn of the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette shows how bureaucractic incompetence in the state's mental health program led to funding cuts, record numbers of suicides and overcrowded mental hospitals and jails. State officials also have failed to help mentally ill adults who are a danger to themselves and others, including one woman they knew was burning trash in a small uncovered grill inside her home. They refused to take responsibility for the woman, even after she burned down three homes and six businesses. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 20, 2004 Gymnasts' risk of injury rivals that of NFL players Scott M. Reid of The Orange County Register interviewed 122 elite women gymnasts and found "a culture in which pain and suffering are acceptable risks in the quest for success." Reid's reporting "found that the obsession with Olympic gold has created a system in which injuries are so prevalent that athletes are as likely to require surgery during their careers as National Football League players." Other findings: the rate of injuries has almost doubled in the past eight years, 90 percent of gymnasts continued training while they were injured, and the sport's obsession with weight and diet has led to eating disorders. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 16, 2004 Best tests not available to U.S. veterans Bob Evans of The Daily Press in Newport News, Va., has a series about the use of depleted uranium in weapons and the science that shows links between the element and illness. "In the past few years, while the media and public have been paying attention to another war in the region, doctors and researchers have been finding out more about depleted uranium and how it might be responsible for some of the problems suffered by veterans of the Gulf War." Evans also looks at a new testing program that's available to British veterans. The British tests are more rigorous and accurate than those used by the U.S. military. "The Pentagon says U.S. vets don't need it." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 13, 2004 Limited improvement made in nursing homes Alice Dembner and Bill Dedman, in The Boston Globe, find that in the past two years nursing homes have made "progress in some areas of patient care, but no gains in others." The analysis looked at changes made after the Bush administration's move to publicly grade nursing homes and post the quality scores on the Internet for the nation's 16,500 nursing facilities, designed to marshal public pressure to spur change."Fewer residents are suffering from untreated pain and fewer are being placed in physical restraints, according to the analysis." However, the Globe found no "significant impact on the portion of residents with pressure sores. Nor did it increase the share of residents who were able to walk, or feed themselves, or use the bathroom on their own." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Calif. fertility industry poorly regulated Mary Anne Ostrom of the San Jose Mercury News reports that "state oversight of a California fertility industry that performs more than 11,000 embryo implants a year is lax. The quality-control system now in place favors doctors over patients. The California Department of Health Services has only two inspectors to monitor the state's 300 tissue labs, a figure that includes 50 fertility labs. And RESOLVE, the nation's largest fertility-patient network, refers patients to fertility doctors but does not adequately monitor their performance." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 10, 2004 Reservists frustrated by medical holds Marsha Austin and Eileen Kelly of The Denver Post examined the "medical hold" system used by the National Guard and the Army Reserve. More than 13,000 mentally and physically ill soldiers have spent time in a "medical holdover" unit, a system that some say denies them access to quality care. "Beyond the frustration of being cooped up in a barracks, with untreated mental and physical ailments, reservists and guardsmen say the system frustrates their efforts to be medically retired, a discharge that requires an Army judgment of 30 percent disability and comes with a lifetime monthly pension and access to military perks such as commissary stores." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 09, 2004 NYC uses HIV kids as guinea pigs In a nine-month investigation, BBC reporter Jamie Doran discovered that HIV-positive children in New York City are being given experimental and highly toxic drugs, without the consent of guardians or relatives. One doctor who has studied the effects of such drugs says they are "lethal." If parents or caretakers refuse to give children the medication, the city's Administration of Children's Services can remove the children and place them "with foster parents or in children's homes, where they can continue to give them experimental drugs." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 06, 2004 Deadly errors and politics betray a hospital's promise Tracy Weber, Charles Ornstein and Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times, with assistance from Steve Hymon, Scott Wilson and Sandra Poindexter, spent months investigating the state of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, a public hospital in L.A.'s Willowbrook neighborhood. "The investigation reveals that King/Drew is much more dangerous than the public has been told." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Construction workers falling to deaths Barbara Clements and David Wickert of The (Tacoma) News Tribune investigate deaths of construction workers and find that three workers die every day in the United States, with about a third of those from falls. A review of Washington state data shows that such workers are more likely to fall to his death than any other cause. Clements and Wickert review the reasons. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 01, 2004 Many nursing home deaths preventable Brad Heath of The Detroit News used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to show that "nationwide, malnutrition and dehydration killed at least 13,890 nursing home patients — including more than 800 in Michigan — between 1999 and 2002, the most recent year for which numbers are available." Experts said that while not all of those deaths could have been prevented, at least some of them could have. "'Obviously, we're all going to die at some point. But people should not be dying of malnutrition or dehydration,' said Jeanie Kayser-Jones, a professor of nursing at the University of California San Francisco and one of a few researchers to study malnutrition in nursing homes. 'It's really neglect, and we should call it what it is.'" Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 24, 2004 Crack takes high toll in N.C. Stan Swofford of the Greensboro News & Record has a three-part series looking at the costs of crack cocaine in Greensboro nearly 20 years after it first surfaced. The drug is tied to "at least 70 percent of the homicides in Greensboro and High Point and most robberies, aggravated assaults and larcenies," according to police, and social service agencies estimate that 40 percent of child welfare and abuse cases involve crack. Other stories examine a new police unit formed to address crack and the options for residential treatment in the area. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 18, 2004 Vets uninformed about poison gas tests David Zeman of the Detroit Free Press unearths details of a military program that tested the effects of chemical exposure on soldiers during World War II. The Veterans Administration pledged to find vets sickened by the program, but the agency "contacted nobody. Not one letter. Not a single phone call — even after the Pentagon turned over lists of thousands of potential victims. The VA relied mainly on unpaid public service ads in veterans magazines, even though the agency was aware that most veterans don't see those publications." One unit involved "does not even exist in Washington's official database on the testing program." Other contributors to the series include analyst Victoria Turk, and researchers Shelley Lavey, Patrice Williams and Chris Kucharski. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 12, 2004 FDA knew of vaccine contamination Mike McGraw of The Kansas City Star finds the U.S. government should have known five years ago that a crisis was looming in the production of flu vaccine. McGraw examined documents that showed widespread contamination in the vaccine in 1999 and experts he interviewed say "evidence was so overwhelming that regulators should have shut down the plant or sought alternative flu vaccine sources long ago." The report from a 1999 inspection "shows that FDA officials visited the plant for over a week during a biennial inspection in 1999 and found 17 problem areas." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 11, 2004 Fire department ignore safety concerns A four-month investigation by WTVJ-Miami found that the largest fire department in South Florida ignored serious safety warnings in the months before a firefighter recruit died during a training exercise. Investigative producer Scott Zamost and reporter Michael Williams obtained hundreds of e-mails and other documents, and conducted exclusive interviews with those who were at the accident, including the lead instructor, a captain in the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. The captain told WTVJ that he warned the former fire chief that someone could die because of how recruits were being trained. A "Miami-Dade County report concluded the burn was too advanced, that the fire training was incomplete, included no safety plan and failed to meet nine national safety guidelines." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 09, 2004 Inspectors find criticial violations in schools Dateline NBC followed local food inspectors as they inspected schools across the country and tracked critical violations, following up on a piece aired in the spring. They concluded that many of their findings - food items being stored at incorrect temperatures, mice droppings and flies in food prep areas, dirty dishes - were oftentimes not the exception, but the rule. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 28, 2004 Nursing home records reveal gaps in care Mike Casey of The Kansas City Star analyzed inspections at 132 area nursing homes and found 11 that each had at least seven violations for harming residents or jeopardizing their safety. Furthermore, a majority of the homes in the Kansas City area were cited at least once for similar violations. Records for the 11 homes documented deaths, leg amputations, injuries from preventable falls and avoidable or poorly treated bedsores. The package includes information about how Casey reported the story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 13, 2004 Insurance rates not forcing doctors out Tim Bonfield of The Cincinnati Enquirer dissects the numbers on Ohio physicians, finding that "while many doctors are deeply frustrated with rising insurance rates, there is no mass exodus of physicians ... To the contrary, there are more doctors in the state today than there were three years ago." Medical malpractice costs have been cited as a reason why doctors are abandoning their practices in Ohio and other states, but state and federal records show that "the doctor supply in Ohio — as in every other state in the country — has been steadily growing for years." Most of the state's counties have not lost any physicians during the past year. Bonfield also finds that, despite a cap on malpractice awards, doctors are paying more for insurance than ever. Day three of the series looks at the race for the Ohio Supreme Court and its possible effects on malpractice reforms. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 08, 2004 Virus infecting military boot camps Michael J. Berens of The Seattle Times finds that a respiratory virus that the U.S. military used to vaccinate against now "infects up to 2,500 service members monthly — a staggering 1 in 10 recruits — in the nation's eight basic-training centers." Adenovirus has been associated with the deaths of at least six recruits since vaccinations ended in 1996. Four of those deaths were in the past year, according to an analysis of military health-care records. Wyeth, the company that produced the vaccine, stopped making it in the 1990s when the Pentagon stopped allocating funds to pay for it. "The Pentagon's unwillingness to spend $5 million on health care is now costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars to remedy." The online presentation of the story includes links to source documents. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 07, 2004 Feds failed in battle against meth Steve Suo of The Oregonian reports that "Congress and federal authorities could have contained the methamphetamine epidemic, and still can." Analyzing millions of records detailing arrests, emergency room visits and other drug-related incidents, the paper found "striking correlations between government actions and meth abuse. In two periods — 1995-96 and 1998-99 — federal authorities interrupted the flow of chemicals to drug cartels. Each time, crime and addiction fell in tandem as the price of the drug rose." Another piece tells how lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry helped to keep tighter regulation by the Drug Enforcement Administration at bay: "Again and again, DEA officials agreed to compromises that left open one or more crucial loopholes for traffickers to obtain their ingredients — the bulk of which are made in only nine factories worldwide." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Examination of infant mortality in Calif. Erin McCormick and Reynolds Holding of the San Francisco Chronicle have a five-part series on infant mortality in California that focuses on neighborhoods such as Bayview-Hunters Point in San Francisco, which "has an infant mortality rate comparable to Bulgaria or Jamaica, while San Francisco has been cited in studies as having the best infant mortality rate among large U.S. cities, even with the death rate of Bayview-Hunters Point included. Babies are 2.5 times more likely to die in their first year there than those in other areas of San Francisco." Another story described how areas with heavy air pollution had higher infant mortality rates than others, while a third piece examines how Fresno changed "from a capital of newborn death to a model for maternal and infant care." The Chronicle also explained how it calculated the death rates. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 27, 2004 Children most likely to suffer fatal accidents in summer Mara H. Gottfried and Janet Roberts of the St. Paul Pioneer Press analyzed Minnesota health department records to find that "from 1988 to 2002, almost 1,000 children 12 or younger died accidentally in Minnesota. Of those, more than 370 died in June, July or August." The paper didn't include car accidents in which occupants of the vehicle died in its analysis, which found that "getting hit by vehicles while walking or bike riding; drowning; suffocating or choking; and fires" were among the leading causes of death. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Regulators allow poor care to continue Jennifer Levitz of The Providence (R.I.) Journal investigated Rhode Island's regulation of nursing homes, finding a system "in which regulators are reluctant to close poorly performing nursing homes, and where fines are frequently threatened, then forgiven." The paper focused on care at Hillside Health Center, where a patient visited by state inspectors waited 117 days after her first bedsore was discovered before she was removed from the facility by the state. "It is a system in which regulators are afraid of alienating the nursing home interests, and where public access to inspection reports is delayed." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 18, 2004 U.S. News & World Report issues clarification A story in the Aug. 9, 2004, issue of U.S. News & World Report titled "Secrets behind the mask" claimed to find "evidence that 3M respiratory masks failed to protect wearers from lung-damaging particles in their work environments for more than two decades." The story was posted on Extra! Extra! on Aug. 18, 2004. A clarification in the Sept. 20, 2004, issue of the magazine says "A subsequent review of the article by the editors of the magazine, requested by 3M, disclosed several significant shortcomings and inaccuracies." Among issues cited in the clarification: the magazine failed to properly characterize results of tests of the mask's fit, the article's subhead was insupportable and unfair, and it did not identify people in the article who criticized the mask as having served as paid advisers to plaintiffs' counsel in litigation against 3M. The clarification says the story "failed to meet U.S. News's acknowledged high standards of journalistic fairness and balance." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 28, 2004 Day cares with poor ratings still get five stars Eric Frazier of The Charlotte Observer analyzed state data on child care facilities, finding that "more than 100 received the highest number of stars — five — despite subpar quality ratings." The paper used more than 6,000 evaluations of day care providers since 1999. "The evaluators found that the care offered to most preschoolers and school-age children is good. However, the care of infants and toddlers younger than 30 months falls below developmentally appropriate standards." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 19, 2004 Wis. handed out more than 1,500 citations to programs John Dipko of the Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette obtained state records on licensed family and group day-care centers and programs in the Green Bay area, finding that "in a two-year period in Brown and five area counties, more than three-dozen licensed child-care centers and programs were cited for the same violations more than once." During 2002 and 2003, Wisconsin issued more than 1,500 citations and handed out $4,550 in penalties in the area, most for cleaning and paperwork violations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 14, 2004 Better information leads to more gun permit denials Mark Nichols and John R. O'Neill of The Indianapolis Star used state data to find that some 300,000 Indiana residents have a gun permit, among the highest rates among adults in the nation. "Many permit holders list addresses with Central Indiana ZIP codes. Six of the 10 ZIP code areas with the most permit-holders are in Marion County and the adjacent counties." A better network of law enforcement information is credited with the rising level of permit denials or revocations: "last year, 2,360 permits were denied or revoked. So far this year, that number already is at 2,126." The paper calculated its ratio of permits per 1,000 adults using reports from other states, although variations in gun laws and practices made the comparison difficult. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 29, 2004 More children placed in adult psychiatric wards Liam McDougall of Glasgow, Scotland's Sunday Herald found that a year after doctors raised concerns, "the number of vulnerable children being placed in adult psychiatric wards has increased to record levels in Scotland." The paper found 144 youths under 18 in such facilities; 28 were less than 16 years old. "Doctors say that among those sent to the units were boys in need of treatment for schizophrenia or autism, and girls who were self-harming after being sexually abused." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 28, 2004 Restaurant re-inspections double in Reno Jim Sloan of the Reno Gazette-Journal reports on a database of restaurant inspections built by the newspaper from paper filings in Washoe County. One of the main findings was that "the number of times inspectors returned to facilities to ensure that potentially health-threatening problems were corrected doubled last year, from 119 in 2002 to 249." The paper had published inspection results since 1998, but county officials said they did not have the resources to compile the information and analyze it. So the paper, which had been typing in reports, combined them into a single database. "All 3,811 inspection reports have been posted on RGJ.com and can now be searched for free." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 14, 2004 Mentally ill children being jailed in Georgia Jane O. Hansen of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used state juvenile justice data to find that "of nearly 29,000 Georgia children locked up every year, as many as half have a diagnosed psychological problem ... Many wind up in jail or prison because families can't find help from the state's fragmented mental health system, or don't even recognize their children are mentally ill." Under pressure from the federal government, the state has added more staff to help with mental health issues. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 28, 2004 Va. assisted living troubled and worsening David S. Fallis of The Washington Post has a four-part series on assisted living in Virginia, finding "a troubled and worsening record of care at the facilities, including avoidable injuries and death, and a system of state oversight that often failed to identify or correct problems." A second piece examined violent crimes committed by residents of assisted living facilities in Virginia. The Post used Virginia's public records law to obtain documents and more than 20 years of data from the state's Department of Social Services that had never been publicly released. A searchable database of state violations from 1998 to February 2004 is available. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 27, 2004 Staff shortages, poor training put elderly residents at risk Kevin McCoy, Julie Appleby and Barbara Hansen of USA Today analyzed assisted living facility inspection data from seven states to find that "staff shortages and insufficient training place elderly residents at risk with inadequate care, delayed diagnosis and treatment and even death." The paper examined records from inspections of 5,305 facilities in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, New York and Texas between 2000 and 2002. "Nearly one in five facilities inspected by regulators in those states was cited for at least one staffing violation, ranging from too few employees on a work shift to lack of a certified facility manager, the investigation found. In some cases, residents were left to fend for themselves temporarily because there were no caregivers on site." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 26, 2004 Former sawmill could have lasting effects on residents Alan Scher Zagier of the Naples Daily News spent five months tracing the effects of a former sawmill in Jerome, Fla., that was destroyed in a chemical fire in 1956. Eighteen people "who worked at the Jones mill or lived in Jerome after the 1956 fire have died from various forms of cancer or brain tumors," and "dozens more — including a 5-year-old boy — are sick with a host of maladies, from skin lesions and fertility problems to behavioral disorders." The illnesses and deaths may be related to creosote, a wood preservative made from toxic chemicals, that seeped into the groundwater beneath the town. The fire that all but closed the town burned a holding tank containing 3,000 gallons of creosote. Former residents and their descendants have sued Collier Enterprises Inc., the company of county founder Barron Collier, which sold the land to the mill owner. "Officials with the state Department of Environmental Regulation, now known as the Department of Environmental Protection, did in fact laud the Collier companies for their response to the public health hazard. Yet those same state officials relied on incomplete and outdated evidence submitted by Collier Enterprises and its consultants to guide the cleanup process — a decision that saved the company millions of dollars." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 11, 2004 Emergency response time in Tampa lags WFTS-Tampa studied more than 110,000 emergency response calls in Hillsborough County during 2003, finding that "the average response time is almost 9 minutes in Hillsborough County, four minutes longer than experts would like." The station mapped out areas within the county, showing that Riverview has among the longest waits for emergency vehicles, between 8 and 14 minutes. "One of the most troubling problems this system has is that when there is an emergency, they don't always send the closest emergency vehicle." Maps showing response times by neighborhood are also available. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 03, 2004 Ind. jails drain health care budgets Sara Eaton and Amanda Iacone of The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette found that "with few exceptions, all northeast Indiana counties have gone over their original jail medical expense budgets annually since 1999 by thousands of dollars." The unpredictability of inmates' health means that even one or two cases can end up draining county budgets. Some smaller counties do not have their own jail medical staff but rely on emergency rooms and specialists to provide care. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 30, 2004 Candies from Mexico contain unsafe amounts of lead Jenifer McKim, William Heisel, Valeria Godines and Keith Sharon of The Orange County Register found California has withheld hundreds of test results showing more than 100 brands of candy — most coming from Mexico — have dangerous levels of lead. The Register spent two years tracing the roots of the problem to the chili fields of Mexico and to a Mexican town connected to the candy industry that has become contaminated. The newspaper conducted 425 tests and found alarming lead levels in children, key candy ingredients and in candies — some of which the state or FDA have never tested before. "The Register reviewed about 6,000 pages of state, county and federal documents obtained under public-records laws and built a unique database of all candy tests conducted in California." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 26, 2004 Native American children in peril Larry Oakes of the Star Tribune writes about the condition of Native American youth on the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. The series found that alarming numbers of children on the reservation are being lost to alcohol, drugs, prison and death. "Cass County, where most of the reservation's people live, ranked last among 77 Minnesota counties in a 1999 government study that measured the health and safety of children." Several stories are accompanied by a full list of credits (registration required to view links). Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 19, 2004 Centers fail to keep tabs on dementia patients Dawn MacKeen, Lauren Terrazzano, Amanda Harris and Eden Laikin of Newsday found that "since 1998, at least 126 elderly people have been reported missing from centers that offer assisted living on Long Island." At least seven of those died. "Some wanderers were found miles away, at train stations, on busy highways including the Long Island Expressway, and in New York City. But others didn't get far at all: Two elderly women with dementia were found dead in sub-freezing weather within feet of the centers where they lived." The paper attributed the cases in part to assisted living centers that are not prepared to handle residents with Alzheimer's disease and a lack of state oversight. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 14, 2004 Abuse, neglect found within juvenile justice agency Rene Stutzman of the Orlando Sentinel, using state records, finds that Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice has been "responsible for 661 confirmed cases of abuse or neglect since 1994." The agency's records show a pattern of both physical and sexual abuse, with incidents scattered all over the state. The story also finds that it is unclear what happens to most department workers who are found to have abused or neglected a child in the agency's care. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 05, 2004 Drug makers, FDA waited to alert public about PPA danger Kevin Sack and Alicia Mundy of the Los Angeles Times reviewed documents from lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests on phenylpropanolamine, or PPA. Formerly a main ingredient in nonprescription decongestants and diet pills, PPA was declared unsafe by the Food and Drug Administration in November 2000 after industry research tied PPA to strokes. The paper found that "rather than alerting the public during cold season, drug makers launched a yearlong campaign to keep the results quiet and stall government regulation. By the time the FDA acted, 13 months and hundreds of strokes later, the companies had reformulated their brand names with little interruption in sales. The market for PPA has been estimated at $500 million to $1 billion annually." Included on the Times' Web site are source documents cited in the report. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 01, 2004 IRE awards three medals An astonishing story of brutal war crimes by The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade and a book on the American tax system by David Cay Johnston took top honors in the 2003 IRE Awards. In addition, the Freedom of Information Award went to a team from the (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader for exposing a massive secret pardons program rife with questions and conflicts for the governor. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 26, 2004 Only half of Atlantic City restaurants inspected last year Michael Diamond of The Press of Atlantic City used city restaurant inspection records to find that in Atlantic City, "the equivalent of three full-time inspectors were able to inspect only half the resort's 887 retail food establishments in 2003, despite a state requirement that each be inspected at least once a year." Some places haven't seen an inspector in two to three years, while casino eateries usually get more frequent visits. "Of the resort restaurants that are inspected, half need to be reinspected, a rate that is among the highest in New Jersey." Statewide, none of the 115 New Jersey health departments make their inspection reports available online. (Free registration required.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 23, 2004 Texas hospitals continue to hire disciplined doctors Lise Olsen and Leigh Hopper of the Houston Chronicle continue their investigation of Texas hospitals with a story reporting that "doctors disciplined by state regulators have been welcomed to practice at many Houston-area hospitals for years, often because officials overlooked or ignored negative information about the physicians." The paper examined six years' of Texas physician discipline records for its report and then looked at the hospitals where sanctioned doctors worked. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Ohio children suffer in mental health system Spencer Hunt and Debra Jasper of The Cincinnati Enquirer report that Ohio's system for treating mentally ill children suffers from bureaucratic complexities and abuse. "In the past three years, Ohio parents who've run out of insurance or money have given up custody of as many as 1,800 children so the government will pay to treat their mental illness. ... Ohio counties place more than 7,000 children a year in centers where some are abused, molested, improperly drugged and left in wretched conditions, an examination of inspection records, court documents and interviews reveals." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 19, 2004 Four inspectors responsible for 700 restaurants In a two-part series on March 15 and 16, Mark Hayward of The (Manchester, N.H.) Union Leader reported restaurant health inspection scores for Manchester, N.H. Although inspection reports and scores are public records, the city does not publicize them. "City health officials say they have no desire to put the data on the Internet or require restaurants to post their scores." The paper found that even high-risk establishments get visited about once a year, although restaurants get more attention. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 15, 2004 Fla. agency ignored child abuse reports Paul Pinkham of The Florida Times-Union obtained internal state records using Florida's open records law to find that the Department of Children and Families staffers in Jacksonville "regularly blew off reports of abuse and danger to children, inaction that contributed to at least one child's murder in 2001." Court documents and agency e-mails and memos show that counselors failed to complete basic checks and follow-up on complaints. The death of a 2-year-old boy three years ago resulted in an internal audit that shed light on DCF's troubles. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 11, 2004 State chose hospital with serious violations Andrew Julien of The Hartford Courant found that Connecticut's Department of Children and Families selected a psychiatric hospital for a publicly funded $3.4 million treatment unit for juvenile female delinquents without checking the hospital's regulatory record with the state health department. When the paper checked the record, it found instances of substandard care, improper use of restraints and abuse of children. The regulatory file outlined "problems serious enough to spark tight oversight by the state health department in the form of a regulatory tool known as a consent agreement three times between 1999 and 2002." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 01, 2004 Australians waiting longest for hip replacements Jill Pengelley of Australia's The Adelaide Advertiser used hospital records obtained under the Freedom of Information law to show that patients getting hip replacements have the longest waits for surgery. "In the 2003 December quarter, the number waiting more than a year for orthopaedic surgery was 21 per cent higher than it was three years ago, despite the orthopaedic waiting list growing only 6 per cent in that time." Ear, nose and throat surgeries had the second-longest waiting list. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 24, 2004 Low-income area subjected to industrial pollution Tammy Webber, Mark Nichols and Bill Theobald of The Indianapolis Star have a two-day project on air pollution in Indianapolis' industrial neighborhoods, using federal data and health statistics to show that "residents may pay a price for living in Marion County's industrial hub," including increased rates of lung cancer and respiratory problems. "In 2001, the latest year for which there are data, more than 1.7 million pounds of pollution — three-fourths of all air pollution reported in Marion County, including ozone-producing compounds — were emitted by 19 companies within a two-mile radius of the low-income area around Morris Street and Tibbs Avenue." A second piece explains that officials have done little to address residents' concerns about their health. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 23, 2004 School cafeterias cited for health violations Kristen King of The Virginian-Pilot analyzed data from recent health inspections of school cafeterias, finding that "nearly half of the public school cafeterias in South Hampton Roads were cited for at least one critical violation on their most recent health inspection." Schools in Suffolk had the highest percentage of critical violations — 67 percent — while one Virginia Beach middle school earned five critical violations alone. Just 11 percent of schools in the area had perfect scores. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 19, 2004 Regulators failed to discipline hospital known for problems Leigh Hopper, Lise Olsen and S.K. Bardwell of The Houston Chronicle investigated a Houston-area hospital with a reputation for problems and found a lack of punishment by state and federal regulators. "Starting a few months after Vista opened in May 1999 through this January, state inspectors conducted eight investigations into more than a dozen incidents. Each time, Vista promised to fix the problems and no punishment was given, but the problems persisted. Upon reviewing a Houston Chronicle summary of state-documented problems at Vista, the Texas Department of Health's associate commissioner for consumer health protection admitted his inspectors had fallen short." The facility had been fined once since it opened in 1999, for a total of $3,000. Using state records, the paper also found that few Texas hospitals are fined for violations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 18, 2004 Nev. doctor discipline records incomplete, wrong Frank X. Mullen Jr. of the Reno Gazette-Journal, with assistance from Steve Timko, spent months analyzing how Nevada disciplines its physicians. The paper found that despite a rapid growth in the number of doctors, disciplinary actions have remained mostly flat since 1992. The state's review board releases "inflated statistics" to the public and legislators about its enforcement actions and keeps little information about complaints that don't result in board action. And while state lawmakers were told about a crisis in medical malpractice insurance, an analysis of federal data "showed that a handful of Nevada physicians are responsible for about half of the total settlements or judgments paid out by hundreds of doctors." Timko also released some notes on the federal data he used. The National Practioner Data Bank is also available through IRE and NICAR. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 20, 2004 Colo. children dying even after contact with system David Olinger of The Denver Post spent eight months investigating Colorado's child protection system, finding that "child welfare agencies were involved before the deaths of at least 107 of 258 children who were victims of suspected abuse or neglect from 1993 through 2002. Yet in nearly half of those cases, a state system created to learn from child abuse deaths has reported nothing about those prior contacts." The paper also found gaps in the state's recordkeeping process and a pattern of confidentiality that can mean that mistakes in child abuse cases "can remain hidden indefinitely." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 15, 2004 Administration doubles; nursing and health inspector jobs unfilled Tom Wilemon and Beth Musgrave of The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun-Herald used state payroll data to find that Mississippi's Department of Health "has more than doubled its top administrative staff at a cost of more than $1 million, while its front-line employee positions, such as nurses and restaurant inspectors, have gone unfilled." Between September 2002 and November 2003, central administrative salaries were boosted by $1.15 million while "salaries for front-line workers decreased by $1.7 million." More than 40 nurses and 16 health inspectors left their jobs during that period. State officials defend the reorganization of the agency, saying it will make it more "user-friendly." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 06, 2004 Accidents drop after limits placed on teen drivers Robert Imrie of The Associated Press reviewed the impact of two-year-old restrictions on Wisconsin teen drivers, finding that "the average number of crashes in Wisconsin with 16-year-olds behind the wheel and the number of people killed in those crashes dropped dramatically in the first two full years" the restrictions were in place. The AP analyzed more than 1 million state accident reports to find a 15 percent drop in accidents involving 16-year-old drivers that were investigated by the police. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 02, 2004 L.A. foster children at risk Troy Anderson of the Los Angeles Daily News finds that "Los Angeles County's child protective system is one of the most violent and dangerous in the nation, and its foster children are up to 10 times more likely to die from abuse or neglect than elsewhere in the country." The two-year investigation found that between 6 percent and 28 percent of the children in the county's foster system suffer abuse or neglect. A sidebar reveals that children are committing suicide at younger ages. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 19, 2003 Pediatric dentists bill Medicare for many baby root canals Stuart Watson of WCNC-Charlotte, N.C., used Medicaid data to find that pediatric dentists at the Medicaid Dental Centers have billed $1,172,073.40 for baby root canals — "almost as much as every other Medicaid dentist in the state combined." NICAR helped crunch the numbers, which yielded the fact that "the Medicaid centers in Winston-Salem, Raleigh and Charlotte treated about seven percent of the kids on Medicaid in North Carolina, but the clinics performed almost 49 percent of the baby root canals." View the story and a statement from the Dental Centers. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 17, 2003 Families with severely ill kids face challenging choices Debra Jasper and Spencer Hunt of The Cincinnati Enquirer have a three-day series on families who face tough economic conditions because of a sick child. "Too rich to get government aid and too poor to pay extraordinary medical costs, some families are forced to make decisions that the rest of us can hardly comprehend." In addition, state budget cuts have forced reductions in health insurance programs in Ohio and Kentucky. Parents seeking day care for a severely disabled child have to endure long waits, and four of the six biggest Ohio facilities "were so troubled that in the past three years the state threatened to revoke their funding." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 15, 2003 Inconsistent rules allow doctors with questionable education to practice Andrew Julien and Jack Dolan of The Hartford Courant continue their series of investigations into the medical profession, finding that "nearly 900 doctors practicing across the country are graduates of schools banned in states including California and Texas because of questionable educational standards." Uneven state standards allow these doctors to work in the U.S. after attending foreign medical schools "that would be hard-pressed to win accreditation on U.S. soil." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 12, 2003 Risks found in adoption incentives Troy Anderson of the Los Angeles Daily News conducted a two-year investigation of Los Angeles County's foster program, finding that as many as half of the county's foster kids "were needlessly placed in a system that is often more dangerous than their own homes because of financial incentives in state and federal laws." As the number of foster children in Los Angeles County has doubled since the early 1980s, they are "six to seven times more likely to be mistreated and three times more likely to be killed than children in the general population." Anderson reviewed audits of foster-care agencies to find! more than $9 million in questionable spending since 1998. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 11, 2003 High death rate of children found on Oregon reservation Brent Walth, Kim Christensen and Julie Sullivan of The Oregonian examined the death of children in Warm Springs Reservation, finding that "children and teenagers on the high desert reservation die at a rate more than three times that of the rest of Oregon and nearly twice that of Native American kids in the Northwest and around the country." The paper cites many causes, including car accidents in which few victims wear seat belts, a poor child welfare system and alcoholism. Since many tribal records are not public, the paper built a database of state records and used summary figures from the reservation. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 09, 2003 Medicaid fraud costs Fla. millions In a four-part series, Fred Schulte of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel found that "even as the state faces a budget crisis in which Medicaid costs figure prominently, abuse of the health care system for the poor by doctors -- and by willing pharmacists and patients -- has gone largely unpunished." A sidebar includes information about how the story was reported and the data used. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Federal researchers also act as drug company consultants David Willman of the Los Angeles Times reports that top-ranking officials of the National Institutes of Health have received "hundreds of consulting payments" from drug companies, often without public notice. "Such dual roles - federal research leader and drug company consultant - are increasingly common at the NIH, an agency once known for independent scientific inquiry on behalf of a single client: the public." A 1998 legal opinion allows the NIH to keep top officials' consulting income confidential, a practice that sets it apart from 34 othe! r federal agencies The Times surveyed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 19, 2003 Drug industry spends to influence legislation Mark Brunswick and Ron Nixon of the Minneapolis Star Tribune report on the pharmaceutical industry's attempts to defeat legislation that "would control prices or allow people to import drugs from across the border." Money spent by an industry trade group on advertising, lobbyists and lobbying activities and campaign contributions add up to more than $2.6 million spent in Minnesota in 2000-02. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 18, 2003 Most expensive not always best in healthcare Bernard Wolfson, William Heisel and Chris Knap of The Orange County Register used "public records, including patient discharge records, nursing staff hours, disciplinary actions against doctors, hospital inspection reports and every malpractice lawsuit filed in Orange County to create the first comprehensive report card of Orange County's general hospitals." They found that hospitals that charge the most don't provide the best quality care; nonprofit hospitals rated better than for-profit hospitals; and hospitals run by Tenet Healthcare Corp., which owns 105 hospitals and related businesses, got mixed marks. Also included is a sidebar about how the story was reported. (free registration required) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Mo. children die when signs of danger aren't reported Donna McGuire and Mark Morris of The Kansas City Star examined court records and other documents detailing 116 Missouri children who died of abuse or neglect since January 2000. "At least one-third of those 116 children might have lived if only the safety net we rely on to protect our children — family, friends, state workers, law enforcement officials — had come to their rescue when the first sign of danger emerged." In a first, Missouri officials released records on 37 of the abuse and neglect cases in response to the newspaper's request, and the Star also sought records on such deaths in Kansas. "Although it has twice as many children as Kansas, Missouri experiences at least five times the amount of fatal abuse and neglect, the newspaper found." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 14, 2003 Government's failures contribute to hepatitis C epidemic Karen Dillon, Mike McGraw and database editor Gregory S. Reeves of The Kansas City Star find that, although more than 4 million Americans are infected by hepatitis C, the government has failed to inform the public. Other problems included "a stalled search for thousands of patients transfused with tainted blood and hundreds of thousands of patients who were infected in the 1980s when the blood industry delayed a test for six years." The report includes a number of documents posted on the paper's site (free registration required). Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 10, 2003 Cincinnati teens more likely to take requests for abortion elsewhere Phil Trexler of the Akron Beacon Journal requested data from Ohio courts on judicial bypass requests from minors seeking abortions, finding that while 86 percent of such requests were approved during the past three years, "few teens even ask for permission in conservative Hamilton County, the birthplace of Right to Life. Despite being the state's third-largest county, the number of requests to Cincinnati judges compares more closely to smaller, rural counties." Statistics from such cases aren't reported to the Ohio Supreme Court, so the paper had to go through county court systems to get the information. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 07, 2003 Companies promote prescribing drugs for unapproved uses Alison Young and Chris Adams of Knight Ridder's investigative team spent six months tracking the effect of medications without federal approval: "[P]atients nationwide are being injured and killed as doctors routinely prescribe drugs in ways the FDA never certified as safe and effective. Moreover, these unapproved prescriptions are soaring. Over the last year, 115 million such prescriptions were written, nearly double the number of five years ago." Here's how the reporters did it. The project uses data from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System database, available from IRE and NICAR. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 05, 2003 Whistleblower doctors face severe retribution Steve Twedt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spent 10 months tracking doctors who became whistleblowers about workplace conditions, finding that "doctors who question quality standards or practices can pay a steep personal and professional price," including loss of patients, lengthy investigations and an unsympathetic legal system. Other parts of the series examine the stories of individual doctors labeled as "troublemakers." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 20, 2003 Illegal pharmaceutical trade threatens lives Gilbert M. Gaul and Mary Pat Flaherty of The Washington Post begin a five-part series on America's prescription drug system, finding it riddled "by a growing illegal trade in pharmaceuticals, fed by criminal profiteers, unscrupulous wholesalers, rogue Internet sites and foreign pharmacies." A shadow trade in prescription drugs that includes orders for nursing home patients who don't exist, watered-down or fake medicines and middlemen of dubious (or criminal) natures "constitute a new form of organized crime that now threatens public health." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 02, 2003 Flammable foam in club fire found in many household items G. Wayne Miller and Peter B. Lord of The Providence Journal have a four-part series on the dangers of polyurethane foam, the material that played a major role in the fatal fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island. In addition to being common in upholstered furniture, the substance is also found in "couches, love seats, chairs, recliners, mattresses, mattress pads and mattress toppers, pillows, carpet cushioning and many other places. More than 2 billion pounds of foam enters the U.S. market every year." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 24, 2003 Older drivers in Wis. have more accidents Robert Imrie of The Associated Press analyzed Wisconsin accident data to find that "drivers ages 81 and older had a higher accident rate per estimated miles driven than any other age group except the youngest drivers." Imrie reviewed data from 1998-2002 and found that older drivers had a rate more than double most other age groups. Wisconsin has no special licensing requirements for elderly drivers. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 12, 2003 Prisoners suffer from poor health care The Columbus Dispatch and WBNS-Columbus teamed to find "the medical care provided to 45,402 inmates in 33 prisons is riddled with hidden problems and costs." In the three-month investigation, the Dispatch's Randy Ludlow and WBNS reporter Eve Mueller found that taxpayers foot the bill of more than $122 million for prison health care and another million dollars for "wrongful death and medical-negligence claims filed by inmates and their families." They tell stories of inmates waiting for care, fatal mistakes and failures to check the backgrounds of prison doctors. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post NW Fla. residents drank unsafe water for 4½ years Scott Streater of the Pensacola News Journal reviewed thousands of documents to find that "for at least 54 months, between February 1996 and September 2000, more than 10,000 residents in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze were drinking water polluted with radium 226/228 at levels considered unsafe by the federal government." Two former Escambia County Utility Authority regulators knew of the levels, records showed, but "resisted attempts by state regulators to force ECUA to take immediate corrective action, which the administrators said would cost the utility millions of dollars." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 11, 2003 High rates of children taken from homes in Mo. county In a three-part series for The Joplin Globe, Jeff Lehr takes a look at "the system and the stories of those whose lives have been affected" by problems in the child-protection system in southwestern Missouri. "Jasper County would appear to have one of the highest rates of removal of children from their homes by the state than any other county in Missouri. At the same time, the county's rate of children reunited with their parents is below the state average." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 10, 2003 Crystal meth has become epidemic in Hawaii A team at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, including Sally Apgar, Debra Barayuga, Rick Daysog, Susan Essoyan and Craig Gima, examine Hawaii's widespread use of crystal methamphetamine and measures that are being taken to stop the epidemic. The first day of the series looks at the scope of the problem, the cash flow, how it started and who uses crystal meth. Day 2 looks at meth use in teens and Day 3 profiles treatment options. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 03, 2003 Missouri lake is 3rd most dangerous body of water James Goodwin and Didi Tang of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune used federal boating accident data (available from IRE and NICAR) to show that the popular "Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the country. Between 1997 and 2001, only the Atlantic Ocean and Colorado River had more accidents." The paper's analysis showed that most accidents on the lake involve smaller boats and jet skis, not larger craft, and that many of the incidents could be avoided if people simply watched where they were going. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 02, 2003 Phoenix hospitals' bad debts exceed industry standard Jodie Snyder of The Arizona Republic reviewed the financial condition of hospitals in the Phoenix area, which isn't very healthy: "Of 24 hospitals in the Valley, at least 18 have bad-debt levels that are higher than the national standard of 5.2 percent of total operating revenue." Some facilities have three times the standard level of bad debt, which is defined as money hospitals expect to be paid but do not collect. The economic downturn and slow responses by managed care companies are among the reasons cited for the levels of bad debt. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 27, 2003 Despite Fla. law, unlicensed doctors escape tougher penalties Casey Woods and Adriana Cordovi of The Miami Herald examined South Florida's unlicensed doctors and dentists, finding that punishments for their crimes "was equivalent to that for poaching an alligator or counterfeiting a lottery ticket. Prosecutors insisted that they did not have the means to send the perpetrators to jail." At least 15 cases of unlicensed practitioners have occurred in Miami-Dade County since 2000, but most of them resulted in probation or fines rather than jail time, despite a law mandating harsher penalties. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 19, 2003 Company focused OxyContin sales efforts on Appalachia Charles Camp of the Lexington Herald-Leader used documents from a "little-noticed Ohio lawsuit and a closed investigation by the Florida attorney general" to piece together how drug company Purdue Pharma pitched painkiller OxyContin to doctors around the country. "Between 1996 and 2001, as OxyContin became the nation's top-selling narcotic, Purdue invested more than $500 million deploying a small army of sales representatives around the country, according to previously confidential corporate records." Using details of doctors' prescribing practices, the company helped its sales reps focus on Appalachia, where painkiller use was common. "In 1998, for example, parts of southwestern Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia received more of OxyContin's competing painkillers per capita than anywhere else in the nation." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 18, 2003 Fire drills go by the wayside in central Florida schools Mary Shanklin of the Orlando Sentinel reviewed school records to find that "during the past school year, more than a third of 162 Orange County public schools failed to perform the minimum fire drills required by the district." Eighteen schools missed more than one scheduled drill, while three others "skipped mandatory drills during the school year but held them during the summer months when most students were gone." The district has been criticized recently for flaws in its fire-safety program. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 15, 2003 Sleepiness plays a role in deadly stretch of N.C. interstate Vicky Hyman of the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., has a five-part series on the death toll from accidents on Interstate 95, the major north-south corridor on the East Coast. "Crashes in which people die happen on I-95 at twice the rate of any other interstate in North Carolina. On average, 34 people are killed each year, with fatal crashes peaking in August, the end of the summer travel season." The paper compiled a database of fatalities in North Carolina by county, and its analysis of the data shows that sleepiness plays a much larger role in I-95 accidents than on other North Carolina roads. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 13, 2003 Cincinnati health care spending falls behind Tim Bonfield of The Cincinnati Enquirer reviewed reports on hospital infrastructure spending projects since 1995 to conclude that Cincinnati's hospitals were falling behind other Ohio facilities in terms of spending on new equipment. The region's hospitals "ranked fifth in the state when spending was measured per person, spending $290 per resident on improvements compared to $434 per capita in Dayton and $394 in Toledo." The area's facilities were among Ohio's newest during the early 1990s, but the average age of hospitals "crept up to 10.39 years while the state average dropped to 9.94 years" by 2000. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 12, 2003 Little progress toward fixing long-standing problems in boxing George Diaz and Rick Maesa of the Orlando Sentinel have a five-part series on the state of the boxing industry, focusing on the times when the sport turns deadly. The paper found "a sport with a long history of disorganization, poor regulation and power brokers whose first concern is not always the well-being of the boxer. The problems exist on every level -- professional, amateur and Toughman -- and affect every weight class, sanctioning body and part of the country." Florida has had more boxing-related deaths than any other state during the past 25 years, and other fighters suffer brain injuries. One piece tells the story of Wilfred Benitez, a former prizefighter who now relies on a government subsidy to pay for his medical bills. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Reviews show failures in N.C. system to protect children Eric Frazier of The Charlotte Observer spent four months investigating North Carolina's social welfare system, finding that "at least 119 children social workers tried to protect have died in suspected abuse and neglect cases in North Carolina during the past five years." The paper used state case reviews of 92 deaths, many of which criticized the work of caseworkers for not keeping children safe. The five-part series also examines South Carolina's system, which does not provide public access to case reviews. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 05, 2003 Failures in emergency services cost many lives In a three-part series, USA Today finds that about 1,000 people a year across the country die because of "fragmented, inconsistent and slow" emergency medical services. Through a survey, database analysis and extensive interviews and site visits, reporter Robert Davis looked at 50 major cities and determined city officials can make changes that effectively increase survival rates. The series includes a detailed explanation of how the paper measured EMS performance and survival rates. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 04, 2003 Medical research performed without consent Bill Sizemore of The Virginian-Pilot writes about a medical school's experiment in which researchers exposed more than 200 children to a genetically modified plant virus in an effort to track how kids spread germs in day-care centers. The team of scientists from the Center for Pediatric Research, a joint venture of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, failed to get written consent from parents before the study began. "EVMS officials say the solution was safe, parents were notified and no children were harmed." One medical ethicist says ``This experiment went off the ethical rails.'' A parent's complaint led to the termination of the experiment, an internal review and changes to the school's oversight system. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 31, 2003 Arizona-Mexico border deaths undercounted by Border Patrol Claudine LoMonaco of the Tucson Citizen checked federal statistics on border deaths of illegal immigrants in Arizona with reports filed by local offices of the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, finding that "from the start of the fiscal year in October 2002 through Sunday, as many as 171 people have died in Arizona -- 43 percent more than the official Border Patrol figure of 119." Among the reasons for the Border Patrol's lower numbers, the paper explains, is poor coordination with police departments and geographic limitations. The agency only counts deaths in counties along the border. In addition, there is no requirement to notify the Border Patrol when a foreign national dies, even though other local authorities get such notice. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 30, 2003 Data pinpoints concentrations of lead-poisoned children Wendy Wendland-Bowyer, Tina Lam and Megan Christensen of the Detroit Free Press used state health data to pinpoint the neighborhoods with the most lead-poisoned children in Michigan. Areas of Grand Rapids, Detroit and Benton Harbor showed the highest concentrations of sick children. "More surprising is the fact that health officials did not use the data to zero in on areas where the poisoned children lived." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 28, 2003 Charlotte doing little to stem pet population Michelle Crouch and Scott Dodd of The Charlotte Observer examined the plight of animals in the Carolinas and found that "dogs and cats are being killed in shelters throughout the Carolinas at rates that far surpass the average across the country." The series also finds that Charlotte does very little to stem the increasing pet population and that the Humane Society "spends more than half its budget on overhead." After the three-part series was published, the North Carolina legislature and the Charlotte City Council pledged to help change things. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 25, 2003 Police accused of domestic violence get special treatment Ruth Teichroeb and Julie Davidow of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer had a three-part series this week on Western Washington police officers involved in domestic violence incidents. "Over the past five years, 41 officers in King and Pierce counties alone have been accused of assaulting, stalking, threatening or harassing their wives, girlfriends or children." Half faced charges, and most did not suffer professionally. The paper found that police departments often do not immediately arrest officers accused of domestic violence, and often do not take away their weapons. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 23, 2003 Owner of three facilities is most-fined nursing home company in Wash. Scott North and Diana Hefley of The Herald in Everett, Wash., used federal data on nursing homes and state records to find that HMH Associates Inc., the operator of three area facilities, is the most-fined nursing home company in Washington state. Federal data available through Medicare also shows that one of the nursing homes tied for 21st place nationwide for the largest number of deficiencies. "HMH has had good luck with its Skagit County operation, but has repeatedly struggled to meet state and federal standards at Parkway and Lynnwood Manor." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 22, 2003 Condition of Cleveland's children compared to Third World Joan Mazzolini and Dave Davis of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer report that Cleveland's children face tougher times than kids in many other large cities, based on an analysis of "quality of life" factors. "In some city neighborhoods, The Plain Dealer found, 30 to 40 infants are dying for every 1,000 who are born -- rates that rival those of Guatemala, Guyana and Romania. And nearly half the city's children live in housing that is run down or old, putting them at risk for lead poisoning, injuries and potent asthma triggers like cockroaches and rats." Social experts compared the paper's finding to third world conditions. Cleveland wasn't alone in the findings; "Ohio as a whole is falling behind the rest of the nation when it comes to protecting children." The paper analyzed more than a million records for the report. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 14, 2003 Pollutants may force Louisville under fed control James Bruggers of the Louisville Courier-Journal reviewed federal and local air pollution data to find that while "yearly releases of some types of industrial pollutants in Jefferson County have sharply decreased, but others, including those that contribute to cancer, heart disease and asthma, appear to be on the rise." The Louisville metro area is likely to fall short of new federal guidelines, which could trigger pollution controls. The paper used the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory and two local sets of records it obtained through a state open records request. With loads of graphics and follow-ups. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Costly juvenile group homes not always effective Sewell Chan and Scott Higham of The Washington Post, with assistance from database editor Sarah Cohen, have a four-part series on Washington's group homes and residential centers for juveniles that paints an unflattering and often tragic picture of the system. "Altogether, the cost to taxpayers is $69 million a year. Some of the teenagers do well. But many are left to languish in a chaotic system that places both the public and the children in danger." Among the problems are violence, poorly managed and unsafe facilities, and lax government oversight. The paper obtained "thousands of confidential social work documents, treatment files and juvenile criminal records that have long been hidden from public view," and posted several of them online. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 30, 2003 Four med schools produce high rates of troubled docs Jack Dolan and Andrew Julien of The Hartford Courant analyzed medical disciplinary records to find four medical schools that "produce troubled doctors at about 10 times the rate of the best schools." The four -- the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico, Howard University in Washington, Manila Central University in the Philippines and Meharry Medical College in Nashville -- have yielded "more than 600 doctors cited by licensing boards for negligence, incompetence, sexual assault, drug abuse, fraud or other problems." Other stories in the series address the struggles of schools that primarily serve African-American students and how lower academic standards have lured some students unable to gain a medical degree in the United States. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 25, 2003 Speed, inexperience are deadly mix for teenage drivers Laura Ayo of The Knoxville News-Sentinel analyzed data from 60 fatal car accidents in Knox County involving teen-age drivers over the past five years to find that "speeding contributed to more than half of the wrecks. It was the second most frequent contributing factor next to running off the road or failing to stay in the proper lane." In a familiar statistic to safety groups, the paper also found that "more than two-thirds of people killed in the cars being driven by teens were not wearing their seat belts." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 24, 2003 Sanjay Bhatt of The Palm Beach Post used data from three federal and state databases to compile his analysis of Florida's medical malpractice insurance system, which insurers say is facing a crisis. Bhatt used SPSS to find that of the 15,000 people who filed malpractice claims in Florida during the 1990s, about half receive no payment. "Of those who do, half are awarded less than $125,000, and three-quarters receive less than $250,000." Legislation being considered in the state would cap damages for pain and suffering at $250,000, but other damages could still be awarded. (The National Practitioner Data Bank, one source used for this story, is available from IRE and NICAR.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 23, 2003 Policies allow violent inmates to escape mental institution Kirk Mitchell of The Denver Post reports that "nearly 50 men and women held at the state psychiatric hospital for murder and other violent acts have escaped since 1990," and several of them committed violent acts after they left the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. The escapes "are at least partly the result of the hospital's conflicting obligations to treat criminally insane patients and, at the same time, protect the public from some of the state's most dangerous people." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 09, 2003 Norfolk fails to spend on care for AIDS patients Liz Szabo of The Virginian-Pilot used FOIA requests to build a spreadsheet detailing how different regions spent federal dollars granted under the Ryan White CARE Act, a law designed to help care for AIDS patients. What it showed was that Norfolk "has failed to spend an average of nearly $1 million annually" in the past four years while hundreds of local patients go without care. "Last year, more than a quarter of the roughly $6 million given to Hampton Roads for uninsured AIDs patients -- nearly $1.6 million -- went unused, according to budget records. That includes unspent money carried over from previous years and is about enough to pay for doctors' visits for a year." In researching the story, Szabo also found that in their haste to make a paperwork deadline, local officials changed every instance of "White" in their report to "Caucasian," yielding dozens of "Ryan Caucasian CARE Act" phrases throughout. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 03, 2003 AIDS care money goes unspent Liz Szabo of The Virginian-Pilot used FOIA requests to build a spreadsheet detailing how different regions spent federal dollars granted under the Ryan White CARE Act, a law designed to help care for AIDS patients. What it showed was that Norfolk "has failed to spend an average of nearly $1 million annually" in the past four years while hundreds of local patients go without care. "Last year, more than a quarter of the roughly $6 million given to Hampton Roads for uninsured AIDs patients -- nearly $1.6 million -- went unused, according to budget records. That includes unspent money carried over from previous years and is about enough to pay for doctors' visits for a year." In researching the story, Szabo also found that in their haste to make a paperwork deadline, local officials changed every instance of "White" in their report to "Caucasian," yielding dozens of "Ryan Caucasian CARE Act" phrases throughout. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 29, 2003 Complaints, investigations don't stop neurosurgeon from operating Chris Knap, William Heisel and Bernard Wolfson of The Orange County Register examined th e paper trail from Dr. Israel Chambi, a top neurosurgeon at one of the largest facilities in Orange County. Chambi "controls the most high-profile surgical service at Western Medical Center Santa Ana, despite 33 malpractice or wrongful-death complaints and three investigations by the Medical Board of California" since 1995. The paper's analysis of state health data shows that Chambi's department provides more than $38 million a year in revenue to the Western Medical Center Santa Ana, which critics say is why he remains in a high-profile position. Chambi replies: "This type of litigation has nothing to do with my overall performance as a neurosurgeon." Accompanying the stories are documents detailing Chambi's work history and malpractice cases. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 28, 2003 Bad pharmaceuticals enter market through Florida Sally Kestin and Bob LaMendola of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel report on how fake drugs enter the supplies of pharmacies and hospitals, "many via unscrupulous brokers in South Florida." Checking state records, the paper found 18 corporate officers in three dozen wholesale drug companies licensed in Florida had criminal records. Other companies that have been shut down have reappeared under different names or employing relatives as a front. Florida has 1,400 licensed drug wholesale companies, twice as many as California. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 20, 2003 Staffing uneven at agency responsible for mine safety Martha Bryson Hodel of The Associated Press reviewed staffing levels at the district offices of the federal agency responsible for mine safety, finding that the Mine Safety and Health Administration "has fewer inspectors than authorized in some regions where many underground mines -- the most dangerous -- are located." The southern West Virginia office is short 12 employees, while Western Pennsylvania has eight fewer employees than it should. "The AP's district-by-district review suggested a pattern of staff shortages in field offices where inspectors oversee large, complicated underground mines, while districts with smaller workloads reported surplus staff." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 19, 2003 Amateur 'Toughman' competitions go unregulated Fred Girard of The Detroit News investigates the "Toughman" competitions that pit amateur brawlers, finding that 12 men in Toughman fights have died since 1979 and at least five more have suffered brain damage. "Unlike other sanctioned sports in which participants face higher injury risks, Toughman fails to provide proper safety guidelines and procedures to protect its fighters." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Flaws in meat inspection system put consumers at risk Oliver Prichard of The Philadelphia Inquirer has a two-part series on America's meat-inspection system, which he reports "discourages aggressive enforcement by government inspectors and often fails to protect consumers until it is too late." The paper details how federal inspectors lack the authority to close plants and levy fines. The Department of Agriculture also "has failed to crack down on unsafe plants after inspectors had documented repeated sanitary lapses." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Many men who kill wives have faced domestic violence allegations before Angela Heywood Bible and Andrea Weigl of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer report that domestic abuse can lead to murder in North Carolina, where at least 73 women died last year at the hands of their husbands. "Of the 63 men accused of the killings, 34 had been in court before to face domestic violence allegations. Many of the previous cases involving defendants who now face murder charges received scant attention from police, prosecutors and judges." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post A Gannett News Service project rating nursing homes across the nation. Larry Wheeler and Robert Benincasa found that most of the "most severe and repeated nursing home patient care violations found in the past four years were concentrated in a dozen states." GNS analyzed four years of federal inspection data for 16,000 nursing homes, and posted a searchable database. Many papers localized the story, including The Arizona Republic, the Greenville News in South Carolina and Florida Today. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 15, 2003 Unrestricted ambulance rides cost city, threaten response times Jane Prendergast of The Cincinnati Enquirer found that Cincinnati's policy of providing ambulance rides to anyone who needs it, regardless of their medical condition, "costs the city millions and could threaten rapid response to life-or-death needs." Firefighters, in particular, are handling more non-fire-related calls, which accounted for more than 60 percent of their runs last year. No one tracks the number of non-life-threatening calls, but one union official estimates it at one in three. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 14, 2003 James Bruggers and Mark Schavers of The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal find that "Louisville-area residents are being exposed to toxic chemicals in concentrations up to hundreds of times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe." The paper obtained air monitoring data from the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District and presented its analysis to several experts. A sidebar shows how Louisville air readings would be illegal in Louisiana, one of the few states with actual ambient air standards for toxic chemicals. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 30, 2003 Va. nursing homes suffer from poor oversight, funding Bill Sizemore of The Virginian-Pilot reviewed inspection records and lawsuits and found "dozens of nursing homes throughout the region and the state have incurred stacks of safety and health-care violations." Most of the failures of Virginia facilities "can be traced to inadequate staffing, poor funding by the state, and the lack of any minimum legal standard for the amount of nursing care each patient must receive." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 28, 2003 Open-heart surgery becoming big business, but patient wellbeing questioned When it comes to heart surgeries, "surgeons have long known that practice helps make perfect, and that patients overall do better when surgical teams perform high numbers of procedures." But Karl Stark and Josh Goldstein of The Philadelphia Inquirer analyzed state data on area hospitals to find that "two-thirds of the 21 hospitals with heart programs failed to meet the minimum of 350 operations a year required across the river by New Jersey, for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2002. All but five programs failed to meet the stricter, 450-case standard that Pennsylvania once required but which the legislature allowed to lapse in late 1996." Links to sidebars, graphics and Part 2 are at the bottom of the story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Little accountability for Tucscon ambulances Rhonda Bodfield and Enric Volante of the Arizona Daily Star reviewed nearly 100,000 ambulance calls in Pima County to find that many response times exceeded the eight-minute "gold standard" favored by researchers. "Some states set and enforce an optimum response target, but not Arizona, where ambulance service providers essentially set their own goals then relax them if they miss." The three-part series also focuses on Rural/Metro Corp., the dominant ambulance company in the area. The story includes a sidebar on how they did the story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 24, 2003 Number of medical malpractice suits stays steady but awards rise An analysis of court records by Naomi Snyder of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas shows that while the number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Nueces County hasn't changed much since 1995, judgments from such cases have increased rapidly, leading to calls to limit those types of suits. The paper found that between 79 and 102 medical malpractice suits were filed every year in district and county courts around Corpus Christi. No statewide information for Texas is available. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 21, 2003 FBI turned down chance to buy biological weapons Joby Warrick and John Mintz of The Washington Post have a startling tale of biological weapons from South Africa. In the first of a two-part series, the paper details how a former South African government scientist offered a deadly bacteria sample to the FBI, seeking in return American citizenship and as much as $5 million. The FBI turned him down and others fear that the privately held germs could fall into the wrong hands. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post See older postings. |
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