Preventative Care Lacking Among Large Percentage of State's Women

The number of Connecticut women who are foregoing annual preventative health care is growing, especially among minorities and young adults, according to a survey commissioned by Women's Health Connecticut and reported by the Connecticut Health I-Team. Less than half of those surveyed said they were "very satisfied" with the information they receive from their doctors about common health issues, and only 52%, for example, knew the age at which they should start undergoing mammograms.  The survey found that 28% of women in the state had not had an ob-gyn exam in the past year - among minority women, the number was 38%.

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, citing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, recently indicated that as health care grows more expensive, more than 1/4 of non-elderly women (27%) and two-thirds of uninsured women (67%) report that they delayed or went without care they believed they needed because they could not afford it.

Connecticut's French Connection Leads Export List

Connecticut’s major trading partners among the world’s nations may be somewhat unexpected.  Topping the list is France, with 14% of exports.  Rounding out the top five are Canada (10%), Germany (8%), China (6%) and Mexico (6%).  The remainder of Connecticut’s top ten trading partners - in exports - are Belgium, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Japan.  Together, those 10 nations account for 64% of Connecticut’s international exports; the rest of the world accounts for 36%, according to 2011 data from the U.S. Department of Commerce as published by Northeast Utilities. The Connecticut Small Business Development Center (SBDC) points out that 95% of the world’s population  and 66% of the world’s purchasing power are outside the United States, providing American businesses a world of opportunities to explore.  SBDC helps Connecticut businesses establish business relationships overseas from their offices at Connecticut's state universities and the Department of Economic and Community Development in Hartford.

GE Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation Top Grant List

Statistics from The Foundation Center, which tracks philanthropy across the country, indicate that hundreds of millions of dollars flow annually from the largest foundations based in Connecticut to charities worldwide.  As reported in The Hartford Courant, the top grant maker in Connecticut is the GE Foundation ($103.5 million), followed by the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation ($81.1 million). Following the leading foundations - bearing the names of two of the world's leading corporations - are a handful of foundations likely less well known:  Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation ($27 million), Hartford Foundation for Public Giving ($25.7 million), and Smith Richardson Foundation ($23.5 million).

At #6 on the list is Newman's Own Foundation ($20 million) followed by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven ($15.5 million).  The Dalio Family Foundation ($12.7 million) and the Aetna Foundation ($12.2 million) complete the top nine foundations by grants paid.  The numbers are from 2009, the most recent data available.