Griffin Hospital honors Shelton man with Planetree Scholar Award

Griffin Health Certified Operating Room Technician Kojo Agyedu of Shelton, center, was recently awarded the Planetree Scholar Award. Celebrating with him are Griffin Health President and CEO Patrick Charmel, left, and Todd Liu, Vice President, Accountable Care, and General Counsel./ Contributed photo

DERBY - Griffin Health Certified Operating Room Technician Kojo Agyedu of Shelton was recently awarded the Planetree Scholar Award at the 2019 Planetree International Conference on Person-Centered Care held in Orlando.

The Planetree Scholar Award honors individuals whose attitudes and deeds inspire others to greater heights and have advanced an organization's person-centered care efforts. 

Agyedu has been with Griffin for more than seven years, building a reputation as a very special caregiver who takes exceptional care of his patients and has fantastic relationships with fellow caregivers, surgical sales representatives and students.

Agyedu’s coworkers nominated him for the award based on his ability to develop positive relationships with his patients and for his unwavering efforts to do everything he can to make patients feel comfortable and relaxed - from putting warm blankets on them, to welcoming children into the surgery process so they understand what’s going on, to consoling and calming anxious patients and their loved ones.

“Every decision he makes is guided by putting himself in the other person’s shoes,” the nomination form for Agyedu states. “He treats them as he would want to be treated.”

About Planetree

Founded in 1978 by Angelica Thieriot, a San Francisco patient who endured a traumatic health care experience, Planetree is an internationally-recognized not-for-profit organization that partners with health care providers around the globe to advance patient-/resident-centered approaches to care.

Planetree has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize, and demystify the health care system for more than 30 years. With its model of patient-/resident-centered care being implemented in a diverse range of hospitals, continuing care facilities, outpatient clinics, and consumer health libraries across North America, Canada, Brazil, The Netherlands and Japan, Planetree is demonstrating that patient-centered care is not only an empowering philosophy, but a viable, vital, and cost-effective model of care.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Basement Systems in Seymour to host Leadercast conference

This one-day leadership conference will be held May 10 at the fabulous Invictus Theater on the campus of Basement Systems in Seymour.

Broadcast LIVE each year from Atlanta to hundreds of Host Sites around the world, Leadercast Live assembles globally respected leadership experts to share knowledge and insights from their leadership journeys.

Forbes Magazine calls this the "leadership conference you don't want to miss in 2019"!

Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Chamber Vice President and Conference Coordinator Nancie Gray. 

Registration is now open, click here for complete details.

*This information is shared from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce newsletter.

Griffin Hospital professionals receive Planetree awards

Roman Spivak, MD, receives the Planetree Clinician Champion Award from Planetree President Dr. Susan Frampton./ Contributed photo

DERBY- Roman Spivak, MD, and Dike Miller, RN, both of Shelton, were recently honored with Spirit of Planetree Awards at the 2017 Planetree International Conference on Patient-Centered Care in Baltimore.

Spivak received the Clinician Champion Award for his work as a pulmonary critical care physician at Griffin Hospital. 

The award recognizes physicians around the world who personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare experience.

Spivak was nominated for the award for his ability to earn the trust of patients and their families with his caring and compassionate bedside manner. 
He is considered a great role model for the hospital’s resident physicians, especially in the intricacies of critical care, and Griffin nurses respect and appreciate him for actively including them in patient rounding and in discussions about patient care plans.

Dike Miller, RN, receives the Planetree Caregiver Award from Planetree President Dr. Susan Frampton./ Contributed photo

The Caregiver Award recognizes Miller’s commitment to both Planetree’s and Griffin Hospital's patient-centered approach to providing care. 

In his five years as a nurse at Griffin, Miller has been a leader, forming positive relationships with clinical co-workers and staff throughout the hospital. 

Miller is also known for the empathy he exhibits to his patients. He always takes time to sit, talk, explain, or sometimes just lend an ear to a patient who is frightened, confused, or agitated.

“The Spirit of Planetree Award Ceremony is always a highlight of our Annual Conference,” said Planetree President Dr. Susan Frampton. “At the heart of the Planetree patient-centered model are the human interactions between patients and caregivers. With the Spirit of Planetree Awards, we celebrate individuals like Dr. Spivak and Dike who, with their compassion, empathy, and simple human kindness, are improving the patient experience, and that is most definitely worthy of recognition.”

About Planetree

Founded in 1978 by Angelica Thieriot, a San Francisco patient who endured a traumatic healthcare experience, Planetree is an internationally-recognized not-for-profit organization that partners with health care providers around the globe to advance patient-/resident-centered approaches to care. 

Planetree has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize, and demystify the healthcare system for more than 30 years. With its model of care being implemented in a diverse range of hospitals, continuing care facilities, outpatient clinics, and consumer health libraries across North America, Canada, Brazil, The Netherlands and Japan, Planetree is demonstrating that patient-centered care is not only an empowering philosophy, but a viable, vital, and cost-effective model of care.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Boys & Girls Club to host regional conference in Shelton

SHELTON - The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley will host this year’s Northeast Regional Keystone Conference today through Sunday. 

More than 200 Keystoners from across the Northeast are set to take over the Lavietes Clubhouse. 

The National Keystone Conference provides Keystoners with a positive leadership experience where they can engage and socialize with peers, explore relevant issues, and develop skills to support and enhance efforts in their Boys & Girls Clubs and communities. 

This year’s conference aims to inspire teens from Clubs across the Northeast to express their individuality and become more confident in perusing current and future goals. 

Throughout the weekend keystone members will spend time in both educational and entertaining sessions. 

Guest speakers

They will also hear from guest speakers Shaun Derik -performing artist and motivational speaker, Brooke Grand -Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Northeast Region Youth of the Year, and Richie Contartesi - former professional football player and youth motivational speaker. 

Conference manager and Lavietes Clubhouse Unit Director Jennifer DeLeon and co-advisor Samantha Heins have a fun and exciting weekend lined up for all the attending Keystone members and their advisors. 

“I am beyond excited to welcome teens from across the Northeast for a fun-filled, thought-provoking conference! Being able to provide them with such an opportunity is an honor," DeLeon said. 

More about Keystone: Keystoning is the Boys & Girls Club Movement’s most dynamic teen program. It affords teens an opportunity to gain valuable leadership and service experience. 

The goal of the Keystone program is to provide awareness and impact in the areas of community service, career preparation, and teen outreach. 
Keystone is available for Club members ages 14 to 18.

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley visit www.BGC-LNV.org.

This is a press release from the club.

VSAAC to present community awards at conference in New Haven

NEW HAVEN - The Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action Council will host its 25^th Anniversary A Piece of the Prevention Puzzle Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 24 at Anthony’s Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Road.

This year’s conference focuses on Internet safety, emotional intelligence, and prescription pill and heroin use. 

Participants will learn practical tools and skills from nationally recognized experts. 
The cost of the workshop is $75. Continental breakfast and deli lunch are included and continuing education and training credits are available.

Theresa Conroy

Carol Cruz

The conference will also feature VSAAC’s 2015 Community Champion Awards. 

The awards are given to those in the community who take action and effect change in the field of substance abuse prevention and/or intervention activities.

The awards spotlight and applaud the work that is being done to help prevent substance abuse on the grass-roots, community level. 
It is work that is absolutely critical to VSAAC’s efforts to keep our kids safe from alcohol, tobacco, drug use, suicide, risky behaviors, and promote good mental health in the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and surrounding communities.

This year’s Community Champions include Carol Cruz, CCAR Project Manager for the Young Adult and Families Program; Jeffrey Nielsen, Sergeant, Milford Police Department; Theresa Conroy, State Representative, APRN for Minute Clinic and Pina Violano, Injury Prevention Coordinator, Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Jeffrey Nielsen

Pina Violano

For more information or to register, visit www.vsaac.org

This is a press release from VSAAC, a program of BHcare. 

VSAAC is a public/private partnership comprised of community leaders and citizens who develop and carry out strategies to reduce alcohol, tobacco, drug use, suicide, risky behaviors, and promote good mental health among youth and, over time, among adults through community education, community mobilization, public awareness, and advocacy in the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and surrounding communities.