With the announcement of the Pulitzer recipients not far away (April 14th)-it occurred to me that when the winners and finalists are announced-a great many readers might not have been aware, let alone have read, many of these prize-winning works of journalism.
So, as a run-up to the official announcement, DailyNewsGems.com, will be highlighting some outstanding works of journalism, worthy of Pulitzer consideration.
-Bill Lucey
Photo Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Meg Kissinger, an investigative reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, published in October, 2013, “Chronic Crisis'', a series examining Milwaukee County's troubled mental health system.
Kissinger’s dogged reporting for the series has already earned her the George Polk Award for medical reporting, a project which was undertaken during a nine-month fellowship with the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University.
The award winning series chronicled patients dying of neglect and mistreatment in a system flawed by chronic failure and bureaucratic negligence with its inability to properly treat mentally ill patients who come to the emergency rooms with continual care. Instead, many patients are simply released due to loopholes in laws written to emphasize the right to refuse care, leaving thousands without adequate care, while others never do get the proper medical attention they need.
“One of every three persons treated at the emergency room’’, the Journal Sentinel reported, “returns within 90 days.’’
“County psychiatrists are forced to drop dozens more cases each year when they cannot complete an evaluation in the mandated 24-hour period because the patient is unconscious or otherwise too ill to talk. These have included cases where people have shot themselves, set themselves on fire or swallowed Drano.
We end up discharging a lot of people who need more care,” said Tony Thrasher, medical director of the county’s psychiatric emergency room.''
The “Chronic Crisis" investigation sparked a number of reforms, including a series of bills that have been signed by Gov. Scott Walker, while another significant reform would create a special board — appointed by the governor — to oversee mental health care in Milwaukee County, replacing the County Board of Supervisors in that role. http://goo.gl/r9liF4
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If you’re aware of any outstanding works of journalism that you would like to see included at DailyNewsGems, send links to Bill Lucey at wplucey@gmail.com
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