'50 Shades of Murder' will be presented Saturday at Plumb Library in Shelton

SHELTON - Plumb Memorial Library, 65 Wooster St. will host 50 Shades of Murder, at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The play will be presented by the Friends of the Shelton Library and the Murder at the Plumb Troupe.

The play is written and directed by local author Amanda Marrone.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the Plumb Memorial Library Adult Desk and at the Huntington Branch Library. 

Suitable for ages 13 and up. Light refreshments will be served.

Info shared from the Shelton Library System website.

Learn about birds of prey at Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby

DERBY - The Naugatuck Valley Audubon Society in cooperation with Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announces a program for the entire family at the Kellogg Environmental Center 1 p.m. May 15.

Come join us to learn about A Place Called Hope, a Raptor Rehabilitation and Education Center for Birds of Prey. 

This nonprofit organization, located in Killingworth,  is run by volunteers who specialize in rescue, rehabilitation, re-nesting, and release of birds of prey within Connecticut. 

Their goal is always to reunite wildlife into the natural world. 

The program will include two live diurnal and two nocturnal birds of prey. You will see birds, rehabilitated from injuries too severe for release, which have become educational birds. You will learn about their habitat along with tips on how to lessen human conflicts.

After the presentation participants will take a walk through the Osborne Homestead Museum gardens and, if time allows, a bird walk across the street at Osbornedale State Park where NVAS maintains bluebird houses.

Kellogg Environmental Center is at 500 Hawthorne Ave. 

A donation of $5 for adults is requested; children under 12 admitted free. 

Light refreshments will be served after the meeting. 

For information, directions, or to register call 203-734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov.

This is a press release from DEEP.

Lawamakers to host forum at Oxford Town Hall to address drug epidemic

Griffin Hospital in Derby screens 55 for oral, head, and neck cancer

University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene students assisted at free oral, head and neck cancer screenings at Griffin Hospital. /Submitted photo

DERBY  – The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby recently gave free oral, head and neck cancer screenings to 55 individuals in recognition of the Annual Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week®.

This is the fifth year Griffin has offered these free screenings to the community. Participating physicians included Dr. Joseph Cardinale, Dr. Joyce Chung, Dr. Jay Dworkin, Dr. Ken Yanagisawa, Dr. David Fantarella, Dr. Michael Garaffa, and Dr. Michael Yungaitis. 

Volunteers also included medical student Katie Yanagisawa and students from University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene.

As a result of the screenings, four individuals were referred for further evaluation, three individuals were referred to a dermatologist for skin lesions and one participant was referred to for immediate follow-up for a suspected neoplasm.

In the past five years of this program at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, more than 280 free screenings have been conducted, with nearly 39 instances of individuals being referred for follow-up that could have saved their lives.

Oral, head and neck cancer can arise in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx (voice box). 

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 48,300 new cases of head and neck cancers will be diagnosed in 2016, resulting in more than 9,500 deaths.

Oral cancer screenings are recommended for every adult, especially for tobacco and alcohol users who are traditionally at the greatest risk. 

However, oral cancer cases are on the rise in younger adults who do not smoke, and recent research indicates this development is due partly to the increase of the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus.

Symptoms associated with oral cancer, include:

• A sore in your mouth that doesn't heal or that increases in size
• Persistent pain in your mouth
• Lumps or white or red patches inside your mouth
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing or moving your tongue
• Soreness in your throat or feeling that something is caught in your throat
• Changes in your voice
• A lump in your neck

If you have any of these warning signs, contact your physician or call the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital at 203-732-1280 right away.

About the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital

Opened in October 2008, Griffin Hospital's Center for Cancer Care provides care that's comprehensive, comforting, and close to home. 

The Center provides access to Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, and a range of affiliated physicians under the same roof in a Planetree-inspired healing environment. Support services include a Patient Care Navigator, dietary/nutritional consultations, genetic counseling, social work services, spiritual care, education and support groups, and a variety of non-traditional therapies to reduce anxiety. 

For more information, visit griffincancercenter.org or call 203-732-1260.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Crisco hails Senate passage of 'Right to Try' bill for terminally ill

HARTFORD - Terminally ill patients could try experimental medications and procedures not yet approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration as a last resort at life under a bill approved Tuesday on a bipartisan and unanimous vote by state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, and the entire state Senate.

 

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco

Senate Bill 371 allows certain terminally ill patients, under specified conditions, to access medications and devices not approved for general use by the FDA. 

The bill applies to investigational drugs, biological products, or devices that have completed Phase 1 of an FDA-approved clinical trial and are still part of the trial.

To qualify for the program, patients must meet certain eligibility criteria and complete a detailed informed consent form.

Twenty-six U.S. states already have such laws on their books.

“This bill is about giving someone hope at a time when there is little hope left,” Crisco said. “Cutting-edge medical research, like the kind that goes on in Connecticut all the time, holds the promise of extended life or an improved quality of life for certain terminally ill people. If the patient, their doctor, the manufacturer, and the insurance company agree, they can try one of these experimental treatments.”  

The bill passed the Senate and was awaiting action in the House of Representatives late Tuesday. If passed by the House and signed into law, the bill would take effect Oct. 1, 2016.

The bill allows investigational drug manufacturers to provide eligible patients with investigational drugs. 

Manufacturers can charge eligible patients for the investigational drugs, and the bill allows insurance companies to cover investigational drugs, but does not mandate it.

To be eligible to receive treatment with an investigational drug, a patient must:

• have a terminal illness verified by his or her treating physician
• not be a hospital inpatient
• have considered all other FDA-approved treatment options
• be unable to participate in a clinical trial within 100 miles of his or her home
• receive a recommendation for the drug from his or her treating physician

This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Fountain Hose in Ansonia to host pancake breakfast

Connecticut Bike for HOPE ride slated in Shelton

SHELTON - The 3rd Annual Connecticut Bike For HOPE charity bicycle ride will be held at 8 a.m. May 21 at the corner of Howe Avenue and Cornell Street.

The family-oriented bike ride and walk will be held on the Shelton and Derby Riverwalk and also travel South down Route 110 to Stratford and further down Ocean Avenue into West Haven, returning to Shelton using the same routes. 

The purpose of the race is to raise funds and awareness for Moving With Hope, a Shelton-based 501(c)(3) organization that provides grants and scholarships to area residents who have the need for continued activity-based
restorative therapies after their insurance paid physical therapy runs out.

Most health insurances will not pay past eight weeks for physical therapy in a calendar year, leaving those with complicated neurological and orthopedic medical histories at high risk of losing independence in their homes. 

All services supported by MovingWithHOPE are private pay. 

In association with several other CT Foundations and charities and through funds raised by events like the CT Bike for HOPE, MovingwithHOPE distributed more than $50,000 to support recovery for over 40 of our neighbors with brain or spinal cord injuries and other complicated medical histories. 

Before the ride begins, we will provide a free bicycle inspection to ensure that each cyclist will have a safe ride. The bike ride will not be timed and racing is not allowed. 

The top fundraiser will win a Cannondale CAAD 8 bike, valued at over $1,700. 
The top walking and hand cyclist will each win a fundraiser 50 inch TV. The charity race ends when the last group of cyclists returns to the starting point in downtown Shelton, at the Veterans Memorial Pavilion. 

There will be food and drinks provided for each rider along the way. 
There will be live music featuring area favorites Sketch & Best and Electric Rain and a food court until 4 p.m. 

For more information about the bicycle charity ride and MovingWithHOPE, call 203-513-8424 or visit www.ctbikeforhope.org.