Berens adds Poe Award to honors for ‘Seniors for Sale’
At its annual dinner on Saturday, the White House Correspondents’ Association will present AHCJ member and Seattle Times reporter Michael Berens with the Edgar A. Poe Award and $2,500. The award “honors excellence in news coverage of subjects and events of significant national or regional importance to the American people.”
Berens earned the prize for his “Seniors for Sale” series, which focused on Washington State’s booming adult home industry and the dangers of the regulatory gray area it often seems to fall into.
Mike Berens (left) accepts his Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism from AHCJ Board President Charles Ornstein on April 16.
According to the WHCA release, “the judges were impressed by the depth of reporting and the ability to tell a highly charged story with clarity.”
“Michael Berens’ stories not only revealed a systemic failure in the health care system, but led to a shake-up of the agency involved, regulatory changes to improve oversight and accountability and landed some caregivers in jail,” said the judges.
This is the second Poe Award for Berens; he shared the first in 2009 with Ken Armstrong for their investigation into MRSA in Washington hospitals.
Berens won first place in the metro category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism for the series. As mentioned in past posts, we’ve featured quite a bit of the series here on Covering Health, and here are a few posts to help you catch up on Berens’ award-winning work:
- Old, frail fall through the cracks in Wash. system
- Washington’s “adult homes” have less regulation, more neglect
- Brokers place seniors in homes without screening
- Members’ investigations prompt bills in Wash.
Giffords’ surgeon credits system, multidisciplinary approach
With the news that U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in Tucson in January, will travel to Florida to watch the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavor, which will be commanded by her husband, there may be renewed interest in her medical history and treatment.
Lemole speaks at Health Journalism 2011 in Philadelphia on April 16.
Attendees of Health Journalism 2011 heard her neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Lemole, describe his response, and that of the whole team at his hospital, in the minutes, hours and days after Giffords’ injury. In the speech, he credited the hospital’s multidisciplinary approach as well as the fact that the system worked as it was intended to on that day. He gave details about Giffords’ treatment and brain injuries in general that health journalists might find useful as Giffords re-emerges in the news.
If you weren’t able to make it to the conference, now you can watch Lemole’s keynote speech online.
Some articles about the talk:
- Neurosurgeon reflects on time in the media spotlight
- Giffords: A poignant presence, but out of view
- Surgeon Who Treated Gabrielle Giffords Talks About Dealing with Media
- Surgeon describes details of Gabrielle Giffords’ trauma care
- An exclusive interview with Gabrielle Giffords’ neurosurgeon
Hoban compares N.C. mental health system to other states
Filed under: Government, Health journalism, Health policy, Hot Health Headline, Member news
WUNC’s Rose Hoban took advantage of an AHCJ fellowship to create far-reaching series on what state and local governments are doing to accommodate and treat residents with mental health disorders, particularly in terms of housing.
Rose Hoban
I recommend you start with Hoban’s honest and personal explanation of how the series came about. It was facilitated by an AHCJ Media Fellowship on Health Performance, supported by the Commonwealth Fund, but the initial impetus came from Hoban’s 12 years of nursing experience and firsthand experiences with treatment models for the mentally ill.
Her original plan for the fellowship, which called for a broad, systemic analysis, was to compare North Carolina’s health system to that of a an equivalent state elsewhere in the country. As she soon found, it’s not that simple.
… as I started digging, I learned that’s just not possible. States have so many varied ways of organizing mental health care delivery – Local-control or state-control? Combine with substance abuse services and developmental disabilities or not? Pull in lots of federal dollars or depend on state dollars? Rely on institutions or more on community-based services?
On top of that, states have many ways of paying for mental health services – Medicaid? State dollars? County dollars? Private dollars? Public-private-partnerships? Tax dollars? Insurance dollars? Fees?
With the insight provided by that false start, Hoban recalibrated by choosing to compare specific components of the North Carolina system with those of other relevant states. The results, along with some relevant past work and original blog posts, are available on Hoban’s NC Voices: Mental Health Disorder blog.
The centerpiece, a five-part radio series focusing on housing issues for those with mental health problems, aired on North Carolina Public Radio. The links below will take you to stories, transcripts and blog posts.
- Part 1: What Kind of Housing for People with Mental Health Problems? (blog)
- Part 2: http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/NRH041911.mp3/view (blog)
- Part 3: Tennessee Finds Ways To House People With Mental Health Disabilities (blog)
- Part 4: Roadblocks for Housing for People with Mental Health Disabilities (blog)
- Part 5: How to Create Better Housing for People with Mental Health Disabilities (blog)
Federal agency issues guide to covering suicides
Asserting that safe media reporting is one of the best ways to prevent suicide, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently released recommendations for reporting on suicide.
The press release says the guidance was “developed by a group of suicide prevention experts, researchers and journalists and are based on more than 50 research studies.” It’s worth noting, however, that while the website lists a number of organizations that collaborated to develop the recommendations, none of those listed are journalism organizations.
Among its suggestions:
- Avoid sensational headlines and prominent placement
- Don’t use photos of grieving friends or family, memorials or funerals
- Don’t describe a suicide as inexplicable
- Don’t disclose the contents of suicide notes
- Avoid misinformation and offer hope
For some perspective from journalists about reporting on suicide, we recommend “Reporting Suicide and Finding a Balance,” by Meg Spratt of the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma. The Dart Center has a collection of resources on the topic.
The “Minimize Harm” section of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics doesn’t specifically address suicide but does point out the need to show compassion and sensitivity, as well as realizing gathering and reporting the news can cause harm or discomfort.
The Radio Television Digital News Association has guidelines for reporting on suicide, from the American Association of Suicidology. The guidelines include minimizing reporting specific details and avoiding reporting simplistic reasons for suicide. It cautions against making suicide appear glamorous to someone who might be considering suicide and reporting on it in a straightforward manner.
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Phil Nesbitt wrote an article for the American Press Institute about the ethical debates surrounding the publication of people jumping from the World Trade Center as well as an incident in Pennsylvania in which a state official committed suicide at a press conference.
Nesbitt reports that editors decide whether or not to publish photos on a case-by-case basis, often depending on the circumstances:
A picture of someone leaping from a high-rise fire would not necessarily merit publication. But someone jumping or falling from the World Trade Center tower as a direct result of the greatest terrorist attack on our soil, for most editors, would.
(Thanks to Charles Bingham and Gary Schwitzer for suggesting resources.)
Ontario considers exempting some hospital records from FOI law
Filed under: Health journalism, Hot Health Headline, Public records
Legal Feeds blogger Glenn Kauth, of the Canadian Law Times, reports that Ontario’s legislature is currently considering a law containing a little-known provision that would exempt from FOI law “information provided to, or records prepared by, a hospital committee for the purpose of assessing or evaluating the quality of health care and directly related programs and services provided by the hospital” starting Jan. 1, 2012 (scroll down to Schedule 15).
The leader of a provincial nurses’ organization took issue with the provision, telling the London Free Press that “The public has a right to know what’s happening in its local hospitals,” but Ontario health officials say hospitals need the exemption.
Health Minister Deb Matthews has defended the move to exempt information related to quality of care from public release. According to the Free Press, Matthews believes subjecting hospitals and doctors to greater scrutiny would prevent open dialogue about problems and how to fix them. “They must have a very open and frank discussion,” she said.
(Hat tip to Paul Levy, whose post on the matter also has some great first-hand material from Denmark)
After Fauber’s story, pain group snips industry ties
Earlier this month, we blogged about Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Fauber’s work linking industry funding, local researchers and the rapid spread of painkiller use in America. Now Fauber’s written the best kind of follow up, with a story headlined “UW group ends drug firm funds.” Here’s the key paragraph:
UW made the announcement after an April 3 investigative report in the Journal Sentinel revealed that its UW Pain & Policy Studies Group had taken about $2.5 million over a decade from companies that make opioids. The money came while the group pushed for what critics say was a pharmaceutical industry agenda not supported by rigorous science: the liberalized use of narcotic painkillers for non-cancer chronic pain.
University officials claim they started cutting off industry funds in September, as part of a successful campaign to regain status as a World Health Organization collaborating center. However, they didn’t disclose that to Fauber during the course of his months-long investigation into the subject, saying that Fauber never asked about it. It’s worth reading the story for a more complete explanation of the change in funding.
APA ghostwriting/COI scandal simmers quietly
Filed under: Conflicts of interest, Health journalism, Hot Health Headline
For folks who have had trouble keeping up, MIWatch.org’s Phyllis Vine has pieced together a particularly readable roundup of where the American Psychiatric Association’s Nemeroff/Schatzberg/Glaxo ghostwriting controversy now stands.
Alan Schatzberg (a former APA president) and Charles Nemeroff are, of course, prominent psychiatrists who, in 1999, put their names on the APA-published Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care. Recent discoveries seem to show that the book, intended to teach primary care physicians about certain new pharmaceuticals, was actually penned by the ghostwriters over at Scientific Therapeutics Inc. Not only that, but the book was bankrolled by an unrestricted grant from the company that’s now GlaxoSmithKline. In other words, it’s double-decker scandal including both ghostwriting and conflicts of interest.
Though the news really hit the mainstream with Duff Wilson’s November 2010 piece in The New York Times, Vine also points out the dogged work of folks like Paul Thacker over at the Project on Government Oversight and others. Work which, Vine writes, has been met by a concerted APA stonewalling effort which appears to continue straight through to the present, despite many unanswered questions.
A MIWatch request to speak to someone about accusations of stonewalling was returned with an email signed by Ron McMillen and rehashing previous statements. His title, “CEO of the APA Office of Publishing Operations” was amended with the word “retired.”
In other words, while the scandal hasn’t gone away, the APA has thus far managed to keep it in a sort of holding pattern, presumably with the hope that it will soon complete its journey to the back burner.
Nun talks about practicing medicine in rural Miss.
Filed under: Health policy, Hot Health Headline, Public health
In today’s episode of The Story, from American Public Media, listeners hear from Sister Anne Brooks, a physician who has been running a clinic in Mississippi for almost 30 years.
She talks about the challenges of treating patients in a rural area, the effect the lack of care has on people and how she makes ends meet in a poor community. Brooks sometimes takes things in trade for her medical services - her payments have included catfish, crookneck squash and chainsaw services.
Her efforts go beyond running the clinic. She is a member of the community and talks about building community spirit. There was no emergency room in the area so her home has often served as the ER; once she even delivered twins in her backyard.
She also discusses the cultural realities of being a white woman who came to treat a largely African-American community. When she arrived at the clinic, there were separate waiting rooms for white patients and African American patients - something she put a stop to. She describes how she adjusted her behavior to gain her patients’ acceptance and trust.
Brooks says modern health care relies too much on MRIs and CT scans and too little on clinical exams. She says young doctors and nurse practitioners who rotate through her clinic don’t know how to give a good physical.
Stories about rural health impact all communities; learn to find them
From a shrinking physician workforce to disparities in health care, important stories about rural health abound. Even if your newsroom is in a bustling city, there are untold rural health stories down the road.
So join us in St. Louis on June 3 for this special free workshop to help you find and cover health stories in rural America. Just join AHCJ – or make sure your membership is up to date – to attend. The workshop includes breakfast and lunch.
Pulitzer nods demonstrate breadth of health beat
This week’s Pulitzer announcements demonstrated just how far health journalism spread its wings in 2010, with health-related stories snagging wins and nominations for work related to everything from business to commentary to feature writing. Several AHCJ members were among the nominees, and Covering Health readers will recognize a significant number of the bylines and storylines. We’ve pulled the health-related award text below straight from Pulitzer.org and linked to related content when possible. Winning entries are in bold.
Explanatory Reporting
- Awarded Mark Johnson, Kathleen Gallagher, Gary Porter, Lou Saldivar and Alison Sherwood of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for their lucid examination of an epic effort to use genetic technology to save a 4-year-old boy imperiled by a mysterious disease, told with words, graphics, videos and other images.
- Staff of The Wall Street Journal
For its penetration of the shadowy world of fraud and abuse in Medicare, probing previously concealed government databases to identify millions of dollars in waste and corrupt practices.- Award entry questionnaire about how the series was reported (AHCJ members only)
- WSJ sues for release of Medicare provider data
- WSJ exposes flaws of Medicare’s pay now, investigate later culture
- WSJ details conflicts that drive spine fusion surgery
- WSJ explains why Medicare data is hidden
- Staff of The Washington Post
For its exploration of how the military is using trauma surgery, brain science and other techniques both old and new to reduce fatalities among the wounded in warfare, telling the story with words, images and other tools.
Editorial Writing
- Awarded to Joseph Rago of The Wall Street Journal for his well crafted, against-the-grain editorials challenging the health care reform advocated by President Obama.
Investigative Reporting
- Walt Bogdanich of The New York Times
For his spotlighting of medical radiation errors that injure thousands of Americans, sparking national discussion and remedial steps. - Sam Roe and Jared S. Hopkins of Chicago Tribune
For their investigation, in print and online, of 13 deaths at a home for severely disabled children and young adults, resulting in a state effort to close the facility.
Public Service
- The New York Times
For the work of Alan Schwarz in illuminating the peril of concussions in football and other sports, spurring a national discussion and a re-examination of helmets and of medical and coaching practices.
Local Reporting
- Marshall Allen and Alex Richards of Las Vegas Sun
For their compelling reports on patients who suffered preventable injuries and other harm during hospital care, taking advantage of print and digital tools to drive home their findings.- Article: DocumentCloud opens a window into inspection reports for readers (Written for AHCJ members by Marshall Allen)
- Award entry questionnaire about how the series was reported (AHCJ members only)
- Allen looks at present, future of Nev. transparency
- Las Vegas Sun caps series by showing solutions
- Quest for profit behind patient safety problems in Las Vegas hospitals
- Hospital infections on rise in Nev., reporters find
- Analysis of billing record data reveals hospital quality issues in Las Vegas
National Reporting
- David Evans of Bloomberg News
For his revelations of how life insurance companies retained death benefits owed to families of military veterans and other Americans, leading to government investigations and remedial changes.
Feature Writing
- Tony Bartelme of The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC
For his engaging account of a South Carolina neurosurgeon’s quest to teach brain surgery in Tanzania, possibly providing a new model for health care in developing countries.- Award entry questionnaire about how the story was reported (AHCJ members only)
Journalists learn more about using social media tools
By Shuka Kalantari (@skalantari; @KQEDhealth)
KQED Public Radio
Though blogging and social media have been around for some time now, some people still argue that blogging, social media and journalism should be independent of one another. Scott Hensley of NPR’s Shots blog contends that couldn’t be further from the truth.
During a panel about “Best practices in blogging and social media” at Health Journalism 2011, Hensley said bloggers and journalists are perfect matches for each other. So how does a blogger decide what to write about?
The #ahcj11 Twitter stream helped attendees share information at Health Journalism 2011.
“I want to write the most interesting stuff online,” Hensley said. “The stuff that is burning to be done right now, then see where it goes.”
He advised journalists to check their Twitter feed in the morning as it might give you story ideas.
“Twitter and Facebook can be a booster rocket to make a post go viral.” He added that it doesn’t always work but, if the post is interesting, it’s worth a shot. Hensley says that in addition to checking news sites, he always checks his personal Twitter feed - @scotthensley - as well as the NPR’s Twitter feed - @NPRhealth - to see what’s going on in the Twittersphere.
Ivan Oransky, treasurer of AHCJ’s board of directors, is the executive editor of Reuters Health and blogger for Retraction Watch and Embargo Watch. He joined the blogosphere in 2006 for The Scientist. Oransky says that search engine optimization (SEO) is key for any blogger. If you have a subject you are covering, be sure to use key words that will attract people.
“SEO, to me, means using key words where people that were interested in that subject would want to read about,” Oransky said.
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Awards for Excellence in Health Care JournalismDeadline: Feb. 3
- How I did it: Falsified charts in nursing homes linked to patient care
- Access Denied: Looking at a lack of health care availability
- Transparency & medical errors: Public reporting of patient harm is a potent force
- Focus on freelancing: Tips for buying liability insurance
- Why do some patients get stuck in hospitals for weeks, months?
- Investigate health professionals and the boards that regulate them
- Presidents of AHCJ, SPJ call for more openness from Obama administration
