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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper: local, local, local.
February 4, 2022
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The Local News You Need to Know
Hospital Highlights Blood Shortage
UPDATED: On Friday morning Central Middle School was “red tagged” with structural concerns which means students are not allowed to attend classes there until it is deemed safe. This created a another firestorm in the community concerned about the aging infrastructure of some schools. Look for the Sentinel’s comprehensive coverage of this issue online tomorrow and over the weekend. TAX DEADLINE All second-half real estate, motor vehicle and personal property tax bills on the 2021 Grand List are due no later than February 1. You may pay in person by visiting the Tax Collector’s office from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You also may pay online via the Town website www.greenwichct.org or by mailing in your check to: Town of Greenwich, Tax Collector PO Box 3002, Greenwich, CT 06836-3002. FIRST SELECTMAN’S YOUTH COMMISSION TO HOST STUDENT DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE High school students, from all schools in the Town of Greenwich, will join the 2022 Greenwich Student Diversity Leadership Conference. The First Selectman’s Youth Commission will host this event in partnership with the First Selectman’s Diversit y Adv isor y Committee and Y WCA Greenwich. The virtual conference will take place Saturday, February 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is free to all participants. SU PER INTENDENT A PPOINTS CHIEF O F F I C E R O F S P E C I A L E D U C AT I O N & STUDENT SUPPORTS Dr. Stacey Heiligenthaler has been appointed Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports for the Greenwich Public School system. Please turn to page 7
Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
Grieving or Grievance?
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT
Gr iev i ng is f lu id a nd moves into acceptance and action on our unique timetable. No one can rush it. Grieving is normal for a year or more after a major loss. Feeling sad, bargaining with fate, waves of anger, and periods of depression are common experiences. Accepting the new normal takes time. Sometimes we hide from our friends or act out in uncharacteristic ways when we’re grieving. There is no right way to grieve. A grievance, on the other hand, grows inside us like a tumor, toxic to body and spirit. When our grieving becomes a grievance, our grievance defines our life. Grievances harden around us and suffocate our potential
for experiencing hope and joy. Mackenzie is an unhappily married woman wh o c o m m e n t s r o u t i n e l y about how difficult her life is because of what she perceives her impossible husband does or doesn’t do. Her friends have given up trying to help her. When asked how her life would be different if he weren’t so difficult, she can’t even consider the question. She resumes her litany of complaints . Her huge list of grievances strangles her creative thinking. Excerpted from Greenwich resident, Jill Woolworth's, b o o k , T h e Wa t e r w h e e l , available at Diane’s Books, Dogwood Bookstore, Amazon, and barnesandnoble.com. Jill is a therapist at the Greenwich Center for Hope & Renewal.
Todd Korbusch, Cancer survivor, talks about the importance of the blood supply. John Ferris Robben photo.
By Anne W. Semmes
Mary Barneby, CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region, called the Those serving on the front lines of our present blood shortage, “the worst in over a health care with public officials gathered in decade. As the winter presses on, the blood the Noble Auditorium at Greenwich Hospital on Tuesday, February 1, to address the critical blood donation crisis. “This is one of those life and death conversations,” began Diane Kelly, president of Greenwich Hospital. “This state and this nation is suffering from a serious shortage of blood.” “ We ne e d p e ople to s tep up, “ Ke l ly continued, “We need people to donate blood. The donations are treated and maintained and taken in a very safe environment. People will see masks…People will maintain social distancing, people w ill be using all the necessary protocols, because our goal is to keep everybody safe.” supply remains at dangerously low levels.” Kel ly i nt ro duce d D r. K isha M itchel l She recounted Dr. Richards’ share that last Richards, the Hospital’s director of Pathology weekend’s storm across Connecticut “has and Laboratory Medicine, which includes caused a loss of 370 units just on Saturday” the blood bank, who told of her pathologists now having to “review all requests for blood with her hospital needing nine units on a in much more stringent ways…. And we have normal day.” Barneby continued, “And in the month also had to split units [of blood].”
Mary Barneby, CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region, called the present blood shortage, “the worst in over a decade.”
of January, winter weather caused more than 300 blood drives to be canceled, that r epr e s ente d 10,0 0 0 blo o d a nd platelet donations to go uncollected. So, to put it in perspective, the Red Cross has had less than a one day supply of critical blood products in recent weeks…We want to have at least five days supply every few weeks on a daily basis. In fact, blood is needed every two seconds in this country, for a patient or a medical need.” “Just this past Sunday morning,” offered Stephanie Dunn Ashley, who heads up the Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region, “I rolled up my sleeves to donate blood at our new Jill and John Corey Blood Center. It was fast, it was easy, especially if you have a rapid pass system and have downloaded our app in advance. I was in and out in 30 minutes. And I did bring a friend. I donate every 56 days. If you donate every 56 days how important those donations are to accident victims, to newborns who were born prematurely, to mothers with pregnancy complications, to Please turn to page 3
COVID Case Totals as of Feb. 4
UPDATED: The decrease in the reported data on cases and tests in over the last several days to a week. All with laboratory-confirmed COVID, COV ID numbers continues. The Connecticut. These newly reported data in this report are preliminary. Of 47.9% are considered fully vaccinated; following is a summary of newly updates include data that occurred the 785 patients currently hospitalized 52.1% are not.
For a series of interactive graphs and maps that provide additional data, including metrics related to age, gender, and race/ ethnicity, as well as data broken down by every town and city in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”