Health
Companies received vaccine when supply was scarce
Alison Young of USA Today reports that vaccine distribution data from three states shows that thousands of doses of the H1N1 vaccine went to corporate clinics when the supply was scarce. Walt Disney World, Toyota and Norwegian Cruise lines were three such recipients. “Of the 2.42 million doses in Texas and 2 million in Florida…
Read MoreDeadly Falls series
Pam Louwagie and Glenn Howatt of the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune have finished their three-part investigation into falling deaths in Minnesota nursing homes. According to the newspaper’s analysis, more than 1,000 Minnesota deaths were related to falls in nursing homes from 2002 through 2008, but few were fully investigated. In fact, less than 10 percent of…
Read MoreAgent Orange series
A series by The Chicago Tribune traces the lingering impact of the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The evidence of exposure can still be seen in the many who suffer serious health issues, and birth defects have carried the legacy forth into a second generation. With assistance from the Fund for Investigative…
Read MoreRecall of tainted meat did not include beef provided to schools
Blake Morrison, Peter Eisler and Anthony DeBarros of USA Today report that a recall of tainted beef from Beef Packers of Fresno, Calif. did not include beef supplied to schools. Their investigation calls into question whether adequate steps were taken to ensure meat supplied for school lunches was safe for consumption. Beef Packers has had…
Read MoreSoldier’s suicide illustrates problems in military psychiatric care
Tapping into hundreds of pages of medical records, Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel told the story of Iraq vet James Weigl, who committed suicide soon after his return to Wisconsin. Kissinger’s reporting identified numerous mistakes and missed warning signs – by the Army and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee. For example,…
Read MoreSchools not made aware of tainted food supplies
An investigation by Blake Morrison and Peter Eisler of USA Today illustrates failures in food safety programs as schools unknowingly continued to receive food from suppliers with a history of tainted products. Del Rey Tortilleria of Chicago was linked to illness outbreaks at over a dozen schools between 2003 and 2007. “And in a 2006…
Read MoreFelon awarded $1 million to supply AIDS/HIV services
In the third part of “Wasting Away,” an investigation of D.C.’s AIDS program,The Washington Post found the city awarded a $1 million AIDS contract to a woman who had just been convicted in federal court for a mortgage fraud scheme that bilked lenders out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over three years, the city…
Read MoreWasting Away series
In a city ravaged by the highest rate of AIDS case in the nation, the D.C. Health Department paid millions to nonprofit groups that delivered substandard services or failed to account for any work at all, even as sick people searched for care or died waiting. A ten-month Washington Post investigation found AIDS money was…
Read MoreWoman’s plight shines light on problems with beef inspection
A story by The New York Times shows the risks involved with consuming ground beef. In 2007, a hamburger eaten by Stephanie Smith was tainted with E. coli and ravaged her nervous system leaving her paralyzed. “Ms. Smith’s reaction to the virulent strain of E. coli was extreme, but tracing the story of her burger,…
Read MoreTexas medical examiners plagued with problems, lack oversight
A series by Yamil Berard of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports on problems with medical examiners in Texas. “Texas medical examiners have misidentified bodies, botched examinations and had to do a double take on cases of individuals later exonerated by law enforcement.” Critics point to lax oversight and an absence of performance standards among other…
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