Local News Buffeted by Technology, Ownership, Regulators & Courts

The way in which people get their news information continues to evolve rapidly, as reflected in data highlighted by the National Conference on Citizenship, reporting that 23% of adults nationwide get the latest news on at least two mobile devices – and noting that 44% have smart phones and 18% own a tablet – numbers that will surely continue to grow. Of those with digital devices, 70% get their news from a desktop or laptop, 51% from a smartphone and 56% from a tablet device.  The increasing impact of mobile devices and social media in the dissemination of news is outlined at the organization’s – you guessed it – website.

LED BY WFSB

Among those tuning to local television in the region recently, Hartford’s WFSB Channel 3 had a strong Nielsen ratings period for the month of July, according to The Laurel.  Eyewitness News was ranked #1 in the market for each of the station’s newscasts beginning at 4:30 AM and holding top stops from 5-6 AM and 6-7 AM and then at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 PM.

COURANT?

Over at FOX Connecticut, which physically relocated to a joint operation with The Hartford Courant on Broad Street in Hartford when CT1 Media was formed by Tribune Co., owner of both media outlets, the future continues to unfold more outside than in Connecticut.  News reports regarding the long-running Tribune Co. bankruptcy case reached a key milestone last month when U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey in Delaware said he would approve a plan that will transfer ownership of the media company to a group of hedge funds and banks.

If and when that occurs, new owners would like move to get the company out of Chapter 11, and seek approval from the Federal Communications Commission in Washington to transfer Tribune's TV licenses to them. Because Tribune Co. owns newspapers and broadcast stations in several markets, including Hartford, the FCC must grant waivers from its restrictions on ownership of multiple media outlets in the same city.

Before Tribune Co., which owns 23 TV stations, went private in 2007, the FCC granted a permanent waiver to the company for its Chicago media holdings. The FCC also granted temporary waivers in Los Angeles, New York, South Florida and Hartford.  But new waivers are required with a change in ownership, and some are urging filed the FCC to deny Tribune Co.'s waiver requests, according to media reports.

Teen-Friendly Farmers Markets Could Address Nutrition Needs and Help Businesses, Teen Research Reveals

When they embarked on the project, the five Hartford teens knew nothing about research methodology and had never been to a Farmers Market.  Just weeks later, their ground-breaking research and recommendations could lead to healthier lives for urban youth and new marketing opportunities for small farming businesses in the region. The project was the first of its kind in New England to involve youth in Participatory Action Research (PAR) for food justice. The innovative initiative, co-sponsored by the Institute for Community Research (ICR) and Hartford Food System, invited the small team of students to spend five intensive weeks taking a data-based look at the links between nutrition and teenagers in the city, and determine how they might make beneficial changes in their community.  The students determined the precise path their research would take, and skilled mentors taught the methodology.

The five students – Chabely Nunez, Rahma Khadeer, Shawn Cannon, Andrew Walker and Benjamin Bowen – decided to evaluate two problems.  They considered that teens in Hartford generally do not have places to “hang out,” and that what is otherwise considered to be a community gathering point – Farmers Markets, which are filled with abundant nutritious food – rarely attract a teen audience. Looking at the two problems together, they reasoned, could identify how to make Farmers Markets teen-friendly, and respond to the nutritional needs of their peers.

In presenting the conclusions of their project to about 40 people at the ICR offices in Hartford, the students said of their topic choice:  “We visited farmers markets and we saw that they weren’t a destination for teens, even though they are community spaces and have healthy food which would be good for teens.”

DEVELOPING DATA

The detailed 29-question survey they developed was given to 72 teens and 21 in-depth interviews were conducted.  The students also visited locations including Billings Forge, Park Street and local community gardens.  The PAR process led the students to: 1) build a foundation of knowledge 2) identifying the specific problem, 3) construct a research model, 4) learn and then use ethnographic research methods, 5) implement the research, and 6) use research findings to advocate for change. The methodology included systematic observation, pile sorting, surveying, in-depth interviewing, videography and photography.

In the survey responses, teens said they wanted comfortable places to sit, free wi-fi, and things to purchase in the places they hang out – and bathrooms, too.  The research indicated that young people consider taste and price to be the most important qualities when they purchase their own food.  Research also identified obstacles – farmers markets are not located in areas where teens already go, such as parks, and they are not open when teens might go, usually after 4:00pm. They interviewed market vendors, who seemed amenable to doing more to attract teens, but clearly hadn’t given it much thought in the past.  They found that teens generally do not go to farmers markets with friends, or even as part of school curriculum.

FOUNDATION FOR ACTION

Interestingly, the students learned that more than half of teens who had been to a market said they had a positive experience, and 57% said they would go to a farmers market with friends.  Over two-thirds of teens who had been to a market were satisfied with the food options available. Teens also like a place to sit, and beverage choices, which are not always available at markets.  The action steps recommended by the teens include:

• Farmers markets should be in locations where teens hang out in order to draw more teens.
• Teach teens how to grow their own vegetables and fruit to sell at farmers markets and learn how to eat healthy.
• Advocate for teen-friendly farmers markets: teen-friendly entertainment, items to purchase that teens like to buy, wi-fi and places to sit in the market.
• Marketing at farmers markets should target teens. Farmers markets should encourage teens to be involved in marketing.
• Schools should increase teen awareness of farmers markets through after-school programs and curriculums.
• Teens should have more cooking and nutrition classes in their schools. There should be more connections between schools and farmers markets.
• In general, there should be more teen friendly spaces created in Hartford for teens to eat healthy prepared foods and hang out with friends.

The student team also noted that “if teens learned more about cooking, they might want to buy more vegetables sold at markets to cook with instead of prepared foods.”

Paige Nuzzolillo, ICR Project Coordinator, said the students “exceeded expectations, and worked unbelievably hard” to learn research methods, develop the research, analyze the data, and develop action steps.  “They grew immensely in the process,” she emphasized, noting that along the way the participating students began eating healthier themselves as they learned more about nutrition issues.

The recommendations will be considered next by students participating throughout the school year in the Food Justice Youth Leadership Group of the Hartford Food System (HFS).  Precisely what they’ll do, and how they’ll do it, is a determination to be made by the participating students, said Kat Vollono, youth coordinator with HFS, clearly energized by the possibilities.

Local community members on-hand to hear the students present their findings spoke favorably about the effort and the recommendations, and some appeared interested in exploring other ways to advance the action strategies.

University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Administration Maria Summa was particularly interested in the research methodology, and the capacity of the PAR process to "build capacity for collaborative research partnerships and community-engaged research."  As the concept of shared decision-making between patients and healthcare providers gains acceptance in healthcare delivery, Summa says approaches like PAR may have new applications in that field.  Having researchers work "side-by-side with those who are affected by an issue" is a change from traditional research models, but could be the wave of the future.  She was involved in the summer project through a faculty research grant from USJ.

A $10,000 grant from The Perrin Family Foundation supported the food justice project. Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what, and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly across society.

The Institute for Community Research is a not-for-profit organization that conducts community-based research to reduce inequities, promote positive changes in public health and education.  Hartford Food System is a not-for-profit that focuses on fighting hunger and improving nutrition in Hartford’s low income neighborhoods.

Public Health Data Becomes Compelling Poster Series at Capitol

Students from the Yale School of Public Health collaborated with colleagues at the School of Art to develop original public health posters – using graphic design and stark statistics to focus on a number of critical public health challenges. The posters created through this unique collaborative effort are on display at the State Capitol’s lower concourse adjacent to the Legislative Office Building, arranged by the Connecticut Office of Health Reform and Innovation. A total of 28 students (14 pairs) participated in the inaugural project, which seeks to provoke awareness, stimulate thought and change behavior through the use of visually powerful posters to educate and motivate broad sectors of society about some of today’s pressing health issues, such as obesity, breast cancer screening, self-respect and child development.

Among the statistics and information highlighted in the posters:

• The increase in size of food portions between 1982 and 2012 (5x larger)
• The difference in breast cancer survival rates with early detection (30% vs. 97%)
• Food alternatives to daily for lactose intolerant individuals
• 80% of blindness is preventable

The idea for “The Art of Public Health” was conceived a year ago, according to the Yale News, at the conclusion of a course taught at the Yale School of Public Health by assistant professor Catherine Yeckel. She challenged the class to apply and translate theoretical scientific knowledge into a public health campaign to educate the public on a specific health topic.

The student teams met for one-on-one sessions together and with faculty mentors throughout the academic year, during which they discussed their particular health issue and how it might be captured and represented visually. Julian Bittiner, a critic in the Department of Graphic Design at the Yale School of Art, guided the visual communication process.

“The Art of Public Health” may go on tour following the State Capitol exhibition in Hartford, which followed a similar exhibition on the Yale campus in New Haven earlier this year.

Innovative Teen Research to Focus on Food Justice, Impact on Health

What are the connections between urban youth and nutrition?  Does the lack of easy access to high quality, nutritional food and the abundance of less healthy food sources impact the health and well-being of people in our cities – especially children – and contribute to chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma? The Hartford-based Institute for Community Research (ICR) is launching an innovative research project to find out – with area teens learning how to conduct the research, then asking the questions and compiling the data, and then coming forward to advocate solutions based on their research.

“Food Fight! A Teen Participatory Action Research Project to promote an Equitable Food System,” is a collaboration with Hartford Food System (HFS) and ICR.   The project is the first of its kind in New England to involve youth in Participatory Action Research (PAR) for food justice.  It will increase teens knowledge of the subject, encourage leadership and critical thinking, and provide the tools necessary to identify problems in the community and seek appropriate solutions.

Over five weeks, beginning July 16 and continuing through August 17, about a dozen teens in the ICR program will learn about food justice, global/local food systems, and the challenges of producing and making nutritious inexpensive food available in urban areas. They will develop their own research questions focusing on food availability and accessibility. Using participatory research methodology such as systematic observation, pile sorting, surveying, in-depth interviewing, videography and photography, they will collect data reflecting problems in food availability, accessibility, affordability and quality and develop solutions to address these issues.

The teens trained at ICR in PAR methods will join forces with teens in the HFS summer programs who will be learning how to produce nutritious food for local consumption.  A $10,000 grant from The Perrin Family Foundation is funding the food justice project. Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what, and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly across society.

As the initiative unfolds, teens will become advocates for food justice in their communities. At the end of the summer they will present their results to other Hartford youth, the public, and policymakers as a way to use the data collected to contribute to positive changes in the Hartford food environment.

The Institute for Community Research is a not-for-profit organization that conducts community-based research to reduce inequities, promote positive changes in public health and education.  ICR celebrates it’s 25^th anniversary in October.  Hartford Food System is a not-for-profit that focuses on fighting hunger and improving nutrition in Hartford’s low income neighborhoods.  The Perrin Family Foundation is committed to providing equal opportunities for children and young adults to lead safe, productive and creative lives.

15,000 CT Children Struggle with Hunger, Study Shows

Connecticut’s overall child food insecurity rate is 18.8 percent, or which translates to 151,530 children struggling with hunger statewide, according to a recent study from the Connecticut Food Bank and the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, Feeding America.    Food insecurity is a phrase used by the USDA to describe lack of consistent access to adequate amounts of food for an active, healthy life.  The Child Food Insecurity 2012 Study shows that the number is unchanged from last year’s overall rate of 18.9 percent. In Connecticut Food Bank’s service area, which includes Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham Counties, the child food insecurity rate is 16.9 percent, or 99,610 children. The study shows Connecticut’s child food insecurity rates range from 14.9 percent in Middlesex and Tolland Counties, to 21.2 percent in Windham County.  Findings for the counties served by Connecticut Food Bank are:      

County                    Percent                      Number of Food Insecure Children

• Middlesex                   14.9%                                            5,260
• Fairfield                       15.5                                              35,110
• Litchfield                     16.5                                                6,830
• New London              16.9                                                 9,990
• New Haven                 19.1                                              36,750
• Windham                     21.2                                                5,670

            Total                             16.9%                                             99,610        

According to the study, 48 percent of the food insecure children in Connecticut Food Bank’s service area do not receive federal food assistance programs such as SNAP (food stamps), free or reduced price school meals, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), because their families earn over the income limit to qualify.

An executive summary of the study  is at www.feedingamerica.org/mapthegap.

"Most Wired" Hospitals in CT Use Techology to Benefit Patients

Six Connecticut hospitals have been designated as among the nation's "Most Wired" medical centers for leveraging the adoption and use of health information technology to improve performance in a number of key areas, according to Health Care's Most Wired 2012 Survey, which is the cover story in the July issue of Hospitals and Health Networks magazine.  The survey gauges how organizations are planning for, utilizing and securing information technology. According to the survey the "Most Wired" hospitals are focused on expanding and utilizing information technology that protects patient data, and optimizes patient flow and communications. All of the hospitals on the list, for example, check drug interactions and drug allergies when medications are ordered as a major step in reducing medication errors. Virtually all (93%) employ intrusion detection systems to protect patient privacy and security of patient data.

Hartford Hospital made the annual list for the sixth consecutive year.  Connecticut hospitals among the Most Wired also include: Middlesex Health System, MidState Medical Center, St. Francis Care, William W. Backus Hospital, and the Yale New Haven Health System.

A record number of hospitals — more than 200 — earned Most Wired status in the 14th annual survey.  Among the other tidbits in the survey:  Wondering which social media sites the Most Wired are using?  The survey found that 94% are on Facebook, and 80% use Twitter and You Tube.

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.”