TAMPA — Ragon Frost slumped in his chair at the dispatch desk of the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center. His face was clammy and pale, his head and hands shaking. A 911 call came in just then, on the evening of Oct. 27, 2016. Frost, a paramedic and part-time dispatcher, couldn't answer. Colleagues rushed to his aid and called for an ambulance. He was administered naloxone to neutralize the effects of an opioid overdose. At least eight people saw what happened. Still, it took 14 months and two investigations for the county to determine that Frost's drug use was a problem for the people he was supposed to help. "Public safety is at risk when HCFR personnel ingest illegal drugs," the county concluded when it fired Frost in December. Public safety has been put at risk quite a bit in recent years. Hillsborough County has a documented history of drug issues — and alcohol abuse — among first responders. A Tampa Bay Times investigation found 47 drug- and … [Read more...] about Overdoses, DUIs, stolen drugs: Florida’s third-biggest fire rescue department has a problem
Whistleblower psychiatrist
Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission after controversial defense of Chilean bishop
Pope Francis revived his lapsed sex abuse advisory commission by naming new members Saturday, after coming under fire for his overall handling of the scandal and his support for a Chilean bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse. The announcement of the new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors came on the same day that a Vatican investigator will take the testimony in New York of one of the main whistleblowers in the Chilean cover-up scandal. Francis tasked Archbishop Charles Scicluna with the fact-finding mission into Bishop Juan Barros after he came under blistering criticism in Chile for defending Barros and calling the victims' cover-up accusations against him slander. The initial three-year mandate of commission members had lapsed two months ago, on Dec. 17. Francis named nine new members Saturday and kept seven from the initial group. A Vatican statement said survivors of abuse are included, but didn't identify them to protect … [Read more...] about Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission after controversial defense of Chilean bishop
Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission amid skepticism
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis revived his lapsed sex abuse advisory commission by naming new members Saturday, after coming under fire for his overall handling of the scandal and his support for a Chilean bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse. The announcement of the new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors came on the same day that a Vatican investigator will take the testimony in New York of one of the main whistleblowers in the Chilean cover-up scandal. Francis tasked Archbishop Charles Scicluna with the fact-finding mission into Bishop Juan Barros after he came under blistering criticism in Chile for defending Barros and calling the victims' cover-up accusations against him slander. The initial three-year mandate of commission members had lapsed two months ago, on Dec. 17. Francis named nine new members Saturday and kept seven from the initial group. A Vatican statement said survivors of abuse are included, but didn't … [Read more...] about Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission amid skepticism
Who is David Shulkin? 7 things to know about the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin met with U.S. House members Thursday following a scathing report that showed Shulkin and his staff misled officials about a European trip last summer. Here are seven things to know about David Shulkin: WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 15: Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin testifies before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. Shulkin is under fire for misrepresenting a taxpayer funded trip to Europe. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images) Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Shulkin, 58, was born on July 22, 1959, in Highland Park, Illinois. He was born at the Fort Sheridan U.S. Army base, where his father served as an Army psychiatrist. He was confirmed by the Senate in February 2017. Shulkin was unanimously confirmed to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs last year after serving as an undersecretary at the agency. The VA currently operates its own … [Read more...] about Who is David Shulkin? 7 things to know about the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Lawsuit: Bad mental health care led to 4 prison stranglings
Counselors at a South Carolina prison wing where four inmates were strangled to death in a cell last year routinely announced a prisoner's mental health diagnosis out loud to embarrass him, according to a lawsuit filed by the families of two of the slain inmates. The lawsuits said psychiatrists did a poor job treating inmates with cursory evaluations and didn't take into account histories of addictions or other problems when prescribing medicine. South Carolina prison officials also failed to protect the four inmates they killed by putting them in the same wing with two more dangerous already convicted killers, Denver Simmons and Jacob Philip, who are charged with murder in their deaths. "You've got the most violent criminals in the same unit with the worst-of-the-worst mental problems. If that's not a recipe for disaster, I don't what is," said attorney Carter Elliott, who is representing the families. The lawsuits were filed by relatives of 56-year-old Jimmy Ham and 35-year-old … [Read more...] about Lawsuit: Bad mental health care led to 4 prison stranglings