Julia Werth
Connecticut Mirror
United States
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Past articles by Julia:
School food service, another divide between rich and poor
Many wealthy towns choose to opt out of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) -- and its strict standards and requirements -- altogether. → Read More
Getting the dad involved, a new focus for DCF
Da'ee McKnight was in prison for his daughter's entire childhood. Now he's working to connect other dads with their kids. → Read More
Starting the conversation, parenting through the opioid crisis
Ginger Katz founded The Courage to Speak Foundation in 1996, shortly after her son died of a drug overdose. With support from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ $22 million State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), Katz will be delivering her message, “Parenting Through the Opioid Crisis and Beyond,” at numerous events scheduled throughout the coming year. → Read More
The difference a visit can make, the effect of parental incarceration on children
When Suzi Jensen went to see her mom in prison at the age of 12 she was only allowed to hug her twice, once at the beginning of the visit and once at the end. “They just had tables and you had to sit across the table from her,” said Jensen, now in her 30s. “At that age, being a 12-year-old girl, there were a lot of things happening, big changes and not being able to sit and cry and talk to her… → Read More
Community Conversations: Revitalizing Cities
At Community Conversations in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury earlier this month, a wide swath of residents discussed their ideas for revitalizing Connecticut’s cities, and the benefits that would bring to surrounding towns. → Read More
School-based health centers take leading role in fighting teen suicide
Although the number of youth in Connecticut who have committed suicide has fluctuated in recent years, mental health professionals who work with teenagers say that depression and anxiety – the typical reasons for suicide – are definitely on the rise. → Read More
Number of juveniles in detention for minor offenses has dropped since 2015
The number of youth incarcerated in the state’s juvenile detention centers for minor offenses dropped significantly between 2015 and 2017, pulling Connecticut from its number two ranking in a national study tracking juvenile confinement. → Read More
Community Conversations: A need for more healthcare and healthcare reform
During this election season, the CT Mirror convened groups of people from around the state to ask their opinions on key campaign issues and their perceptions of the appropriate role of government. A common theme emerged: health care — the cost, the disparities and the need for change. → Read More
Still no state child care rating system, parents left guessing
When Rhonda Strycharz first opened a day care 18 years ago in her New Hartford home, only a few states had a rating system to help parents choose a child care provider. Connecticut was not among them. By last year, 41 states had a county or state-wide Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) for parents to use to research safety and educational quality of day cares. Connecticut still does not –… → Read More
Can we do better? The state's ongoing search for ways to treat drug addiction
After serving a three-year prison sentence and completing three years of probation, Bridgeport resident William Kelly found himself back in lock up in 2016 on another round of drug charges. But this time, things were different. Instead of more jail time, Kelly was offered a spot in a state-sponsored treatment program and began his path to recovery within a day of being arrested. → Read More
Adjudicated juveniles will stay in pre-trial detention centers for foreseeable future
Despite plans to provide them with alternative and more suitable housing, juvenile offenders who require secure facilities will continue to reside in the two state pre-trial detention centers for the indefinite future. → Read More
Advisory council stunned to learn about parallel health information exchange efforts
Members of the council charged with creating a health information exchange for Connecticut seemed stunned Thursday as they realized the state Department of Social Services is continuing to create its own products for exchanging this information. → Read More
Bringing legitimacy to a workforce: the road to certification for community health workers
Despite their value to the health care system and the underserved communities they reach, however, there is still no sustainable funding for the majority of community health workers because their services are not covered by insurance. That’s where the move for certification comes in. → Read More
Judicial eliminates Supreme Court police, including position held by union president
The judicial branch has eliminated the four-person Supreme Court police force, prompting accusations of retaliation from the union over its ongoing complaints about employee safety at the state’s two juvenile detention centers. → Read More
After CJTS closure, juvenile detention officer injuries increase
Employees at the state's two juvenile detention centers are being injured and going out on workers' compensation at significantly higher rates than usual, leading to increased risks for the remaining staff and the children held in the facilities, union officials say. Those able-bodied staff remaining are left to work mandated overtime shifts multiple times a week, resulting in exhaustion and… → Read More
A decade of delays, $23 million spent, as state makes fourth try for health information exchange
The idea of a single health information exchange across the state of Connecticut seems simple: Gather all health information in one place and make it available to every practitioner involved with a single patient to provide the best care possible. Unfortunately, in Connecticut this process has been anything but simple. Instead, it has been enormously expensive and time-consuming -- costing the… → Read More
Blumenthal says he's ready to sue for Kavanaugh documents
WASHINGTON –Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday said he will spearhead an effort to sue for documents relating to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s tenure in the White House. "We are going to be going to court sometime this week to compel compliance with our FOIA request,” Blumenthal said at a press conference in Hartford. → Read More
Advocates: State didn't do enough to plan for CJTS closure
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School closed on April 12, forcing the state to place the boys in pretrial detention centers that were never intended to meet the needs of this population. Advocates say the state didn't adequately plan for the closure of CJTS and that it must move faster to establish alternative facilities. → Read More
Federal judge blocks release of plans for 3D-printed guns
A federal judge in Seattle issued a preliminary injunction Monday reaffirming a temporary restraining order preventing the release of downloadable plans for 3D-printed, plastic guns. → Read More
Inmate education to continue in Connecticut, at least for now
Second Chance Pell Grants will continue in Connecticut until at least 2020, putting to rest recent concerns that federally funded inmate education programs would be ending this year. → Read More