Local Reporting Network Archive
Florida Lawmakers Send Lifeline to Families With Brain-Damaged Children
After a series of investigative articles by the Miami Herald and ProPublica, the Florida Legislature passed a host of reforms to a state-run program for children born with catastrophic brain injuries.
“They’re Trying to Make It So We Walk Away”: It’s About to Get Harder to File Lawsuits Saying Sugar Harvesters Poisoned the Air
Some residents in a rural farming community say sugar harvesting is poisoning the air. The Florida Legislature just passed a bill that would make it harder to sue.
Parents Want Justice for Birth Injuries. Hospitals Want to Strip Them of the Right to Make That Decision.
Florida hospitals rely on the state’s NICA program to protect themselves from costly lawsuits. When parents resist, some of those same hospitals ask a judge to appoint an “independent guardian” to take the decision away.
Florida Lawmakers Endorse Wide-Ranging Reforms in Program to Aid Brain-Damaged Babies
Bills in the Florida House and Senate would increase benefits for families of brain-damaged babies, add parental representation to the program’s board and create an ombudsman, following investigative stories by the Miami Herald and ProPublica.
Natural Gas Is Getting Cheaper. Thousands Are Paying More To Heat Their Homes Anyway.
Charlotte Lane was a top lobbyist for utility companies. Now she regulates them. A little-known law she previously pushed has allowed them to charge West Virginians for expensive pipeline projects with little oversight and few consumer protections.
Hershey Profits Fund $17 Billion Endowment for Nonprofit School, but Board Member Says It Won’t Let Him See Financial Records
A director and alumnus of America’s wealthiest boarding school claims he had to sue the institution to see how it spends the funding it receives from sales of Hershey bars and Reese’s Pieces.
“We Are Not Here or Funded to ‘Promote the Best Interest’ of the Children,” Wrote the Head of a Program for Brain-Damaged Infants
A Florida program promises support to families of severely brain-damaged infants. Instead, parents have been forced to choose between parenting and a paycheck. Poor communication and bureaucratic hurdles have made the situation worse.
Florida Plans Audit of Program That Blocks Parents of Brain-Damaged Newborns From Suing
Officials called for reforms hours after an investigation by the Miami Herald and ProPublica identified gaps in a Florida program that strips families of their right to sue when births go horribly wrong.
She Can’t Sue Her Doctor Over Her Baby’s Death. When She Spoke Out, She Was Silenced Again.
Ruth Jacques, distraught over the fatal injuries her son suffered during childbirth, couldn’t sue her doctor because of an obscure Florida state law. When she protested at his office, she was told to cease and desist.
When Births Go Horribly Wrong, Florida Protects Doctors and Forces Families to Pay the Price
A Florida program designed to reduce doctors’ malpractice bills strips families of their right to sue, offering instead a one-time payment and promises to cover medical expenses. Some parents report a bureaucratic nightmare that’s anything but supportive.
The Emergency 911 System Where Callers Still Don’t Always Get Proper CPR Instructions
It’s taken two years and $1.2 million to get Rhode Island’s 911 system ready to provide CPR and other medical instructions to callers. The system should be working in June. Rhode Island is the last state in New England to provide this service.
I Received Tips to Look Into How a Hospital Treated Premature Babies. Getting Data Was Nearly Impossible.
New Mexico limits the information it collects on neonatal centers. That makes it incredibly challenging to get reliable data, sort out what’s wrong and figure out how to fix it.
Cómo investigamos las tasas de mortalidad de los bebés extremadamente prematuros en los hospitales de maternidad más grandes de este estado
Los dos centros de maternidad principales de este estado tienen diferencias drásticas en las tasas de mortalidad de los bebés extremadamente prematuros. Este es el método de análisis que utilizamos para los datos de nuestra investigación.
Los dos hospitales tienen tasas de mortalidad infantil similares, hasta que se observa a los bebés extremadamente prematuros
La laxitud de la supervisión estatal deja preguntas sin respuesta sobre las muertes de bebés extremadamente prematuros en el Hospital de Mujeres Lovelace (Lovelace Women's Hospital) de Albuquerque, que se promociona a sí mismo como un centro neonatal de vanguardia. Los expertos afirman que la transparencia podría salvar vidas.
The City That Pinned Its Renewal on a Self-Chilling Beverage Can Wants Its Money Back
A company promised to create 237 jobs making the first ever self-chilling beverage can, winning big public subsidies in return. Four years later, there are no jobs and you still put your beer in the fridge. The city may demand the subsidies back.
No One in This State Is Officially Tracking the Quality of Care in Neonatal Centers
Without a federal system of NICU-specific oversight, regulation of the units falls to each state — and New Mexico isn’t doing much. But over 30 other states show it can be done.
How We Investigated Death Rates for Extremely Preterm Babies in This State’s Largest Maternity Hospitals
The two largest maternity centers in this state have drastically different death rates for extremely preterm babies. Here’s how we analyzed the data for our investigation.
The Two Hospitals Have Similar Infant Death Rates — Until You Look at Extremely Premature Babies
Lax state oversight leaves unanswered questions about the deaths of extremely preterm babies at Albuquerque’s Lovelace Women’s Hospital, which markets itself as a state-of-the-art newborn facility. Experts say transparency could save lives.
