Prenatal Live chat 12/15 – 2 p.m EST: Leave a question now
Live Blog Can You Trust Prenatal Screening? A new generation of prenatal screening tests has exploded onto the market in the past three years. The unregulated screens claim to detect with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Unusual experiment raises concerns about prenatal testing labs
Maggie Bartlett/NHGRI via Wikimedia CommonsA researcher uses a pipette to remove DNA from a micro test tube An unusual finding in an experiment by two Boston-area doctors is raising questions about a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Have new prenatal tests been dangerously oversold?
Oversold and misunderstood Many prenatal testing companies promise more than they can deliver. They may also be prompting abortions. Read the article Prenatal timeline Learn about common steps in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mass. appeals court upholds ruling dismissing DCF lawsuit
A nonprofit’s effort to improve Massachusetts' struggling child welfare system hit another roadblock this week with an appeals court decision that closed the door on an effort to get the federal court...
View ArticlePhysician society urges better understanding of new prenatal tests
A national society of high-risk obstetricians urged health professionals to be more vigilant about prenatal screening tests in response to a New England Center for Investigative Reporting story that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Failed projects and weak oversight lead to loss of state’s wetlands
WGBHA 3.4 acre constructed wetland is thriving near the Alewife MBTA station. Most wetland construction efforts, however, fail, and the state is now evaluating new ways to save soggy places that filter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Report: Hundreds of at-risk Mass. kids are revictimized
FacebookJeremiah Oliver was found dead in April after having gone missing. Allegations of child abuse outside of children’s homes rose by 16 percent in Massachusetts in 2013, according to a new state...
View ArticleLeak of confidential documents reveals corporate tax evasion
Thirty five companies — including Disney and Skype — have been exposed for making "secret tax deals" in Luxembourg to evade payment of American and European taxes, according to “Lux Leak” documents...
View ArticleProblems early on for Massachusetts marijuana licensing
Licensing of Massachusetts medical marijuana dispensaries saw issues from the beginning with a lack of time, conflicts of interest, and “questionable work” from well-paid contractors, according to a...
View ArticleViolent patient behavior the norm at psychiatric hospital
The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital is meant to alleviate violent behaviors in patients, but since the facility opened in July, there have been 59 violent acts against employees. Two to three...
View ArticleMaine governor spent thousands to remove young adults from Medicaid program
Paul LePage, the governor of Maine, spent $53,000 on lawyers in a failed attempt to remove thousands of 19- and 20-year-olds from the state Medicaid program. The money came from the governor’s...
View ArticleKentucky’s jailers don’t need a jail to get paid
While 80 percent of the nation’s jails are run by sheriffs, Kentucky has 41 elected jailers, some of whom are employed in areas where jails don’t exist — which leaves them with little to do. Their...
View ArticleBaby death investigators cutting corners in North Carolina
North Carolina medical examiners visit infant death scenes just 2 percent of the time, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis. And they sometimes skip a state requirement to view the baby’s body....
View ArticleThousands in Sacramento City Council funds spent without oversight
Sacramento City Council members get thousands of taxpayer dollars to spend on their own accord. Without much restriction, council members have used the money for movie nights and bounce houses. From...
View ArticleCuban cash pipeline robbing American taxpayers, Sentinel investigation says
A Sun Sentinel investigation has found that there is a criminal pipeline of money flowing from Cuba to the Florida. Thieves taking advantage of U.S. policy created “for humanitarian reasons” have...
View ArticleThousands of California workers hoarding vacation days
Tens of thousands of California state workers have hoarded vacation days beyond the official 80-day limit and may cash out their vacation for thousands of dollars when they leave their jobs. Two...
View ArticleWisconsin Veteran Affairs skyrockets vets’ painkiller distribution
The number of opiate prescriptions at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah, Wisconsin is five times what it was in 2004 despite the fact that the number of veterans seeking...
View ArticleDoctors’ muddled statistical knowledge may harm patients
Doctors are the first line of defense in ensuring women receive sound advice about a new generation of prenatal screens and other complex tests. But many health professionals’ muddled understanding of...
View ArticleCuban diabetes drug still off-limits as U.S. mends relations
Cuban medicine with the potential to save the feet and legs of American diabetes patients is still out of reach, despite improved U.S. relations with the island. The developer of the drug is forbidden...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Foreclosure echo
Lauren Owens for NECIRGuillermo Galindo When Guillermo Galindo lost his two-family Revere home to foreclosure in 2009, the soft-spoken Colombian thought he had finally freed himself from the flood of...
View Article