Tanning Beds in Gyms Is Concerning Trend, UConn Study Finds

"By pairing exercise with tanning beds, gyms send the message that tanning is part of a healthy lifestyle. It is not," according to University of Connecticut researcher Sherry Pagoto in a study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology. Pagoto is a professor of allied health sciences and president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.  “The presence of tanning beds in gyms is a concerning trend.” Pagoto and her colleagues surveyed more than 600 people who had used a tanning bed at least once in their life. Nearly one-quarter (24%) had tanned in a gym at least once, the findings showed.  Those who had tanned at a gym tended to be heavier tanners overall, and were more likely to be what the researchers called "addictive" tanners.

Nearly half the gyms in the U.S. contain tanning beds.  Two of the largest American gym chains (Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness) with total combined membership of more than 13 million people offer indoor tanning, the study pointed out.  Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness each have 26 Connecticut locations.

Exercise and tanning are both activities people use to improve their appearance; and people who tan in gyms tan more often – and more addictively – than other people who use tanning beds, according to the study. Exercise reduces the risk of every cancer except one – melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. People who exercise heavily are at greater risk of skin cancer, and yet many gyms in the U.S. have tanning beds. In other words, tanning beds in gyms are targeting people who are already at higher risk of skin cancer, UConn Today explained recently in highlighting the study.

“Exercise and tanning are both things people use to look better, which may be why we see a connection between these two behaviors, and why gyms are providing tanning beds to patrons,” Pagoto said.

The study also found that greater tanning was associated with more frequent exercise, which is especially concerning, because of the connection between heavy exercise and skin cancer risk. Researchers don’t know why exercise is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. But they do know that the majority of skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light, which is what tanning beds produce.

Ongoing, occasional use of tanning beds triples a person’s lifelong risk of melanoma, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation, and the incidence of skin cancer has been rising for 30 years in the U.S. About 91,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2018, and about 9,000 will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Indoor tanning is the same class of carcinogen as tobacco, radon, and arsenic,” says Pagoto. “Those are not things you’d want around you while you’re working out.”

Pagoto is also Director of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist her research focuses on leveraging technology in the development and delivery of behavioral interventions targeting diet, physical activity, and cancer prevention behaviors. She has had federal funding for her program of research for 14 consecutive years, totaling over $11 million, and has published over 170 papers in peer-reviewed journals, according to the UConn website.

Among the statements from survey respondents: “My urges to indoor tan keep getting stronger if I don’t indoor tan,” and “at times, I have used money intended for bills to pay for my tanning sessions.”

Pagoto was joined in the study by researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Lincoln memorial University in Tennessee, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Pennsylvania State University and East Tennessee State university.  The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

CT Headed for Population Also-Ran Status by 2040; Eight States Will Be Home to Nearly Half of Us

In 2040, it is anticipated that eight states will have just under half of the total population of the country, 49.5 percent, according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia, which analyzed U.S. Census Bureau population projections.  Connecticut is not one of them. A report published in the Washington Post also indicated that the next eight most populous states will account for an additional fifth of the population, up to 69.2 percent — meaning that the 16 most populous states will be home to about 70 percent of Americans.

Geographically, the Post reports, most of those 16 states will be on or near the East Coast. Only three — Arizona, Texas and Colorado — will be west of the Mississippi and not on the West Coast.

The eight states expected to dominate the population numbers, with nearly half the nation’s residents, are California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.  The next eight, which will include 20 percent of the population, are Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington.

Connecticut is one of 34 states in which the remaining 30 percent of the nation’s population will reside.

The projections by the Weldon Cooper Center for Connecticut’s population are: 3,606,144 in 2020; 3,634,820 in 2030; 3,585,765 in 2040.

In previous populaton analysis, the Center has noted that the U.S. population is expected to reach 383 million by 2040, but the rate of growth is projected to slow down from nearly 10 percent over the 2000-2010 decade to 6 percent between 2030-2040. Similar trends are also expected from most states.

The geographic distribution of the nation’s overall growing population also reflects geographic shifts. Back in 2000, six of the top ten largest states belonged to the North. By 2040, five of the top ten are expected to be in the South. The slowing down of the northern states growth, along with rapid population growth in the south and west, means that over time the country will become more Southern and Western, the Center indicates. 

The fastest growth is projected to take place in Washington D.C., Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Florida. As noted above, the Connecticut population is expected to drop between 2030 and 2040.  Also expected to see population declines in that decade are Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Viginia.

Nine CT Employers Among Nation's Best for Women, Analysis Shows

Nine Connecticut companies are among the 300 best employers in the country for women, according to a new analysis. Four of them - Booking Holdings in Norwalk (54), Pitney Bowes in Stamford (63), The Hartford in Hartford (88) and Farmington-based United Technologies (99) earned a spot in the top 100. The No. 1 company on Forbes' list was Iowa-based Principal Financial Group. According to Forbes, 59 percent of the company's employees are women and the company offers benefits like flexible work schedules and onsite child care. Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine was ranked second. According to Forbes, women comprise 77 percent of Penn Medicine's workforce and 55 percent of its executive positions. Five of Penn Medicine's seven CEO positions are held by women, the magazine noted. 

The survey is the first-ever ranking of America’s best employers for women produced for Forbes.  Rounding out the top five were Hallmark Cards, BayCare and Oregon Health & Science University.  At Hallmark, 83 percent of employees, 40 percent of senior managers and 75 percent of board members are women.  Hallmark closed its longtime Enfield distribution center two years ago.

The five other Connecticut employers to merit mention in the inaugural top 300 list were: WR Berkley of Greenwich (171), Synchrony Financial of Stamford (194), Ethan Allen (197) and Praxair (220), both based in Danbury, and Hartford-based Aetna (287).

Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to develop the list. Statista surveyed 40,000 Americans, including 25,000 women, working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. The surveys were anonymous.

Respondents were first asked to rate their organizations on criteria such as working conditions, diversity and how likely they’d be to recommend their employer to others. These responses were reviewed for potential gender gaps. If women, for example, rated an organization poorly on diversity, but men rated it highly, Statista would take that into account and adjust the company’s score accordingly. Women were also asked to rate employers on factors like parental leave and pay equity, according to Forbes.

Earning a position in the top 10 were Keller Williams Realty (#6), Boston Children’s Hospital (#7), Providence Health & Services (#8), and Harvard University (#9).

Among the employers on the list with a presence in Connecticut are YMCA (#34), Lincoln Financial (#52), Ikea (#56), Five Guys (#65), Gap (#66), Hilton (#90) and Whole Foods (#93).

PERSPECTIVE: Challenging Times, Leaders Needed

by Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole I do not think I have to convince you that we are living in very challenging times.

But in case you ask me for evidence that all is far from peaceful and just in our communities, our nation, and our world—let me recall with you that on August 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacists wore the symbols and shouted out words associated with the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis. And day after day, we hear from more than one leader in the world expressions and actions of bigotry and hatred for people of color, for women, for people of Jewish and Islamic faiths, for individuals of LGBTQ communities, for differently abled individuals, for immigrants, and yes, for women, men and children who are poor.

Surely you agree with me when I say that in communities across our nation and our world, there is a crying need for peace, justice, and equality for all people. It is because of the state of our nation and our world that we turn to you, the graduates of this very special college, to say that you can be and you must be the leaders we desperately need.

So what is required of you to be the leaders we have been waiting for? First, you must be of service to others. Listen to these words of Dr. Martin Luther King:

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

This idea of being a servant leader was taught to me by my parents, my minister, and my community leaders as I grew up in the segregated South. They repeatedly said to me, “Doing for others is just the rent you’ve got to pay for your room on earth.”

The much-admired African American educator, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded Bethune- Cookman College that is now a university, would often say, “Go on and climb to the top. But remember, you must lift others as you climb.”

Elie Wiesel, the great humanitarian who as a boy was put in a concentration camp because he was Jewish, once said this, “Our lives do not belong to us alone. Our lives belong to those who need us the most.”

There are so many ways to be of service, such as volunteering in a soup kitchen, a center for the victims of domestic violence, or an after-school program. Beyond the moral and ethical reasons to volunteer, there are some very practical reasons. Studies have shown that people who volunteer have less stress, greater satisfaction, as well as improved problem-solving and networking skills. And yes, students who volunteer do better in school.

A second requirement if you are to fulfill the promise of being effective leaders in today’s highly technological and diverse world is this: You must not only understand and respect your own culture; you need to have knowledge of and respect for people who are different from you. Indeed as technology transforms our world into a global village, a leader must respect the diversity of humankind and think and act in an inclusive way.

To acquire the skills and sensibilities to function in today’s world, you must be able to work and interact with people who do not have the same skin color and hair texture as you do, who do not speak as you do, worship as you do, move about physically as you do, and partner as you do.

There is an incredibly rewarding bonus in store for those who manage to do this. And that is you will come to more fully understand and respect yourselves. As we anthropologists say, “It’s scarcely the fish who discovers water.” Indeed by learning about others, we better understand ourselves.

Here is a third requirement if you are to fully embrace your potential to be the leaders we desperately need: You must believe that a positive change is possible and that you have a responsibility to help to make it happen. There are so many ways that, as young and not-so-young people, you can help to change our world. Indeed, we are witnessing a time in our county when young folks are at the forefront of the call for positive change on a number of issues.

One of my heroes, Marian Wright Edelman, the president of the Children’s Defense Fund, has said this: “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it, you have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” There is an African saying that speaks to the power of one person to make a difference. It says: “If you believe one creature cannot make a difference, you have never spent a night in a closed room with a mosquito.”

Let me bring closure to my remarks by telling you a story.

One day, while walking on a beach, an old man encountered a young girl picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. The old man asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” The girl replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw the starfish into the ocean, they will die.” “But young girl, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? What you are doing can’t really matter.” The young girl listened politely to the old man, but then as she bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean, she said, “It mattered to that one.”

The girl was indeed a leader. This young hero honored her responsibility to be of service to others—including starfish! She understood and respected diversity, including biodiversity. And this young girl was committed to being an agent for positive change, even when that meant saving a few starfish along a beach.

I believe that each of you can and must be the leaders we need—for you can be of service to others, you can respect human diversity, and you can be agents for positive change. So go on dear graduates and be the leaders we have been waiting for!

___________________

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, former president of Spelman College and Bennett College, and former director of the National Museum of African Art, delivered this Commencement Address at Trinity College in Hartford on May 19, 2018. In honor of her broad civic involvement in various worthwhile causes, Cole has received 64 honorary degrees and numerous awards, including the TransAfrica Forum Global Public Service Award; the Radcliffe Medal; the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal; the Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Community Services from United Way of America; the Joseph Prize for Human Rights presented by the Anti-Defamation League; the Straight for Equality Award from Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG); and the Alston-Jones International Civil and Human Rights award.

Town Centers Gain Recognition, Walkability Highlighted

Connecticut’s official state tourism site is touting the virtues of visiting six “walkable town centers” in the state, noting that the state “has many town centers where a nice ramble takes you to shops, restaurants, galleries, museums and even a park bench or two.” The number 1 location in the state, according to the website, is West Hartford Center.  Also highlighted are New Canaan, New Haven’s Chapel Street, Chester, Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, and Litchfield.

Each of the six locations is highlighted on the site with information on attractions, events, restaurants, accommodations and shopping.

Of West Hartford Center, the state website says “the intersection of Farmington Avenue and South Main Street in West Hartford can lead you to many shopping or dining pleasures, and eventually to the adjacent Blue Back Square.”

New Canaan is described as “this classic commuter town,” which “has an appealing downtown and many restaurants, especially in the triangle formed by Main, Locust and Forest Streets.  Lots of places to shop, too.”

Describing Chapel Street in New Haven, the website suggests “you can truly spend an entire day (and night) without getting off Chapel Street.”  Chester, the website notes, has “small-town charm you’re looking for,” including “tasteful little shops and an interesting variety of restaurants.”

When the website Redfin compiled their latest list of most walkable cities, Hartford made the list.  With a walk score of 71, transit score of 54 and bike score of 53, the site noted the state’s Capital City as having an average walk score, good public transportation and “somewhat bikable.”  The most walkable neighborhoods named were Downtown, South Green and Frog Hollow, and the review of the city indicated that “most errands can be accomplished on foot in Hartford.”

New Haven received a walk score of 68 and a bike score of 66.  Both New Haven and Hartford (more recently) have launched bike exchange programs within the past year.  Bridgeport also received a walk score of 68, along with a bike score of 50.  Stamford earned a walk score of 54, bike score of 39 and transit score of 38.  Waterbury’s walk score was 49; bike score was 25.  Danbury’s walk score was 38.

The walk scores for cities across the country were grouped from 90-100 (walker’s paradise), 70-89 (very walkable), 50-69 (somewhat walkable), 25-49 (car dependent), to 0-24 (very car dependent).

The top bike friendly cities are Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.  The most transit friendly are New York, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia.  The most walkable are New York, San Francisco, Boston, Miami and Philadelphia.

Gerrymandering Lessens Compactness, Which Lessens Voting, UConn Study Finds

The less geographically compact a district is, the lower the voter turnout. That’s the bottom-line finding of a study by a University of Connecticut political scientist, published in the June issue of Election Law Journal.  The study suggests that gerrymandering – often criticized for skewing political representation to one party or the other – has additional ill-effects, including the act of voting itself. Using a dataset on the compactness of U.S. House districts—with multiple measures generated by geographic information system (GIS) analyses over two redistricting cycles, UConn Associate Professor Jeffrey Ladewig estimated the effects of congressional district compactness on electoral turnout. The conclusion:  compactness matters.  The study “Appearances Do Matter”: Congressional District Compactness and Electoral Turnout” was led by Ladewig.

“Districts that were less geographically compact had lower voter turnout – measured both from election data and individual survey data – even controlling for district demographic and election characteristics,” the Boston Globe reported in a brief news item about the study.

States determine their district lines for Congressional seats and state legislative seats every ten years, following the U.S. Census.  The next Census will be in 2020, with district lines slated to be redrawn for the 2022 elections.

According to Governing magazine, states around the country have a range of criteria in drawing district lines, including:

• Compactness: Having the minimum distance between all the parts of a constituency (a circle, square or a hexagon is the most compact district).
• Contiguity: All parts of a district being connected at some point with the rest of the district.
• Preservation of counties and other political subdivisions: This refers to not crossing county, city, or town, boundaries when drawing districts.
• Preservation of communities of interest: Geographical areas, such as neighborhoods of a city or regions of a state, where the residents have common political interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision, such as a city or county.
• Preservation of cores of prior districts: This refers to maintaining districts as previously drawn, to the extent possible. This leads to continuity of representation.
• Avoiding pairing incumbents: This refers to avoiding districts that would create contests between incumbents.

Connecticut has no guidelines or limitations in drawing Congressional District lines. (Although it does have a process.)

Jeffrey W Ladewig earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Government at University of Texas at Austin in 2002 and his B.A. from the Department of Political Science and the Department of Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1993. He teaches courses on the U.S. Congress, the U.S. President, American political economy, and American political parties.

Toll Technology, Revenue Considered in Indiana, Minnesota and (Possibly) Connecticut

“Toll technology advancements significantly altered the tolling landscape, expanded the types of toll facilities being operated and improved customer experience,” a report on tolling feasibility developed for the Minnesota Department of Transportation explained.  “New toll facilities using all-electronic tolling are being implemented in several places across the country to add new roadway capacity, manage congestion and provide a sustainable revenue source for asset lifecycle costs.” The 106-page report, issued in January, concluded that more study is needed — if that’s the direction the state wants to take, the Minneapolis StarTribune reported.  The StarTribune noted that “Minnesota doesn’t have the kind of toll-road system that is common on the East Coast and other regions of the country. The E-ZPass electronic toll system, for example, was first deployed in New York 25 years ago and now serves 17 states, stretching from Maine to Illinois to North Carolina.”

The MnDOT study, initiated at the legislature’s behest, cost $175,000 and recommended a follow-on in-depth study, anticipated to have a considerably larger price tag.  The report stated that “results of the feasibility analysis are a high-level revenue assessment based on numerous assumptions and a more detailed study would be required before any decision is made to implement a specific toll project.” The report was prepared by four consultants – the Minneapolis offices of WSB and HNTV Corporation, and Prime Strategies, Inc. and Lock Lord LLP, both of Austin.

Indiana is also giving tolls a careful look, with the type of in-depth study recommended in Minnesota, and proposed by Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, who signed an Executive Order authorizing a $10 million study.  Malloy’s proposal is to be considered by the State Bond Commission later this week.  “Without transforming the way the state funds its highways,” Malloy said recently, “we will be unable to pay for the large-scale construction and rehabilitation projects that our state needs to ensure continued safe travel while attracting businesses and growing our economy.”

In Indiana, a strategic plan that could clear the way for that state to add tolls to its interstate highways, including inside the I-465 loop in Indianapolis, is currently being developed by one of the companies utilized by Minnesota.

The Indianapolis Star reported earlier this summer that the state signed a $9.6 million contract with HNTB Indiana Inc. to study the impact of tolling and provide project planning if the state chooses to move forward with tolling.  The administration of Gov. Eric Holcomb is required to study tolling under a road-funding plan lawmakers passed in 2017, but a decision has not been made on whether the state will go forward with authorizing a tolling plan, according to published reports.

Under the law, Indiana’s Governor is permitted to draft a strategic plan "if the governor determines that tolling is the best means of achieving major interstate system improvements in Indiana."   That decision has yet to be made.

"He wanted more information to make an informed decision and will use the strategic plan due Dec. 1 as a basis for that," a spokesman for the Governor told the Star. "If after reviewing the plan the governor determines that tolling is not the best option, the state won’t move forward with the remainder of the contract."

The contract with HNTB lays out specific requirements for the consultant if the state chooses to add tolling. For example, the Star reported, HNTB would be required to assist with project start-up for tolls in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Area, which includes Indianapolis and portions of nearly all of the bordering counties.

In Iowa earlier this year, a state DOT report on tolls was received by political leaders with distain.  In an editorial, The Gazette noted the possibility of tolls “is worthy of much more careful consideration than the political class is willing to grant.”  The publication added “Political fecklessness will not solve Iowa’s mounting transportation funding problems. Iowans love driving, we have a lot of roads and somebody has to pay for them.”

“Many Iowans have noticed a pattern in state government, a repetitive cycle of studies, recommendations and inaction. That may serve politicians fixated on their next election, but it does little to solve the very real problems Iowans face.”

https://youtu.be/kQxCVcMUq1s

Video: Connecticut House Democrats

Graphics:  2018 Minnesota DOT Toll Study Report

PERSPECTIVE: “Mamas, Please Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be CPAs” (apologies to Willie and Waylon)

by Bonnie Stewart Farm Aid, an event synonymous with Willie Nelson, will visit Connecticut this year on September 28.  The event makes me think of the great Willie and Waylon (Jennings) country anthem where each chorus pleads “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys…” The duo continues their advice with “Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and CPAs…”  

Well, all right, they don’t actually sing “and CPAs…”

But they should.  Here’s why…

Parents counseling their children on careers would do well to suggest that of the certified public accountant, as it offers outstanding opportunity, reward, and respect.  There’s never been a better time than today to be a CPA -- except for maybe tomorrow!  And it comes down to – you guessed it – the numbers.

Opportunity

First, we need more CPAs.  Lots more.  Connecticut’s CPA profession is aging.  We expect that 75 percent of CPAs will retire over the next 15 years; at the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) it’s referred to as “The CPA Silver Tsunami.”  And yes, it’s tied directly to the national demographic phenomenon of Baby Boomers qualifying for Medicaid to the tune of 10,000 per day – every day – until 2029, according to the Pew Research Center.

In its 2018 Salary Guide for Accounting and Finance Professionals, Robert Half, a global staffing firm specializing in accounting and finance professionals, reports “There’s high demand for top talent in public accounting due to a severe shortage of skilled candidates…”  Their “In-Demand Certifications” list puts “CPA” at the top.

Nationally, college accounting enrollment remains at an all-time high – 79,524 in 2016 – but the number of new CPA exam candidates for that year was far lower at 48,044.  At the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow faster through 2018 than for all the occupations the bureau tracks.

Some CPA firms now start recruiting accounting majors on campus as early as the students’ sophomore and even freshman years, and certainly by the time they are juniors and seniors, these students know where they’ll land well before they don cap and gown and “walk.”  Not every college grad shares such a bright employment outlook.  Hey, even during the 2009 recession, the unemployment rate for the accounting profession was 4.5 percent – equal to full employment.

Reward

CPA expertise is in demand, and people are willing to pay for it.  CPAs earn 10 to 15 percent more than non-CPA accountants.  Recent grads with “up to one year” of experience who are good to very good candidates start at a range of $46k to about $55k annually; for superstars, that jumps up to the low $70k’s.  Senior managers are well into six figures and new partners can earn upward of $250,000 annually and as much as $500,000 or more when you factor in bonuses and other parks. 

Respect

In addition to the compensation, there are intrinsic rewards, such as respect.  Ninety-one percent of business decision makers consider CPAs valuable assets to their organizations.  Many CPAs serve as expert members on the various boards of municipal governments, not-for-profits, and volunteer organizations, where their fellow board members appreciate the talent those CPAs bring to the table.

Forget the so-very-yesteryear, hackneyed Hollywood image of the pocket-protected number cruncher.  Today’s and tomorrow’s CPAs increasingly must understand technology but more so, its application.  A recent Deloitte survey showed 21 percent of organizations currently have blockchain in production, with 25 percent more planning to do so in the next year.  Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, and the so-called “disruptive changes” taking place today and tomorrow will only further heighten demand for CPAs and their analytical skills.

As long as people and their various organizations seek to maximize financial outcomes, manage business performance, make informed investment decisions, plan for their financial futures, and comply with local, state, federal, and international rules, regulations, and taxes, the CPA will be in demand.

“Mamas, please…“

Indeed!

_____________________________

Bonnie Stewart is Executive Director of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. The Connecticut Society of CPAs is celebrating more than a century of service to membership and community alike.  Formed by nine CPAs in 1908 at New Haven’s Union League Club, today CTCPA has a current membership of almost 6,000 individuals in public practice, business and industry, government, and education.  Its function is to advocate on behalf of the accounting profession, foster a professional community among CPAs, and provide continuing education opportunities as well as a comprehensive peer review program and a variety of membership services for CPAs in Connecticut.

Struggles Continue for Thousands Who Relocated from Puerto Rico to Connecticut in Storm Aftermath

About 13,000 residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who arrived in Connecticut in the aftermath of the hurricanes Maria and Irma continue to struggle with obtaining basic needs including adequate housing, food, medical care and jobs, according to a survey commissioned by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The vast majority of those who have come to Connecticut, over 70 percent, have extremely low incomes (under $30,000), adding a heavy responsibility on an already over-extended and resource-limited Puerto Rican community in Connecticut, given the extreme levels of need that are present in the community, even before the storms, the Foundation pointed out.

Approximately 1,300 people participated in the survey, which utilized online and in-person questionnaires in English and Spanish and field research.  It was conducted by the University of Connecticut’s El Instituto: Institute for Latina/o Caribbean and Latin American Studies and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. The objective was to understand the long-term impact of displacement on Puerto Rican households in the Greater Hartford region.

“The Hartford region has one of the highest concentrations of people of Puerto Rican origin outside Puerto Rico and last year’s hurricanes brought thousands more to the region, many of whom will likely stay,” said Scott Gaul, the Hartford Foundation’s director of Research and Evaluation. “The hurricanes were an unprecedented event, but we can anticipate similar crises will happen again. The survey is one tool to help the Hartford region understand the needs of evacuees and the potential long-term impacts of displacement.”

The survey found that while some households surveyed had initially relied on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding basic needs, the majority of those affected relied on Greater Hartford’s nonprofit organizations, school districts and family members for support.

During the 2018 Legislative Session, the Connecticut General Assembly  approved $4.4 million in education and housing assistance for displace residents, including $1.5 million in aid to the departments of education, housing and social services.

More than half of respondents (56%) mentioned that it was very likely (36%) or somewhat likely (22%) that kin would relocate from the Caribbean to Connecticut, with most of those relatives and friends staying with respondents.  Those living in Hartford’s outer ring suburbs were relatively less likely (72%) to have kin in the Caribbean than those living in Hartford or its immediate suburbs. And they expect nearly 1,500 additional people to arrive from Puerto Rico in the wake of the hurricane.

In addition, those responding to the survey indicated that they expected displaced kin to remain in Connecticut into the medium and long terms. Nearly a third of respondents (32%) reported that kin would stay in Connecticut for a few months, and a quarter (26%) would remain for a few years.

The survey also found:

• The most pressing need for respondents hosting displaced Puerto Ricans is lodging, with fully one-third indicating that housing was one the biggest needs they face.
• Nearly three-fifths of respondents indicated housing was displaced person’s first order need, followed by 16 percent who mentioned it in second order.
• Food was a first order need for one-fifth of survey respondents’ displaced friends and relatives and second order need for 35 percent.

Survey respondents identified housing issues and insufficient food as the most critical needs they are facing in Connecticut, along with healthcare, in the after aftermath of the crisis. These are needs not only of those who are in the state already, but of those who are very likely to arrive in the short term,” wrote Professors Charles R. Venator-Santiago, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and El Instituto and Carlos Vargas Ramos, Center for Puerto Rican Studies.

"These needs are adding a heavy responsibility on an already over-extended and resource-limited Puerto Rican community in Connecticut, given the extreme levels of need that are present in the community and pre-dated the crisis created by hurricanes Irma and Maria," the report stated.

Results from the survey are aimed at helping to inform long-term planning and action by funders, nonprofits, municipalities and schools.  The Foundation intends to work with community organizations and leaders in the region to disseminate and act on survey results.

The report indicated that preliminary estimates by the government of Puerto Rico indicate that approximately 70,000 residential properties were totally destroyed, with an additional 300,000 partially damaged residences. As of February 2018, 1.1 million households had applied for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Connecticut Children's, Yale New Haven Ranked Among Best in Neonatology

Two of the nation’s top 50 hospitals for neonatology are in Connecticut.  Connecticut Children’s Medical Center ranked #25 and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital ranked #36 in the latest analysis by US News & World Report, which publishes hospital rankings in various medical specialties. Atop the rankings in the pediatric specialty were Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, DC), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital (Cleveland), UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of San Francisco and Oakland, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley-Komansky Children’s Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University, and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital – Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor).

Fifty pediatric centers were ranked for care of fragile newborns. Breast milk at discharge, patient volume, infection rates in the NICU and other data collected from a detailed U.S. News clinical survey of children's hospitals, produced 85 percent of each hospital's score. The other 15 percent reflects nominations from pediatric specialists and subspecialists who responded to surveys in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and recommended the hospital for serious cases in their specialty.

Yale’s highest ranking among nearly a dozen pediatric specialties was in Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology, where it ranked eighth.  Connecticut Children’s is ranked in four specialties, including Pediatric Urology (#30), Pediatric diabetes & Endocrinology (#37), and Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#49).  Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital is nationally ranked in nine specialties. (U.S. News includes Yale New Haven Hospital and Connecticut Children's Medical Center in evaluating the performance of Yale New Haven Children's Hospital in Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery and Pediatric Urology.)

Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital admits approximately 125 patients a day. With 208 licensed beds, the hospital has neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, a 24-hour pediatric emergency room and a children's surgery center, according to US News.

Connecticut Children’s reports it has established the largest newborn delivery services network in the state of Connecticut based on the number of hospitals for whom it provides neonatology care.  In addition to Connecticut Children’s two NICUs located in Hartford and Farmington, Connecticut, the Medical Center also provides newborn delivery services at nine hospitals, including five additional NICUs. Hospital partners include Hartford HealthCare (4 hospitals), Western Connecticut Health Network (2 hospitals, as of this month), Ascension (St. Vincent’s Medical Center), Eastern Connecticut Health Network (Manchester Hospital), and Day Kimball Healthcare.

“We’re excited to bring our expertise to more babies in Connecticut,” said Jim Moore, MD, Division Chief for Neonatology at Connecticut Children’s. “My goal is for Connecticut Children’s to develop a truly comprehensive, regionalized, clinically integrated network for newborn care across the state.”

Connecticut Children’s drives innovation across its newborn delivery service locations by sharing best practices and protocols across the network, and ensuring that family centered rounding is done for every patient, according to hospital officials. It also practices “family centered care” - moving patients to the right location for the care they need, but then returning them to their home hospital when they no longer need that higher level of care, officials point out.

“The recognition from U.S. News & World Report is a testament to our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff who care for the sickest children while working tirelessly on advancing research and clinical outcomes at the Medical Center,” said Jim Shmerling, President & CEO at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. “We continue to expand our care network, making it easier than ever for our patient families to access the care they need, when they need it and most importantly where they need it; close to home.”