An Update from Vincent G. Capece, Jr., President & CEO of Middlesex Health |
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Dear Friend,
I want to personally thank you for your continued support of Middlesex Health. Your dedication makes it possible for us to remain an independent community health system that responds to the health care needs of the community.
We are pleased to share this quarterly update with you that highlights some of our new programs and initiatives.
Should you have any questions about our work, please contact our Office of Philanthropy at 860-358-6200 or [email protected].
My thanks and best regards,
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Vincent G. Capece, Jr.
President/CEO
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The Crescent Center for Mental Health Services opened in January.
The Crescent Center is 54,000 square feet and located at One MacDonough Place in Middletown, formerly the health system’s assisted living community. The renovated building is now home to all nine Middletown-based outpatient mental health program sites. In total, 108 staff members work at The Crescent Center.
In addition to housing all of its Middletown outpatient mental health services in one location, The Crescent Center will allow space to expand outpatient mental health services to close gaps in care that are particularly acute, including services for women with postpartum depression and young adults ages 18 through 26.
A capital fundraising campaign helped to raise money for this renovation project.
“The Crescent Center represents many things. However, I think it primarily
represents hope,” says Dr. Jeffrey Shelton, chair of Psychiatry. “There has been a dramatic increase in the need for mental health services over the past three years. The Crescent Center is going to allow us to expand our services to meet that growing need.”
Middlesex continues to have an adult-only outpatient mental health office in Old Saybrook.
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Middlesex Health’s relationship with a teaching hospital in Rwanda began more than a decade ago due to the efforts of Dr. Cliff O’Callahan, Middlesex Health’s chair of pediatrics. In 2012, he began to lay the groundwork for a pediatrics residency program that would allow medical residents to visit and learn at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, the main teaching hospital in Rwanda.
Middlesex Health medical residents are able to participate as part of the Middlesex Health Family Medicine Residency Program’s global and community health track. In 2017, Dr. O’Callahan started bringing Middlesex residents to Rwanda for one month each year, and that has continued since — with the exception of the years when the pandemic got in the way.
“These are the kind of experiences that I would really want every young physician to experience, because it can have the power to transform one's thinking about humanity and make a medical provider more empathetic, more dedicated and more socially conscious,” Dr. O’Callahan says.
To read more about Middlesex Health's relationship with the main teaching hospital in Rwanda, click here.
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Viacheslav Babak plays an important role in Ukraine’s war effort. He, however, hurt his back last year, and it forced him to slow down and seek medical care in Ukraine. Bed rest and a brace did not help.
Fortunately for Viacheslav, one of his friends knew Dr. Joseph Aferzon, chief of neurosurgery at Middlesex Health. Dr. Aferzon is originally from Ukraine and still has many connections to his homeland.
A phone consultation determined that Viacheslav had a spine fracture and that surgery was needed in order for him to feel better, and Dr. Aferzon was asked if he would perform the surgery — in Connecticut.
There were many logistics to work out. Viacheslav found a way to safely get to Connecticut, while Dr. Joseph Aferzon teamed up with Dr. Jeffrey Bash, a spine surgeon, to perform the surgery. Middlesex Health coordinated services. It was a collaborative effort as individuals came together to help a Ukrainian in need.
To learn more about how Middlesex helped Viacheslav, click here.
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Healthgrades has named Middlesex Health one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for the fourth year in a row.
From 2019 through 2021, patients treated in hospitals achieving this award had, on average, less complications than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.
This distinction places Middlesex in the top 2 percent of nearly 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for our overall year-over-year clinical performance as measured by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. Middlesex Health is being recognized for overall clinical excellence and providing top quality care across multiple specialty lines and areas.
Only one other health system in Connecticut was named to Healthgrades’ top 100 list this year — Norwalk Hospital.
In addition to being named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals, Middlesex Health received several other Healthgrades awards. It received several top honors in the areas of pulmonary care, gastrointestinal care, orthopedics, critical care and surgical care.
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Since 2014, Marilyn and Ron Gattinella, owners of Close to Home Sewing Center, and their dedicated staff, have found creative ways to support patients and families in Middlesex Health’s Hospice Program.
It began with a two-day Sew-A-Thon, which was organized by Hospice Program volunteers Maria Eiler and Rebecca Danchak and hosted by the Glastonbury Close To Home store. This fall marks the 10th anniversary of the Sew-A-Thon, which draws more than 100 sewers who make nightshirts, pillow cases and comfort pillows for patients. The Close to Home team have been generous and committed partners since the beginning and helped sustain the event during the COVID pandemic when the Sew-A-Thon went virtual.
The family offers deep discounts on fabric, helps to recruit sewers, encourages loyal customers to participate, provides sewing machines, and makes their staff available to offer support and expertise.
Middlesex Health is grateful to Close to Home and our Hospice Program volunteers and
sewers for their support.
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Annual mammograms and any recommended biopsies are crucial to identifying breast cancer early, and early detection can lead to better outcomes.
Middlesex Health uses a special breast biopsy system to perform stereotactic, ultrasound and MRI-guided biopsies at its Radiology locations. These image-guided biopsies allow the radiologist to obtain a small tissue sample for laboratory testing and are less invasive than a surgical biopsy.
Using computer guidance, these biopsies can pinpoint the exact location of a breast abnormality, are less invasive than a surgical biopsy and leave little scarring and require minimal recovery time. In addition, image-guided biopsies can be performed in less than an hour, and a small marker is left in place to easily identify the previously biopsied areas on future mammograms.
At Middlesex Health’s Shoreline Medical Center in Westbrook, a component of the breast biopsy system was at the end of its life and no longer supported by its manufacturer. It needed to be replaced, and that’s where Sails Up 4 Cancer came in.
Sails Up 4 Cancer is a nonprofit organization based in Connecticut that is dedicated to funding research in the education, prevention, care and cure for all types of cancer through the art and enjoyment of sailing. It generously covered the $20,000 cost, which paid for Middlesex’s new breast biopsy system, as well as the needles that are needed to use it.
Sails Up 4 Cancer raised the money during a charity regatta on the Connecticut River that was organized by five local sailing organizations: Essex, Essex Corinthian, Duck Island, Frostbite and Pettipaug Yacht Club. It also raised money at the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex.
Middlesex Health performs about 130 image-guided breast biopsies at its Shoreline Medical Center each year and is grateful to Sails Up 4 Cancer for its support.
To learn more about Sails Up 4 Cancer and image-guided breast biopsies, click here.
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Our annual philanthropy report, Health & Prosperity, recognizes your generous support and highlights the innovative programs that you make possible. You can now view the 2022 report online. |
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Middlesex Health | 28 Crescent Street | Middletown, CT 06457
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