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Through pilot program, small practices become “medical homes”

A pilot program has helped 13 small Connecticut primary care practices achieve recognition as patient-centered medical homes from the National Committee on Quality Assurance, a certifying organization. The medical home model has become increasingly popular in medicine, and supporters believe it could improve patient care while controlling costs. Practices that use the model take a […]

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Physician, cancer biologist to lead UConn Health Center

A physician who leads Wake Forest University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center will become the next dean of the UConn School of Medicine, the university announced Friday. Dr. Frank M. Torti will also serve as UConn’s vice president for health affairs and will hold a professorship in the Department of Medicine when he joins the health center […]

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Jackson Lab hires first scientist for Connecticut institute

An American geneticist who works in Singapore and developed techniques for sequencing and mapping DNA is the first scientist to be hired for The Jackson Laboratory’s planned Connecticut institute. Yijun Ruan is currently associate director and senior group leader at the Genome Institute of Singapore and serves as a professor of biochemistry at the National […]

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Groups want 20 minutes of physical activity in elementary schools, other steps against obesity

A coalition of health advocacy groups devoted to fighting childhood obesity wants lawmakers to call for 20 consecutive minutes of physical activity a day for elementary school students, expand the availability of school athletic facilities to community members, and create a state council on childhood and adult obesity. The recently formed Connecticut Coalition Against Childhood […]

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Battle is set over test for hereditary breast cancer gene

A Utah genetic lab’s monopoly on testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is being challenged by researchers at the Yale Cancer Center and other institutions that say it’s preventing other screenings that could save lives. The Connecticut news site, C-HIT.org (Connecticut Health Investigative Team) has just posted an important story about the actions swirling […]

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Gov gets recs for home care, child care worker collective bargaining

The working groups charged with recommending how to structure collective bargaining rights for home care workers and daycare providers in state-funded programs issued their reports to the governor Wednesday. Neither group offered a prescription for collective bargaining, but identified key issues to address and options for resolving them. The legislature must take action for either […]

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Legislators, “red shirts” return to the Capitol

As has become their custom, supporters of universal health care spent opening day of the legislative session at the Capitol wearing red “healthcare4every1” T-shirts and urging lawmakers to support alternatives to private health insurance. Universal health care supporters on opening day Last year, the effort was centered on SustiNet, a proposed state-run insurance plan. The […]

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Budget winners and losers, health care edition

Here’s how some health and social service players made out under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget adjustments. Winners Office of Healthcare Advocate: The office, which helps consumers address health insurance issues, would get funding for four positions not in its current budget. Three are now filled and paid for by federal funds slated to […]