Windham Hospital recognized for Continuing Medical Education

Windham Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center are the only acute care hospitals that received this recognition.

Windham Hospital has received the Connecticut State Medical Society’s Excellence (CSMS) in Continuing Medical Education Award for 2008.

CSMS makes this awards to sponsors of continuing medical education (CME) that achieve renewal of their CME accreditation for the maximum term “with commendation”

Windham Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center are the only acute care hospitals that received this recognition. The Connecticut Valley Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, earned this distinction as well.

Connecticut hospitals are required to complete 50 CME credits in two years to renew accreditation, but hospitals that exceed this requirement may be eligible for additional recognition.

“An honor such as this is not achieved without the hard work of numerous individuals,” said Windham Hospital President and CEO Dick Brvenik.

Director of Medical Education Dr. Mort Glasser, Chief of Staff Dr. Anthea Woodley, and Mark Patros and Pierrette Proctor of the Windham Hospital Physician’s Organization provided invaluable work on a daily basis that helped achieve this distinction.”

For More Information: http://mansfield.htnp.com/business_news/windham_hospital_award_for_continuing_ed.html

Mansfield Pediatrics gets training in books-for-babies program

The Reach Out and Read program gives a book to every child at each of his or her “well-child” check-ups, beginning at 6 months old and up to 5 years old, resulting in a collection of 10 books.

Local pediatricians have joined forces with Reach Out and Read (ROR), a national non-profit program that makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care.

Practioners at Mansfield Pediatrics recently completed training for the ROR program.

The ROR program started in 1989 in a single clinic in Boston and is now celebrating its 20th anniversary. It has trained more than 50,000 doctors, nurses and medical staff across the United States.

The mission of ROR is to educate parents about the importance of reading aloud with their young children. Studies indicate that early exposure to books leads to school success and has a long-lasting positive impact on children.

The ROR program gives a book to every child at each of his or her “well-child” check-ups, beginning at 6 months old and up to 5 years old, resulting in a collection of 10 books.

“It is so much fun to walk into an exam room and hand a 6-month-old a book and see their reaction, to be able to show parents how to interact and play with their child with a book,” said Medical Director for ROR at Mansfield Pediatrics Dr. Anne Willenborg.

The ROR program at Mansfield Pediatrics is one of several in Willimantic. Dr. Obi Maduka has been involved in the ROR program for some time, and Windham Hospital actively participates in Books for Babies, in which every child leaves the hospital with a book.

Books for Babies is supported through donations from the UConn Co-op, the Windham Hospital Auxiliary, and area businesses, schools and doctors.

The Obstetrics Department also gives participants an additional book for their newborn.

As of 2008, more than 3.3 million children have been given more than 20 million books through the ROR program, which is supported by federal, state and private funding.

For More Information: http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/mansfied_pediatrics_and_reach_out_and_read.html

Mark your calendar: Get help with Energy Assistance Program applications

[SinglePic not found] The Energy Assistance Program provides financial help for heating costs of oil, natural gas, kerosene, propane, wood, electricity and coal.

Those who expect to face hardship paying their heating bills this winter may want to talk with representatives of the Access Agency about the Energy Assistance Program.

On Monday, Dec. 1 and Tuesday, Dec. 9 – to help with Energy Assistance Program applications – Access will be at the Mansfield Senior Center at 303 Maple Road (off Route 275/South Eagleville Road).

Half-hour appointments will be scheduled from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. each day. (Call 429-0262, Ext. 104 to reserve an appointment.)

The Energy Assistance Program provides financial help for heating costs of oil, natural gas, kerosene, propane, wood, electricity and coal.

Household’s income, the number of persons living in the household, liquid assets of the applicant and other factors will determine eligibility and how much funding is available for that household.

Bring the following documents with you to your appointment:

• Proof of income: if this includes Social Security payments, documentation can be the bank statement if the payments are direct-deposited, or it can be the 2008 readout from social security, or a copy of the monthly check. If wages, bring pay stubs for the four weeks prior to the appointment.
• Bank statements: recent bank statements (savings and checking), and all pages. This includes proof of CDs, IRAs or any asset that can be liquidated into cash.
• Rent receipts: with name, address and telephone number of landlord. Homeowners must bring a mortgage statement or current tax bill.
• Gas bill: if the home is heated with gas supplied by Yankee Gas, bring a current gas bill.
• Electric bill: all households must submit a current electric bill.

To make best use of the time alloted for appointments, please bring photocopies of these documents. (Copies also can be made at the Senior Center before the appointment date.)

For More Information: http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/energy_assistance_program.html

UConn Announces $1.6M Gift from Travelers

Once enrolled in college, students benefit from a broad range of supportive services, including financial support, internships and job shadowing, professional development workshops and mentorship.

This week Travelers and the University of Connecticut Foundation announced the newest Education Access Initiative partnership with UConn.

Travelers has made a multi-year commitment to UConn of up to $1.6 million to expand the successful Travelers Education Access Initiative (TEAI), established last year with gifts totaling $630,000.

Launched in 2007, the Travelers Education Access Initiative (TEAI) forges  partnerships with colleges, universities and community-based organizations to increase access to higher education for the disadvantaged, and then provide students with the opportunity to excel.

There currently are 39 students in the program.

“Students who will become the workforce of the future will benefit from our investment. Our business will benefit from our ability to recruit from a diverse pool of talented candidates. Communities will benefit as young citizens become effectively engaged in their own future.” said Bill Bloom, Travelers executive vice president of insurance operations and chief information officer, who serves as the executive leader for the partnership with UConn.

TEAI is designed to:

• Increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to college;
• Help students from underrepresented communities graduate from college;
• Build awareness of careers in insurance and financial services.

Once enrolled in college, students benefit from a broad range of supportive services, including financial support, internships and job shadowing, professional development workshops and mentorship.

“The students we are targeting face a unique set of obstacles that can interfere with their ability to complete their course work,” says Bloom. “Research shows these students are much more likely to achieve success if they have a broad range of supportive programs available.”

TEAI supports a scholarship for students who demonstrate a commitment to multicultural diversity through leadership in activities at UConn or in their communities. Scholarship recipients also are offered mentorship and internships.

This initiative also promotes the Multicultural Business Club, and faculty mentoring and outreach to high schools in predominantly minority areas by the UConn School of Business.

Other key areas include the National Middle School Science Bowl, co-sponsored in the Northeast by UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Science, Engineering and Health Professions Collaborative Symposium for minority undergraduate students considering careers in those fields

“I’m especially pleased that Travelers has stepped up to partner with us on our diversity initiatives,” said UConn President Michael J. Hogan. “Improving access for underrepresented students is one of the priorities in our academic plan. The TEAI program helps us by supporting community and school-based efforts to keep students on the path of achievement from middle school to a rigorous high school curriculum. This is essential to prepare them for college and to compete on an equal level with their peers.”

This new commitment from Travelers strengthens the longstanding partnership between UConn and Travelers, a company with more than 700 UConn alumni in its ranks.

For More Information: http://mansfield.htnp.com/business_news/uconn_travelers_1_million_teai_diversity.html

UConn is a stand-out in Big East Women’s Soccer Postseason Awards

Labbe wins Big East First Team and Goalkeeper of the Year Honors

The University of Connecticut women’s soccer team received five postseason awards Thursday [Nov. 6] during the BIG EAST Tournament banquet, held the night before the semifinal games take place.

Senior Stephanie Labbe was named to the BIG EAST First Team, senior Brittany Tegeler and sophomore Kacey Richards garnered BIG EAST Second Team honors, and junior Annie Yi made the BIG EAST Third Team.

Labbe was also named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year.

“I think the awards received tonight show that although we are having a tough time this year, our players are still playing consistently and the other coaches in the league recognize that,” said Head Coach Len Tsantiris.

Labbe’s performance this season earned her the title of Goalkeeper of the Year after she recorded a 1.03 GAA and 96 games over 1,827 minutes in goal.

Labbe is the second Husky to receive the award and the first since 2002, when Maria Yatrakis earned that honor. She tallied six shutouts over 20 games, including five in 11 league contests.

Labbe had the highest save percentage in the BIG EAST at .877.

Entering the semifinal match, Labbe has only allowed four goals in the last six games.

Richards was one of the most consistent players for the Huskies this season. Like Labbe, she missed only one game on the season and made 19 starts in 19 games, and played 1,814 minutes for the Huskies in the midfield.

She only tallied three points on the season, but all came in BIG EAST play. She got her first point of the season on an assist against DePaul, adding her first goal of the season against Syracuse.

“Kacey is one of the most consistent players on our team this season,” said Tsantiris. “She was out there all game for every game we played.”

Tegeler came up clutch for the Huskies when they needed it the most in BIG EAST play.

She scored the only two goals for the Huskies in their game against Pittsburgh, setting UConn off on a three-game unbeaten streak, their longest of the season.

She scored the only goal of the game for the Huskies in their tie against St. John’s, allowing UConn to remain in third place in the Atlantic Division and get a bye during the first round of the tournament. Tegeler, with five goals, is tied for first place with Yi in goals scored.

Yi led the team in game-winning goals with three, after she scored the game-winner against Georgetown — moving the Huskies back to the Semifinal Round for the first time since 2005.

“Brittany and Annie have both come up big for us when we needed them the most,” said Tsantiris. “They made some big time goals that have helped us to get to where we are right now.”

For More Information: http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/uconn_womens_soccer_big_east_awards_2008.html