VSAAC to host youth mental health forum at Ansonia High School

ANSONIA - The Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action council will host a forum entitled “Mental, Emotional, & Behavioral Disorders in Young People" at 6:30 p.m. April 5 at Ansonia High School. 

Guest speaker Dennis Embry, Ph.D., President, PAXIS Institute, will discuss the mental, emotional, and behavioral epidemic that touches one out of two young people by age 18, with lifetime effects for every Connecticut family and community. 

 “For the first time in North America, more children have mental illnesses than physical illnesses...”  Canadian Broadcast Corp., DOC ZONE CBC-TV, July 25, 2014.

Learn how Connecticut can be the first state to launch a public health prevention strategy to protect all children.

For more information, contact VSAAC at 203-736-8566.

This event is funded by Valley United Way and supported by Valley Council for Health and Human Services.

VSAAC, a program of BHcare, 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. 

For more information, visit www.VSAAC.com. 

BHcare is a regional community provider of behavioral health, addiction prevention, and domestic violence services for the Shoreline, Greater New Haven, and Lower Naugatuck Valley communities. 

For more information, visit www.bhcare.org.

This is a press release from BHcare.

Griffin Hospital in Derby to host workshop on planning for health care decisions

Griffin Hospital will host a free educational workshop April 14 on how to plan for future health care and medical decisions. /Contributed photo

DERBY - The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., will host a free presentation on how to plan for future health care and medical decisions at noon April 14.

Diane Betkoski, MS, RD, director of Planetree Programs and Services at Griffin Hospital, will present “Advance Care Planning,” an open discussion of the process in which individuals discuss and decide their future health care wishes in the event that they unable to speak for themselves.

“In life, we plan for our careers, our families, and for retirement,” Betkoski said. 

“In effort to honor one’s health care wishes, to promote quality of life and provide peace of mind, it is important to begin these conversations about how we want to live sooner rather than later to ensure one’s wishes are honored.”

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 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.

PKD Challenge for March: Day 30 ~ Share photo of someone who inspires

March 30

Use #PKDfighter and share a photo of someone who inspires you in the fight to end PKD.

Crisco's advocacy for people living with MS recognized at Hartford ceremony

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, was recognized Tuesday by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for his advocacy in the state legislature for people living with MS. / Submitted photo

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. was recognized Tuesday as a "2015 Connecticut Legislative Champion" during a ceremony in the State Capitol.

“Your outstanding commitment to advocacy that provides access to medications and health care for individuals living with multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses is helping make a difference in the lives of many,” National Multiple Sclerosis Society Connecticut Chapter President Lisa Gerrol said. 

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to express our gratitude and recognize your outstanding advocacy and service.”

Crisco said, “I try to use my positions on the insurance and public health committees to advocate for and serve the needs of all Connecticut residents, including those with MS, who have some very specific needs and goals to maintain and improve their quality of life. 

“I have a wonderful partner in the MS Society of Connecticut, which has the policy and research expertise that helps me make good public policy decisions," he said. "I am thankful for this recognition today and look forward to working with the MS Society and other advocates for many years to come.”

The MS Society has generally advocated for funding for respite care programs, Medicaid expansion, transparency in healthcare costs, an adequate network of medical doctors, and home modification tax credits. 

This year, the MS Society is also advocating for “aging in place” programs which can assist people with MS and others in obtaining support to increase accessibility to their homes. 

This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Conroy participates in community forum on drug abuse at Griffin Hospital in Derby

State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, speaks Tuesday at a community forum about opioid, heroin, and prescription drug abuse at Griffin Hospital in Derby. Health officials have said the abuse of opioids has reached epidemic levels. Conroy said 720 Connecticut residents died of drug overdoses in 2015, up from 86 overdoses just three years earlier.


Stay tuned for a story about the forum in the next issue of The Valley Voice newsletter.

Seymour Pink to host 2nd annual shopping event

Supporting this nonprofit helps many residents of our community who are fighting breast cancer.

The shop is at 3 Franklin St., Seymour.

Like puzzles? Register to compete in Puzzlemania! at Ansonia Library

ANSONIA - Sign up now to enter the 500-piece jigsaw puzzle competition at the Ansonia Library, 53 South Cliff St., from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. April 2.

Photo from Library website

Call 203-734-6275 to reserve your space by March 31. 

The competition will be composed of a maximum of seven teams of four.

Check in is at 10:30 a.m., April 2 at the library front desk.

Light refreshments will be provided.  

Get ready for a fun time as you race to the finish line!

This is a press release from Mary Ann Capone, Director, Ansonia Library.