Generations Family Health Center celebrates new home

State Rep Susan Johnson cuts the ribbon at the ceremonial opening Jan. 19, 2012 of Generations Family Health Center in Willimantic CT with Arvind Shaw, CEO of Generations, left and Sen. Donald E. Williams, Jr., right. Photo by Al Malpa

What began more than two decades ago as a part-time health services office in a small “white house” off Mansfield Avenue in Willimantic, has bloomed into a 32,000- square-foot geo­thermal facility.

And, it will allow Generations Family Health Center to improve both the quality and the quantity of the services it provides to local residents.

The new space will allow the health center to increase the number of unduplicated patients from 7,800 to 9,300.

Plus, it’s all theirs.

Administrators, staff, board members, legislators, community members and those otherwise invested in the healthcare facility, which serves under-insured and uninsured residents throughout Windham County, gathered at the new location at 40 Mansfield Ave. (between Main and Valley Streets) Thursday (Jan. 19) for a grand opening ceremony.

Generations actually began servicing patients at the new location Dec. 19, 2010.

For Generations Executive Director Arvind Shaw, the ribbon-cutting was a special day indeed.

“This is way too emotional for me,” said Shaw, reflecting on the journey during a tour of the facility before the ceremony.

Featuring dual access X-ray machines, centralized treatment areas and lots and lots of windows to let in natural light, the new facility rendered the previous rented location at 1315 Main St. cave-like in comparison.

In designing the new facility, Shaw said, they relied on feedback from the people who would be using it the most. “We listened to our staff and we listened to our patients,” said Shaw. “The patients wanted light.”

The $16 million facility was funded by a variety of sources, including a USDA loan, state dollars under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, New Market Tax Credits, as well as donations from foundations, corporations and individuals.

While the building was closed during Thursday’s event, most staff was on hand to share in the big day.

Dr. Margaret Ann Smith, chief dental officer, said her expanded workspace was much needed.

“It doubles the number of people we can take,” said Smith. “It’s beautiful, it’s efficient and the patients just love it.”

In addition to increasing the number of operatories from five to 10, the spacious new dental stations are designed to accommodate left-handed dentists and offer X-ray machines efficiently positioned between two adjacent stations for use by each.

Ken Maharan, a medical assistant who joined Generations a year ago, said the new space is much more professional than the old one. “When you get up in the morning and you like coming to work, it’s a lot of fun,” said Maharan.

Rebecca Antonucci, a medical receptionist, who has never worked in a public healthcare facility before, said the comparison is incredible.

“We do about everything we can to help anyone who needs it,” said Antonucci.

Along with this facility, Generations is also building a new 10,000- square-foot facility in Putnam and has offices in Danielson and Norwich. They also have three mobile stations.

In addition to medical and dental services, the facility also has a comprehensive behavioral health unit serving children and adults with individual and group therapy and medication management.

Dr. Irma Ross, chief of behavioral health, who just joined Generations after 32 years at Waterbury Hospital, said it was an opportunity she couldn’t resist.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney helps welcome visitors at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Generationsl Family Health Center on Jan. 19, 2012 in Willimantic, CT. Seated beside the podium is Generations CEO Arvin Shaw. Photo by Al Malpa

Ross said the focus now is on providing comprehensive health care, which means addressing the whole individual and all of the health-related needs, physical and emotional.

“We are working on integrating medical and behavioral health,” said Ross, including an initiative to get young children in to see the dentist.

Some said the beautiful new facility, which gives no impression of a stereotypical “clinic” atmosphere, is exactly what they wanted.

“We are valuing the human being, having nothing to do with where they come from,” said Ross.

Carl Asikainen, who has been on the Generations Board of Directors for eight years, remembers when owning their own facility, where all the services could be consolidated into a one-stop shop for the patients and the staff, was still just a dream.

Even when the money started materializing, Asikainen said it was hard to imagine it would, one day, amount to what it has. “The people that we treat and the people that we serve deserve this as much as anyone else,” Asikainen said.

Legislators participating in Thursday’s groundbreaking included state Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D- Brooklyn, state Rep. Susan Johnson, D- Willimantic, and U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney, D-2nd District, while a slew of others joined the festivities, including state Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, making one of her first public appearances since suffering a mild stroke Christmas Day.

After opening at the “white house” on Mansfield Avenue, Generations opened a satellite office at the Windham Heights apartment complex, because that is where many of their patients lived.

Later, it moved to 1315 Main St., where it provided services until now.

“It’s miraculous,” said Dr. Morton Glasser, chief medical officer, who was there at the humble beginning and served patients on a part-time basis at the “white house” – then called the Windham Area Community Action Program (WACAP).

“This whole thing got started because the clientele we were serving were really underserved. Our mission is to serve people who can’t get care otherwise,” Glasser said.

“It’s really heartening to see that we’ve come this far,” he added. “It’s something our patients have deserved all along.”

Generations provides primary health, oral, and behavioral health care, case management and support services for people of all ages. It accepts Medicaid, Medicare, General Assistance, HUSKY, many managed-care programs and most insurance plans. It also offers a sliding fee scale and flexible payment arrangements for those who are eligible. It never turns anyone away for inability to pay.

To learn more, visit www.genhealth.org or call (860) 450-7471.

Posted Jan. 20, 2012

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Want to learn how to help your community during a disaster?

Are you part of a business, church or neighborhood that would like to strengthen its ability to come through a storm strong, and reach out to others? Anyone can take the Red Cross Shelter Operations training; children under the age of 16 may attend if accompanied by an adult.

Recent storms Irene and Alfred saw most of our state shut down and several shelters opening throughout our region.

Self-sufficient, resilient communities are strong communities during tough times.

Many local volunteers used Red Cross Shelter Operations training to assist at the shelters, but we need more help!

Already Trained?

Those who are already Red Cross Shelter Operations certified may join together on the afternoon of Feb. 4 for a tabletop sheltering drill held at Windham Hospital.

Disaster workers will organize into teams and set up a shelter on paper, and problem solve common issues.

Please register to reserve a spot. There is no cost to participate in this drill, and it is open to the entire region.

Need Training?

There is one more opportunity to take Disaster Shelter Operations training before the drill, on Saturday Feb. 4, 9 a.m. – noon at Windham Hospital. Please register now because space is limited. There is no cost to participants.

Are you part of a business, church or neighborhood that would like to strengthen its ability to come through a storm strong, and reach out to others?

Anyone can take the training; children under the age of 16 may attend if accompanied by an adult.

For more information and to register, call 860-456-2221 or send email to citizencorps@wincog.org

Posted Jan. 19, 2012

Have a news item, event or Letter to the Editor you’d like posted on this news site? Simply send your information to editor@htnp.com and include your town in the subject line of your email. Please also include a phone number where you can be reached if there are questions. To keep up-to-date on local news, “like” us (HTNP News) on Facebook and follow us ( @HTNP) on Twitter!

Windham regional no-freeze shelter needs supplies, helpers

Volunteer Joe Blotz, left, and staff member Mike McNally prepare beds at the Windham No Freeze Hospitality Center on Main Street in Willimantic Wednesday. The shelter has already been running at capacity. Photo by Al Malpa

With cold, winter weather firmly setting in, Windham No Freeze Hospitality Center Inc. organizers say they are running low on supplies and are seeing a much higher demand for shelter this year.

“Well, our season has been overwhelming so far,” said Director Leigh Duffy. “We even had to open a couple of days early, thanks to that snowstorm in October.”

Windham Mayor Ernie Eldridge said he isn’t surprised about the rise in demand. “The economy isn’t good,” he said.

The nonprofit group, now in its eighth year, provides a space during the cold months where homeless people can get out of the cold, sleep in safety and take a shower.

Since its opening for this season in November, the center has been full, Duffy said.

Last year, 150 people sought shelter at the center, and Duffy predicts that number will be exceeded soon.

“We’ve already seen 105 different people this season,” Duffy said and added that supplies are low because of the center is already serving so many people.

This year, Duffy also has seen an increase in the number of people under 25 coming to the shelter, another sign of a tough economy. (The shelter only takes people 18 and older.)

“They all have similar stories,” Duffy said. “They either can’t afford rent or are in a precarious living situation.”

The usual core group is age 40 to 65, Duffy said.

Located at 1110 Main St. (next to Schiller’s), the center is in need of supplies such as paper towels, toilet paper, razors, shaving cream, decaffeinated coffee, cleaning supplies, warm hats, socks and gloves/mittens.

Those who would like to help can bring their donated items during office hours, from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or you can call ahead to come by at a different time or meet at a different location.

Although the shelter currently has 65 workers, it still needs more volunteers, to give the regular workers a break and to fill in when someone is out sick, Duffy said.

The shelter is usually closed during the day, but last year Duffy tried to let people sleep in if they were sick in order to reduce the spread of illnesses – but this year she doesn’t have the funding to do that, she said.

“We have to have people on site when we do that,” said Duffy. “I was working 16-hour days then, but we can always use more volunteers.”

The shelter gets almost all of its money directly from donations from the community.

Duffy said she has never had to turn anyone away and never will. “If someone has to sleep on the floor they can,” she said. Duffy and her staff have even taken visitors into their homes for the night, she said.

With more than two months of winter still left, the shelter is going to need as much help as it can get, Duffy said.

Eldridge said he understands that it isn’t easy to get donations for the shelter. “It’s not as much that they don’t care as they don’t have it to give,” he said.

“The jobs just aren’t there today,” said Eldridge. “When I was a kid there were plenty of jobs… Those jobs aren’t there anymore, not in our section of the world.”

Later this month, the shelter will host Bruce John’s “Hollywood Nights,” it’s fifth annual fundraiser. Tickets to the Jan. 21 event, at the Willimantic Elks Club, are $20 and all proceeds benefit the Windham Region No Freeze Project.

“The event will help us to cover the rent for the year,” Duffy said.

For more information about volunteering or making a donation, call the center at (860) 450-1346 or send an e-mail to windham.nofreeze@gmail.com Donations can be mailed to The Windham No Freeze Project, P.O. Box 46, Willimantic 06226.

Posted Jan. 18, 2012 as edited by HTNP.com Editor Brenda Sullivan

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Reinvent Connecticut – still time to register for business workshops

"These sessions provide an opportunity for citizens to sit down at a table with a professional, ask questions and have them answered immediately, and fill out applications on the spot. Small businesses are critical to the state’s economic recovery, and these types of personal gatherings are giving a face to a state agency that is critical to the growth of small businesses.” - Gov. Malloy

There is still time to register for the last three workshops in the Reinvent Connecticut series, sponsored by the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

The workshops are designed to give small businesses a firsthand look at how the state can help them create jobs and expand their operations.

Participants will learn about the recent jobs legislation, as well as existing programs to assist Connecticut businesses.

Key provisions of the recently passed Jobs Bill include:

Small Business Express Program (EXP) – provides $100 million to help Connecticut’s small businesses access much-needed capital.

Job Expansion Tax Credit (JET) program – provides a tax credit $500 per month for each new employee or $900 per month for certain employees if they are disabled, unemployed or a veteran.

First Five program – was expanded so DECD can provide state assistance to five additional business development projects, for a total of 10, in 2012.

The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) – can establish additional airport development zones, similar to the zone near Bradley International Airport, around the state’s smaller airports. Businesses within these zones can be eligible for property tax exemptions and corporation business tax credits.

Manufacturing Reinvestment Account (MRA) program – was expanded to help even more small manufacturers in Connecticut invest more in their businesses.

Subsidized Training & Employment Program (STEP) – will provide funding to small businesses and small manufacturers for a portion of a worker’s employment costs, including training.

Increases by a total of up to $340 million in bonding for the state’s Manufacturing Assistance Act (MAA).

Business entity tax – now collected every other year, rather than annually. This lowers the cost of doing business in Connecticut.

DECD has scheduled two webinars for those that cannot attend the final workshops. They will be held Jan. 18, 2012 from 9-10 a.m. and Jan. 19, 2012 from 1-2 p.m. (call 1-800-392-2122 for more information.)

DECD business specialists will be at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport on Jan. 5; the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden on Jan. 9; the Matrix Corporate Center in Danbury on Jan. 12; and the Branford Community House on Jan. 19.

Those interested in attending the remaining sessions should register in advance at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22DQSU2K9BX or call 800-392-2122 for more information.

“Since I took office, one of my primary goals has been to reconnect state government and the business community. One of the concerns I heard most was the feeling that government wasn’t listening – that it was disengaged from those it was supposed to be serving,” said Gov. Malloy. “That’s why these informational sessions are so important. It’s a way for business owners and other entrepreneurial-minded people to get the assistance they need and forge relationships with our business development team.

“These sessions provide an opportunity for citizens to sit down at a table with a professional, ask questions and have them answered immediately, and fill out applications on the spot. Small businesses are critical to the state’s economic recovery, and these types of personal gatherings are giving a face to a state agency that is critical to the growth of small businesses.”

Initiated Nov. 9, 2011 these sessions have been attended by about 800 people and have resulted in more than 144 applications for the state’s newest program called the Small Business Express Program (EXP).

Catherine Smith, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development and Deputy Commissioner Ron Angelo have led more than 12 sessions across the state.

Posted Jan. 5, 2012

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Want to know more about beekeeping? Learn from the experts

The Eastern CT Beekeeping Association classes, held at UConn, will be a lecture and interactive series, focusing on honeybees and beekeeping, with emphasis on management for pollination and honey production. Photo source: cals.vt.edu

The Eastern Connecticut Beekeeping Association will lead an introductory beekeeping course for anyone with an interest in bees/beekeeping beginning Jan. 26, 2012 at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. People who already have colonies are also invited to attend.

Classes will be held in the W.B. Young Building on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., with registration held at 6 p.m. at the first class.

Class dates are Jan. 26, and Feb. 2, 9, 16 – and Feb. 23 is reserved as a snow date, in the event a class is cancelled. (If UConn is closed due to weather, class will not be held.)

The class will be a lecture and interactive series, focusing on honeybees and beekeeping, with emphasis on management for pollination and honey production.

The classes will be conducted by experienced beekeepers Adam Fuller from Hampton CT, Alex Nishball from Mansfield CT and Tim Grilley from Salem CT.

There is a $75 registration fee. The fee includes the class book, “The Backyard Beekeeper,” the class and a one-year membership in the Eastern Connecticut Beekeepers Association.

To register, click on this link (form is in PDF format) http://webpages.charter.net/nectar/ECBA/Bee_School_Reg_2012.pdf, complete the registration form and return it ASAP with a $75 check to: ECBA, P.O. Box 487, Tolland, CT 06084.

If you register by mail, the deadline is Jan. 15, 2012. You may also register in person at the first class if space is still available.

Posted Jan. 3, 2012

Have a news item, event or Letter to the Editor you’d like posted on this news site? Simply send your information to editor@htnp.com and include your town in the subject line of your email. Please also include a phone number where you can be reached if there are questions. To keep up-to-date on local news, “like” us (HTNP News) on Facebook and follow us ( @HTNP) on Twitter!

Police have hectic Christmas weekend

Highway safety experts say distracted driving, especially talking or sending text messages on cellular phones while driving, is one of the main causes of accidents.

While police in Willimantic and Coventry reported a relatively quiet holiday weekend, fires, drunk drivers and hazardous holiday happenings kept Connecticut State Police very busy and they expect this to continue as we greet the arrival of 2012 Saturday night.

State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said Operation SANTA, the nationwide roadway safety effort that began before Christmas – and this year is focused on distracted driving, as well as other violations – will remain in effect through Sunday, Jan. 1.

Highway safety experts say distracted driving, especially talking or sending text messages on cellular phones while driving, is one of the main causes of accidents.

Over this holiday weekend, CT State Police cited 815 drivers for moving violations including talking/texting while driving.

“We had what we would call a hectic weekend,” said Lt. Vance. “We had a lot of accidents.”

State police respond not only to crimes and motor vehicle violations but also to fires – such as the horrific Christmas Day blaze in Stamford that claimed the lives of five people, including three children and their grandparents.

Fatal accident

A single-vehicle accident on Route 6 in Bolton at about 6:30 a.m. on Monday, in the area of Johnson Road, claimed the life of the driver.

Police say Thomas R. Farr, 54, of Berlin, was driving east on Route 6 when he lost control of his truck while negotiating a curve in the road.

Police say the 2004 Ford F350 truck crossed two lanes and struck an embankment, then rolled onto the driver’s side of the vehicle; Farr was partially ejected and trapped under the truck. Police say the airbag did not deploy.

The accident remains under investigation.

Statewide, there were two fatal accidents, 36 accidents with injuries, 502 speeding arrests, 43 arrests for not wearing seat belts and 36 arrests for driving under the influence… in addition to the aforementioned 815 hazardous moving violations.

These statistics cover the time between midnight Friday, Dec. 23, and midnight on Monday, Dec. 26.

New Year’s Day

Extra police patrols will remain on the state’s roadways through the New Year’s weekend.

And state police remind citizens that state troopers are only part of a “team effort” to keep the highways and roadways safe.

“We need the help of all our citizens to keep our highways safe and reduce the total number of motor vehicle accidents in the state,” Lt. Vance states. For example, if you witness someone driving erratically, potentially a driver under the influence, it is legal to call 911 and report it (take note of the license plate and the color and make of the vehicle.)

To view a list of police checkpoints planned for this weekend – organized by region (i.e Troop C, Troop K) and date, in PDF format, click here www.ct.gov/dps/site

Posted Dec. 27, 2011

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State Police set up checkpoints now through New Year’s Day

State Police have been on the roads since just before Christmas, setting up checkpoints in an annual safety initiative known as Project S.A.N.T.A. – an acronym for Stop Another Needless Tragic Accident. Photo: State Police Troop C in Tolland CT - photo copyright 2011 by Brenda Sullivan

State Police have been on the roads since just before Christmas, setting up checkpoints in an annual safety initiative known as Project S.A.N.T.A. – an acronym for Stop Another Needless Tragic Accident.

At these checkpoints, police will check for everything from talking on your cell phone while driving, to failure to use your seat belt, to driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

You might also be cited for faulty equipment, such as non-working brake lights, failure to illuminate your car’s license plate and of course serious offenses such as driving an unregistered vehicle or driving with an expired license.

For a list grouped by State Police barracks of where checkpoints will be on a particular date, click here .

Project S.A.N.T.A. is part of what’s known as a Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) and it involves all State Police Departments across the U.S.

Emergency Services & Public Protection Commissioner Reuben F. Bradford said, “Our State Troopers are trying to save lives and keep all of our roads and highways safe.”

No one looks forward to spending time in a jail cell, a hospital, especially during the holidays.

Here’s some good advice: If you are planning to drink alcohol at a holiday event, make plans in advance for a designated, non-drinking driver to bring you home.

And if you spot someone driving erratically – weaving in and out of lanes or otherwise endangering others – call 911 and report it. You may save a life.

In 2010, Project S.A.N.T.A. was canceled in Connecticut because of a snowstorm. In 2009  (from 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 24 to 12 a.m. on Dec. 27): 468 tickets were issued for speeding; 55 tickets were issued for failure to wear a seat belt; 36 people were arrested for drunk driving; 814 citations were issued for a variety of “hazardous moving violations.” And in 2010, there were 281 accidents – 35 with injuries and two fatalities.

Posted Dec. 26, 2011

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Courtney helps taxpayers recover more than $1 million

In the cases where Congressman Courtney’s office helped recovered taxpayer money, constituents have saved anywhere from $105 in a dispute with the IRS to $124,000 – payment secured for a Vietnam veteran for service-connected disability related to Agent Orange exposure.

U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney today (Dec. 22) announced that, since the beginning of 2011, his office has helped return $1,331,686 to eastern Connecticut citizens who were owed Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, tax refunds and other payments from the federal government.

Since Courtney’s arrival in Congress in 2007, his casework staff has helped thousands of constituents cut through bureaucratic red tape.

“Almost every day for the past five years, my office has received a call from someone in eastern Connecticut asking for help solving a problem,” said Congressman Courtney (D – 2nd CT District).

“Every dollar we are talking about today has a story – a person who was fighting an uphill battle to get the help he or she deserved. I hope their success in recovering what was owed to them inspires others to contact my office right away,” he said.

In the cases where Courtney’s office helped recovered taxpayer money, constituents have saved anywhere from $105 in a dispute with the IRS to $124,000 – payment secured for a Vietnam veteran for service-connected disability related to Agent Orange exposure.

In total, the casework breakdown of savings is as follows:

Social Security: $950,698

Veterans’ benefits: $160,543

Housing: $143,400

Pensions: $34,725

FEMA: $23,870

IRS: $18,450

Congressman Courtney’s office can assist constituents with a range of issues including: Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits, immigration/visas, passports, loan modifications, requests for flags and commendations, service academy nominations, and more.

He has two offices in eastern Connecticut: Norwich District Office, 101 Water Street, Suite 301, Norwich, CT 06360, 860.886.0139; Enfield District Office, 77 Hazard Ave, Unit J, Enfield, CT 06082, 860.741.6011

Posted Dec. 22, 2011

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