Health
There was time to help Paul Schmidt, but county politics got in the way
“At the time, Paul Schmidt — PJ, as he was known then — was 5, an easygoing tow-headed boy who lived less than a mile from the land where the new hospital would be built. In the years to come, he would climb apple trees and play “Ghosts in the Graveyard” there with the kids…
Read MoreDeaths Linked to Cardiac Stents Rise as Overuse Seen
“When stents are used to restore blood flow in heart attack patients, few dispute they are beneficial. These and other acute cases account for about half of the 700,000 stent procedures in the U.S. annually. Among the other half — elective-surgery patients in stable condition — overuse, death, injury and fraud have accompanied the devices’…
Read MoreMaker of Mexican dietary supplement used fake addresses and lied about ingredients
A USA Today investigation found that consumers who buy Reumofan, a Mexican dietary supplement considered a “100% natural” treatment for arthritis and joint pain, “are risking dangerous side effects and trusting their lives to a company that uses fake addresses, lies about the ingredients in its products and may not even exist.” USA Today set out…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Overdoses, background checks, housing markets, midwifery and fraudulent accounting
Use only as directed | ProPublica and This American Life “About 150 Americans a year die by accidentally taking too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. The toll does not have to be so high.” Read the stories from ProPublica. Company Behind Snowden Vetting Did Check on D.C. Shooter | Bloomberg “The U.S. government…
Read MoreUse only as directed
“About 150 Americans a year die by accidentally taking too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. The toll does not have to be so high.” Read the stories from ProPublica.
Read MoreLegal problems sent midwife to Utah, where another baby died
“This is not the first time El Halta has been accused of straying beyond her expertise. It is not her first encounter with the law, nor her first delivery that ended with a death. But for decades she has remained committed to natural childbirth, and some clients say she has helped countless women avoid complicated…
Read MoreAlternative vaccine schedules mean fewer students fully immunized
inewsource in San Diego today reports that “a trend toward giving children fewer shots at one time, combined with continued skepticism about vaccines’ safety, means more kindergarteners than ever in San Diego County were not fully immunized when they started school last year.” inewsource analyzed data from the California Department of Public Health and found…
Read MoreDismissal of caregiver abuse puts California patients at risk
Ryan Gabrielson of The Center for Investigative Reporting reports that “California regulators routinely have conducted cursory and indifferent investigations into suspected violence and misconduct committed by hundreds of nursing assistants and in-home health aides – putting the elderly, sick and disabled at risk over the past decade.” In two stories published yesterday, Gabrielson’s examines how…
Read MoreAs OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long-Term Health Risks Fester
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency that many Americans love to hate and industry calls overzealous, has largely ignored the slow, silent killers that claim the most lives.”
Read MoreHard Labor
“Each year, some 4,500 American workers die on the job and 50,000 perish from occupational diseases. Millions more are hurt and sickened at workplaces, and many others are cheated of wages and abused. In the coming months the Center for Public Integrity will publish, under the banner Hard Labor, stories exploring threats to workers —…
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