Anti-Texting Enforcement Intensifies as Study Indicates Law Can Save Lives

An unprecedented anti-texting enforcement effort by the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office, part of the “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” campaign, concludes this week on September 24.  The nearly month-long enforcement mobilization marked the first time the state has used dedicated federal funds to curb texting while driving. Connecticut was the only state in the nation to receive $2.3 million in federal Distracted Driving prevention funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The joint effort by state and local police enforces Connecticut’s law that prohibits motorists from texting and/or using hand-held cell phones while driving. Under Connecticut’s cell phone and texting law, violations involve heavy fines, ranging from $150 for a first offense and $300 for a second violation to $500 for each subsequent violation.

Using data from the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration, the National Conference of State Legislatures summarizes state cellular phone use and texting while driving laws.

• Hand-held Cell Phone Use Ban: 13 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving.
• All Cell Phone ban: No state bans all cell phone use for all drivers, but 37 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by novice or teen drivers, and 20 states and D.C. prohibit any cell phone use for school bus drivers.
• Text Messaging ban: 44 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. Four states prohibit text messaging by novice or teen drivers and three states restrict school bus drivers from texting.

Texting bans can reduce teen traffic fatalities by as much as 11 percent, according to a new study of the effect of such state laws.  Texting bans aimed at teens and that allow primary enforcement of the law —they don’t require officers to have another reason for the traffic stop — have had the most dramatic effect, a team of researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health found in a study published in the August edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

“[O]ur results provide strong evidence that the primarily enforced texting laws seem to be reaching the intended subpopulations who are most at risk for texting while driving,” the researchers indicated.

According to the website distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for distracted driving, Connecticut law includes:

• Handheld ban for all drivers (Primary law)
• Ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for bus drivers (Primary law)
• Ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers (Primary law)
• Ban on texting for all drivers (Primary law)

Connecticut defines novice drivers as those under the age of 18 or with a learner's permit.

In the recently published research, the team examined 11 years of data from the 48 contiguous states. They controlled for other factors that may influence crash risk, such as economic, legal and population-specific indicators. (Unemployment, for example, can influence risk because fewer workers means fewer drivers on the road. Income and gas prices can affect how much people drive, again exposing them to more risk.)

Just having a texting law was linked to a 2.3 percent decline in overall traffic fatalities for all drivers.

“Our results indicate that states that have not enacted any primarily enforced texting bans are missing out on opportunities to prevent avoidable roadway deaths,” said one of the authors, Alva O. Ferdinand.

The first of the researchers’ three main findings was that primary enforcement really matters.  At the time of this study, Alva O. Ferdinand, Nir Menachemi, Bisakha Sen, Justin L. Blackburn, and Michael Morrisey were with the Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Leonard Nelson was with the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, AL.

While the focused enforcement mobilization will end Sept. 24, the Transportation Department says enforcing Connecticut’s tough hand held mobile phone ban remains a priority.

Remembering Connecticut's Enduring Loss on 9/11

“Jeff Gonski does not need a network television special or a commemorative newspaper edition to remember what he cannot forget: It has been 10 years since Amy Toyen, his 24-year-old fiancée, vanished in a cloud of toxic smoke and twisted steel at the tip of lower Manhattan. When American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, Amy was on the 106th floor preparing to make a presentation at a trade show for Boston-based Thomson Financial.” Boston magazine, in 2011, began its feature article with that stark recollection.  Legacy.com begins its remembrance by describing how that morning began.

“To catch her early flight on Sept. 11, Amy E. Toyen arose in Boston at 4 a.m. so she could arrive in New York City at 6:45 a.m., in plenty of time to attend the trade show in Windows on the World at 1 World Trade Center. Ms. Toyen, 24, was demonstrating a software product of her company, Thomson Financial in Boston, when her fiancé, Jeffrey Gonski, got a call at 8:58 a.m. — his caller ID showed it was her cellphone — but when he answered, no one was there.

Mr. Gonski had met Ms. Toyen, who grew up in Avon, Connecticut, at their alma mater, Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., and had managed to pull off an elaborate proposal.

"We had just ordered her wedding dress," recalled her father, Martin Toyen. "She was so happy in her life — a woman in love, who loved her job." The wedding was set for June 16, 2002.

Toyen had lost a coin flip among business colleagues to decide who made the trip on Sept. 11; the night before, her flight from Boston to New York was canceled due to bad weather – but she was able to book a flight out of Logan International Airport at 6:00 the next morning.

After her death, Toyen’s parents would reflect on the luck that placed her in the worst part of the 110-story skyscraper, at the worst possible moment, the website MassLive reported. “It’s as if fate was telling her not to go,” said her father, adding that his daughter’s diligence pushed her to rebook the flight to get to the twin towers on time.

Since 9/11, Amy Toyen is remembered by those who knew her and loved her, those whose paths crossed hers along life’s journey, and by countless others, in her hometown of Avon, her native state of Connecticut, and well beyond.

A life size sculpture of a young Amy, funded by the student government of Avon High School, sits in the garden of the Avon Public Library.   Canton artist Marilyn Parkinson Thrall designed and executed the 22-inch bronze statue depicting Amy, sitting cross-legged on a bench and cradling a teddy bear as she reads a book on her lap.  Amy’s family sorted through many pictures in order to help Thrall capture her essence, incorporating her favorite daisy-print dress, tiny sneakers, and ponytails tied with pompom rubber bands. The statue sits upon a granite bench with a plaque that tells the full story.

Amy Elizabeth Toyen is one of the 2,977 people whose lives were tragically and abruptly ended on September 11, 2001, and one of 153 individuals named on Connecticut’s official memorial at Sherwood Island at Long Island Sound.

When the viewer faces the inscription on the state’s memorial stone they are oriented across the Sound to the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City, which had been visible from that scenic location. The inscription reads, "The citizens of Connecticut dedicate this living memorial to the thousands of innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001 and to the families who loved them."

Report Calls for Transition to Livable Communities Across Connecticut

In Connecticut, more than one-third of the population is over the age of 50, and that proportion continues to increase. Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging has issued “Connecticut for Livable Communities,” a new report to the state legislature which outlines more than 50 recommendations for communities looking to enhance livability. The Commission has also launched a website which includes a list of communities that are responding to the call for more livable communities, and suggests a wide range of actions that communities can take.

Connecticut is undergoing a permanent and historic transformation in its demographics, the report points out. Between 2010 and 2040, Connecticut’s population of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by 57 percent, with less than 2 percent growth for people age 20 to 64 during the same period.

Livable communities are vibrant, inter-generational places that are easy to get around, according to the report. “They include affordable, appropriate housing options, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options. They foster independence, engage residents in civic and social life, and allow people to age in place. Done well, they benefit community residents across the lifespan.”

The 50-page report indicates that residents born in Connecticut today can expect to live to be 80.8 years old - the third highest life expectancy in the nation. A lengthy series of recommendations are highlighted in seven different areas: community engagement, health and well-being, housing, planning and zoning, safety and preparedness, social and support services, and transportation.

The recommendations include promoting opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, promoting in-home programs that improve health outcomes, creating a balanced transportation system that connects residents with health care services, and adopting policies that encourage incorporation of accessible housing features into new construction. The recommendations also include a call for municipal plans of conservation and development that include planning for older adults and individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes and communities, and building compact, mixed-use development “to encourage walking and eyes on the street.”

Creating livability requires “robust partnerships, long-range planning and sustained commitment.” To support those efforts the Legislative Commission on Aging plans to be:

• Providing educational opportunities on livable communities for community leaders and other partners in Connecticut;
• Creating partnerships to support the multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary endeavor of creating livable communities;
• Supporting, inspiring and incentivizing communities to enhance livability; and developing policies to support aging in place

To help communities implement the recommendations over time, the Commission plans to:

• Recognize localities that have implemented livable communities initiatives, pursuant to Public Act 14-73 (which established the livable communities initiative)
• Expand partnerships across multiple sectors to advance livability,
• Continue to convene municipal leaders, legislators and other thought leaders for statewide and regional forums on creating livability;
• Continue to identify funding opportunities for municipal leaders, seeking to implement or sustain livable communities initiatives;
• Work with partners to conduct asset mapping across all Connecticut communities, with the goal of helping each community understand its facilitators and barriers to developing livable communities;
• Continue to research models in other states, nationally and internationally;
• Work with the Connecticut General Assembly to identify and advance policy solutions that incentivize and inspire the creation of livable communities;
• Provide technical assistance to Connecticut communities seeking to enhance or promote livability; and
• Create town-specific data profiles to enable towns to enhance livability in a targeted and strategic fashion.

Among the communities listed on the new website as having best practices in place in parts of their towns or cities are Branford, Guilford, Madison, Bridgeport, Danbury, Darien, Enfield, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, New Canaan, Norwalk, Seymour, and Torrington.  The Commission plans to proceed with "asset mapping across all Connecticut communities" and "continue to identify innovations, ideas, and best practices for implementing livability in the state. "

New CT Law Responds to Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Student Athletes As Debate Continues

Research shows that an EKG exam, coupled with a complete medical history, and a thorough physical exam is the best way to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. That statement, on the home page of the organization “Screen Across America,” is followed by this statistic: Cardiac arrest is the #1 cause of death of student athletes.” Screen Across America is a consortium of organizations that provide heart screenings to students. They have a presence in 26 states; Connecticut is not one of them. The organization “believes that this should be a standard of care because thousands of children die every year from sudden cardiac arrest.” New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont are among the states with local organizations advocating for screening. Connecticut does have a chapter in the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). The Naugatuck-based chapter raises funds to place Automated External Defibrillators in Connecticut schools.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the divided opinion among the medical community, as well as athletics departments, athletes and parents. The publication reported that “whether to screen young athletes’ hearts – as is done in nations such as Italy and Israel – represents one of the hottest debates in American cardiology.”

The article noted that opponents and proponents of screening each have medical studies backing up their positions, and that proponents were encouraged recently when the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they would be creating a registry for studying sudden death among those 24 and younger.

Hartford Hospital’s chief of cardiology, Dr. Paul Thompson, told the WSJ that when a young athlete dies from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), “it probably could hve been detected. But when a screen finds it in a young athlete without symptoms, we don’t know that it ever would have caused him problems. Meanwhile, he gest labeled a cardiac cripple for life.”

The Screen Across America consortium does not have a particular organizational model across all locations. Each locale operates “independently of each other,” the website points out, with some being nonprofits and others for profits. “Some of us charge for heart screenings while others offer it free of charge. Our screening protocols may differ slightly. However, many of us have adopted the Seattle Criteria – a set of guidelines made by international experts in the field of sports cardiology,” the website explains.

Another organization advocating screening is “Parent Heart Watch,” which was founded in 2005, as was SCAA. It was started by four parents who each saw their child die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The organization’s website says that “research has shown that SCA is the leading cause of death on school property with one student athlete falling victim to SCA every three to four days. Heart disease is the second leading cause of disease-related fatalities in youth according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” The organization also provides information on timely, effective medical responses to cardiac arrest.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, SCA takes the lives of thousands of children every year. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least 2,000 such deaths occur annually, according to the website of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. During the 2014 Connecticut legislative session, a proposal that became Public Act 14-93 earlier this month was approved, which will direct the State Board of Education, in conjunction with health experts, to develop a sudden cardiac arrest awareness program for use by local boards of education. The program must include information on:

• SCA warning signs and symptoms, including fainting, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness and abnormal racing heart rate
• Risks of continued athletic activity after exhibiting SCA symptoms
• Means of obtaining treatment for a suspected occurrence of SCA
• Proper methods for returning students who experience SCA to athletics.

It will also require school coaches to:

• Review the SCA awareness program each school year, beginning in 2015
• Immediately remove students from play who show symptoms of SCA
• Not permit students removed from play to return without the written clearance of a licensed healthcare professional.

In addition, it calls for creation of a consent form for parents of student athletes to sign on the warning signs, symptoms and treatment of SCA and relevant school policies. Similar legislation has already been adopted in Pennsylvania, several other states are also considering SCA bills, according to the SCAF. The provisions of the new law take effect a year from now, with the school year that begins in the fall of 2015.

Connecticut’s legislation was inspired in part by the tragic story of Andy Peña, a Darien student athlete who died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2011, just one month away from turning 15. Andy’s parents, Victor and Giovanna, founded the Andy Smiles Forever Foundation in his memory, to educate the general public and support research on the causes and prevention of sudden cardiac death amongst youth, officials said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hiheVyvFQiA

Aging Bridges, Considerable Disrepair Are Significant Challenge in CT, Nationwide

It was in 1983 that three people died in Connecticut when a section of the Mianus River Bridge on Interstate-95 collapsed into the water below, and unsuspecting drivers drove off the end of the road in the middle of the Greenwich night. That tragedy launched a multi-million dollar infrastructure investment program in Connecticut, but now, three decades later, the age and condition of the state’s bridges is front and center again, as a poorly functioning, 118-year-old railroad bridge has disrupted commuter service on the nation’s busiest rail corridor by repeatedly refusing to close.

The extent of the nation’s bridge-related challenge is daunting, and yet represents only a portion of the overall infrastructure needs. Less than a year ago, a study released by the American Society of Civil Engineers determined that:

• over two hundred million trips are taken daily across deficient bridges in the nation’s 102 largest metropolitan regions
• one in nine of the nation’s bridges are rated as structurally deficient,
• the average age of the nation’s 607,380 bridges is currently 42 years.

The report also pointed out that “it is of growing concern that the bridges in our nation’s metropolitan areas, which are an indispensable link for both millions of commuters and freight on a daily basis, are decaying more rapidly than our rural bridges.”

Once every four years, America’s civil engineers provide a comprehensive assessment of the nation’s major infrastructure categories in ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure (Report Card). The most recent report was issued in 2013.

Connecticut, according to the data, has 406 of the state’s 4,208 bridges classified as structurally deficient and another 1,070 are considered to be functionally obsolete. The report also noted that Connecticut has 21,407 public road miles, and 73 percent of the state’s major roads are considered to be in poor or mediocre condition.

By county, the 406 structurally deficient bridges were: 106 in Fairfield County, 71 in Hartford County, 58 in New Haven County, 45 in New London County and Litchfield County, 27 in Middlesex County, 24 in Windham County and 14 in Tolland County. In addition, the report indicated that Connecticut had 1,023 functionally obsolete bridges in the state.

Structurally deficient bridges “require significant maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement. These bridges, according to the report, “must be inspected at least every year since critical load-carrying elements were found to be in poor condition due to deterioration or damage.” Functionally obsolete bridges are those that “no longer meet the current standards that are used today. Examples are narrow lanes or low load-carrying capacity.”

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that to eliminate the nation’s bridge deficient backlog by 2028, an investment of $20.5 billion annually would be needed, according to the report, while only $12.8 billion is being spent currently. The report stated that “the challenge for federal, state, and local governments is to increase bridge investments by $8 billion annually to address the identified $76 billion in needs for deficient bridges across the United States.”

The report indicated that 22 states have a higher percentage of structurally deficient bridges than the national average, while five states have more than 20% of their bridges defined as structurally deficient. Pennsylvania tops the list with 24.4%, while Iowa and Oklahoma are not far behind, each having just over 21% of their bridges classified as structurally deficient.

Overall, the nation’s grade for the condition of its bridges was C+, which was described as “mediocre” and in need of attention. “Some elements exhibit significant deficiencies in conditions and functionality, with increasing vulnerability to risk.” The 32-member Advisory Committee did not include any engineers from Connecticut, but did include two from Massachusetts and one from Maine, among the New England states.

Time magazine reported this week that the I-95 bridge over Delaware’s Christina River was quickly closed to all traffic on May 29, after “an engineer who happened to be working nearby noticed two of the span’s support pillars tilting.“ Officials hope to have the structure stabilized and reopened by Labor Day. The bridge had routinely handled about 90,000 vehicles per day.

The I-35W bridge over the Mississippi in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour on August 1, 2007, plunging dozens of cars and their occupants into the river, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The bridge was Minnesota's fifth busiest, carrying 140,000 vehicles daily.

The American Society of Civil Engineers, founded in 1852, is the country’s oldest national civil engineering organization. It represents more than 140,000 civil engineers in private practice, government, industry, and academia who are dedicated to advancing the science and profession of civil engineering. The first Report Card for America’s Infrastructure was issued in 1988.

CT Ranks #27 in Pedestrian Safety; Vulnerable User Law May Help

Connecticut ranks #27 out of 50 states in pedestrian safety, according to a new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America. There were 351 Connecticut residents killed while walking during the decade from 2003 – 2012, data included in Dangerous by Design 2014, indicates. That represents 12.6  percent of the 2,780 traffic-related fatalities in the state during this period. The report ranks each state and the nation’s major metropolitan areas according to a Pedestrian Danger Index that assesses how safe pedestrians are while walking.

Among metropolitan areas, Hartford-East Hartford-West Hartford ranked #38 in the U.S. among the 50 with the highest “pedestrian danger index,” and at #37 in the percentage of traffic fatalities that were pedestrians.

The report also presents data on pedestrian fatalities and injuries by county and includes an online, interactive map showing the locations where people walking have been fatally struck by the driver of a vehicle. The report found that the majority of pedestrian deaths likely could have been prevented with safer street design.

The majority of pedestrian deaths occur on roadways that are dangerous by design — engineered and operated for speeding traffic with little to no provision for the safety of people walking, biking or using public transit.

This week, Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law a vulnerable user bill, which increases penalties on reckless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians, cyclists and other roadway users.

“Although Connecticut is home to many high-speed arterial roadways with little in the way of pedestrian accommodations, there are signs of progress," said Joseph Cutrufo, Connecticut Advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "We’re optimistic that the passage of this law, which advocates have supported for over four years, will have a positive impact on the safety of Connecticut’s roads.”

In Connecticut from 2003 – 2010, the average pedestrian death rate for non-Hispanic whites was 1.34, while the rate for Hispanics was 1.42 and 1.49 for African-Americans.

In addition, while comprising just 13.8 percent of the total population, older adults over the age of 65 years old accounted for more than 28 percent of pedestrian fatalities between 2003 and 2010 and a pedestrian fatality rate of 2.76 in Connecticut. The worst state pedestrian fatality rates (per 100,000 persons aged 65 and older) are in Hawaii, California, New York, District of Columbia, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey Utah and Idaho.

“Older persons account for one in every five pedestrian fatalities and have the greatest fatality rate of any population group,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “America’s state, federal and community leaders should focus on making our streets safer – which will benefit everyone, including the growing number of older Americans.”

During the decade, 35.2 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred on roadways with a speed limit of 40 mph or higher. 36.6 percent were on streets with a posted speed limit under 30 mph and just 0.3 percent of pedestrians died on streets with a speed limit of 20 mph or lower.

In New Haven-Milford, 15 percent of traffic deaths were pedestrians; in Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk the percentage was 14.4 percent, in Hartford-West Hartford–East Hartford, 12.9 percent, and in Norwich – New London, 11.5 percent.

University of New Haven Named a “Best for Vets” College

The University of New Haven (UNH) has been ranked among the nation’s best colleges for veterans.  The 2014 “Best for Vets Colleges” list, developed by Military Times, places New Haven among the top 80 institutions in the nation, ranking at number 59.  UNH is the only higher education institution from Connecticut to earn a place on the list.

In addition to evaluating schools’ veteran-focused operations, the publication considered more than a dozen different measures of academic success, quality and rigor, as reported by schools and the Education Department, to develop the rankings.

Representatives of about 600 schools responded to the Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 survey, comprising of 150 questions that delved into school operations in unprecedented detail, according to the publication.

The results indicated that many more schools are tracking the academic success of their military and veteran students — but the majority still do not.  Last year, fewer than 11 percent of school representatives responding to the survey said they track completion rates for current and former service members. This year, more than a third said they track similar academic success measures for such students, the publication’s website pointed out.

Military veterans of UNH (MVUNH) is a Student Group formed to both support current UNH Veteran student and encourage a UNH "Veteran friendly" campus to attract new Veteran students.  The university’s purpose is to create a community of veterans who will use their knowledge and experiences to educate the university community and advocate on behalf of student veterans.  Members meet once a month to discuss current events and provide new information.

The newly renovated and furnished Veterans Success Center on the UNH campus serves as common place for students to study, gather for MVUNH club meetings and relax.  The Center has four computers with access to printing, a microwave and refrigerator available to student veterans to use during breaks between classes.  The Veteran Success Center is heralded as a great place to meet fellow veterans and find out about veteran programming on campus and within the community.

In an effort to strengthen support for student veterans, Veteran Services and the University of New Haven have created a Student Veteran Emergency Fund.  Entirely dependent upon donations, the Student Veteran Emergency Fund has been established to assist student veterans who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency throughout the semester, including a delay in benefits, BAH and book stipends from the VA.

The University of New Haven is also a partner of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, located in West Haven.  VITAL is a VA initiative aimed to support student veterans on campus in their successful transition to academia and in completion of their educational goals.  The University also participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans.

Prison System As De facto Mental Health Service Center Brings Personal, Fiscal Costs

The UConn Health Center, on the pages of its Correctional Managed Health Care website, points out that “the public health burden that jails and prisons bear is enormous. A disproportionate number of incarcerated individuals are medically and/or psychiatrically compromised.” Connecticut is one of only six states with an integrated jail and prison system.

Statewide, each of the 24,936 annual jail and prison “admissions” requires a medical and mental health intake health screening. Generally, the website notes, “one out of five requires prompt medical or mental health intervention.” Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, severe personality disorders, traumatic brain injury and addictive disorders are “overrepresented in this population,” the website indicates.

Mental health services are available at all prisons and jails in the state, with comprehensive mental health programs at Osborn, Northern, York, Manson Youth, and Garner correctional institutions. Mental health services are comprehensive from admission to discharge, the website explains, and “focus on access to care and outreach, screening and assessment, identification, treatment planning, classification, provision of distinct levels of service and continuity of care upon discharge to the community.”

The mental health department includes approximately 14 psychiatrists, 17 psychologists, 10 mental health nurse practitioners, 19 psychiatric nurse clinicians, 69 social workers, and 15 professional counselors to serve the needs of approximately 19 percent of the inmate population, about 3,400 individuals.  The website indicates that as of June 2013, the prison population was 17,998 individuals (16,985 incarcerated and 1,013 in halfway houses).

A  recent The New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof posited that people suffering from mental illness often commit a crime in order to obtain treatment.  Because of the acute shortage of treatment facilities outside of prison, decades after the wholesale closing of mental health care facilities nationwide, prisons have become the nation’s de facto treatment centers.  Among the stark facts outlined:

• More than half of prisoners in the United States have a mental health problem, according to a 2006 U.S. Justice Department Study.
• Among female inmates, almost three-quarters have a mental disorder.
•  Nationwide, more than three times as many mentally ill people are housed in prisons and jails as in hospitals, according to a 2010 study by the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center.
• Forty percent of people with serious mental illnesses have been arrested at some point in their lives
•  Taxpayers spend as much as $300 or $400 a day supporting patients with psychiatric disorders while they are in jail, partly because the mentally ill require mediation and extra supervision and care.
• In 1955, there was one bed in a psychiatric ward for every 300 Americans; now there is one for every 3,000 Americans, according to a 2010 study.

Writing in the Connecticut Law Review, Christina Canales pointed out in 2012 that “Although a good plan in theory, deinstitutionalization quickly became one of the main reasons for the substantial increase in mentally ill individuals in prisons.  Many of the originally considered community mental health centers were never developed, leaving such individuals with nowhere to turn for treatment.”

The 2013 Legislation Report of the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicated that “Disproportionate numbers of people with mental illness are involved in the criminal justice system often as a result of untreated or undertreated mental illness. Thoughtful release planning and progressive probation or parole procedures increase the likelihood of successful re-entry for prisoners living with mental illness.”

In FY 2013, the UConn Health Center website details, there were 191,202 visits to social workers, psychologists and psychiatric nurse clinicians, including suicide risk assessments within DOC facilities. In addition, there were 20,056 visits to psychiatrists and 16,826 visits to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

The Connecticut Health Investigative Team (C-HIT) has reported that in 2003, "an estimated 13 percent were considered mentally ill."  In 2003, Connecticut’s prison population was 19, 605, according to the Office of Policy and Management’s Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division.  That would have been approximately 2,549 individuals.

CT Ranks #30 in Motorcycles Per Capita; Helmets Not Required

Which states have the most motorcycles per capita?  The top three are South Dakota, New Hampshire (Live Free or Die!) and Iowa. Connecticut – the Land of Steady Habits – rides in at number 30 among the states.

South Dakota comes in first with 12 people for every motorcycle, besting the national average by 66 percent, according to data compiled by the website The Motley Fool.  The state had 69,284 motorcycles registered, representing 0.82 percent of all motorcycles in America. South Dakota is home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted 467,338 riders in 2013.  

According to the most recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 8,410,255 motorcycles registered nationwide by private citizens and commercial organizations, according to the most recent annual data, from 2011. That represents one motorcycle owner out of every 36 people.

Connecticut ranked #30 on the list of states, with 97,960 motorcycles, representing 36 people for every motorcycle.  Reaching the top fifteen states were New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin, Wyoming, North Dakota, Vermont, Montana, Minnesota, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, New Jersey Colorado and Delaware.

New Hampshire placed second with 17 people for every motorcycle beating the national average by 53 percent.  The state had 79,266 motorcycles registered, representing 0.94 percent of all motorcycles in America,.    The state is also home to Laconia Motorcycle Week, which dates back to the early 1900s and is one of the country’s oldest rallies.

New Hampshire also is one of 31 states without a mandatory helmet law. In Connecticut, motorcycle operators between 16 and 17 years old must wear a helmet. Drivers over 18 are required to wear a helmet if they only have a motorcycle permit, and not a motorcycle license. Drivers of all ages must wear protective eyewear, such as goggles or glasses, unless the cycle is equipped with a windshield.

States with the least motorcycles per capita are Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New York, Georgia, Maryland, Utah and California. 

The state with the most motorcycles is California with 801,803, followed by Florida, with 574,176, Texas with 438,551, Pennsylvania with 404,164, Ohio with 390,494,  New York with 345,816 and  New Jersey with 330,470.

Currently, about half the states require helmets for all motorcyclists, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration.  As outlined above, boost other states require helmets for certain riders, and a few have no helmet law.

• 47 states and the District of Columbia have a helmet law effecting at least some motorcyclists.
  • 19 states and the District of Columbia have a universal helmet law, requiring helmets for all riders.
  • 28 states require helmets for specific riders.
• 3 states (Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire) do not have a motorcycle helmet law.

In 1967, the federal government required states to enact universal motorcycle helmet laws to qualify for certain highway safety funds, the website noted.. By 1975, all but three had complied. In 1976, Congress revoked federal authority to assess penalties for noncompliance, and states began to weaken helmet laws to apply only to young or novice riders.

Amateur Radio, Invented in Hartford, Will Celebrate 100 Years with National Convention Here

Before smart phones, before the internet, there was Amateur Radio, better known as Ham Radio.  And it began in Hartford – spreading quickly around the world a century ago.  The province of hobbyists and enthusiasts, Ham Radio often became a lifeline when disasters struck and traditional phone lines were rendered inoperable.

Technology has surely changed, but a thriving American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio, will mark the 100th anniversary of its founding this summer at the Connecticut Convention Center in its birthplace, Hartford.

The organization’s Centennial Convention will be July 17-19, 2014, according to ARRL President Kay Craigi.  The theme will be: Advancing the Art and Science of Radio—Since 1914.  Ham Radio remains a popular hobby and service in which licensed Amateur Radio operators (hams) operate communications equipment.  ARRL has over 162,000 members and employs approximately 100 people, with national headquarters in Newington.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator W. Craig Fugate, call sign KK4INZ, will be the keynote speaker at the ARRL Centennial Banquet on July 18.

It all began in May 1914 when Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936), a leading Hartford inventor and industrialist, founded the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), together with Clarence Tuska, secretary of The Radio Club of Hartford.  ARRL headquarters moved to Newington in 1938 and is visited by nearly 2,000 groups and individuals each year. The site is home to The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, call sign W1AW. ARRL's mission is based on five pillars: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership.

Although Amateur Radio operators get involved for many reasons, officials say, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands." These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by ham radio operators.

“The 2014 ARRL Centennial is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, who explained that the convention will include presentations and forums, exhibits, vendors, demonstrations, flea market, activities for youth, and a banquet.

 “We’ve also planned some very special centennial-themed activities,” Inderbitzen added, “including coach bus trips to ARRL headquarters and W1AW—the Hiram P. Maxim Memorial Station in nearby Newington. We want ARRL members to come with all of their experiences from the first one hundred years of Amateur Radio and ARRL, and leave with a shared vision for ARRL’s second century.”

More information about ARRL and Amateur Radio is online at www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio. Details on the centennial convention are available at www.ARRL2014.org.  The organization has also developed a 25 minute documentary about the history of Amateur Radio, which is available on You Tube.  Fans of the ABC Television show “Last Man Standing” may be aware that its main character, “Mike Baxter” — played by Tim Allen — is supposed to be a radio amateur, KAØXTT