Year In Review—

The World Around Us In 2006

By Nancy K. Crevier

Issues of health and environment have always been of interest to Newtown residents, and 2006 was no different in that respect. Old views and new views were addressed in both of these areas, and some intimate looks into health issues were shared with readers.

The first week of January was a time of chaos and confusion for some Medicaid and ConnPACE beneficiaries in Connecticut, as the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan fell headlong into an abyss of miscommunication and computer problems. The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Part D is designed to provide partial payment for prescription drugs for state residents who have not been covered by a prescription drug plan. Prior to January 1, Medicare covered only prescription medicines received in a hospital or in a doctor’s office, and in a very limited number of other instances.

As the winter progressed, though, a more orderly system of signing up fell into place and by the May 15 deadline, state agencies saw a final flurry of activity as seniors across Connecticut selected and signed up for the plan.

The Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging provided Newtown senior citizens with programs designed to update senior citizens on the Medicare Part D Plan throughout the year. Eric Freedman of WCAAA was at Newtown Senior Center several times to present information to large and interested groups.

In a brief presentation this fall, Mr Freedman clarified the changes to the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan for 2007. Accompanying him on that visit was the 35-foot-long and 13½-foot-tall Department of Social Service (DSS) Rx-Express bus staffed by Frederick Diggs from the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services and two other counselors. Mr Diggs and the other volunteers were available to assist senior citizens in selecting a prescription drug plan and enrolling or changing their enrollment to a better plan.

Nearly a decade after Connecticut legislation required deregulation of the generation of electricity in Connecticut, paving the way for consumers to select suppliers other than Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) or United Illuminating (UI), less than three percent of the approximately 1.5 million residential electric users have opted for a new supplier. Misunderstanding and fears that unknown suppliers will prove unreliable have kept electric consumers in the dark.

Deregulation opened the market for companies other than CL&P and UI to produce and sell electricity in the state. It was hoped that through deregulation, competition would increase and rates to customers in the northeast would decrease. But resistance to change and pricing constricted by the Standard Offer rate created a poor environment for market competition. In 2004, a Transitional Standard Offer Period replaced the Standard Offer and removed the rate reduction in an effort to increase competition and choices to consumers by the year 2007. It remains to be seen.

Former vice president Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth opened in cinemas the first weekend in July. It provided viewers with graphs, charts, maps, and film of the effects of global warming in the world. It was meant to be a wake-up call to the apathy that has seized people regarding the environment, but could have been called, rather, a reawakening.

Of the ten suggestions for conservation listed on the website for An Inconvenient Truth, only one should have been news to anyone over the age of 30 — switch from incandescent bulbs to the compact fluorescent bulbs. Drive less, recycle more, check your tires, use less hot water, avoid products with a lot of excess packaging, adjust your thermostat, plant a tree, turn off electronic devices, and spread the word were bits of old advice offered anew by the president-who-almost-was.

Cindy Miller, founder of Trinity Productions, an interfaith, nonprofit organization designed to inspire and help people grow, was the force behind an earth-friendly group that cropped up in Newtown last year. Back to the Earth, an offshoot of Trinity Productions, brings together land and people and provides the resources needed to develop a garden for groups or individuals who want to get “back to the earth.” The six gardens planted by Back to the Earth this spring, in its pilot year, were in various parts of Fairfield County and Putnam County, N.Y., including two in Newtown.

Another woman brought awareness of the land to Newtown citizens last summer. From her 1800 farmhouse on the corner of High Ridge in Shelton, Beverly Corvino cannot see the remains of a single farm. And that is what concerned her. An English major and yoga instructor, Mrs Corvino decided that she needed to take action to alert other residents of the state that the possibility of a Connecticut with no farmland at all could be a reality if losses continue at the present rate. The result of her action, a documentary called The Farmer’s Voice, was screened on Wednesday, August 30, in the meeting room of Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

Another kind of farming that has gained popularity in recent years was the focus of another Newtown Bee article. Initially, farming fish, particularly the high-profile salmon, seemed the answer to providing sufficient quantities of fish for health-conscious Americans. Farmed fish would be healthier for consumers, as polluted oceans and waterways threatened the quality of the fish that call those waters home.

But behind the good news hovered the bad: salmon and other fish produced via aquaculture appear to be not as healthful as was once hoped. News reports and scientific studies vary widely in opinions of the safety of eating farmed salmon vs wild caught. Health experts support aspects of both sides, adding to confusion for the average person.

The facts remain that all salmon is lower in saturated fats than red meat. All salmon are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, too. As with so many other choices in the modern world, a moderate approach to fish consumption seems key to reaping the unchallenged benefits of this food.

In September, a national E. coli scare sent up red flags for salad lovers when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to consumers of an outbreak of the bacterial infection Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, a strain that can produce severe intestinal distress, diarrhea, and even death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of 114 cases of E. coli food poisoning in 21 states and the source was traced to bagged, fresh spinach from the Salinas Valley region of California. For the most part, Newtown shoppers took the news in stride, taking a few extra precautions when preparing salads, but realizing that in the grand scheme of things, the benefits outweighed any potential safety problems.

“I hope I can give people [who are ill] the hope they need. I hope to give people inspiration and strength.” Those were the words of Elizabeth Alberico, a Newtown resident who in 2006 told her story to The Bee of the many years she suffered debilitating pain and inconvenience caused by a liver condition known as primary biliary cirrhosis. She felt the time had come to share her story of hope and offer her support to others struggling with the trials of liver disease.

Other Newtowners flocked to C.H. Booth Library this fall hoping to head off disease and illness before it took hold. “Enhancing Wellness,” a series of six programs, was dedicated to demystifying many of today’s health issues. The Tuesday night series examined various methods to alleviate daily stress and discover new channels to peace. The programs were a collaboration of Marge Coughlin, a member of the American Massage Therapy Association, Booth librarian and adult program director Kim Weber, and Marty LaMarche, a cancer survivor and consumer reviewer in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. Their belief that small changes made in a person’s life over time have a positive impact on health planted the seed for putting together the health series.

The library was the site of another health event in October. Family Counseling Center sponsored National Depression Screening Day on October 5, offering information and support to residents who stopped into the meeting room that day. “Major depression is the number one disability in the United States,” said Marc Woolfolk, an intern at Family Counseling Center. “People can suffer from depression for years and not even know it.”

Influenza, a respiratory infection, and the complications that arise from the illness, such as pneumonia, can be deadly to those with compromised immune systems. Nearly 36,000 Americans in the high-risk group die from influenza-related complications every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Yet questions remain as to the efficacy and necessity of vaccination for the population at large. The pros and cons of flu vaccination were explored this fall by The Bee, giving people food for thought.

Sometimes, exercise can lead to pain, not gain. The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is a large band of tissue that stretches diagonally from the bottom of the thigh bone to the top of the shin in front of the knee. It keeps the shin bone, or tibia, from pushing forward against the knee and along with the three other main ligaments in the knee, provides stability when the knee is rotated. According to the Mayo Hospital website, teenage girl athletes in particular are at risk for kneecap injuries, like ACL. Newtown athletes are no strangers to the ACL injury, but sports training and technique training are helping reduce the number of knee injuries sustained by town youth this year, said coaches.

Physicians who cater to the human population were not the only ones on the ball in Newtown in 2006. Dr Ned Schankman, the owner of Connecticut Equine Practice, had one patient in particular who stood out this year.

Like so many trips she had made the past four years with her American Paint mare, Splash, a champion and reserve champion in the western pleasure division of horse showing, Betty Ann Pjura was unconcerned as she headed to the Goshen Fair Labor Day weekend. Then the perfect day turned into a perfect nightmare.

Splash had slid out of the back of the trailer, hitting knees first, and was standing in the middle of the highway. Dr Schankman was one of the first to get a call about the accident, and to this day is amazed that Splash is here to gallop through another day. “I cannot even begin to thank Dr Schankman enough. He is the reason that Splash is still with me. I really believe that,” said Ms Pjura.

Ms Pjura knows that every step of recovery for Splash fell miraculously into place following the accident, allowing her to feel especially grateful going into the holiday season.