House passes Rochelle's bill on expansion of manufacturing programs

This is shared from state Rep. Kara Rochelle's Facebook page:

"Legislative Update: HB5833 (my bill to expand Advanced Manufacturing Certificate Programs into more high schools) has unanimously passed the House! We are one step closer to creating more opportunities for students and adults to access the training needed to compete for the 12,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs currently open in our state. 
"Thank you to all my colleagues who have shown support and collaborated on this bill. On to the Senate!"

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Griffin Hospital in Derby offers 8-week Wellness for Life program

Griffin Hospital is offering Wellness for Life program starting June 25./ Contributed photo

DERBY - Griffin Hospital is helping individuals make this summer a sensational start to a healthier life with a special, condensed eight-week version of its popular Wellness for Life Program starting June 25.

Wellness for Life is an evidence-based lifestyle change program that helps prevent and treat many chronic diseases. 

Meeting on Tuesdays from 1-3:30 p.m. until Aug. 13 at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, 350 Seymour Ave. the program offers a custom fitness evaluation, individual nutritional guidance, one-on-one coaching, and small, interactive health seminars so participants can make a commitment to a healthier life. 

Each participant also receives a Fitbit, which helps track participants’ activity, sleep patterns and food intake.

According to a report by the US Department of Health and Human Services, 80 percent of chronic diseases, like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, can be prevented with better lifestyle choices in nutrition, activity, and emotional health.

“Making changes for a healthy lifestyle isn’t easy - it requires one-on-one guidance and on-going support,” said Wellness for Life Program Director Eunice Lisk. “This program helps people assess their lifestyle, provides them with a personalized plan to increase vitality and gives one-on-one and group support every step of the way to better health.”

Wellness for Life focuses on hands-on learning, featuring an activity monitor, health coaching, and weekly group sessions to establish healthy weight control, lowered cholesterol and blood pressure, better sleep and energy, and increased personal strength and resilience.

Since its start in 2015, Wellness for Life participants have seen significant weight loss and reductions in blood pressure, and the program has received high satisfaction scores from participants in meeting expectations and for presentations by the expert speakers.

For more information about Wellness for Life, visit griffinhealth.org/wellnessforlife or call Program Director Eunice Lisk, 203-732-7107.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

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Griffin Hospital in Derby to host talk on post-discharge health, safety

The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital will host a free talk on what patients and caregivers need to know when they leave the hospital./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital will host a free presentation about what patients and caregivers need to know when they go home from the hospital at 6:30 p.m. June 15.

“Here to Home” is a comprehensive overview of information and the important safeguards patients and their loved ones need to consider when transitioning back home from a hospital stay. The presentation will help keep patients and caregivers safe and healthy as well as provide the confidence needed to navigate this relatively difficult time in the healing process.

The presentation will feature experts speaking about Case Management, Home Safety, Medical Alert Services, Medications, and Nutrition. 

The discussions will also highlight Griffin’s instructional videos about this transition, which can be found at griffinhealth.org/inpatient-care.

This program is part of a series of free, educational forums hosted by the Community Health Resource Center in an effort to help improve the health of the community. 

To register or for more information, call Kerry or Deborah at 203-732-7399.

The hospital is at 130 Division St.

The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital is a traditional library that provides an array of medical and health information, including a large collection of easy to read health and lifestyle related materials. 

The Center is open to the public to educate themselves on ways to enhance their well-being, prevent illness and play an active role in decisions about their health.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

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Logan, Case co-chair bipartisan Health Center Caucus

State Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, left, and state Rep. Jay Case, R-Winsted, Tuesday co-chaired a bipartisan Health Center Caucus at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford./ Contributed photo  

The caucus was formed to provide insight to legislators in regard to the overall benefits of community health centers and the issues that they currently face.

According to the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, community health centers provide primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care, to more than 392,000 people in Connecticut on an annual basis.

“It’s important that we develop a line of communication between the legislature and our community health centers to determine what we can do to support them. They are integral to every city and town throughout the state by providing better access to a higher quality of health care to Connecticut residents,” Case said. “I appreciate the advocacy efforts of the health centers to bring issues to our attention, such as the need to diversify funding sources.” 

Specifically, community health centers gather funding primarily through various federal and state grants. 
However, 14 percent of the claims are processed through private insurers, 8 percent are enrolled within Medicare, while the majority of patients served are enrolled within Husky or Medicaid. Unfortunately, about 17 percent are uninsured, creating funding gaps. Regardless of insurance status, patients seeking care at community health centers are served.

"Our community health centers are vital resources in all of our cities and towns, and I am honored to co-chair this bipartisan panel along with Rep. Case," Logan said. "We want to help our health centers thrive across our state. That success can take the form of good, quality jobs, it can mean improved access to care, and it can mean better access to crucial funding sources. It is my hope that this panel will act as a conduit to the full Connecticut General Assembly in order to increase opportunities for success."

According to both Case and Logan, community health centers are highly beneficial to every community in which they are located because of the emphasis placed on delivering quality care to the unique needs of each individual. Over 26.5 percent of patients were served in a language other than English, which helps circumvent language barriers and increases patient confidence in the care they are receiving. 

In addition to providing greater access to healthcare, community health centers are economic drivers providing opportunities for employees to develop career skills.

For additional information on community health centers visit chcact.org.


This is a press release from Connecticut House Republicans.