Mental Health Resources for CT Children in ‘Short Supply’

Dr. Julie Schiff, of Pediatric Associates of Bristol, talks to a family about developmental behavioral screening.

By Lisa Chedekel
CT Health I-Team

Selenia Velez remembers the near-daily phone calls from the pre-school, alerting her that her 2-year-old son had acted out aggressively and needed to be picked up immediately.

The calls went on for months, as Velez, 27, of Hartford, and her husband bounced between the pre-school and their son’s pediatrician, who recommended that they take him to a psychiatrist for an evaluation. But the psychiatrist was booked and held them at bay, as Velez watched her son’s behavior deteriorate.

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Poll Shows Latinos Support Sex Ed and Birth Control

Teen pregnancy rates in Latinas have sharply declined in the past five years, which may be been the result of the overwhelming Latino support for sexual education and birth control, NBC Latino reported.

According to a national poll of more than 1,000 Latinos over the age of 18, nine out of 10 Hispanics believe sex education should be taught at the high school and middle school level. Ninety percent said teen pregnancy prevention is just as important as getting good grades.

The report also found that more than half of those who responded viewed avoiding teen pregnancy as a more important issue for Latinos than other groups. About one-third of Latinos polled believed that Latino teens have less access to birth control and healthcare.

Planned Parenthood and the The NYU Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health commissioned the poll.

While progress has been made to raise awareness and reduce teen …

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Toxic Levels of Mercury Persist in CT Fish

By Theresa Sullivan Barger
CT Health I-Team

Wethersfield resident Patrice Gilbert knew that compact fluorescent bulbs contained mercury, so as they burned out, she put them aside until she could find out where to properly dispose of them.

One day, she accidentally knocked one off the counter and it broke. “I scooped that broken one up, put the other three in a paper bag, put that in a plastic bag and put it in my recycling bin,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with them.”

Gilbert’s action is typical. Nationally, only an estimated two percent of household CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) are recycled properly, the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers says. In Connecticut, only four percent of households participate in hazardous waste collection days – where mercury-containing CFLs, thermostats and thermometers should be recycled.

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Editor’s note: CT Health I-Team is a media partner …

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