Author Archive

Bridgeport Hospital names new COO

Monday, July 11, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

Norman G. Roth of Orange has been named the Chief Operating Officer of Bridgeport Hospital and Senior Vice President of Yale New Haven Health System, effective Sept. 1. He succeeds Hope Juckel-Regan, who retired at the end of June.

Roth has been with Yale-New Haven Hospital since 1979, most recently as senior Vice President for Administration. Roth joined Yale-New Haven Hospital as the Administrative Director for Emergency Services and has since held a variety of posts, including Director of Unit Service Management, Associate Administrator, Assistant Vice President and Vice President for Administration.

His accomplishments include many significant management and leadership milestones such as the planning, design and completion of the 500,000 square foot Smilow Cancer Hospital, all while maintaining responsibility for overseeing Engineering, Environmental Services, Facilities Services, Laboratory Services, Pathology, Perioperative Services, Radiology and Security, among other services.

Prior to his joining Yale-New Haven Hospital, Roth held positions at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Connecticut and the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Haven.

Roth earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the American University in Washington and a master’s degree in health care and hospital administration from George Washington University, also in Washington. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Roth is active in the community with groups such as the New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the Connecticut Sports Foundation Against Cancer. He lives with his wife Carolyn in Orange.

Open house at Spooner House

Friday, July 8, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

On Sunday, July 31 from 1 to 5 p.m., Spooner House, 30 Todd Road in Shelton, will host its 4th annual Open House for the community. This year’s event will honor all emergency service personnel in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton with a ceremony at 2 p.m.

Visitors to the Open House are encouraged to bring a donation of cleaning or paper supplies to help keep the shelter and the food bank area stocked. A list of suggested items is below or donors may call 203-225-0453 with questions.

Throughout the afternoon, tours will be offered of the facility while visitors get to meet the staff and members of the Board of Directors. Refreshments will be served compliments of a variety of the more than 30 Spooner House support volunteer groups.

Here is a list of the cleaning supplies needed: Laundry detergent, fabric softener sheets, bleach, floor cleanerall-purpose cleansers (non-abrasive), stainless steel cleanser, dish soap, toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, liquid hand soap, Lysol spray, Lysol cleaning wipes, rubber gloves (all sizes), sponges, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, napkins, plastic wrap, aluminum foil and Ziploc bags (all sizes).

For information call 203-225-0453 or visit www.act-spooner.org

West Nile positive mosquitoes found in Bridgeport

Friday, July 1, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

The State Mosquito Management Program today announced that mosquitoes trapped in
Bridgeport on June 21, 2011 have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). These results
represent the first positive mosquitoes identified in the state by the Connecticut Agricultural
Experiment Station (CAES) this year.

In 2010, WNV-positive mosquitoes were trapped in 24 municipalities; the first were trapped on
June 14. In addition, last year eleven Connecticut residents were identified with WNV infections.
Monitoring and risk assessment for WNV emphasizes mosquito trapping and testing results. The
CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the
state. Mosquito traps are set Monday through Thursday nights and conducted at each site every ten days
on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site,
and date.

Each pool is tested for the presence of viruses of public health importance. Positive
findings are reported to local health departments, in press releases, and on the CAES web site at

Positive findings are reported to local health departments, in press releases, and on the CAES web site at
www.ct.gov/caes. For information on West Nile virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.

State health department joins effort to address infant mortality

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

Hartford – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced it was chosen to participate in the Partnership to Eliminate Disparities in Infant Mortality (PEDIM) Action Learning Collaborative, a national initiative to address disparities in infant mortality in urban areas of the country.

DPH, along with the New Haven Health Department and New Haven Healthy Start, were chosen for the project, which is sponsored by CityMatCH, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), and the National Healthy Start Association (NHSA).

According to state health officials, there were 240 infant deaths reported in the state in 2008. Of those deaths, nearly 30 percent of the infants were African-American and 24 percent were Hispanic. The 2010 United States Census reported that African-Americans make up approximately 10 percent of Connecticut’s population and Hispanics make up 13.4 percent.

The city of New Haven has the highest infant mortality rate in the state.

In 2008, CityMatCH, AMCHP and NHSA, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, created the Partnership to Eliminate Disparities in Infant Mortality, to eliminate racial inequities contributing to infant mortality within urban areas in the United States. This initiative brings together multi-disciplinary state and local teams to strengthen partnerships, build community participation and develop innovative strategies for addressing racial inequities in infant mortality.

Selected teams are expected to combine their knowledge of evidence-based practices with local knowledge and problem solving, to move beyond what has typically been done to address infant mortality. Creativity will be encouraged, and participating teams must be willing to be innovative in addressing challenges related to racial inequities in infant mortality, including the impacts of racism.

For more information, visit www.ct.gov/dph

Monday is National HIV testing day

Friday, June 24, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

In recognition of National HIV Testing Day, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging Connecticut residents to get tested for HIV.
In Connecticut, 10,290 people were known to be living with HIV at the end of 2009; and during 2005-2009, 2,115 people were newly diagnosed with HIV infection. Federal health officials estimate that 20% of people with HIV infection do not know they are infected.
The agencies listed below are conducting community HIV testing activities beginning today and ending on July 1st.
Additional information on where to get an HIV test can be found at www.ct.gov/dph/hivtesting or by calling 860-509-7801.
Anyone who is 13 years of age or older can be treated or tested confidentially and without parental consent.
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National HIV Testing Day Activities

Bridgeport

Optimus Health Care, 982-988 East Main St/, Bridgeport
Monday, offering free HIV testing from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ASHE Women’s Center, 105 Frank St/, Bridgeport
Monday, Open Mic Night from 7 to 11 p.m. Offering free HIV testing. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. Event is being held in collaboration with the Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Project (GBAPP).

Hartford
AIDS Project Hartford, 110 Bartholomew Ave., Hartford
Monday, offering free HIV testing at Syringe Exchange Program stops in Hartford (Park and Hungerford Streets/ Albany Avenue and Bedford Street).

Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective, 1841 Broad St.
Monday, offering free HIV testing from 3 to 7 p.m. in Martin Park, East Hartford.

Latinos Community Services, 184 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford
Monday, offering free HIV testing in Hartford (617 Park Street) from 3 to 7 p.m. Outreach will be provided in East Hartford, Hartford and New Britain also from 3 to 7 p.m.

Middletown
Community Health Center, 635 Main St. (medical building), Middletown
Monday, offering free HIV testing all day.

New Britain
Human Resources Agency, 57 Arch St., New Britain
Monday, offering free HIV testing all day.

New Haven
New Haven Health Department, 54 Meadow St/, New Haven
Monday, offering free HIV testing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. HIV testing will be promoted on the New Haven Green from noon to 3 p.m.

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, 428 Columbus Ave., New Haven
Monday through July 1, offering free HIV testing in all sites (Columbus Ave., Dixwell Ave., West Haven and State Street) throughout the week. Testing will also be offered on Wednesday during the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Health Fest at the Columbus Avenue site.

Thursday, offering free HIV testing, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Alternative Test Site, 20 York St. For more information, contact 203-688-3184.

Norwalk
Norwalk Health Department, 137 East Ave., Norwalk
Monday, offering free HIV testing all day.

Stamford
Stamford Health Department, 888 Washington Blvd., 8th Floor, Stamford
Monday, offering free HIV testing from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. HIV testing will be promoted in the lobby of the Government Center.

Vernon
Monday, offering free HIV testing from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Waterbury
Waterbury Health Department, One Jefferson Square, 2nd Floor, Suite 17
Monday, offering free HIV testing, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., from their mobile unit on the Green (West Main Street). Other free screenings will also be offered, along with refreshments and incentives.

Willimantic
Perception Programs, Willimantic
Monday, offering free HIV testing, along with Generations and Planned Parenthood for adults at Kramer Middle School in Willimantic (123 Quarry Street) from 3 to 6 p.m.

Good Samaritan saves senior after fall

Thursday, June 16, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

Ann Marie Tarinelli used to laugh at those commercials that featured an older woman lying on the ground proclaiming “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
But the Trumbull resident isn’t laughing now. Tarinelli, who wouldn’t give her age but does describe herself as a senior citizen, broke her hip on Monday after falling down the cellar stairs of her home. Had it not been for a passing mailman who found her and called an ambulance, she likely would have died within a day.
Instead, she was recovering Thursday afternoon at St. Joseph’s Manor in Trumbull and credits both the mailman and the team at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport with saving her life.
Tarinelli said the spill happened during a routine trip to her cellar. “I go up and down my steps 100 times a day,” she said. “When it was built, the last step was made a little higher. I missed it and I went flying. The pain was like no pain I’d ever felt.”
Tarinelli lives alone, wasn’t near a phone and doesn’t wear a medical alert device that she could use to summon help. “I thinking that the worst thing that would happen is that I’d be down there a couple of days until a friend found me,” she said.
But within four hours, mailman Danny Derubis stopped by to deliver the mail. Tarinelli heard him and called up for help. Derubis came in, called for ambulance and waited with Tarinelli until it arrived. She had surgery at the hospital and is expected to be at St. Joseph’s for several months, but she’s alive — something she might not be if Derubis hadn’t arrived when he did.
Tarinelli said doctors later told her that the loss of blood from the broken bone likely would have killed her within a day if she hadn’t sought treatment.
In fact, according to the state Department of Public Health, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for Connecticut residents aged 65 and older. Falls resulted in about 6,000 inpatient hospital stays and 24,000 emergency room visits among older Connecticut residents each year from 2005 to 2008.
Dr. Frank Scifo, director of urgent care services for St. Vincent’s, said Tarinelli was definitely lucky her mailman intervened when he did. “She was blessed,” Scifo said.
Incidents like this aren’t uncommon Scifo said, especially now that people are living to be older, and many older people live alone. Scifo said medical alert devices are a good option, but not everyone has one. For those who don’t, he suggests seniors designate a nearby “buddy” to check on them regularly. Also, Scifo said, don’t engage in any risky behavior when you’re by yourself if you can avoid it.
“Wait until someone is with you,” he said. “Most things can wait.”

Fairfield resident a New England Patriots MVP

Thursday, June 16, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

Joshua Kraft, President of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, presented Katherine Sullivan, a volunteer with the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center, a Community MVP Award.

Fairfield resident Katherine Sullivan was named one of 16 finalists for the 2011 New England Patriots Community MVP Awards. Sullivan, one of the founding members of the President’s Council of the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center, was sited for her work to advance the center and her commitment to improving the health of women in the community.

Sullivan began volunteering with the Breast Care Center in 2000, shortly after it opened. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35 and has made educating young women about breast cancer her special cause, speaking at community organizations to raise awareness, talking to young women about the importance of testing and helping to dispel their fears. She has also helped the Breast Care Center address fertility and sexuality issues in young women with cancer, providing resources to better serve the Center’s patients who are concerned about being able to have children after breast cancer.

The New England Patriots annual Community MVP Awards Program, a New England Patriots Charitable Foundation program for the past 11 years, honors individuals who exemplify leadership, dedication and a commitment to improving their communities through volunteerism. The sixteen Community MVPs were honored during a luncheon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 9 with a donation made in their name to the non-profit organization for which they volunteer. The Breast Care Center received a $2,500 donation from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. The program is supported in part by the Kraft family which owns the Patriots.

Part of the Norma F. Pfriem Cancer Institute at Bridgeport Hospital, the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center has served more than 18,000 women and their families since it was established in 1999. A member of the prestigious National Consortium of Breast Care Centers, the Center provides a wide range of diagnostic care and treatment at its Bridgeport Hospital and Fairfield locations, including medical oncology, surgical and chemotherapy services, plastic surgery, mammography and radiation therapy, and genetic risk assessment as well as opportunities to participate in clinical trials. The Breast Care Center office at 111 Beach Road in Fairfield also provides comprehensive women’s wellness services, including nutrition counseling, massage and Reiki therapy, wig and prosthesis fitting, counseling, yoga, Pilates, naturopathic medicine, and other patient support activities. The Center has a satellite office on Park Avenue in Trumbull. For more information call (203) 255-5300 or visit the Center on the web at http://www2.bridgeporthospital.com/cancer/breast/default.aspx.

Health Department gets grant for cancer education

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced it received a $26,000 federal grant to educate health care providers on hereditary cancers.

Only 20 states were selected for the one-year grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 Action Project. The grant targets cancers for which there are national recommendations for genetic counseling and testing, including hereditary breast and ovarian cancers and Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that predisposes people to early onset (before age 50) colorectal cancer and other cancers of the digestive tract.

Clinicians at 31 acute care hospitals in the state will receive reports on the number of these cancers diagnosed at their facilities, along with educational materials about hereditary cancer and copies of evidence-based best practices for genetic counseling and testing. The literature packet and recommendations will also be sent to about 1,000 Connecticut physicians and surgeons whose practice specialties make them the most likely to diagnose cancer or identify people whose family histories put them at risk for cancer.

The grant also provides each hospital with a training session by a Certified Genetic Counselor on prevention and early detection of cancer as well as the appropriate use of genetic counseling services and tests.

Healthy People 2020 is a federal initiative which, since 1979, has provided science-based, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. In partnership with states, communities, and public and private sector organizations, it has set goals to improve the health of all Americans.

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