Connecticut’s religious exemption from vaccinating school children should be repealed and state Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell must be free to weigh in on the issue, the head of an education reform advocacy group said Monday.
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Tenesha Grant’s life experiences help her to empower women at CRT center
Tenesha Grant survived rough years growing up in a Hartford housing project, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and divorce. Now she helps other women overcome their own struggles.
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Office of Health Strategy launches online health care rating system
State officials likened the free tool to Consumer Reports because it will allow users to compare the quality and cost of medical care at 19 of the state’s health care organizations.
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Health officials share concerns over religious exemption to vaccines
The Department of Public Health continues to refuse to offer an opinion on whether politicians should wipe out the religious exemption to vaccines.
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Health insurers ramp up lobbying battle against Medicare-for-all
With Democratic candidates for the White House calling for health care changes that would adversely impact Connecticut’s health insurers, the industry is hitting back.
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Opponents decry rollback of federal health care protections for transgender people
Under the Trump administration proposal, health care workers could object to performing procedures such as gender reassignment surgery, and insurance companies would not be required to cover all services for transgender patients.
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Republican lawmakers ask health commissioner not to offer opinion on vaccine exemption repeal
The lawmakers sent a letter to Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell saying it would be improper for her to offer an opinion on the issue.
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Prescription opioids targeted CT’s most vulnerable citizens
The drug industry reaped tremendous profits by flooding some of the most vulnerable communities in the country — including Connecticut’s — with billions of painkillers.
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State launches investigation of e-cigarette manufacturer, questions health claims
JUUL Labs has come under fire in recent months for marketing schemes that heavily target teenagers and claims that its products are a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes.
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As plastic straw ban effort persists, advocates for disabled community fight to be heard
Although the effort to ban plastic straws in restaurants statewide ultimately failed, no one in the disabled community is feeling much relief.
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New data shows more black, Latino children live in poverty than whites
Poverty rates of white children stayed relatively stable, between 4% and 6%, between 2005 and 2017, while those for black and Latino children fluctuated between 20% and 34%. The data also shows that one in five black children, and one in five Latino youth, live in concentrated poverty, compared to one in 100 white children.
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Local Planned Parenthood chief: We won’t silence our workers
The head of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England pledged not to let attacks from government leaders interfere with the group’s mission.
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MAPOC member at center of state lawsuit says she won’t resign
The attorney general has accused Catherine Risigo Wickline of overbilling Connecticut’s Medicaid program by $3.46 million for children’s occupational and physical therapy services.
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E-reading, screen time for young children draw scrutiny
Recent research supports the reluctance of educational experts and parents to place electronic readers within reach of very young children
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The long road to lower drug prices hits some potholes
It’s July, and whether it’s the humidity or the lobbyists, Washington — and the prospects for substantial change on drug price-control legislation — look hazy. Two of the Trump administration’s primary targets, slashing rebates to drug supply middlemen and requiring prices in drug ads, fell apart in recent weeks.