Our journalism made a difference in 2023. These stories brought awareness, change

In the past year, residents of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County have banded together, partnered against injustice and fought to make sure their voices were heard.

Our reporters at the Poughkeepsie Journal and poughkeepsiejournal.com, as well as our USA TODAY Network New York colleagues, have highlighted high school champions, dug deep through property records to publish investigative reports, and told firsthand stories about topics that matter most in the community.

Here are some of the stories that made a difference in 2023, told by Poughkeepsie journalists and our New York State Team:

Vassar Brothers nurses speak out: Job cuts jeopardized patient care

In early October, 2023, 14 nurses from Vassar Brothers Medical Center lost their positions, sending a rippling effect across the hospital, which nurses say jeopardized patient care. Of the 14 nurses, seven were from the ambulatory surgery department, which was closed down, and seven were from the hospital's vascular access, or IV, team.

Those who lost their positions bumped other less senior nurses out of their roles, and the void of the IV team highlighted the inadequate training given to 300 floor nurses who relied on them to start IVs.

Our reporting gave voice to nurses in the hospital and shined a light on the conditions they experienced: "I'm being told patients are coming down for surgery with nonfunctioning IVs or no IV at all because the nurses on the floors are not able to place them,” Jennifer Fina, a registered nurse at Vassar hospital said.

Read the story: These Poughkeepsie nurses say their hospital's staffing decision ignored patient care

Poughkeepsie's formerly incarcerated find path forward at Exodus

For almost 10 years, Exodus Transitional Community has helped those who have been incarcerated reenter the community. Aiding over 3,000 people thus far, they provide housing, clothing, hot meals, transportation, case management, therapy groups, job readiness, job placement and advocacy to their clients.

With a mission that starts with a belief in human resilience, they give opportunities to those who tend to be overlooked. About 90% of their staff have been involved with the justice system before, so they understand the needs of the people they work with.

As a part of the Holiday Helping Hand campaign, a collaboration between the Poughkeepsie Journal and the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, our reporting featured this force in the community and the unique and necessary work they do.

Read the story: What's the path forward after incarceration? This Poughkeepsie agency helps people thrive

Dutchess closing labor gap in tech manufacturing

The federal government plans to pour billions into the chip manufacturing industry, in order to cut off supply chain dependence on foreign countries, but the Hudson Valley region has faced a shortage of individuals trained to fill the positions needed, and as young workers leave the state and an aging population retires, the problem has been exacerbated.

Our reporting brought attention to how school districts, colleges, local official and companies are working together to get ahead of the issue by creating programs meant to grow a new generation of engineers and technicians. We highlighted Dutchess Community College's mechatronics lab — and later, first lady Jill Biden's visit there — and the work local educators are doing to encourage students to enter the field. Class enrollment increased in the months after the story was published.

Read the story: How Dutchess looks to the future to address its tech workforce

Weighing the future of Hyde Park Drive-In

The Hyde Park Drive-In movie theater's closure, and a search for a new operator, has stumped the National Park Service. In another attempt to find some interest, the federal agency, which owns the property on Route 9, has changed some of its land use requirements in order to make the request for proposal more "attractive" and to "increase competitiveness."

Our explainer story outlined the details of the proposal, and what prospective parties could expect from buying in. The story grabbed the attention of readers, including a couple whose dream has always been to own a drive-in, and are now contemplating throwing their hat in the ring.

More: Want to run a drive-in? Here are the lease terms for this 74-year-old theater in New York

Dutchess stakeholders group for homeless shelter plan: How it will work

Dutchess County’s project to build a homeless shelter in a low-income neighborhood has been mired in controversy over the past two years. In order to mitigate challenges, the county legislature passed a resolution to create a stakeholders group of city residents, business owners and local officials to help review the hiring of a facility operator and create channels by which residents can communicate issues. It took months for the group to be formed. The county’s legislature chairman credited a Poughkeepsie Journal story with increasing public interest in the issue.

Read the story: Dutchess creating stakeholders group for homeless shelter plan: Here's how it will work

Cardiac arrest: Forbes, Pavlakis honor the memory of Maggie O'Malley

As the near death of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin highlighted the prevalence of cardiac arrest among youth athletes, we detailed two similar events that impacted the Rhinebeck High School softball team and how they made that community more heart-conscious.

Kaitlin Forbes, a three-sport athlete, collapsed during gym class in 2005. Thanks to the quick reaction of faculty members and schoolmates, who retrieved the AED in the school's hallway, her life was saved and she eventually returned to sports.

But a year later, teammate Maggie O'Malley suffered a cardiac arrest while at home, and didn't receive medical care in time. Both events, the best and worst-case scenarios, spurred a widespread push for heart screenings and CPR and AED training in Rhinebeck. Jean Pavlakis, a teammate and friend of Forbes and O'Malley, was inspired to become a doctor.  

Read the story: 'Motivated by Maggie': How cardiac arrest shaped the lives of two Rhinebeck athletes

Former Lourdes football star Luke Timm details addiction and recovery

Princeton graduate and former football star Luke Timm speaks candidly now about how he managed to excel, and crafted an admirable image, while his life was being consumed by drug and alcohol addiction.

The Poughkeepsie native once led underdog Our Lady of Lourdes High School to the state football final, breaking records along the way, then went on to play for Princeton. But his life changed with an arrest near campus, wrestled to the ground by police while in possession of cocaine.

Timm now is a motivational speaker, often detailing his turnaround and sobriety, and how success can sometimes veil inner turmoil. He works alongside his cousin John Timm, a Binghamton grad whose "No Man Sits Alone" campaign promotes mental health. The two speak to young people, in the New York City streets and at area schools, about the pitfalls of unaddressed addiction and mental illness.

Read the story: Lourdes grad Luke Timm juggled football and academic success while hiding drug addiction

Morgan's Message: John Jay attempts to rid stigma of mental illness

John Jay senior Hope Angioletti was among the local athletes who opened up about their mental health issues, discussing the feelings of anxiety and pressure while striving for perfection in the classroom and on the field. She and her team held a fundraiser in support of Morgan's Message, a nonprofit organization that seeks to spread the word and spark conversations about mental illness.

The organization was founded in memory of Morgan Rodgers, a Duke lacrosse player who died by suicide in 2019. Mental wellness among youngsters has bubbled to the fore as there have been several high-profile instances of high school and collegiate athletes taking their lives in recent years.

Rodgers was the niece of a local basketball coach and was college teammates with some New York natives who've helped grow the organization and got New York schools involved.

More: Morgan's Message: Angioletti, John Jay softball teammates promote mental health awareness

A $345 utility bill became $68,000 as NYSEG, RG&E confront billing fiasco. What happened?

Utility billing issues plagued New Yorkers all over the state in early 2023, with hundreds saying they were being inaccurately billed, sometimes by exorbitant amounts, wrote New York State Team and local reporters Tom Zambito, Patrick Harney and Chris Potter.

A call for readers to tell us about their billing experiences brought in 118 comments, one of which was from Carl Popp, of Poughkeepsie, who told us he religiously read his own meter to keep from being overbilled after bad experiences in the past.

We followed up with Popp, featuring him in a how-to story. Popp later wrote in an email: “I hope (the story) will help all the other people with high estimated bills and enlighten them on what they can do themselves to lessen the problem.”

Some NY hospitals nixed medical debt lawsuits. Others sued 1,600 patients for $9M

A USA TODAY Network investigation by New York State Team reporter David Robinson found a group of 17 hospitals and health systems sued about 1,600 New Yorkers to collect medical debts totaling $9 million since early 2022, despite a push to end the controversial practice.

When questioned about the lawsuits listed in court records, some hospital systems denied they filed lawsuits or pointed to the charity care they deliver each year. Others said they were phasing out the practice of suing patients over medical debt.

One health system, WMC Health, also appeared to have halted its debt lawsuits following the USA TODAY Network reporting in 2019 on its connections to a debt-collection law firm under federal investigation.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: 2023 Poughkeepsie Journal stories that made a difference