Where We Live

Before it was Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living, it was the Hartford Retreat for the Insane.

Today Hank Schwartz, joins us to share the history of this Connecticut mental health center, 200 years after its opening.

Although asylums have a reputation for inhumane treatment towards the mentally ill, the Hartford Retreat was a pioneer in treating all of its patients with respect and dignity.

We hear how that philosophy informs how the Institute operates today.

What questions do you have about the history of asylums in our state?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Hank Schwartz - Psychiatrist and Chief Emeritus of Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living
• Daniel Bergner - contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of the new book, The Mind and the Moon: My Brother’s Story, The Science of Our Brains and the Search for Our Psyches

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Former State Department of Public Health Commissioner Renée Coleman-Mitchell has filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Connecticut, alleging her firing in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic was the result of racial discrimination.

This hour, All Things Considered host John Henry Smith fills in for Lucy Nalpathanchil to speak with Coleman-Mitchell, who details her allegations.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, names Governor Lamont among other members of his administration, alleging her firing was "simply on the basis that he did not prefer to have an older African-American female in the public eye as the individual leading the state in the fight against COVID-19." The lawsuit says her duties were "usurped" by former State Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe.

Geballe and a spokesperson for the Lamont Administration each declined to comment. A spokesperson for State Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre Gifford, who replaced Coleman-Mitchell in the wake of her firing, also did not comment, citing the pending litigation.

When asked about the treatment of women of color in his administration on Where We Live, Governor Lamont noted his administration has "more women and more women of color in our administration than any administration in history."

In August of 2020, the Associated Press reported "dozens of state and local public health leaders around the U.S. have resigned or have been fired amid the coronavirus outbreak, a testament to how politically combustible masks, lockdowns and infection data have become."

Later in the hour, CT News Junkie's Christine Stuart joins us for analysis.

Stuart touches on tension earlier in Coleman-Mitchell's 13-month term, noting "the controversial decision to release anonymized school-by-school vaccination data as the measles virus made a return to the U.S. in multiple outbreaks" in 2019. Coleman-Mitchell "had to be encouraged by Lamont to release that data after telling reporters that she wouldn’t," reports Stuart.

GUESTS:

• Renée Coleman-Mitchell: Former Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Christine Stuart: Editor-in-Chief, CT News Junkie

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Spring has sprung and it’s time for our spring gardening hour!

Today, horticulturist and author Tovah Martin joins us to answer all of your gardening questions and to share how to create a garden to fulfill all the senses.

Tovah is the author of The Garden in Every Sense and Season. Whether you have a seven acre property like Tovah, or a container garden on your patio, there’s plenty of opportunities to maximize your gardening space.

What are you planting this spring?

GUEST:

• Tovah Martin - horticulturist, author and freelance writer. She lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

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Asian American and Pacific Islander history will be required in Connecticut public schools by the 2025-26 school year, according to a new, soon-to-be-signed mandate. The measure was backed by Make Us Visible CT, a grassroots advocacy group working to "build capacity in the Connecticut school system to develop a robust and inclusive Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum."

This hour, we'll hear from one of ten classes participating a community of practice, modeling how this content can be meaningfully taught. UConn Asian and Asian American Studies Institute Activist-in-Residence JHD (Jennifer Heikkila Díaz) is working with Bassick High School in Bridgeport, among other schools in the Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford areas, to collaborate on culturally-responsive curriculum around Thi Bui's moving graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do.

We'll hear from JHD, along with English teacher Ricardo Alvelo and two of his students. Plus, we hear from Kaitlin Tan Fung, a multimedia artist and art educator who developed art projects and prompts to help students respond to the memoir.

Thi Bui, an educator herself, learned the graphic novel format in the hopes her book could help to solve the "storytelling problem of how to present history in a way that is human and relatable and not oversimplified.” How can educators participate in that process?

GUESTS:

• JHD (Jennifer Heikkila Díaz): Chief of Talent and Operations, New Haven Promise; Activist-in-Residence, UConn Asian and Asian American Studies Institute; Cofounder, aapiNHV; Steering Committee Member, Anti-Racist Teaching & Learning Collective
• Ricardo Alvelo: English Teacher, Bassick High School in Bridgeport
• Destinie Melendez: Student, Bassick High School
• Janette Espinoza: Student, Bassick High School
• Kaitlin Tan Fung: Multimedia Artist; Art Educator, Elm City College Preparatory Elementary School in New Haven

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The baby formula shortage has families scrambling.

The crisis began after Abbott recalled some powdered baby formulas in February, following investigations into a whistleblower’s tip off in October last year. Four infants were hospitalized with bacterial infections and two have died.

This hour on Where We Live, we’ll talk with a researcher of feminist economics about how U.S. maternal leave policies impact a baby’s access to breastmilk, and why formula milk is promoted in low-income communities of color. We’ll also discuss the societal shaming of women who formula feed.

As Abbott aims to restart production, we’ll look at resources currently available to families. We’ll also weigh in on the regulatory process and other factors that accentuated this crisis, and explore long-term solutions.

GUESTS:

Nicole Leonard: Health Reporter, Connecticut Public Radio

Dr. Leslie Sude: Pediatrician, Yale Medicine Pediatrics; Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine

Samantha Schenck, PhD: Assistant Professor of Economics, Central Connecticut State University. Research interests include feminist economics.

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More than $100 million in federal infrastructure funds will go towards protecting and preserving Long Island Sound. Hear from Soundkeeper Bill Lucey about spending plans, Save the Sound's priorities, and why oysters are so unique.

Plus, Norm Bloom of Copps Island Oysters explains why conservation is his business; and Tessa Getchis with the Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension Program provides an update on the Shellfish Restoration Project.

GUESTS:

• Bill Lucey - Long Island Soundkeeper, Save the Sound
• Norm Bloom - Owner, Copps Island Oysters
• Tessa Getchis - Aquaculture extension specialist, Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension Program

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Campaign season is underway in Connecticut. This hour, we speak with incumbent Governor Ned Lamont about his first term and his reelection campaign.

The recently-signed state budget delivers $660 million in tax cuts, but The Mirror's Keith Phaneuf reports "about $364 million or 55% of the tax relief offered in the latest budget expires after this fiscal year." We'll discuss the budget, bills still to be signed from the recent short session, including the "captive audience" bill, and more.

Plus, we take your questions for Governor Lamont.

GUESTS:

• Ned Lamont: Democratic Governor of Connecticut

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Sy Montgomery has authored over 30 books about animals.

Today, she joins us to talk about her latest book, The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty. We learn about Sy’s lessons in falconry and what it takes to handle these incredible creatures.

Later, we hear from A Place Called Hope Rehabilitation Center, a raptor rehabilitator located in Killingworth.

If you’re a lover of birds of prey, we want to hear from you. What questions do you have about falconry?

GUESTS:

• Sy Montgomery - Author of The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty
• Christine Cummings - Executive Director and Founder of A Place Called Hope Rehabilitation Center in Killingworth, Connecticut

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Microbeads were banned in the U.S. in 2015, but tiny bits of plastic known as microplastics, and another manmade family of chemicals called PFAS, are turning up in our environment and in our bodies. The Connecticut Sea Grant identified both materials as contaminants of emerging concern this year.

This hour, we hear about the efforts to track the prevalence and impact of PFAS and microplastics in Connecticut. Experts at Connecticut Sea Grant and the State Department of Public Health join us to discuss PFAS; and UConn Professor and Head of UConn's Marine Sciences Department J. Evan Ward touches on microplastics in the Long Island Sound.

Plus, Elizabeth Ellenwood is an artist from Pawcatuck whose work draws attention to ocean pollution and microplastics. She was recently awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship and an American Scandinavian Foundation Grant to travel to Norway, where she's working with environmental chemists and marine biologists to produce scientifically-informed photographs focusing on ocean pollution.

GUESTS:

• J. Evan Ward: Professor and Head of Marine Sciences Department, UConn
• Sylvain De Guise: Director, Connecticut Sea Grant at UConn Avery Point
• Lori Mathieu: Drinking Water Section Chief, Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Elizabeth Ellenwood: Artist

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A new report on hospital costs by Hearst Connecticut shows widely different prices for the same procedure at hospitals statewide. And insurers are negotiating astoundingly varied prices for – say – a C-section or an hour of critical care. To a consumer, the hospitals would appear comparable in quality and are located just miles apart.

Certainly, shopping for healthcare is different from shopping for a toaster. The price is dependent on the type of insurance plan, and the billing codes are mind boggling. Yet, in a well-functioning, competitive market, such extreme variations in comparable services would not exist – according to a Brookings report in 2020.

This hour on Where We Live, Mary Katherine Wildeman, author of the Hearst Connecticut special report, dives into patterns in the data. And the data is still hard to find – there isn’t a central searchable database where consumers can compare prices for a pre-scheduled procedure at hospitals statewide.

Also this hour on Where We Live, Vicky Veltri from the Office of Health Strategy announces a new tool that will soon become available to patients in Connecticut.

So what exactly will hospital price transparency – now required by law – accomplish? And, insurers will also have to share price information, starting July 1. Could employers begin directing their employees to make certain healthcare choices versus others?

Beyond transparency, we look at a bill that was just passed by Connecticut lawmakers that will give the state the authority to cap the rise in healthcare costs. The bill will also hold providers and insurers accountable.

GUESTS: 

Mary Katherine Wildeman: Data Reporter, Hearst Connecticut. Authored the Hearst Connecticut Special Report: “Hospital care costs are wildly different across CT. Explore the once secret data.”

Vicki Veltri: Executive Director, Office of Health Strategy, State of Connecticut 

Paul Kidwell: Senior Vice President of Policy, Connecticut Hospital Association

Nick McLaughlin: Founder & CEO, Breeze Health, a Goodroot Inc. affiliated company

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