Dr Mittleman, Waterbury Hospital Honored By AHA

Waterbury Hospital was honored twice by the American Heart Association during a celebration at the Brass Mill Center shopping mall marking the third annual American Heartsaver Day on February 4.

Newtown’s Craig Mittleman, MD, director of Emergency Services at the hospital, and Bethlehem’s Carol Melton and Prospect’s Candy Loguidice of The Be Well Center were honored for the steps they have taken to strengthen the American Heart Association’s “chain of survival.”

Dr Mittleman and Joann D’Avirro of Area Health Education Centers in Torrington were feted for developing and supporting an initiative at Waterbury’s Wilby High School that will train students and faculty in the proper use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR. The initial group of those trained will train other staff, faculty, and students, thereby laying the groundwork for a comprehensive in-house first responder system.

Ms Melton, manager of the Be Well Center, and Ms Loguidice, a radiologic technologist, were honored for the efforts of the center in “friends and family” CPR courses. The Be Well Center staff is certified in heartsaver CPR and will be expanding their class offering in the near future.

Waterbury Hospital’s Ralph Miro, EMS coordinator, a resident of New Haven, opened the event as the chairman of American Heartsaver Day Committee in Waterbury. Jocelyn Maminta, anchor and health reporter on WTHN, News Channel 8, was the emcee.

Waterbury Hospital is a private, nonprofit acute care teaching hospital licensed for 367 beds and affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Founded in 1890 as Connecticut’s fourth hospital, Waterbury Hospital is a full-service community hospital with centers of excellence in primary care, behavioral health, and orthopaedics. With approximately 2,000 employees, Waterbury Hospital is the second largest employer in the greater Waterbury region, serving a vital role in the economic vitality of Western Connecticut.