CT Hospitals Named Among National Leaders

When considered together, the Hartford and New Haven regions are among the top 10 best in the nation for hospital care, according to data compiled by HealthGrades, a provider of consumer health care information.  Hartford-New Haven ranked ninth, between St. Louis and Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo.  Baltimore topped the list. The report also named "Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence" throughout the country, and five Connecticut hospitals earned that designation:  Hartford Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Griffin Hospital in Derby and Middlesex Hospital in Middletown.

HealthGrades also has named the 2011Emergency Medicine Excellence Recipients, and that list included six Connecticut hospitals:  Danbury Hospital, Griffin Hospital, Hartford Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital, Middlesex Hospital and Rockville General Hospital.  That study focused on 12 common and life-threatening medical emergencies among that patient population

Videos Seek to Prevent Underage Drinking

It might seem an unlikely collaboration, but The Governor's Prevention Partnership, state Department of Consumer Protection, Connecticut State Police and Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut (WSWC) have teamed up to combat underage drinking.  The fifth annual WSWC Public Service Announcement Video Contest for Connecticut college students is underway, launched this month at the University of New Haven.  Winning entries in the statewide contest - aimed at reducing underage drinking in CT - will be telecast on Connecticut broadcast and cable stations.  According to material prepared by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 32% of 12-20 year olds in Connecticut drink - which translates to about 134,000 young people.  Last year's winning entry came from students at Western Connecticut State University.

Heart Health Remains Serious Concern

Data featured by The Hartford Courant in a front page wrap-around section supported by Hartford Healthcare reported that the American Heart Association considers Connecticut to be "a comparatively heart-healthy state."  Nonetheless, cardiovascular disease remains a major health issues, as reflected in the numbers:

• 6,209 deaths in CT from heart disease in 2008 (down from 7,289 in 2007)
• 25% of deaths in CT were attributed to heart disease in 2009 (Cancer was second, at 24%)

Data also indicated that 37.8% of CT adults have high cholesterol, 26.6% have high blood pressure, and 21.4 % are obese.

The good news?  79.3% of CT adults report participating in a physical activity in the past month, compared with 76% nationwide.

CT Combats Cancer Rates with Education

Connecticut has the second highest rate of female breast cancer and 14th highest rate of uterine cancer in the nation, and the state's death rates for ovarian and uterine cancers exceed those of most other states, according to the state Department of Public Health.  Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Connecticut.  The department received a $26,361 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2011 to support an initiative to educate health care providers on hereditary cancers for which national recommendations for genetic counseling and testing exist.  The effort is part of the state agency's Healthy People 2020 Action Project.  

St. Francis Care Affiliates with Johnson Memorial

Saint Francis Care, Inc. and Johnson Memorial Medical Center (JMMC) have announced plans to enter into an affiliation agreement designed to maintain Johnson Memorial (based in Stafford Springs) as an independent source of high-quality healthcare and expand its clinical services in North Central Connecticut.  Saint Francis Care is an integrated healthcare delivery system (anchored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center) licensed for 617 beds.  A regional presence since 1897, it is a major teaching hospital and the largest Catholic hospital in New England.  Under the plan, Johnson Memorial and St. Francis will continue to be separately licensed institutions, each with separate Boards of Directors. The region's other dominant medical facility, Hartford Hospital - central to the burgeoning and recently re-branded Hartford Healthcare - is licensed for 867 beds.  The University of Connecticut Health Center's John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington has 153 beds, and is on the threshold of construction of a new facility.