Sharing message from Ansonia schools

Letter to All Prendergast Parents Regarding Snow Today:

John G. Prendergast School
59 Finney Street, Ansonia, CT 06401
(203) 736-5080 FAX: (203) 736-1045
Mr. Apicella, Principal, Mr. McNeill, Assistant Principal


January 9, 2015

Dear Parents:

Our decision to have school today was a very difficult one considering the forecast did not call for the snow to start until later in the morning. As you know, the snow did not start until 7:15 by which time many of our buses were in route and two of our buildings were already in session. We always have our students in mind whenever a decision like this is made and we are glad to report that all of the buses arrived to school without incident. That being said, we understand that many parents had a difficult time bringing their children to school and for that we apologize.

We thank you for your patience and working with us through this very difficult circumstance. Student safety is always our first priority in determining whether to open or close schools. Our appreciation goes out to the many teachers and school staff members that worked diligently to get our schools ready. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Central Office and Prendergast School


This info is taken from Ansonia Public Schools' Facebook page posted at noon.

Griffin Hospital in Derby slates 3 health talks

DERBY - Griffin Hospital wants to help individuals keep their New Year’s Resolutions for better health with a series of free talks in January and February.

The three talks will focus on losing weight, getting better sleep, and quitting smoking, offering health education as well as information on services Griffin offers to help the resolutions stick.

Each talk will be held at the hospital’s Meditation and Learning Center, 130 Division St.

At 6 p.m. Jan. 20, health experts in fitness, nutrition and bariatric surgery will present “Lose Weight, Gain Health,” a discussion on the risks of being overweight and simple strategies, innovative programs, and surgical options to help individuals reach a healthy weight. 

Attendees can receive a free BMI screening and consultation.

At 6 p.m. Feb. 10 representatives from Griffin Hospital’s smoking cessation program, “That’s It – Learn to Quit,” and the hospital’s CT Low Dose Lung Cancer Screening Program will present “Quit for Good,” a talk about strategies for quitting smoking and free lung cancer testing available to high-risk individuals.

At 6 p.m. Feb. 12, Dr. Marya Chaisson, director of The Sleep Wellness Center at Griffin Hospital, will present “Better Sleep for Better Health,” a discussion about the health risks of getting too little sleep, tips for getting better sleep, and warning signs of sleep apnea.

Lifestyle change program
Each talk also will provide information on Griffin Hospital’s new lifestyle change program, Wellness for Life. 

This comprehensive, evidence-based, and medically supervised program offers hands-on and personalized learning in nutrition, exercise, and reducing stress to help individuals change to a happier, healthier life.

The talks are part of Griffin Hospital's Healthy U program, which features Griffin Hospital medical experts and community partners providing trusted health information and answers to questions on a wide range of topics. 

Light refreshments will be served.

To reserve a spot or for more information, call 203-732-1511 or visit the calendar at griffinhealth.org.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.  

Ansonia Nature Center to host art group, animal tracking, documentary on conservation, more

January activities planned

HEALTHY LIVING SERIES – Join us at 2 p.m. Sunday for the second of three sessions on healthy living. 

Americans over-consume processed foods yet we are undernourished! We are polluted from the foods we eat! 
Learn why everyone should eat clean and detox at least once in his/her life. 

If you experience fatigue, indigestion, joint pain, anxiety, skin problems, or many other issues it may be time to take charge of your health and rid your body of toxins from food that has been altered by chemicals. 

Free; please register in advance. 

FIBER ARTS GROUP - Slated from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays starting Jan. 13.
Get together with others to work on your fiber arts projects! Bring any kind of fiber work—knitting, felting, crocheting, etc. 

If you took our Knitting 101 workshop, you can continue the project you started there. A great way to dedicate time to your handiwork and socialize, too. Free.

19TH ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S LEGACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE  - Jan. 18, noon–4 p.m.; Jan. 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Join the Nature Center staff and volunteers at the Yale Peabody Museum, 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. 

The Peabody will once again offer world-class performances and educational activities for visitors of all ages, in honor of Dr. King and his efforts to ensure justice for all people.

CONSERVATION DOCUMENTARY - "Bag It" to be shown at 2 p.m. Jan. 25.

Is your life too plastic? This enjoyable documentary sheds light on our world’s serious but seemingly unnoticed addiction to plastic in our everyday lives. It tells why plastic is a problem for us and our planet, and what you can do to eradicate plastic in your life starting the instant you’ve seen this film. 

Free. Please pre-register.

ART OF ANIMAL TRACKING – Explore the Nature Center’s property this winter for animal signs at 1 p.m. Jan. 31.

Ranger Jess, also an educator at the Two Coyotes Wilderness School, will teach you tracking techniques used by native people of many cultures. 
Follow the signs and tracks and become an animal detective. Learn how to identify the species in our park and make a plaster cast for your own collection. 

Free. Please pre-register for this family-oriented program. 

EAGLE WATCHING AT THE SHEPAUG DAM – At 9 a.m. on a Saturday, date to be determined.
Nature Center director Alison Rubelmann will lead this field trip to the Shepaug Dam in Southbury to view the bald eagles wintering on the Housatonic River. 

Meet at the Nature Center parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp to carpool or caravan. Group size is limited. 

Pre-registration is required. Fee: $3. Dress in warm shoes and clothes. 

To register and for more information on all programs call 203-736-1053. 

The nature center is at 10 Deerfield Road. 

This is a press release from the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.

Learn history, make craft from recycled items at Derby Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library, 313 Elizabeth St., has changed the format of its weekly 

Local History Information Sessions from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays.  

Now, along with offering research assistance, the Library’s Local History Coordinator will also have information available on monthly highlighted local history topics. 

February’s topic will cover Presidents’ Visits to Derby.  

Visitors will also be invited to browse through PastPerfect, a software program that

enables users to search the Library’s progressively updated local history database.  

Assistance also will be available for research on topics such as genealogy, prominent local figures, major area events, and more.

Recycle, reuse to make crafts

The Library has scheduled another Recycle, Repurpose, and Reuse Craft Class at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 26.

Ansonia Animal Control Officer Jeanie Roslonowski will return to the Library to show participants 18 and over what they can make with their old calendars.

The class also will include information on conservation and animal issues.

Registration is required.  

For more information, visit the library, call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.


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

New fire chiefs in Ansonia congratulated

Ansonia's newly sworn-in fire chief Scott Trembley addresses crowd at a promotion and awards ceremony Wednesday night in Ansonia High School auditorium. 

Trembley, a city native, is a 24-year member of Charters Hose Company 4. He will serve a two-year term. He succeeds Joe Kingston in the position. 

Four other volunteer firefighters were promoted to assistant chief status in the department. 

Please check out the complete story today in the Valley Independent Sentinel.

Findings at research center in Derby suggest heart disease patients can safely ingest eggs

David Katz, M.D.

DERBY - Should coronary disease patients continue to receive advice from their health care providers to exclude eggs from their diets?

New short-term findings from a study by Dr. David Katz and his colleagues at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby provide suggestive evidence that it may be time to start questioning this advice.

Due to a general belief in the medical community that dietary cholesterol raises cholesterol levels in the blood, health professionals routinely advise patients with coronary disease to restrict dietary cholesterol from eggs and other sources. However, Katz cites a lack of consistent evidence that dietary cholesterol actually impacts blood cholesterol levels. 

He notes that recent epidemiological and clinical studies seem to show a lack of association between eating eggs and harmful cardiovascular effects.

In the last few years, Katz and his team have conducted two clinical trials of egg ingestion – one with healthy adults, and one with adults at risk for coronary disease – which showed daily egg intake over a span of six weeks had no adverse effects on cardiac risk factors in these adults.

Short-term findings from a recently completed study, published in the January 2015 issue of the American Heart Journal, demonstrated similar results - this time with adults with coronary artery disease. This study compared the effects on cardiac risk factors of six weeks of daily intake of either two eggs, ½ cup of a commercially-available egg substitute, or a high-carbohydrate breakfast (choice of bagels, waffles, pancakes, or cereal), as part of an otherwise unrestricted diet.

Results showed that after six weeks of either eggs or egg substitute, when compared to a high carbohydrate breakfast, participants’ endothelial function (the ability of their blood vessels to constrict and dilate properly with blood flowing through them) did not significantly change, i.e., it neither improved nor deteriorated significantly. Their body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and serum lipids also did not significantly change, when compared to 6 weeks of a high carbohydrate breakfast.

“Our short-term findings, and the overall weight of evidence, argue against excluding eggs from heart-healthy diets, even among those with actual coronary disease,” Katz said. “There may be net harm to overall diet quality and health from excluding eggs from the diet.”

Good source of micronutrients
According to Katz, eggs, in contrast to other sources of animal protein, have relatively little total fat and proportionately little saturated fat. They provide protein at a relatively low cost, and are a good source of micronutrients. 

In addition, since protein is associated with satiety, eggs may be of benefit in weight control.

“This study highlights an important consideration: when coronary disease patients are advised to avoid or limit a food or food category, what do they eat instead?” Katz said. “While some alternatives to eggs, such as oatmeal, might offer benefits, others are far more suspect. Many popular breakfast choices are starchy and or sugary, and foods high in starch and sugar are potentially associated with increased morbidity and mortality. To our knowledge, there is no published population-level data to indicate that replacing eggs with these foods confers net benefit, or avoids net harm. Further research is much needed.”

These studies were conducted with funding from the Egg Nutrition Center. Katz and his team are now conducting a study of egg intake by people with Type 2 Diabetes, since diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and consuming excess high-carbohydrate foods can be particularly harmful for these individuals.


About American Heart Journal (http://www.ahjonline.com)

American Heart Journal has been a trusted resource for cardiologists and general practice physicians for more than 80 years. In addition to publishing results of important clinical investigations, the Journal addresses such topics as cost-effectiveness, design of clinical trials, reports of negative clinical trials, and the changing organization of medical care.

About Dr. David L. Katz (http://www.davidkatzmd.com)

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, a board-certified preventive medicine physician, is the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, and is currently serving as President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Recipient of numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate and nominations for U.S. Surgeon General, Katz is recognized globally for expertise in nutrition, weight management and chronic disease prevention.

About the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (http://www.yalegriffinprc.org)

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (PRC) was established in 1998 through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of 26 Prevention Research Centers nationwide (http://www.cdc.gov/prc) representing academic/community partnerships, the PRC is engaged in interdisciplinary applied prevention research in collaboration with community partners, federal, state, and local health and education agencies, and other universities. The goal is to develop innovative approaches to health promotion and disease prevention that will directly benefit the public's health.

About the Egg Nutrition Center (http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org)

The Egg Nutrition Center (ENC) is dedicated to providing balanced, accurate information on eggs, nutrition, and health, and sponsors scientific research on this topic. Research grants are openly solicited and reviewed by a Scientific Advisory Panel of authorities in health research and clinical practice. Independent scientists guide many of the research projects and provide analysis and interpretation of scientific literature. The ENC is funded by the American Egg Board, which uses funds from egg farmers for promotion and research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides oversight of its activities.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital. 

Seymour Pink gets donation from founder of dissolved nonprofit

I saw this earlier today on the Facebook page of Seymour Pink founder Mary Deming. 

It's a wonderful story about kindness and the true meaning of giving back to the community. 
As a breast cancer survivor who is extremely grateful for the support I have received from Seymour Pink I thought I'd share it here.

Mary Deming wrote:

"Two years ago I met a woman who was participating in the Relay for Life with the Brave at Heart support group out of Harold Leever Cancer Center in Waterbury. 
"She shared with me that many years ago she began a nonprofit organization whose mission was to treat and assist breast cancer patients suffering from Lymphedema. She decided that it was time based on many factors to dissolve her nonprofit.

"Yesterday afternoon, Carmelita Rifkin, founder of STAR Lymphedema Network, Inc. chose to transfer all the funds from her nonprofit to Seymour Pink. Yesterday afternoon, Carmelita met with me and some of our board members and presented us with a check for $4,368.41!!!!!!!!!! 

"There are no words for that act of kindness! THANK YOU Carmelita and trust that we will continue to help those with Lymphedema wherever possible!"