The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "health concerns" ...
-
Hospital at Risk
My investigation of the Minnesota Security Hospital, a state-run facility that provides psychiatric treatment to nearly 400 adults deemed "mentally ill and dangerous," uncovered high rates of violence and injuries of employees and patients at the facility, a critical shortage of psychiatrists, and widespread confusion among employees about what to do when a patient becomes violent. I found that much of confusion was the result of the abrasive, threatening management style of head administrator David Proffitt, who was hired in 2011 to reform the facility. I began investigating Proffitt and found he was hired without a basic background check. I uncovered many troubling details from Proffitt's past, including domestic violence, a PhD from a now-defunct online degree mill, a forced resignation from his previous job as the administrator of a private psychiatric hospital in Maine, and other failings. The state ordered Proffitt to resign and the Minnesota legislative auditor began an audit of the department's hiring practices. The assistant commissioner of the Department of Human Services who led the hiring search also resigned. The governor proposed $40 million in renovations to address safety concerns. Regulators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the facility for the first time in 21 years. The facility also implemented new training for employees to reduce violence. My investigation of the facility continues.
Tags: Psychiatrists; domestic violence; injuries
-
Frac sand mining booms in Wisconsin
An ongoing series looking at the recent growth in Wisconsin’s sand mining industry to meet the increased demand from oil and gas drillers. The frac sand industry has created jobs and economic development in Western Wisconsin, but many residents worry that the industry is not properly regulated. Concerns remain about the impact of the mining on human and environmental health, transportation, and land use.
Tags: Sand mining; oil; gas; human health; environment; transportation; land use
-
McDonald's Eggs
A story exposing major health concerns at a major American egg farm supplying large retailers such as McDonald's and Target with eggs.
Tags: animal abuse; McDonald's; target; hen farm; salmonella; health concerns; egg farm; animals
-
Poisoned Places: Tonawanda
It's difficult to definitively link any one person's illness to air pollution from a particular plant. But the concerns about the health effects of Tonawanda Coke's toxic pollution rallied a small group of people in Tonawanda -- most of them sick -- to force complacent regulators to clean up the air. The case highlights the risks posed to communities around the country by an environmental regulatory system that largely entrusts companies to voluntarily disclose how much toxic pollution they emit and that can take years to act once violations are discovered.
Tags: air pollution; toxic emission; Tonawanda; Coke; health effects;
-
Sand mining surges in Wisconsin
Exploring how mining firms in the state of Wisconsin inject sand under the Earth's surface to release oil and natural gas, and the health implications of the residual dust that is released in the air as the sand comes up.
Tags: wisconsin; sand; hydrofracturing; natural gas; oil; health; concerns; implication; Department of Natural Resources
-
"Electronic Health Records: Will They Be Safer and Save Money?"
In this yearlong, multimedia project, reporters Schulte and Schwartz investigated the shift of paper medical records to electronic records. The report drew attention to the "challenges officials are facing in computerizing" the records. Some of the challenges include concerns of privacy and patient well-being.
Tags: records; MAUDE; FDA; Center for Devices and Radiological Health; database
-
"Defective Drywall Series: Made in the U.S.A.?"
An investigation into faulty drywall arose after "devastating" structural damage occurred in homes across the U.S. Health concerns were also called into questions as some of the drywall proved to be toxic. At first Chinese produced drywall was blamed, but further in-depth investigation revealed that in was American made drywall that was being produced at a low, almost dangerous quality.
Tags: Chinese drywall; white mineral gypsum; plaster; Georgia Pacific; National Sypsum
-
"Fallout: The Legacy of Brookhaven Lab in the Pacific"
Reporter Thomas Maier reveals how radiation has affected the people of the Marshall Islands. In the 1950s, "Bravo," the "largest hydrogen bomb" detonated by the U.S., covered the islands in "radioactive ash." Only a few years later, Brookhaven National Lab scientists allowed residents to return to their homeland for "scientific and military concerns" despite the potential threat to their health.
Tags: Marshall Islands; Rongelap; Bravo; hydrogen bomb; radioactive ash; BNL; Brookhaven National Lab
-
Fort Hood Shooter's Supervisors Worried
NPR exposes prior knowledge of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's mental imbalance by revealing his supervisors' and colleagues' concerns that Hasan's mental health could threaten those around him.
Tags: Nidal Hasan; Fort Hood; shooter; tragedy; massacre; army base; Texas; supervisors; colleagues; mental health; security; Army; Walter Reed; psychotic;
-
Carilion Concerns
The Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is under investigation by several agencies for how the quality of care to patients. A suicide in the emergency department raised questions about the acre, and it was determined that the hospital is not in full compliance with Medicare regulations.
Tags: Health and Human Services; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid; health care; Federal Trade Commission;