public health
Rash of New Haven overdoses the latest in a growing CT problem
The New Haven Register is reporting that there’ve been 80 overdoses on the Green in the last two days. Two patients overdosed three times each Wednesday. It was ongoing earlier this afternoon. DPH delivered 50 more doses of naloxone to city first responders and is facilitating communications between city agencies. DMHAS has engaged mental health…
Read MoreGood news – FDA committee reviewing lots more antibiotics
The best news from this week’s FDA Anti-Microbial Advisory Committee meeting was that there are a lot of meetings. A busy committee means that they have more antibiotics to review. The race against drug-resistant superbugs has reduced incentives for drug companies to develop antibiotics. These drugs cost as much to develop as others but are…
Read MoreCTNJ: Capitation vs. fee for service: Which team are you on?
is a sharp divide within Connecticut’s healthcare community over how to pay for care that’s as fervent as the Yankees vs. Red Sox split. Some believe that capitation is the holy grail, but others believe that fee for service isn’t the problem and isn’t broken. Read more
Read MoreSummer reading — What the Eyes Don’t See
To save money in 2014 the state of Michigan switched Flint’s drinking water supply, with disastrous consequences. The latest addition to the CT Health Policy Project Book Club, What the Eyes Don’t See by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, follows her journey as a pediatrician with a conscience fighting the state to protect Flint’s kids. Not an…
Read MoreSummer reading: CT Medicine special issue highlights HIT in CT
The latest issue of CT Medicine, the CT State Medical Society’s peer reviewed journal, focuses on the great potential of Health Information Technology (HIT) to improve healthcare delivery, safety and building a learning system in our state. But it also highlights the substantial HIT challenges facing CT and stresses on physicians. The issue includes articles…
Read More31 ways to save on healthcare in Connecticut’s budget
Connecticut’s state budget is facing future deficits and health spending is a large share of the budget. The state now spends $3.8 billion between Medicaid and the state employee health plan to cover about a million state residents. Health care spending outside the state budget is also growing. Connecticut has the sixth highest per capita…
Read MoreCT suicide rate up, but it could be worse
The national suicide rate grew by 25% from 1999 to 2016 while CT’s rate grew by 19.2% over those years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicides in CT are more than three times higher for men and 31% higher for whites. Over half of Americans who died by suicide did…
Read MoreCTNJ: Healthcare questions for Connecticut’s Next Governor
How will Connecticut’s next governor fix the state’s healthcare system? It’s a big job but they will have a lot more leverage and power than many appreciate. Read more
Read MoreState Scorecard finds CT does fairly well, but poorly in Avoidable Hospital Use and Cost
The latest Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard finds CT’s performance across our health system ninth among states, unchanged from last year. While good, we can do much better given our rankings in personal income, education and overall high health status. We are 32nd among states in Avoidable Hospital Use and Costs, down by three from last…
Read MoreBirths to very young girls declining, CT rate low but towns vary
A new CDC analysis finds that births to girls ages 10 to 14 reached a record low in 2015 and 2016 at 0.2 per 1,000 population. CT was among 8 states with the lowest rate; Mississippi was highest at 0.7 per 1,000. DPH’s vital statistics reported 15 births to CT girls under age 15 in…
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