Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky


I took these cell phone photos a few minutes apart Tuesday from two different locations on my way to the grocery store. 


Keep looking up!

Valley Parish Nurses at Griffin Hospital to celebrate 30th anniversary


Valley Parish Nurse Program at Griffin Health will celebrate its 30th anniversary from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 13./  Contributed photo


DERBY - The Valley Parish Nurse Program at Griffin Health will host a 30th Anniversary Celebration from 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St.
Recognized as the longest-running parish nurse ministry in the world, the celebration will feature displays about how the more than 30 active Parish Nurse Programs affiliated with Griffin Health have helped their community over the past three decades. 
Light refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon.

'Whole person health care' 
Started as a vision of the Rev. Fred Erson, former Director of Pastoral Care at Griffin Hospital, to provide “whole person health care,” the Valley Parish Nurse Program began in the fall of 1989 under the direction of Jan Sharkey, RN. 
The program grew from five parishes and six nurses to more than 40 churches and hundreds of active nurses and health cabinet members at parishes in Shelton, Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, Oxford, Naugatuck, New Haven, Waterbury, Meriden, Middlebury, Southbury, and Hamden.
Parish nurses serve as a health care resource and referral person to their churches and community. 

Free screenings
The goal of the parish nurse is to keep people healthy through education and preventative medicine practices, including offering free health screenings such as blood pressure, and to connect people to needed resources when appropriate.
In 1999, The Valley Parish Nurse Program expanded its services with the purchase of a Mobile Health Resource Van by Griffin. 
The van allows members of Griffin’s Community Outreach Department and the Valley Parish Nurse Program to conduct health screenings and provide health education practically anywhere. 

In 2006, Griffin purchased a larger, better-equipped van that has increased the frequency and types of health screenings.
“The Valley Parish Nurse Program provides us with a really unique dimension to health care,” said Griffin Hospital President and CEO Patrick Charmel. “Parish nurses are volunteers that live and work with people in their community and they develop a level of trust that allows them to connect, intervene, educate and understand the specific health care needs of their neighborhood.”

For more information about the Valley Parish Nurse Program, visit griffinhealth.org/vpn.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Rochelle's panel discussion at senior center in Ansonia cancelled

UPDATE: Wednesday’s event hosted by state Rep. Kara Rochelle featuring a panel discussion on Prescription Drug Costs at the Joseph Doyle Senior Center in Ansonia has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled to a date later this month.

State Rep. Kara Rochelle

This is a press release from Rochelle's office.

MS Support Group to meet at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

MS Support Group
Plumb Memorial Library

65 Wooster St., Shelton
1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9


SHELTON - A regional self-led group that discusses topics of interest and shares information; new members are welcome. 
The group meets in the Library's ground-floor, handicapped accessible meeting room off of the parking lot.

This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Learn Tai Chi at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

SHELTON - Plumb Memorial Library will offer Tai Chi workshops for adults from 9:05-10:05 a.m. Thursday and Oct. 17.
The Library is at 65 Wooster St.
Each class will begin and end with a series of warmup and cool down exercises.
There is no prerequisite to participate, no equipment is necessary and participants may do this seated if they feel more comfortable.

The workshops are free and open to the public.


This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Ansonia firefighters to hold ladder truck training Sunday


Sharing from the City of Ansonia Facebook page:

A message from the Ansonia Fire Department: On Sunday Oct. 13, starting around 9 a.m., the Ansonia Fire Department will be conducting ladder truck training in various locations throughout town. 
Members of the Eagle Hose & Hook & Ladder Co. # 6 will be setting up Truck 7 under non-emergency conditions. Training purposes are for betterment during emergency conditions. 
All training should be done by 4 p.m.