Recuperation journey: Visited beach

... and I have no egrets.

I only wish the sun had been out - for a sunset photo opportunity - at Bradley Point Park in West Haven.

August community meals slated in Ansonia

Career Coach returns to Derby Public Library Aug. 18

DERBY - The American Job Centers Career Coach returns to the Derby Public Library from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Aug. 18. During both the morning session, 10 a.m .-noon, and the afternoon session, 1-3 p.m., instructors will be offering Job Search Assistance.  

Learn where to look for jobs, how to get the job you want, and how to search for jobs on the Internet.  

The workshop is free and open to the public.  
Registration is requested but walk-ins will be welcomed on a first come first served basis. 
The American Job Center Career Coach is operated by Career Resources.  

For more information, stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org


This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Centers in Ansonia, Derby offer free job search help

Lecture at Seymour Public Library to focus on Nile River

Griffin Hospital in Derby recognized for organ donation awareness

From left: Sharon Bartley and Angelo Bernardo of New England Donor Services present Griffin Hospital VP Patient Care Services Barbara Stumpo and Inpatient Services Administrator Kelly Egan with the WPFL Silver Award./ Contributed photo

DERBY - Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., recently received the Health and Human Services Work Place for Life Silver Recognition Award from New England Donor Services for raising awareness about organ donation.

The WPFL Hospital Campaign encourages hospitals to coordinate donor awareness and registry enrollment activities with their staff, patients, and community members. 

The goals of the campaign are to increase organ and tissue donation awareness in the surrounding community, cultivate a hospital culture that incorporates educating and registering potential donors as part of their standard mission, and provide online organ and tissue donor registration opportunities.

Last year, Griffin Hospital assisted with four organ donations that resulted in life-saving organ transplants for 12 people. 

Partners in the WPFL campaign are committed to building awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation registration. 

According to New England Donor Services, there are more than 117,090 people in the U.S. and 1,343 in the state on the waiting list for life-saving organ transplants. 

One donor has the potential of saving up to nine lives through organ donation and can enhance the lives of 50 people through tissue donation.

For more information about organ donation, visit donatelife.net.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

*A subject near and dear to this kidney recipient's heart!

Gentile hails House approval of state employee concession plan

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda Gentile, D-Ansonia/Derby, applauds the House approval of a $1.2 billion state employee concession plan that will enact several significant structural changes and save $24 billion over the life of the agreement.

State Rep. Linda M. Gentile

This is an historic agreement that prioritizes structural, verifiable reductions to long-term pension and benefit costs, while also achieving significant savings in the coming biennium. 
This groundbreaking agreement substantially reduces the unfunded liability for both the state employee retirement system and our retiree health benefits trust fund.

Under this labor deal, the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition has agreed to zero wage increases for three years, higher health co-pays and premiums, and three unpaid furlough days in 2017-18.

“This labor agreement is the first step toward solving our budget deficit as it adopts a spending plan that generates new revenue, restructures our pension system into the future, while respecting the promises made in the past, and takes advantage of our demographic reality,” Gentile said. 

“This deal will put Connecticut on the path to financial sustainability, produce immediate savings in healthcare and enact several significant structural changes by gradually shifting costs onto employees and retirees into the future.”

Other structural changes include overtime capped at 60 percent, health insurance redesign, pension reforms, increased co-pays, premium cost sharing and COLA reforms. 

Additionally, the plan will require all employees to pay 2 percent more into their pension over biennium and establish a new tier IV of employees going forward that will have a defined benefit and contribution plan.

In regards to savings, this agreement:

• Saves taxpayers approximately $710 million in Fiscal Year 2018 and $850 million in Fiscal Year 2019,
• Savings grows to $24 billion over the next 20 years,
• Turns a $20.7 billion unfunded liability into a $1.5 billion surplus over 30 years.

This is a press release from the House Democrats' office.