Companies received vaccine when supply was scarce

Alison Young of USA Today reports that vaccine distribution data from three states shows that thousands of doses of the H1N1 vaccine went to corporate clinics when the supply was scarce.  Walt Disney World, Toyota and Norwegian Cruise lines were three such recipients.  "Of the 2.42 million doses in Texas and 2 million in Florida distributed through mid-November, fewer than 1% went to employers, according to USA TODAY's analysis of data obtained under state open-records acts. Thousands of registered providers — doctors, hospitals, schools, pharmacies — in Texas alone got no doses in that period."

Pam Louwagie and Glenn Howatt of the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune have finished their three-part investigation into falling deaths in Minnesota nursing homes. According to the newspaper's analysis, more than 1,000 Minnesota deaths were related to falls in nursing homes from 2002 through 2008, but few were fully investigated. In fact, less than 10 percent of fall-related deaths in nursing homes are fully investigated by the Minnesota Department of Health; usually nursing homes themselves are left to privately probe the cause of fatal falls on their premises. Of the 1,000 Minnesota deaths attributed to falls in nursing homes from 2002 through 2008, the state Office of Health Facility Complaints fully investigated only about 75. The reporters identified understaffing as a possible cause for the high number of falling deaths — in anonymous interviews with the Star Tribune, 16 nurses aides complained of insufficient staffing.

A series by The Chicago Tribune traces the lingering impact of the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.  The evidence of exposure can still be seen in the many who suffer serious health issues, and birth defects have carried the legacy forth into a second generation.  With assistance from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, reporters from The Tribune spent a month traveling to eight provinces throughout Vietnam conducting nearly two dozen interviews with civilians and former soldiers who say they were exposed to Agent Orange and other defoliants.

Blake Morrison, Peter Eisler and Anthony DeBarros of USA Today report that a recall of tainted beef from Beef Packers of Fresno, Calif. did not include beef supplied to schools. Their investigation calls into question whether adequate steps were taken to ensure meat supplied for school lunches was safe for consumption. Beef Packers has had continued problems with contamination, yet the government continues to contract with them. They have received nearly $60 million in government contracts since 2003.

Tapping into hundreds of pages of medical records, Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel told the story of Iraq vet James Weigl, who committed suicide soon after his return to Wisconsin. Kissinger’s reporting identified numerous mistakes and missed warning signs – by the Army and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee. For example, Weigl had at least two medical conditions that should have disqualified him from serving in the first place.

An investigation by Blake Morrison and Peter Eisler of USA Today illustrates failures in food safety programs as schools unknowingly continued to receive food from suppliers with a history of tainted products. Del Rey Tortilleria of Chicago was linked to illness outbreaks at over a dozen schools between 2003 and 2007. "And in a 2006 study of prior outbreaks, a panel of top scientists with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration even offered this warning: 'Flour tortillas manufactured by Del Rey hold the potential to cause illness.' Despite the concerns, the FDA never shared the panel's warning with school officials anywhere."

In the third part of "Wasting Away," an investigation of D.C.'s AIDS program,The Washington Post found the city awarded a $1 million AIDS contract to a woman who had just been convicted in federal court for a mortgage fraud scheme that bilked lenders out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over three years, the city approved invoices with unnamed employees and subcontractors, rent at a high-end office that was rarely used and start-up costs for furniture and equipment that city officials later deemed improper. The city cut ties earlier this year, after paying out more than $2 million from the city's AIDS fund

In a city ravaged by the highest rate of AIDS case in the nation, the D.C. Health Department paid millions to nonprofit groups that delivered substandard services or failed to account for any work at all, even as sick people searched for care or died waiting. A ten-month Washington Post investigation found AIDS money was given to one of the most notorious drug dealers in D.C. history, people that submitted fake resumes and consulting contracts, and groups without offices, staff or any background in health care.

A story by The New York Times shows the risks involved with consuming ground beef.  In 2007, a hamburger eaten by Stephanie Smith was tainted with E. coli and ravaged her nervous system leaving her paralyzed. "Ms. Smith’s reaction to the virulent strain of E. coli was extreme, but tracing the story of her burger, through interviews and government and corporate records obtained by The New York Times, shows why eating ground beef is still a gamble."

A series by Yamil Berard of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports on problems with medical examiners in Texas.  "Texas medical examiners have misidentified bodies, botched examinations and had to do a double take on cases of individuals later exonerated by law enforcement."  Critics point to lax oversight and an absence of performance standards among other issues.  Texas only requires that their medical examiners have a doctor's licenses.  They do not require "specific certification in anatomic and forensic pathology."