Outdoors A Respite As Coronavirus Restrictions Tighten

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Residents took advantage of the sunny weather over the weekend to get out of their houses and enjoy the outdoors. In Edgewood Park in New Haven, there were people on bicycles and skateboards, people practicing yoga and playing cards in the sunshine, enjoying a reprieve from their coronavirus concerns and Gov. Ned Lamont’s increased restrictions, which begin today. Lamont on Sunday ordered that all “non-essential” workers stay home beginning at 8 tonight. Some “essential” operations, including health care providers, food stores, gas stations and pet stores, will remain open. For a complete list, go here.

health care

State Extends Enrollment Period For Uninsured To Sign Up For Health Care Coverage

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The state has extended its special enrollment period for the uninsured in Connecticut to enroll in a health insurance plan, Access Health CT announced Thursday. Access Health CT’s two insurance carriers, Anthem and ConnectiCare, will be accepting new enrollments beginning now through April 17, according to spokeswoman Kathleen Tallarita. “No Connecticut resident should worry that testing or treatment will compromise their financial security,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, in an earlier announcement. “We are experience a moment in history that requires flexibility and innovative ways to access health care,” said Access Health CT CEO James Michel. The coverage obtained through the extended enrollment period will begin May 1, according to Tallarita.

Fines & Sanctions

State Board Fines, Disciplines Nurses

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week disciplined three nurses, including issuing a total of $1,500 in fines and placing two nurses’ licenses on probation. The advanced practical registered nurse (APRN) license of Jane M. Buckley of Wallingford was placed on probation for a year and she was fined $500 by the board for inappropriately prescribing controlled substances from January-July 2018 to a patient despite evidence of addiction, according to her signed consent order. Buckley also failed to provide requested medical records in a timely manner, failed to maintain adequate treatment documents, and failed to appropriately assess, manage and/or treat addiction and/or mental health issues, according to the consent order. Buckley’s license had previously been reprimanded and placed on probation in June 2018 for prescribing a controlled substance to a family member without adequate treatment records in 2015 and 2016, according to the consent order. Buckley successfully completed that probation on Dec.

Fines & Sanctions

State Issues Reprimands, Probation For Nurses

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing on Wednesday disciplined four nurses for drug use and other violations. The board placed the LPN license of Ashley E. Lambert of Thompson on probation for four years and ordered her to attend therapy, undergo random drug tests and attend a support group eight to 10 times a month, according to her signed consent order. According to documents, Lambert was found to have abused or used to excess heroin, cocaine, marijuana and Trazadone from 1998 until April 2019. The board also reprimanded the registered nurse (RN) license of Elaine B. Simms-Walton of Enfield, placed her license on probation for six months, and ordered her to take coursework in advanced directives and critical thinking. According to her signed consent order, Simms-Walton was working as a nurse supervisor with a resident who had a physician’s order that requested life-sustaining treatment, including CPR, in an emergency.

Fines & Sanctions

State Board Revokes 3 Nurses’ Licenses; Disciplines 4 Others

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week revoked the licenses of three nurses and disciplined four other nurses, mostly for drug or alcohol abuse. The licensed practical nurse (LPN) license of Dionne Brown of Bristol was revoked after she was found to have abused or utilized to excess oxycodone and Percocet in 2015 and 2016 while working at Village Green of Bristol Rehabilitation & Health Center; requested and was granted continuances of two hearings on her license; and then failed to attend a scheduled hearing in March 2019. The board also revoked the LPN license of Christine DeFusco of Rocky Hill after she failed to comply with the terms of her four-year probation that began Jan. 1, 2019, for using alcohol to excess; and for failing to attend a hearing after she was notified of her non-compliance with the terms of her probation, which included submitting to random drug tests. The LPN license of Katie Ann Martins of Naugutuck was revoked by the board after it found her abuse of alcohol, Klonopin and cocaine affected her ability to practice as a nurse.

Fines & Sanctions

State Suspends Two Nursing Licenses, Disciplines Four Others

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week suspended the licenses of two licensed practical nurses (LPN) and disciplined four other nurses. The LPN license of Melissa A. Eccles of Norwich was suspended last Wednesday pending a hearing for failing to respond to a court-ordered substance abuse evaluation. Eccles was initially ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) in June 2018. When she failed to do so, the case went to court, and in July 2019 she was ordered to undergo the evaluation. In suspending her license prior to a hearing on her case, the state nursing board found that her continued practice as a nurse represents a “clear and immediate danger” to the public health and safety.

Fines & Sanctions

State Disciplines Nurses For Drug, Alcohol Abuse

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week disciplined four nurses for drug or alcohol abuse. The board placed the registered nurse (RN) license of Sara J. Smith of Shelton on probation for four years after it found she altered a 2018 prescription for codeine after testing positive for codeine on April 3, 2019, according to a consent order signed by Smith. During her probation Smith must undergo random drug tests, attend therapy and support meetings, and is prohibited from solo practice. The RN license of Nicole Loving of Colchester was placed on probation for three years after she admitted to abusing alcohol, according to her signed consent order. During probation Loving must submit to random drug tests, attend therapy and support meetings, and cannot practice in home care, pool nursing, or self-employment.

State Nursing Board Suspends 4 Licenses, Disciplines 2 For Drug, Alcohol Abuse

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week suspended the licenses of four nurses and disciplined two others, all for drug- or alcohol-related offenses. The board summarily suspended the registered nurse (RN) license of Kathryn Lovejoy after it found her severe alcohol use disorder, as well as multiple emotional and substance abuse disorders, represent a clear and immediate danger to the public health and safety. Lovejoy, of New Haven, entered a rehabilitation program in March 2018 and was required to submit to random urine screens and breathalyzer tests, records show. In June 2019 the rehabilitation center referred Lovejoy’s case to the state Department of Public Health (DPH) after she used alcohol and failed to comply with urine tests, stating “they were unable to confirm [whether Lovejoy was] … fit to practice [nursing],” according to the motion for summary suspension. The board also summarily suspended the licensed practical nurse (LPN) license of Tammy Piccirillo of Seymour who, according to a May 2019 consent order she signed, abused opiates from 2017 to 2018.

Video: UConn’s Dairy Bar A Great Place To Be

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The University of Connecticut’s Dairy Bar opened in 1953 to sell dairy products made by the Creamery. The Creamery was established in the early 1900s and bottled milk until 1991. Today, the Creamery makes ice cream according to its original recipe and sells this ice cream at the Dairy Bar.  — Video by C-HIT campers Luis Mila, Ephemia Nicolakis and Kevin Barahona. Luis Mila is a student at Miami Lakes Education Center, Florida; Ephemia Nicolakis of Woodbridge is a student at Amity Regional High School and Kevin Barahoma is a student from Riobamba, Ecuador.

Work by High School Campers
Students from Ecuador

Photo Gallery: International Students From Ecuador Explore Journalism In Connecticut

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At its ninth annual week-long high school summer journalism workshop at the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Health Investigative Team trained its first-ever group of international students – all of them from Riobamba, Ecuador. The five students – Christina Huisha, (18), Leslie Parra (17), Kevin Barahona (18), Mikaela Romo (16) and Mikaela De La Cruz (16) – had their trip sponsored by the Sister Cities International program. Riobamba is a sister city of Norwalk. Sister Cities International’s goal is to strengthen relationships around the globe based on cultural, educational, informational or trade exchanges. 

While at the summer journalism workshop on UConn’s main campus in Storrs, the other campers made them feel welcome. Brian Ruiz, Luis Mila and Danny Ruiz were three C-HIT students who helped translate and explain American customs so the students from Ecuador were never made to feel excluded.