'They were not thinking of him as a human being'
 By the time Carlos Centeno arrived at the Loyola University Hospital Burn Center, more than 98 minutes had elapsed since his head, torso, arms and legs had been scalded by a 185-degree solution of water and citric acid inside a Chicago factory.
Centeno, 50, died three weeks later, on December 8, 2011.
The story behind Centeno's death underscores the burden faced by some of America's 2.5 million temporary, or contingent, workers - a growing but mostly invisible group of laborers who often toil in the least desirable, most dangerous jobs. Such workers are hurt more frequently than permanent employees and their injuries often go unrecorded, new research shows.
Read the full investigation as well our entire Hard Labor series that chronicles the threats to workers, and the corporate and regulatory factors that endanger them.
| | | Read More | ›› | Share | 
| 
|
OPINION: Why raising the Medicare eligibility age is a really bad idea
 Wendell Potter, Former CIGNA-executive-turned-whistleblower, writes about healthcare and reform efforts each week for the Center. His latest column takes on the an idea put forth as a possible "fiscal cliff" compromise: raising the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67. What sounds like a "no-brainer" on the surface is actually cruel and foolish from an economic standpoint.
| | | Read More | ›› | Share | | |
Center investigation focused on Romanian weapon now targeted by Feinstein legislation
 Since the tragic carnage in Newtown, Conn., much of the talk in Washington has focused on reinstating the domestic assault weapons ban that existed from 1994 to 2004. But as the Center for Public Integrity reported last year, powerful imported semiautomatic weapons have also been a problem, despite a long-standing law designed to keep them from U.S. shores - weapons like the Romanian made WASR-10, a fearsome version of the iconic AK-47.
On Dec. 17, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced that on the first day of the new Congress, she would introduce legislation halting the sale, transfer, importation and manufacture of assault weapons. The draft bill would, among other things, target 100 specifically named guns. One of them, said an aide to the senator, is the WASR-10.
Read our original story, reported in collaboration with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication, InSight, FRONTLINE and the Romanian Centre for Investigative Journalism.
| | | Read More | ›› | Share | | | | | |
End of Year Cheers
 I am especially proud of the investigative work and the impact The Center for Public Integrity has had over this last year. And with the help of so many of you - our staff, Board members, engaged citizens and financial supporters - I look forward to driving even more impact in 2013.
Our money-and-politics reporting produced more than 300 stories profiling the top "Super Donors" and super PACs, illustrating the connections between their money and the expected political payoffs, all under our Consider the Source heading.
Cracking the Codes documented how thousands of medical professionals added $11 billion to their Medicare fees over the past decade while not adding more treatments. Top federal officials quickly and publicly acknowledged that electronic medical records may be spawning costly Medicare fraud and billing abuse - and they vowed to tighten oversight.
As part of our series on Hard Labor we demonstrated how American workers are being injured and killed on the job by the thousands with little protection from Congress and the federal agencies that are supposed to safeguard them.
In Mystery in the Fields, the Center was the first to connect the dots about a new form of chronic kidney disease that is killing tens of thousands of agricultural workers worldwide. Our reporting has finally stirred new global interest in properly diagnosing this mysterious killer.
Meanwhile, our massive State Integrity Investigation carefully analyzed and then graded the corruption risk in all 50 states, sparking reform efforts and new laws in at least 15 states so far.
On an international level, our global human tissue trade report called Skin and Bone from ICIJ (the Center's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) led the Pentagon to announce a new program to better oversee human cadaver tissue used in Defense Department hospitals. Congressional investigators also looked into contracts with the major company we cited. And the World Health Organization plans to create a new coding system to track the human tissue trade.
Millions of people are seeing our work around the world - and it continues to spur official reactions and change. Our work is free to access, but it is not free to produce. So, if you've already given a gift to The Center for Public Integrity this year, thank you! If not, there is still time to help us with your tax deductible gift by clicking here. If you want to see many more investigations like these, please help us.
Until next year,
Bill Buzenberg
Executive Director
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.