HHC affiliation update

NON PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 28TORRINGTON, CT

It is hard to believe that almosta year has passed sinceCharlotte Hungerford Hospital

(CHH) began its integrationprocess into the HartfordHealthCare System (HHC). Wehave made significant progress,and for our staff and providers ithas been an energizing andrewarding journey. CHH has beenworking diligently on a number ofclinical, community, employeeand patient matters that aremoving the hospital in thedirection of our new vision: To bethe most trusted for providingpersonalized, coordinated care.

To begin, CHH adopted “VisionFor Change” integration goals thatdetail our commitment toimproving safety and clinicalquality, enhancing the patientexperience, increasing staff andcommunity engagement, anddriving growth and financialstrength. These goals have beenguiding the efforts and planning ofboth CHH and HHC transitionteams and were key factors increating and adopting thehospital’s new strategic plan. Thestrategic plan lays out specificshort and long-term objectives andprojects that expand specializedclinical and service capabilities andprovide access to new technologyand equipment.

“Building on the last nine

months of hard work andcollaboration with our HartfordHealthCare System colleagues, wecontinue to sense an excitementthroughout the Northwest Regioncentered around enhancing theexperiences of our patients andfamilies, improving the quality ofcare we provide, and enhancingour ambitious ‘growth’ agenda,”said Dan McIntyre, CHH Presidentand Senior Vice President, HHCNorthwest Region.

CHH has been utilizing theexpertise and standards of theHHC system providers andinstitutes that have greatly

CHH and HHC officials and community leaders share in the celebration at the hospital’sCenter For Healthy Aging ribbon-cutting in September 2018.

MattersHealthFALL / WINTER 2018

ANNUAL APPEAL

SEE PAGE 4

benefited the hospital’s patientsafety and quality improvementefforts. It has also completednine new physician and APRNrecruitment assignments, a greatbeginning for our effort toimprove access to local care inmany specialty areas.

CHH efforts to promotecommunity health and outreachhave also increased significantlyin the past year, as the hospitalconducted a new CommunityHealth Assessment andcorresponding plan to address a

Building Healthier Communities Fund debuts

One of the many benefits of the newaffiliation of Hartford HealthCare (HHC)and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital

(CHH) is the establishment of the new GreaterTorrington Building Healthier CommunitiesFund. Earlier this year, HHC established a $2.5million fund with the assistance of theNorthwest Connecticut Community Foundationfor the express purpose of “…enhancing theeconomic and community well-being of theGreater Torrington region…”

To fulfill its mission, a donor-advisedcommittee with regional representation fromHHC and CHH, along with public, community

Continued on page 2

Ourcommitment

to you

Continued on page 3

Advisory Board for the Building Healthier Communities Fund.Back row, from left, Beth Dupont, Renee Marcus (boardmember), John Janco (vice chair), Brian Mattiello (chair), GregoryOneglia (board member), Michael Rooke, MD, (board member).Front row, from left, Carla Angevine, Mayor Elinor Carbone(ex-officio board member), Mayor Candy Perez (ex-officio boardmember). Christina Emery is also a board member.

IMPROVED SAFETY &CLINICAL QUALITY We will ensure our staff andpatients have a safe andhigh quality healthcareenvironment and that weearn and keep the reputationas a provider offering thebest care and technologicalresources available.

ENHANCED EXPERIENCE We will offer a trusting andpersonalized healthcareexperience and demonstratethat we are well attunedand connected to thecommunities we serve andare the provider people firstthink of when they need care.

INCREASEDENGAGEMENT We will integrate staff,services and clinical systemsinto a common set of values,culture and standards tocreate and enhance our senseof team, broaden our carecontinuum, and strengthenour commitment to thecommunities we serve.

REALIZED GROWTH &FINANCIAL STRENGTH We will secure our financialvitality and better enable ourmission through new, cost-effective and expandedhealthcare programs andclinical services that areresponsive to the needs ofthose we serve.

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Growing primary carein northwest Connecticut

needs of adults and late adolescents. The staff iscommitted to continuous, compassionate andpersonalized care through every life stage. Theydiagnose and treat both acute and long-term healthconditions with a focus on prevention as the bestavenue to keep families healthy and active.

The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Multi-specialty group manages four primary carelocations throughout northwest CT. These

family and internal medicine practices staffed byphysicians and allied health providers offercomprehensive services for the care and health

Melanie Mollica,APRN

Primary Care – Torrington220 Kennedy Drive | (860) 496-6884

Erin Shaw, APRN

Kenrick Hom, MD

Primary Care – Thomaston76 Watertown Road | (860) 880-8091

Siena Chevalier, APRN Thayer Clark, APRNRoger El Hachem, MD

Stacy Taylor, MD

Primary Care – Winsted200 New Hartford Road | (860) 738-3398

Kipp Van Meter, DO

Primary Care – Canaan76 Church Street | (860) 824-0731

Dawn Lidstone, APRN

Looking for a primary care physician? Contact CHH Primary Care offices now accepting patients:

Glenell Morris, PA

Building Healthier Community Fund debutsContinued from page one

and business representatives wasformed and now meets monthly torecommend distributions of incomeand/or principal from the fund for anypurpose consistent with the fund’sdesignation. The foundation will governthe investment and spending policies.

The board will be distributing fundsto applicants from the region in hopesof achieving growth in the areas of jobsand wages measured by unemploymentrate and median income and inmunicipal net grand lists. It will alsolook to a make a meaningful differencein addressing the social determinants ofhealth as measured by a composite ofeducational attainment, employmentstatus, access to health services,recreational and leisure-time activities,housing status and measures of publicsafety and community aesthetics.

The fund committee began settingits priorities by consulting a recenthealth assessment, regional economicstrategic plan and collection of dataavailable through public forums and

reports. It then identified an initial set ofpotential funding categories includingeducation, health and healthcare access,neighborhood and environment andeconomic stability and growth. It is nowdefining areas of need in the community andonce selected plans to tie any fundingstrategies to particular metrics or milestonesas a definition of success. The board will holda workshop to solicit feedback from thepublic and invited guests to determine ifthere are any additional proactiveinnovations and ideas to fund as a board.

“The Greater Torrington and Winstedareas stand at the threshold of a neweconomic era,” said Brian Mattiello, CHH vicepresident of strategy and communitydevelopment. “Building on its currentcommunity assets, its challenges must beviewed as its opportunities. We believestrongly that the region’s social andeconomic conditions will be positivelyinfluenced through the use of this fund andin ways that can be sustained andexperienced over time.”

For more information, call (860) 496-6789.

Reasons to have aPrimary Care Provider

Continuity of Care: Your Primary•Care Provider (PCP) will have a betteroverall understanding of your healthissues and family history.Health Management: A PCP can help•manage chronic diseases, such asdiabetes or high blood pressure.Familiarity: Your PCP will recognize if•you have new complaints that maylead to a diagnosis.Medication Safety: PCPs assist in•keeping track of all your medications,to make sure there are no interactions.Informed Decisions: PCPs can help•you make informed decisions aboutyour health.Screenings: You will be informed•about preventative screenings andget them in a timely fashion.Referrals: A PCP can provide referrals•to other specialists.Answer Questions: PCPs can read•and interpret x-rays, blood tests andurinalysis and can answer questionsyou may have about the results.

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The CHH Multi-Specialty Groupis a local network of outpatientphysician practices that areowned and managed byCharlotte Hungerford Hospital.They offer coordinated careamong a multitude of thehospital’s specialty healthcareproviders and medicalspecialists and easier access toadvanced technologies andservices for patients and theirfamilies.

Specialty Outpatient Services

Adult & Pediatric Urology(860) 496-8990

Cardiovascular Medicine (860) 489-1132

Diabetes & Endocrinology (860) 496-2198

Ear Nose & Throat(860) 496-9565

Foot Center (860) 496-6723

Infectious Disease(860) 489-7017

Medical Walk-In Center (860) 489-8444

Neurology (860) 626-8232

Primary Care – Canaan(860) 824-0731

Primary Care – Thomaston(860) 880-8091

Primary Care – Torrington (860) 496-6884

Primary Care – Winsted(860) 738-3398

Pulmonary and Critical Care(860) 496-9669

Surgical Associates (860) 489-7017

Wound Care & HyperbaricMedicine(860) 489-0418

Foot Center expands at CHHNorthwest Foot Specialists joins group

The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital FootCenter has expanded its services andincorporated the podiatry practice Northwest

Foot Specialists into its hospital-based location. Podiatrists Dennis D’Onofrio, DPM, FACFAS,

and Benish Ali, DPM, have relocated to the FootCenter at 540 Litchfield Street from their previousPeck Road location and are now part of the CHHMulti-Specialty Group of outpatient serviceproviders.

Now known as the Foot Center, the expandedservice will offer assistance to help patientsmaintain healthy feet and provide effective,timely diagnosis of foot-related medical issuessuch as Achilles tendon, ankle instability andsprains, arthritic foot and ankle care, athletes foot,bunions, calluses, corns, hammertoes, heel spursand ingrown toenails. The center also assists withcrush injuries, diabetic foot wounds, flat feet,plantar fasciitis, neuromas and overall geriatricfoot care.

Dr. D’Onofrio joined CHH in 1990, and throughhis practice has been working with patients toprovide the best podiatric care for patients in the

Litchfield County area. Heattended Temple UniversitySchool of Podiatric Medicineand served his residency andinternship at V.A. MedicalCenter, West Haven. He iscertified by the AmericanBoard of Foot and AnkleSurgery in foot surgery and isalso a certified woundspecialist physician.

Dr. Ali has been affiliatedwith CHH and the practicesince 2017. She attended NewYork College Of PodiatricMedicine in New York Cityand served her residency inpodiatric surgery at St.Francis Hospital and MedicalCenter in Hartford. Dr. Ali isboard qualified with TheAmerican Board of Podiatric Medicine.

For more information or to make an appointment,please call (860) 496-6723.

Dr. DennisD’Onofrio

Dr. Benish Ali

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE

Wound Care Center honored

The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital WoundCare & Hyperbaric Medicine Center hasagain received recognition as a “Center for

Excellence” for 2017, indicating the center hasachieved outstanding patient outcomes for thelast 12 consecutive months. It has also welcomedDavid Giles, MD, FACS, as its general surgeon.

The center achieved a patient satisfaction scoreof over 92 percent and a minimum 91 percentwound healing rate within 30 median days to heal.Charlotte is one of the few centers in Connecticutto receive this award through Healogics™, thelargest provider of wound care and related diseasemanagement in the country with a network of over850 wound care centers nationwide.

Dr. Giles attended medical school at theMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston,

SC, and served his residencyat Case Western ReserveUniversity IntegratedHospitals in Cleveland. Dr.Giles completed severalfellowships at HartfordHospital and is certified insurgery, surgery critical careand internal medicine.

CHH Wound Care &Hyperbaric Medicine see patients by appointmentand accepts most forms of insurance. Office hoursare Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm.Physician referrals are not required.

For more information or an appointment, call(860) 489-0418.

Dr. David Giles

Charlotte-Hungerford-HospitalCHHospitalCharlotteHungerfordHospital

HHC affiliation updateContinued from page one

number of regional health issues and challenges.“Assessing heath needs is important, but whatyou do with the information and how youtranslate it into action is the most critical andmeaningful step. This plan has promise, integrity,and support,” said Brian Mattiello, Vice Presidentof Strategy and Community Development.

This past summer, the newly formed “BuildingHealthier Communities” Fund Advisory Board metfor the first time to lay the ground work for thedevelopment and distribution of a new $2.5million investment by Hartford HealthCare to beused to enhance the economic and communitywell-being of the Greater Torrington region (seearticle on page one). In addition, CHH becamehome to the 10th Center For Healthy Aging toopen within the HHC health system (see article on

page 4). Looking internally, over $300,000 in costsavings has been achieved to date by adoptingHHC group purchasing organizations since thebeginning of the year. These savings result whenCHH consolidates contracts and leveragesexisting relationships and discounts throughoutthe system. Now part of the HHC NorthwestRegion, CHH has also been educating itsadministrators, leadership and employees inHHC leadership behaviors, customer experience,and lean management.

“As regional president, I am so very proud of,and grateful to our employees, medical staff andsystem colleagues for our progress to date andfor their support and commitment to making thiscritically important journey, together,” addedMcIntyre.

CHH website gets a new look

The Charlotte HungerfordHospital website recently

received a new look as part of thehospital’s continuing transition tothe Hartford HealthCare (HHC)system. The site adopts thebranding of HHC and features thelatest news and events,information of CHH services andphysician practices, andopportunities to pay bills andconnect to hospital and physicianmedical record portals.

Visitwww.charlottehungerford.org

today.

Multi-Specialty Group

CHH completes three-yearEmergency Department renovation

New entrance to CHH Emergency Department.

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH) hascompleted a comprehensive, multi-yearrenovation and expansion of its

Emergency Department at 540 Litchfield Street,Torrington. CHH administrators and Boardmembers began planning the $11 millionproject in 2010 with construction completed inphases over the past three years in order toensure safe and uninterrupted patient care forpatients.

The goal of the project was to improvepatient privacy and comfort, reduce patientwaiting time, improve service patient flowand efficiencies and better accommodatelarger volumes through and technicaladvances in patient care.

The 18,000-square-foot EmergencyDepartment features a more accessibleentrance closer to Litchfield Street, updatedparking and improved areas for inbound andoutbound ambulance and EMS traffic.Highlights include the addition of highvisibility, technically advanced nursestations, state-of-the-art treatment rooms,

space for storage and designated areas fornutrition, resuscitation, bariatric services,EMS providers, HAZMAT operations andfinancial counseling services. The EmergencyDepartment now has 35 treatment rooms,three isolation rooms, nine bathrooms and athree-room area capable of flexing betweenmedical and behavioral health needs.

The CHH Emergency Department at 540Litchfield Street is open 24/7 year-round and canbe reached at (860) 496-6650. CHH also operatesan Emergency Department at 115 Spencer Streetin the Winsted Health Center, Winsted, daily from9 am to 9 pm, at (860) 738-6650.

Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging

New HHC Service Opens at CHH

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital540 Litchfield Street - Torrington, CT 06790(860) 496-6666www.charlottehungerford.org

Health Matters is a publication of CharlotteHungerford Hospital, a HartfordHealthCare Partner. It is not intended toprovide medical advice on individualhealth issues. Please consult a physicianfor any health concerns.

Daniel J. McIntyre is President, CharlotteHungerford Hospital, and Senior VicePresident, Hartford HealthCare.

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is a 109-bed, general acute care communityhospital located in Torrington,Connecticut, that serves as a regionalhealthcare resource for 100,000 residentsof Litchfield County and NorthwestConnecticut. CHH is a Hartford HealthCarepartner.

CHH donates heart defibrillator to GoshenAgricultural Society

As life expectancy increases, greaternumbers of individuals need newservices and resources to help them

age well. The U.S. Census Bureau projectsthat by 2060, 92 million Americans will be 65or older.

To connect familiesand their older lovedones with resources andsupport systems toachieve the best qualityof life, HartfordHealthCare developed agroundbreaking Centerfor Healthy Aging modelin 2004. Fourteen yearslater, Hartford HealthCareCenter for Healthy Aginghas opened its 10th

location at CharlotteHungerford Hospital(CHH), just inside thehospital’s outpatient

Members of the Goshen Agricultural Society Boardof Directors are on hand at Goshen Fairgrounds toreceive an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)donated by Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Fromleft, Antonio Damiani; Scott Fraher, president;Barbara Breor; Joyce Germano, from CHH; TheresaWallaKelly; and Richard Skargensky.

entrance at 540 Litchfield Street, Torrington. Jennifer Labrie, HS-BCP, is the CHH

center’s new resource coordinator. She workswith families and caregivers in person, byphone or in their own home offering freecomprehensive needs assessments todetermine the appropriate level and type ofcare to best support the individual, caregiversand family members, even those who live faraway. Resources may include informationand referrals to in-home care, medical alerttechnology, home modifications, stateprograms and veterans services.

Labrie holds a bachelor of arts degree inpsychology from Central Connecticut StateUniversity and a therapeutic recreationcertification from Northwestern ConnecticutCommunity Technical College. She is also aHuman Services-Board Certified Practitioner.

For more information or to speak withJennifer, call 860.496.6240 or visithttp://hhccenterforhealthyaging.org.

Jennifer Labrie, HS-BCP is connectingolder adults andfamilies toappropriate seniorservices at thenewest HHC Centerfor Healthy Aginglocation at CHH.

CHH 2018 Annual AppealTo benefit the CHH

Community Health Fund

Visit www.mychhgift.org

Together we are building astronger community

CHH Diabetes and Endocrinology staff, from left, LoisPelletier, RN, CDE; Egils Bogdanovics, MD; and JenniferPysar, RD, CDE, offer an annual Diabetes Boot Camp thatchanges lives.

“With the financial support of ourcommunity, my team is able to offer ourDiabetes Boot Camp free of charge to localpatients. This three-day weekend retreateducates and motivates people with diabetes.Our goal is to help them gain a betterunderstanding of the management of diabetesand ensure a healthy future.”

— Egils Bogdanovics, MD

FREE SmokingCessation ClassesJanuary 2019 in Torrington

Kick the tobacco habit for the new year!

Learn positive behavior change, relaxation techniques and

methods to prevent weight gain.

Eight interactive weekly classesWednesdays - 4 to 5:30 pm

January 2 to February 20, 2019.Charlotte Hungerford Hospital540 Litchfield Street, Torrington

Call (860) 496-6538 to register. Space is limited.