Underage Drinking Is Focus of Public Information Initiative

Young drinkers risk putting themselves on the road to addiction – 40% of those who drink before age 15 become alcoholics while only 7% of those who begin drinking at age 21 develop alcohol problems. That is one of the statistics that prompted the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut (WSWC) to launched www.talktomenow.org, a website developed to discourage underage drinking.  The new website is part of the organization’s Community Relations Program, developed to advance the prevention and reduction of underage consumption of alcohol and the misuse of alcohol in Connecticut through community education.

As part of the initiative, WSWC noted that:

• Brains aren’t finished developing until youth are in their mid-20’s, so young people may not have the judgment or impulse control to make good decisions all the time, especially regarding alcohol use.  Youth who drink are more likely than adults to consume large quantities of alcohol in a sitting.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for young people to drink until blacking out.
• Young minds have an incredible potential to learn, but heavy drinking during the teen years, even just once a month, can permanently damage learning, memory, decision-making and reasoning abilities and can short-circuit the brain “wiring” needed to become a responsible adult.
• A new survey shows that a college student’s GPA correlates directly to the amount of time they spend buzzed—and that students in general are studying less than ever.
• Schools (or parents) that want to predict how certain students will perform academically would do well to look at their drinking habits, according to new research.

The site also includes a list of "mythbusters," including this fact: Only one-third of underage drinking deaths involve auto crashes.  The remaining two-thirds involve alcohol poisoning, homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries such as burns, drowning, and falls.

WSWC also administers a successful annual video contest for college students on the subject of underage drinking, with winning public service videos being aired on local television stations.

Connecticut Children's Looks to Expand Into Farmington

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, located on the campus of Hartford Hospital, is planning to develop a new surgery center in Farmington – a response to physical space limitations in Hartford and increasing demand for pediatric services.  The project, listed as priority #1 in the Connecticut Children's 2013-2017 Strategic Plan, requires approval by the state’s Office of Health Care Access.  Connecticut Children's hopes to gain that approval, begin construction, and commence services at the satellite facility by the end of 2013.  The 127-page application was filed with the state on June 1 (with a $500 filing fee). Connecticut Children's is proposing a $10 million, 18,321 square foot surgical center, the Hartford Business Journal reports.   Spokesperson Kelly Coffey told HBJ that the number of surgeries performed  has grown 48% over the past six years, and the hospital’s market share of outpatient surgery patients up to age 17 grew from 24% in 2006 to 31% in 2011.  Connecticut Children's  performed 10,098 surgical procedures in 2011, and anticipates performing 13,000 in 2012.  There are 89 surgeons on the medical staff, 29 of whom are directly employed by the Connecticut Children’s Specialty Group.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center opened its doors in Hartford in 1996 in a newly constructed facility, coinciding with a move from suburban Newington, where the facility was known as Newington Children’s Hospital since 1967, with previous incarnations in Newington dating back to 1898.

In 67 Towns, Fewer than Half of 4th Graders Pass All Physical Fitness Tests

What do the towns of Thompson, Preston, Windsor Locks and Chester, have in common?  Less than 20 percent of fourth grade students in those communities meet the standard on all four physical fitness tests – the lowest percentages in the state.  On the upper end of the spectrum, 100% of fourth grade students in only two towns - Union and Caanan - pass all four physical fitness tests, as do more than 80 percent of fourth graders in Cornwall, New Canaan and Sterling. Overall, in only 23 communities did more than two-thirds the fourth grade students pass all four physical fitness tests, and in another 76 communities more than half (but less than two-thirds) of the students did so.  In  67 communities, fewer than half of the fourth graders pass all four tests.  The data, from 2010,  was not available from 3 of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities.

In 2009, only 29 cities and towns had more than half of their 4th graders pass all four physical fitness tests.  In 2010 that number jumped to 99 towns.

The data is available on the web site of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, which is bringing together data from various state agencies, making it more readily available to the public, along with the means to combine data from different agencies and chart the information in data visualization charts that help to illustrate patterns that enhance understanding.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative is a collaborative public-private effort to improve the quality of and access to policy-related data in the state - a central portal where all Connecticut organizations and residents can access a wide range of data from federal, state, local and private sources relating to the health, well-being and economy of the residents of the State of Connecticut. The goals of the Collaborative include:

• Advocacy - Advocating for the public availability of all state data to inform public debate and to drive planning, policy, budgeting and decision making in state government.
• Standards - Promoting and modeling use of data standards around privacy, interoperability, data definitions and quality.
• Access - Meeting demands for public access to data through the Collaborative's data portal, CTData.org, and the associated Connecticut Nonprofit Strategy Platform.
• Building Capacity -- Creating opportunities for Collaborative and peer support in data development and use both online and in person.

On the issue of physical fitness in the schools, Tennessee and Connecticut are the first states in the country to respond to the links between health and exercise, childhood obesity and academic performance with the establishment of School Health Coordinators.  Tennessee's law has brought solid results, and Connecticut's legislature approved a pilot program earlier this year.

Another $9.8 Million for Stem Cell Research in CT; Yale Leads

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has announced the awards of $9.8 million in stem cell research funds to 19 Connecticut–based researchers. The awards were made by the State of Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at its grant review meeting in Farmington. Thirteen of the 19 grants will be headed to Yale researchers, reflecting the institution’s cutting-edge work through the Yale Stem Cell Center.  Three grants will be awarded to researchers at the UConn Health Center, two to research work at UConn Storrs campus, and one grant being awarded is a joint initiative between research scientists at the UConn Health Center and Wesleyan University in Middletown.  UConn Health Center’s Stem Cell Institute is located in Farmington.

“Connecticut’s continued support of stem cell research has allowed for exciting and innovative research to take place right here in our state,” said Governor Malloy. Echoing the state’s new tourism and business development slogan, Malloy added: “The research projects funded by these grants allow scientists to do revolutionary work that puts Connecticut at the forefront of bioscience industry.”

Eighty-eight stem cell funding applications were accepted for consideration in January 2012 – nine more than a year ago. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee reviewed these applications in accordance with National Institutes of Health guidelines and provided to the Advisory Committee its recommendations with respect to the scientific merits of each application.

A year ago, Gov. Malloy announced the award of $9.8 million in stem cell research funds to twenty Connecticut–based researchers, selected from 79 stem cell funding applications that year.

In 2010, former Governor M. Jodi Rell announced $9.8 million in state grants to support nearly two dozen stem cell research projects by scientists at the University of Connecticut and at Yale.  The grants were part of the $100 million Stem Cell Research Fund, which was created by legislation that Rell signed into law in 2005 making Connecticut the third state in the nation to offer public funding for human stem cell research. The program was created to support the growing bioscience industry and the jobs it creates in Connecticut.

“The projects funded by these grants will advance the clinical use of stem cells to treat some of the most debilitating diseases and injuries,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner and Advisory Committee Chairperson Dr. Jewel Mullen of the 2012 grants. “The research conducted as a result of these grants brings hope to people coping with difficult health conditions.”

Preventative Care Lacking Among Large Percentage of State's Women

The number of Connecticut women who are foregoing annual preventative health care is growing, especially among minorities and young adults, according to a survey commissioned by Women's Health Connecticut and reported by the Connecticut Health I-Team. Less than half of those surveyed said they were "very satisfied" with the information they receive from their doctors about common health issues, and only 52%, for example, knew the age at which they should start undergoing mammograms.  The survey found that 28% of women in the state had not had an ob-gyn exam in the past year - among minority women, the number was 38%.

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, citing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, recently indicated that as health care grows more expensive, more than 1/4 of non-elderly women (27%) and two-thirds of uninsured women (67%) report that they delayed or went without care they believed they needed because they could not afford it.

Hartford, New Haven Challenging for People with Asthma

The American Asthma and Allergy Foundation marked World Asthma Day by releasing its 2012 Asthma Capital rankings, a list of the 100 “most challenging places to live with asthma” in the United States. Memphis, TN has the distinction of earning the top spot, after being No. 3 last year. Two cities  in New England, unfortunately, made the top ten worst cities in which to live for those with asthma - and none in New England was cited as among the best cities in which to live.

According to the survey, directly behind Memphis is New Haven, which had been ranked at #19 previously. Pollution and pollen are in abundance in New Haven, as is second-hand smoke, according to the report.   The sixth worst city is also in Connecticut.  Hartford’s asthma numbers are growing according to the foundation. Just since last year (2011), Hartford went from number 40 on the list to number 6.

Over 25 million Americans suffer with asthma. Causes are air pollution, second hand smoke, genetics, and pollen (environmental factors).

Every Day a Suicide in Connecticut

The 371 suicides in Connecticut last year were most since 1991, when Connecticut's chief medical examiner's office reported 362 suicides.  Suicides increased to 371 in 2011 from 358 in 2010. There were 283 suicides among men in 2010 and 75 among women. In 1991, there were 362 suicides – 290 involving men and 72 involving women. The economic downturn is cited as a possible cause of the increase.  New Haven County had the highest number of suicides last year with 99, followed by Hartford County with 87. The most recent national figures show Connecticut ranked 47th in suicides among states in 2009 with a rate of 9 per 100,000 people.

In Connecticut, the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation has created the National FRESH-CHECK Day to honor all college students in our country who are feeling the strain of a new environment, living situations, pressures, and the world of college-life - in an effort to prevent suicides.  Eastern Connecticut State University hosted the organization's  first FRESH-CHECK Day earlier this month.

MATCH Coaltion Reports 70% Want to Quit Smoking

A new report issued this month by the U.S. Surgeon General indicates that 3.6 million youth in the U.S. are cigarette smokers.  The report found that for every tobacco-related death, two new young people under the age of 26 become regular smokers. Mobilize Against Tobacco for Connecticut’s  Health (MATCH) is a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals fighting to reduce tobacco use – the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Connecticut and the U.S.

According to the most recent statistics compiled by the MATCH Coalition, 15.4% of adults smoke in Connecticut, and 24% of people ages 18-24.  Each year, 4,700 people in Connecticut die from smoking, including 440 who die from secondhand smoke.  More than 2/3 of Connecticut’s smokers indicated they want to quit (70%), nearly half attempt to quit each year (45%) and only 5% are successful for longer than one year.

The national report found that nearly 90 percent of new smokers under age 26 try their first cigarette by age 18. Approximately 3 out of 4 high school smokers continue to smoke well into adulthood.

Responsibility for Elderly Often by Unpaid Caregivers

In Connecticut, 486,000 people -- more than one in eight state residents -- were providing care to an adult with limitations in his or her activities at any given point in 2009, according to the report by AARP Public Policy Institute. A CT Mirror article highlights some of their stories. An estimated 42 million Americans act as unpaid caregivers, forming what experts call the backbone of the long-term care system. They far outnumber the home care workforce, providing services that one report estimated would cost $450 billion if performed by paid workers.

Personalized Medicine Future is Underway in New Haven

While Jackson Labs has garnered most of the public attention in Connecticut with their high profile plan to establish a personalized medicine research facility on the UConn Health Center campus in Farmington - with significant financial incentives courtesy of the State of Connecticut - the effort to establish Connecticut as a leader in the emerging medical research field is taking root elsewhere in the state as well. Precipio Diagnostics - recently relocated from New Jersey to New Haven - is in the vanguard of the personalized medicine revolution, bringing scientific breakthroughs to the broader market where diagnostic developments can reach more oncology practices, and through them, help provide the best care to more cancer patients.  The company's association with Yale's School of Medicine puts the latest scientific advances within reach of oncology practices in Connecticut, and beyond.  The company currently has 14 staff members, including four who relocated from New Jersey.  Plans are to hire 15 more employees within the next 24 months.

“The accuracy of diagnosis is the basis for treatment. And the correct treatment can extend, and even save, patients’ lives,” said Precipio CEO Ilan Danieli. “Our goal is to become the market leader of personalized medicine in cancer diagnostics.”