PERSPECTIVE: Connecting the Dots... to Transit-Oriented Development

by Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker We all talk about it. We all bemoan the fact that far too often the dots aren’t connected; that there are too many silos, sometimes resulting in pervasive duplication of efforts. That if we would just partner-up we could get a whole lot more done. And with a topic as massive and complex as transit systems in a predominantly auto-oriented state, connecting the dots can easily be assumed to be a topic that leaves us not knowing where to start.

Perhaps it begins by recognizing that Main Streets of all sizes thrive with a mix of uses, a mix of businesses, a mix of incomes, a mix of cultures. Connecting people to housing, retail & dining, jobs, community resources, and transportation choices is critical if our Main Streets are to be vibrant and sustainable. Offering a range of housing options located near transit and within a walkable distance of life's necessities like grocery stores, pharmacies, doctor's offices and more can only help to attract anyone who desires to live in a vibrant neighborhood.

The CT Main Street Center (CMSC) network is comprised of over 75 members across the state. This translates to over half of the state’s population living within our member towns. Realizing one out of two residents is directly affected by Connecticut Main Street revitalization efforts makes what we do all the more vital. After all, having a strong downtown core is the foundation of a healthy community, increasing economic resiliency, enabling social interaction, and enlivening public spaces.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD), which connects people to housing, retail & dining, jobs, community resources, and transportation choices, is part and parcel of vibrant Main Streets. A critical component of TOD must be the redevelopment of underutilized buildings into housing above commercial space.

The award-winning Come Home to Downtown program aims to bring more housing downtown by assisting the owners of small properties to redevelop their underutilized buildings into housing above commercial space. Engaging an expert team of consultants, CMSC provides select communities and property owners with customized technical assistance, working with them to develop viable redevelopment options. But what is glaringly apparent is that we need solutions to address the financial gap.

This program would not exist without the Community Investment Act which helps further the goals of protecting and preserving the beauty and unique character of Connecticut for future generations. Established 10 years ago, the law has directed more than $133 million toward preserving and reusing historic buildings and sites, saving hundreds of farms and supporting agriculture programs, saving fields and forests from development, and building much-needed affordable housing. These programs have leveraged private investment and created jobs in virtually every community in the state.

A greatly improved tool for our Main Streets is Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a public financing method that is used to incentivize and catalyze development, infrastructure, and other projects. In short, TIF allows property tax benefits from a project to be used to help finance that project. This improved enabling legislation permits municipalities to form TIF Districts that include both the project itself and other properties that will experience property value increases as a result of the project.

One way that CT Main Street Center is working to connect the dots is by partnering with Partnership for Strong Communities and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association, bringing critical information to a statewide audience in a recent forum.  The focus was how we must connect our transit systems to well-planned development that allows for full utilization of these resources: housing, jobs, education, healthcare, and recreation.

Together with our partners, we were thrilled this week to bring to Hartford Christopher Zimmerman, Smart Growth America’s Vice President for Economic Development, and Director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Much of his work focuses on the economic and fiscal impact of development policies on localities and regions.

Zimmerman said surveys have shown that employers in the 21st century are looking to move to areas where prospective workers live, whereas, in the days of factories, workers moved toward large employers. Speaking of what millennials want, Zimmerman says: "They like housing choice and they're looking for places with a sense of place. “

Chris Zimmerman has been introducing Smart Growth America’s new publication, (Re)Building Downtown: A Guidebook for Revitalization, a resource for local elected officials who want to re-invigorate and strengthen neighborhood centers of economy, culture, and history through a smart growth approach to development.

This guide uses Smart Growth America’s seven-step approach to downtown redevelopment:

1. Understand your community – engaging the public
2. Create an attractive, walkable place – the built environment
3. Diversify economic uses – fostering a diverse mix of uses, including jobs and housing
4. Plan for equity – do this up front so that success benefits everyone
5. Improve government regulations and processes – making it easy for the private sector to do what you want
6. Finance projects – think creatively about funding downtown initiatives and management
7. Establish on-going place management – development is not the end of your work, you must keep downtown interesting and competitive and professionally managed

I encourage you to read the entire publication – there are actionable steps that can be taken right away!

_______________________________________________________

Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker is Associate Director of the Connecticut Main Street Center.  

PERSPECTIVE commentaries by contributing writers appear each Sunday on Connecticut by the Numbers.   

LAST WEEK: Insurance Company Mergers - Why Patients and Consumers Will Not Be Better Off 

No Word on When or Whether WTIC-AM Broadcast License Will Be Renewed by FCC

“This application remains on hold and I cannot say when it will be resolved.”  That is the latest update from the Federal Communications Commission on the pending license renewal application of radio station WTIC-AM in Hartford.  The station filed its license renewal application more than two years ago, on November 27, 2013. As the agency’s Enforcement Bureau considers “an alleged violation of FCC rules,” the agency’s Media Bureau cannot proceed with a decision on whether or not to renew the station’s broadcast license. The application was placed on “enforcement hold,” amidst speculation that the action was related to use of the station’s airwaves by former Governor and station talk show host John Rowland, who was previously and subsequently convicted of federal corruption and campaign-related charges.

The FCC had no comment on whether the delay in making a determination on the license renewal is among the longest in FCC history, and a spokesman this week said that the agency does not comment on the status of the license application.    Although the station’s broadcast license expired on April 1, 2014, more than 22 months ago, WTIC can continue to broadcast until the FCC makes a determination on its license renewal application, which was filed just days before the deadline back in 2013.  Stations in such a status routinely continue to operate without any interruption until a decision on license renewal is made.

If the station’s license renewal is granted, it would be for an 8-year period. There has been no comment by the FCC on specifically when or why the federal agency’s enforcement division placed the application on hold, or when it might be lifted.  FCC officials have indicated that most often enforcement holds are instituted due to a complaint being filed that requires investigation.  The reason for the enforcement hold is only made available to the licensee or their attorney, the FCC has said.

The station is owned by CBS radio, which this month announced that revenues from its radio stations were down 5 percent in the 4^th quarter of 2015.  The website Radio Online attributed the decline to “continued softness in the ad radio ad marketplace and lower political advertising.”  One of the mainstays of the WTIC talk line-up, nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh, was recently ranked as the second most popular national talk show, behind Michael Savage, which airs in Connecticut on other stations.

When the license renewal application does reach the agency’s Media Bureau, they will consider “how the allegation of violation was resolved,” as well as a range of other factors in deciding whether or not to renew the station’s license.  The other, more routine, factors include whether any other objections have been raised about the station, whether the station has been adequately serving the public in their area of license, their history of compliance with FCC regulations, and their overall performance.

Hartford Attorney Ken Krayeske filed an informal objection on October 1, 2014 to WTIC’s broadcast license renewal, alleging that the station “demonstrated serious malfeasance” and “helped conceal violations of federal law.”

As for the pace at which the FCC finalizes action on pending license applications, one indication came last week, when the FCC announced it had denied an objection to a station license renewal that was filed in October of 2013 in regards to station KKZZ in Port Hueneme, CA.  The AM station’s application for renewal was granted by the FCC on February 9, 2016 – more than two years after it was filed.

University of Hartford Students Develop First-of-Its Kind Prosthetic Hand, Patient Testing To Begin

Five graduate students and their professor in the Prosthetics and Orthotics program at the University of Hartford have reached a significant milestone in the development of a first-of-its-kind prosthetic hand. The prototype of the potentially revolutionary device, after more than two years in development, is now ready to be tested on patients. Currently, amputees have a limited selection of sizes and designs for a prosthetic hand. The groundbreaking project, which has come to be known as the “Hartford Hand,” has a unique design that allows each patient to receive a custom-made hand that fits his or her exact needs. Because of the students’ technological ingenuity, the hand can be adjusted as the patient grows.

“It is the only hand at this time known to be completely customizable in terms of size and proportion,” said faculty advisor Michael Wininger, Assistant Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics. (see video, below)

The five graduate students, due to graduate from the program in May, have spent thousands of hours on this project since 2013, with the goal of making the world’s first prosthetic hand that can be fully customized to patients’ needs. The students have joined the project through many pathways, either as part of their formal requirements for research in their master’s curriculum, though undergraduate honors theses, elective Independent study enterprise, or as extra-curricular collaborators in a not-for-credit research immersion.

“This has been one the best opportunities I have had in my life to design,” said Christopher Welch, one of the students currently working on the Hartford Hand initiative. Each week, Welch and colleagues Yonathan Moshayev, Jake Green, Amber Sayer, and Stephen Sousa, spend several hours improving the current design to make the unique Hartford Hand a reality for patients.

The University of Hartford’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions collaborates with Hanger Clinic to offer the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO). It is one of only 13 accredited programs in the United States. The curriculum provides students with strong foundational coursework in biomechanics, neuroscience, and kinesiology.

More than a great learning experience, the project has the potential to change lives as it prepares students for future career success. “They have more training than any other students in the country,” Wininger said, “which makes them competitive for their residencies. This is a good chance for students to train on cutting-edge technology.”

Two of the students presented the Hartford Hand at a national conference in San Antonio, Texas last year. “We were able to get professional feedback and network with people in our field,” said Sousa. Welch adds that everyone they talked with confirmed that there is a huge need for this hand. Both of them are planning to use the skills they have learned with this project to work in clinics after they graduate. “I am very grateful to have had this opportunity,” Sousa said. “I could not imagine a program without this great experience.” Previous students have presented at national conferences in Las Vegas, and have entered the Hartford Hand design into national engineering design competitions.

Wininger indicated that he anticipated tests with human subjects would begin by the end of the University’s spring semester.

The professions of prosthetics and orthotics are specialized allied health professions which combine a unique blend of clinical and technical skills. Professionals in this field design, fabricate, and fit orthopedic braces and artificial limbs for a broad range of clients from pediatric to geriatric.

PHOTO (at right): Yonatan Moshayev, Jake Green, Christopher Welch, Amber Sayer, Steve Sousa, and Assistant Professor Michael Wininger.

https://youtu.be/uxyeoi3G9ks

Four Connecticut Companies Among Most Innovative in National Rankings

Four Connecticut companies are among the most innovative, according to rankings published by Fast Company magazine.  Harman Industries, Oxford Performance Materials, Priceline Group and GE were named among dozens of the companies, in a range of industries, for noteworthy innovative business practices and systems. Overall, the top 10 most innovative companies of 2016, according to Fast Company, are Buzzfeed, Facebook, CVS Health, Uber, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Black Lives Matter and Taco Bell.  The next 10 include, Robinhood, Universal Studios, Huawei, Cyanogen, InMobi, Novocure, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, Spotify and GE.

Fast Company also announced Top 50 lists selecting the most innovative companies in more than two dozen sectors, including architecture, design, automotive, biotech, education, energy, fitness, enterprise software, gaming, healthcare, marketing & advertising, media, retail and robotics.

Stamford-based Harman International Industries reached the list of the most innovative companies in the world for vehicle technology, led by an auto sound system that creates individual “sound zones” within vehicles. Harman ranked seventh on the Fast Company ranking of the 10 most innovative companies in the automotive sector.

According to published reports, Harman’s individual sound zone concept allows drivers and passengers to personalize their own audio experiences with limited disruption or interference from other vehicle occupants, with digital signal processing tuned to the vehicle cabin and speakers to reduce the signals from other zones, regardless of whether they are music, vocal or other sounds. The Harman system utilizes a vehicle’s existing speakers with the addition of headrest and ceiling speakers.

A Connecticut-based biotechnology company, South Windsor-based Oxford Performance Materials (OPM), reached the biotechnology list, ranking seventh.  The company, founded in 2000, was recognized for developing spinal implants. OPM’s founder and CEO is Scott DeFelice.

A pioneer in personalized medicine, OPM Biomedical became the only company to receive FDA clearance to manufacture 3D printed patient‐specific polymeric implants when it received clearance for its cranial prostheses line for surgeons in 2013, the company website points out. The company reports it now has two additional FDA clearances, and is an original equipment manufacturer for maxillofacial implants as well as its first spinal implant line.

In addition, Norwalk-based Priceline Group was recognized by Fast Company among hospitality companies for its Booking.com hotel reservation system. The Priceline Group is the world’s leading provider of online travel & related services, provided to consumers and local partners in over 200 countries through six primary brands:  Booking.com, priceline.com, KAYAK, agoda.com, rentalcars.com, and OpenTable.

https://youtu.be/rTrKd3vPyWk

Survey Says Hartford Residents Want Healthier Foods and Beverages, Action Steps Suggested

Two-thirds of Hartford residents believe that fresh, healthy foods are too expensive, and 4 in 5 believe that it is very important for local childcare programs to offer healthy food options. In a survey commissioned by the American Heart Association's Hartford Accelerating National Community Health Outcomes through Reinforcing (ANCHOR) Partnerships Program, a majority of women, parents and young adults in the city see healthy foods as too expensive.

"Making healthier food more accessible to all will greatly improve health outcomes and move us closer to our goal of reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke," said Dr. Seth Lapuk, pediatric cardiologist and American Heart Association of CT/Western Massachusetts board president. "Healthy food access is especially critical for our children. Obese children as young as 3 years old show indicators for developing heart disease later in life. These survey findings show the community wants the healthy choice to be the easy choice."

The survey was part of an overall initiative to improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities. It was conducted in September 2015 and included 400 Hartford residents.  The survey also revealed that 70 percent strongly support matching a portion of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) so people can spend more on healthy foods. Respondents would also like to see an increase in the number of farmers' markets and wider acceptance of SNAP at farmers' markets and mobile markets.      

Based on the findings of this survey, the organization highlighted recommendations to address residents' concerns:

• Encourage local community, government and business leaders to increase access to healthy foods
• Present child care programs as an example of a key setting that has important influence on family nutrition and healthy food policy
• Promote farmers' markets as a way to increase competition and drive down price

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said "As a mayor and as a parent of three young kids, I'm proud to say that our schools and our Department of Children & Families have been making great efforts to promote healthy foods. To keep Hartford healthy and strong, we need to continue working hard to make sure that healthy food and beverage options are available wherever our residents live, work, play and learn."

Just over the city line in West Hartford, ShopRite supermarket (corner of Kane and Prospect Streets) is offering a series of free courses with a registered dietician to help individuals know “where to start on your path to becoming healthier.”  The “Eat Well Be Happy” Weight Management Series begins on February 24, and will be held every Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m., for six weeks. Each class focuses on a different topic including: meal planning, portion control, importance of fiber, protein and hydration and controlling sugar cravings, among others.  Individual consultation is also available, and all nutritional services are available to customers free of charge.   (Interested individuals can contact shana.griffin@wakefern.com)

"Healthy food does not have to be out of reach on the basis of cost," said Martha Page, executive director of Hartford Food System and chair of the Hartford Advisory Commission on Food Policy.

"Based on the findings of this survey, I am glad to see that our residents view early childhood programs as a key opportunity to provide a positive influence on family health," said Jane Crowell, Assistant Director, Hartford Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation, Division for Young Children. "Hartford's Little City Sprouts program does exactly that by providing healthy foods and beverages to the children, encouraging community gardening, offering caregiver support and information to promote healthy food preparation through recipes and snack ideas."

The ANCHOR Project is a federally funded collaboration between the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The focus of the ANCHOR project is to improve access to healthy foods through the promotion of healthy food financing initiatives with grocery stores, healthful food and beverage contract arrangements among organizations and institutions, and farmers' markets. For more information on the American Heart Association's ANCHOR Partnerships Program, go to www.heart.org/ANCHOR .

Connecticut Among Five States with Highest Percentage of Foster Children in Group Homes, Report Says

The percentage of children in foster care in Connecticut who have not been placed with a foster family is among the highest in the nation, according to a report issued in 2015.  The report, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, highlights the differing policies and practices among states, stressing that “kids should live with relatives or foster families when they have been removed from their own families, but one in seven nationally lies in a group placement.” In Connecticut there are 4,071 children in foster care, with 74 percent in family placement and 24 percent in non-family placement, exceeding the national average, according to the report.  That compares with 84 percent in family placement and 14 percent in non-family placement, nationally.  Only Colorado (35%), Rhode Island (28%) and West Virginia and Wyoming (27%), had a higher percentage of foster children than Connecticut in a non-family placement. 

The state-by-state data from 2013, the most recent year available, shows use of group placements varies widely by state, ranging from 4 percent to 35 percent of children under the system’s care.  In Oregon, Kansas, Maine and Washington, only 4 to 5 percent of young people in out-of-home care are in group placements, the report points out.

The Foundation’s policy report, Every Kid Needs A Family, highlights “the urgent need to ensure, through sound policies and proven practices, that everything possible is being done to find loving, nurturing and supported families to children in foster care.” The report highlights the promising ways that state and local government leaders as well as policymakers, judges and private providers can work together as they strive to help these 57,000 children who are living in group placements – and overall, the more than 400,000 children in the care of child welfare systems.

The report goes on to recommend how communities can widen the array of services available to help parents and children under stress within their own homes, so that children have a better chance of reuniting with their birth families and retaining bonds important to their development. And it shows ways in which residential treatment — a vital option for the small percentage of young people who cannot safely live in any family during treatment — can help those young people return to families more quickly and prepare them to thrive there.

“We have an obligation to help all of our kids succeed,” said Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation. “If our children couldn’t live with us, we would want them to live with someone close to us - and if that couldn’t happen, with a caring foster family who could provide them with as normal a life as possible during a turbulent time. This report shows more kids can live safely in families and get the nurturing they need while under the care and protection of our child welfare systems.”

Among the report’s findings across the United States:

• One in 7 children under the care of child welfare systems live in group placements, even though federal law requires that they live in families whenever possible.
• Forty percent of the children in group placements have no documented behavioral or medical need that would warrant placement in such a restrictive setting.
• While research shows children who need residential treatment likely need to stay no longer than three to six months, young people are staying in group placements an average of eight months.
• Group placements cost 7 to 10 times the cost of placing a child with a family.

The report also indicates that African American and Latino youth are more likely than white youth to be placed in group settings, and boys are more likely than girls to be in group placements.  Nationally, African American youth are 18 percent more likely than their white counterparts to be sent to group placements, and boys are 29 percent more likely than girls, according to data cited in the report.

Editorial Cartoon by Bob Englehart

 

PERSPECTIVE: Insurance Company Mergers - Why Patients and Consumers Will Not be Better Off

by Frances Padilla Many Connecticut residents still don’t know that by the end of this year, Anthem Insurance Co. and CIGNA may merge—forcing us all into a dire situation.

Anthem currently provides health insurance to about 1.1 million state residents and CIGNA covers just short of half a million.  If the proposed Anthem-CIGNA merger is approved, the resulting mega-insurer will cover 64 percent of covered lives in Connecticut.  Anthem and CIGNA have policyholders in 27 states.

Additionally, Aetna, with a Connecticut enrollment of about 500,000, is proposing to merge with Kentucky-based Humana, and recent news accounts speculate that it is contemplating moving its headquarters out of Connecticut.

We at Universal Health Care Foundation have been tracking these mergers since last June.  The plans were made public shortly after the King vs. Burwell Supreme Court decision.  That decision, upholding the subsidies in the Affordable Care act, was a big win for consumers.

However, it was also a big win for insurers; as Wendell Potter pointed out in his blog post.  Since then, the merger proposals were submitted for approval to the Federal Trade Commission and individual states’ departments of insurance. The United States Department of Justice also has to rule on monopoly implications of the mergers.

In a letter to the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, the American Antitrust Institute states, “The acquisitions are troubling for two important reasons.  They are likely to substantially lessen competition in numerous health insurance markets in the U.S., to the detriment of consumers. And, crafting relief that would adequately protect consumers is inherently difficult.”

Mergers are justified on the basis of increased efficiency and opportunity for innovation, but past experience doesn’t uphold those claims. The Anthem-CIGNA proposal should be carefully questioned, because it can be expected to increase health insurance premiums, and cause deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance out-of-pocket costs to spike.

Cost is already a major reason why consumers put off care. A Consumers Union poll found that costs are a “top of mind” worry for consumers, whether they are insured or not.  Thirty-five percent of respondents reported relying on home remedies or over-the-counter drugs instead of going to see the doctor when sick. Another 27 percent did not fill a prescription for needed medicine.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that for Connecticut, the average combined employee contributions to health insurance and deductibles doubled from 4.2 percent of income to 8.8 percent between 2003 and 2013, as a percent of median household income.  Workers are faced with increasing cost-sharing shifted to them by employers, many of whom are self-insured, and contract insurers to provide administrative services.  The use of high deductible plans, widely viewed as “under-insurance,” has taken off.

The Foundation has been using the image of two sumo wrestlers with the consumer and patient caught between the insurers and the hospitals. Hospitals merge, develop new revenue centers, acquire physician practices and create mega-systems with bargaining power over insurers.  And insurers merge to gain bargaining leverage, creating monopolies to protect the value of their stocks and meet shareholder expectations. Meanwhile, patients and consumers are left bereft of necessary care and shouldering the burden of medical debt.

https://youtu.be/eTRXFzb_U6c

Final resolution of the insurer mergers is in a holding pattern.  No one knows when the DOJ will rule on the antitrust issues, though. It may be in the next few months. Most state insurance commissioners are waiting for that decision to render theirs.  Some state statutes require public hearings, but most don’t.

Some observers think “all eyes are on Connecticut” with how the Anthem-CIGNA merger is handled here, given the market concentration that can be expected.  Connecticut statutes require our insurance commissioner, Katherine Wade, to evaluate the financial solvency of the merging companies and the benefit to policyholders.  She is a national leader among insurance commissioners and faces some criticism here for her refusal to recuse herself, given her ties to CIGNA.

The Department of Insurance is not required by statute to consider the impact of a proposed merger (or of rate hike increases) on affordability to policyholders.  Public hearings held in the past have been held at times and locations inaccessible to most consumers. They do accept testimony online, but few people provide it.

It is not yet clear when there will be a public hearing called in Connecticut. We do know that there has to be 30 days public notice.  And we have been told that there is interest in hearing from consumers, health care providers and employers.

Contact us if you want to have your voice heard by state officials, and join us to make sure people’s interests are put first.

_________________________________________________

Frances Padilla is President of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut

PERSPECTIVE commentaries by contributing writers appear each Sunday on Connecticut by the Numbers.  

Last week: 2016 to be a Year of Power Shifts and Workforce Facelifts.  

Head Impacts in Lacrosse Subject of Closely Watched Study at Sacred Heart University

With heightened focus in recent years on the ramifications of concussions on the careers and lives of athletes – especially professional football players – research is gaining interest and attention in a range of contact sports. The recent release of the popular movie Concussion has pushed awareness and interest even further – along with the appetite for scientific research. In Connecticut, Sacred Heart University (SHU) is underway with poised to start the third year of a four-year study of the school’s men’s lacrosse team, which will be among the first comprehensive studies looking at head impact and concussions in the sport at the college level. U.S. Lacrosse, the sport’s governing body, provided the SHU athletic-training education program a $15,000 grant to study the effects of on-the-field head impacts. The 2016 season began on February 13 and runs through April 30.

The SHU study got underway in January 2014 and was initially focused on freshmen players.  It has continued to monitor the same athletes as they progress through their four-year lacrosse career.  The goal is to gain a better understanding of concussions in the sport and ultimately generate insights for safer play.

Theresa Miyashita, director and assistant professor for the athletic training education program, launched the accelerometer concussion study at the University. The research involves the use of accelerometers in the team’s helmets. These sensors detect the amount of impact (in Gs or standard gravity acceleration) a player receives when he gets hit by a ball, a stick, another player or hits the ground.

“We are one of the first in the country to embark on an accelerometer concussion study of this size in men’s lacrosse,” said Miyashita. “We are collaborating with Professor Michael Higgins at Towson University, who is conducting a similar study to compare impacts on different helmets (Cascade vs. Warrior). This research targets the fastest-growing team sport in America.”

The players have been wearing these sensors in their helmets for the entire season – both in practices and games. The information received from the sensors is then uploaded to see the number of impacts sustained, where the impacts were sustained and the amount of Gs each impact had. This data is then compared to a number of different variables such as neurocognitive function, modified IQ scores, depression/anxiety, alcohol/drug dependency screens and concussion injuries. The players were baseline tested and are given a post-test when each season is complete.

The study is being done in partnership with a Canadian company, GForceTracker, which has developed “an advanced athlete monitoring system used to collect, measure, and analyze head impacts & biometric performance data, all in real time.” The company produces a “Hit Count® Certified, advanced linear g-force and rotational impact sensor monitoring system that accumulates a lifetime of head impacts.”

The detection device monitors, measures and provides vital statistics such as number of impacts, severity of impacts, local alarming when the impact exceeds an acceptable threshold and accumulates this data to provide key metrics that determine whether its user has suffered a possible head injury.  The GFT is currently the only Hit Count® Certified head impact sensor on the market, the company’s website indicates, “and can be used by individual players or entire teams in both helmeted and non-helmeted sports.”

“The men’s lacrosse team and their coach, John Basti, have been huge supporters and have been instrumental in getting this project running,” Miyashita said. “This project would not be possible without them and the rest of my research team.”

Miyashita’s team consists of Professor Eleni Diakogeorgiou; Kaitlyn Marrie, staff member for the athletic training program; Mary Jo Mason from the Health and Wellness Center, Professor Kelly Copperthite and a number of her athletic training students.  The Fairfield County Business Journal recently reported that Miyashita’s husband is a former professional player who is now assistant coach of the SHU men’s team.

Sacred Heart University, with a student population of 6,400, is the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, offering more than 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs on its main campus in Fairfield.  The SHU Pioneers' men's lacrosse team competes in the Northeast Conference of the NCAA Division 1.

https://youtu.be/TewBxtexNjE

Motor Vehicle Deaths Up 14 Percent in CT in 2015, Exceeding National Average

The death toll in Connecticut from motor vehicle accidents increased 14 percent in 2015 from the previous year, consistent with a nationwide increase but higher than the national average.  The increase in Connecticut ranked the state tied for 14^th in the percentage increase in motor vehicle deaths from 2014 to 2015. Nationally, 2015 saw the largest single-year percent increase in motor vehicle deaths since 1966. Estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC) show an 8 percent increase in 2015 compared with 2014 – with substantial changes in some states, including Connecticut.  There were 283 motor-vehicle related deaths in Connecticut last year, compared with 249 in 2014 and 276 in 2013.

While many factors likely contributed to the fatality increase, a stronger economy and lower unemployment rates are likely at the core of the trend.  The National Safety Council estimates 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads, and 4.4 million were seriously injured, meaning 2015 likely was the deadliest driving year since 2008. The annual total of motor vehicle fatalities for 2014 was 35,398.

Over the last year at the state level, the National Safety Council estimates Vermont (30 percent), Oregon (27 percent), New Hampshire (24 percent), Georgia (22 percent), Washington (21 percent) and Florida (18 percent) experienced the largest percentage increase in fatalities, while only 13 states showed improvement. Among them were New Mexico (-20 percent), Kansas (-7 percent) and New Jersey (-2 percent).

Increases were also in Arizona (15%), Colorado (17%), Idaho (17%), Montana (17%), Maine (16%), Maryland (16%), and South Carolina (16%).  Also seeing 14 percent increases along with Connecticut were Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nevada.  

“These numbers are serving notice: Americans take their safety on the roadways for granted,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Driving a car is one of the riskiest activities any of us undertake in spite of decades of vehicle design improvements and traffic safety advancements. Engage your defensive driving skills and stay alert so we can reverse this trend in 2016.”

From 2013 and 2015, Connecticut had a 3 percent increase in traffic fatalities, according to the data.

The estimated cost of motor-vehicle deaths, injuries, and property damage in 2015 was $412.1 billion, according to NSC.  The costs include wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, employer costs, and property damage.

The estimate is subject to slight increases or decreases as data mature, according to the National Safety Council. NSC has issued annual traffic fatality estimates since 1921. Over the last three years, preliminary estimates have fallen within 1 percent of final counts.

Average gas prices were 28 percent lower in 2015 than in 2014 and are projected to continue dropping this year, making driving more affordable for many Americans, NSC pointed out, noting that the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates a 3.5 percent increase in the number of miles driven in 2015 compared to 2014.

To help ensure safety, the National Safety Council recommends drivers:

• Make sure every passenger buckles up on every trip
• Designate an alcohol and drug-free driver or arrange alternate transportation
• Get plenty of sleep and take regular breaks to avoid fatigue
• Never use a cell phone behind the wheel, even hands-free
• Stay engaged in teens’ driving habits, as teens are three times as likely to crash as more experienced drivers
• Learn about vehicle safety systems and how to use them, including features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning systems and backup cameras.

Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council, nsc.org, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.