Destination Event Showcases Merchants, Highlights Health Trends

By John Voket

The Newtown Chamber of Commerce mixed just the right dose of serious medicine with an upbeat, bustling showcase featuring local merchants, restaurants, and service providers at the 8th Annual Destination Newtown November 10.

The annual activity opened with a receptive crowd that gathered in the main chapel of the local Congregational Church more than an hour before the main tradeshow floor opened to hear a potent keynote by Newtowner and physician John Murphy.

As president and CEO of Danbury Health Systems, CEO of the Western Connecticut Health Network, as well as a longtime neurologist in his own practice, Dr Murphy helped add some relevant definition to what businesses may be facing in the coming years related to their number one expense — health care.

Dr Murphy quickly drew parallels between global, national, and regional health trends, the way they are treated, and at what cost. Business owners and executives including John Trentacosta of Newtown Savings Bank, the event’s marquee sponsor, heard a litany of statistical data that added up to what Dr Murphy described as a culture that has to change to survive.

The health system CEO explained that while globally, the average person pays about $2,500 annually for their health care, Americans are paying $7,500; Americans enjoy not the best, but the 30th best ranked health care among its global peers; and that by 2020, 20 percent of America’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or $1 of every $5, will be spent on health care.

Not to mention the swelling demand that will be tapped by the proportionately larger ranks of aging baby boomers, many suffering from medical complications that are byproducts of today’s obesity epidemic.

“This is just unsustainable,” Dr Murphy cautioned.

He switched gears to focus on vast disparities between the types of treatments rendered for the same types of illnesses, sometimes as close as in abutting counties, that makes the difference between short and long recovery periods, as well as the related costs for those treatments and recoveries.

Dr Murphy said some of the initiatives that will help keep the American health care system functional and adaptive to the changes that will be required include the federally mandated electronic health records program; the recognition and unifying of best practices among all medical treatment systems; and when appropriate, the type of regionalization of delivery he has overseen recently between New Milford and Danbury Hospitals.

After responding to a few questions from the audience, Dr Murphy and attendees convened to the banquet hall where Dr Murphy, Mr Trentacosta and Chamber President Ann Marie DeWeese sang along to the National Anthem played by Alex Lampel, and then cut the ribbon welcoming the public and local business community to the festivities and various opportunities to meet the many exhibitors on the showroom floor.

According to organizers, this year’s Destination Newtown was sold out, with 45 participating exhibitors. Attendees enjoyed treats, samples, and tasty bites from local restaurants including My Place, Tambascio’s, Franco’s, Carminuccio’s, Sal e Pepe, The One Eyed Pig, Mona Lisa, The Inn at Newtown, and Ferris Acres Creamery.

Folks were able to get their annual flu shots from Newtown and Danbury Visiting Nurses Association nurses, and test their balance to prevent falls with representatives from Masonicare of Newtown.

Those who previously found themselves looking for a parking place at the Congregational Church were also serviced for the first time by a shuttle bus transporting attendees to a satellite lot at Edmond Town Hall.

Ellen Therrien, ad sales manager for media sponsor The Newtown Bee, said she was pleased at the turnout, and the reception from those visiting the newspaper’s booth.

“There was plenty of traffic, and we made a lot of contacts with people looking to advertise,” Ms Therrien said.

See a slideshow of exhibitors and video clips from Dr Murphy’s keynote at newtownbee.com under the “Features” tab.