Page 13 - Ct Viewpoints News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda Anti-vax protestors outside the State Capitol. The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC. Opponents argue Connecticut should pursue education to voluntarily increase vaccination rates.  We support education, but not as a substitution for s...

Playing politics with people’s healthcare is always wrong The coalition represents over 60,000 public school employees across Connecticut. For the past decade, towns, school boards and cities throughout the state have been able to provide their employees high-quality healthcare through the Connecticut Partnership Plan. Municipalities had the choice to buy in to the state employee healthcare plan, using its market power and established program to provide its workforce the world-class health and wellness programs they deserve at a predictable cost while saving employers money and helping them...

Children’s mental health needs continue to soar: The second pandemic lawmakers must address “She was my happy kid,” a parent told me when I cared for her child who was experiencing a mental health crisis. My patient recovered medically within a few days, however, she remained in the hospital for over a week waiting for placement at a psychiatric rehabilitation facility. We must improve our mental health system and you can be a critical part of making that happen. When children with mental health needs do not require medical treatment at a children’s hospital, they remain in limbo whil...

The intersection of race, class and gender in America’s childcare system: The class edition Fixing America’s broken childcare system is not just a matter of dollars, but also sense. Children at play at Hope Child Development Center When Michelle Obama declared that she wanted to become “Mom in Chief,” she spoke to a sentiment shared by many women, i.e. the desire to be the primary caregiver of their young children in their early years. Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Obama was derided for making that choice, highlighting how society stands ready to indict women for any decision they make about...

Will the Comptroller open the state-run healthcare plan’s books? What choices do you have when you cannot defend a policy issue on its merits? One path is that chosen by former New Britain Democratic Town Committee chair Bill Shortell in his April 14 Viewpoints opinion piece, “Debunking the CBIA’s takedown of the public option healthcare bill.” Instead of defending any perceived merits associated with the proposed expansion of state-run healthcare in Connecticut, Shortell attacks the messenger. In this case, two organizations that have raised legitimate —and unanswered— questions ...