I-Team: Home Health Care

An aging population and a volatile economic situation have lead to a rise of coverage of the health care field by the media. WCCO-TV’s five-month investigation into health services in Minneapolis indicates that such investigation is particularly needed in these times to protect the public. In a four-part series, plus a half-hour special, WCCO-TV exposed numerous abuses in the home health care field. These included the hiring of convicted felons and drug addicts with no health care training and assigning them to care for helpless patients. This effort brought to light how little is actually being done, as well as what needs to be done to protect the interests of the elderly, the sick, and the handicapped. For a first-class journalistic effort, typical of the I-Team, a Peabody Award to WCCO-TV’s investigation of the home health care industry.