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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 84 NO. 252
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2015
75 cents
Funding petitioned for historic buildings
Prenatal, postpartum treatment efforts get support through grant By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD – Anne Vaillant, C.N.M., is spearheading a perinatal support grant through MotherWoman and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for women in the Greater Westfield area. Vaillant, a North American Menopause Society certified menopause practitioner and MotherWoman Postpartum Support Group facilitator, recently rejoined Women’s Health Associates on Springfield Road after focusing her efforts on applying for – and receiving – a CommunityBased Perinatal Support Model™ Massachusetts (CPSM-MA) grant through MotherWoman, the state Department of Mental Health (DMH), and the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP for Moms). The grant will allow the practice to not only identify and treat perinatal depression, but will also provide the resources to develop and guide support groups. MotherWoman, headquartered in Hadley, has been partnering with communities across the state for the past six years to address perinatal mental health so that mothers can receive the care and treatment they need. In 2014, MotherWoman selected six diverse communities for its CPSM program which included Springfield, Brockton, Cape & Islands, Greater Lynn, Greater New Bedford, and Worcester. When a request for proposals for additional communities to participate was launched, Vaillant and her colleagues at Women’s Health Associates were honored to be among those chosen for the grant. “Postpartum depression affects one mother in five and it is estimated that one in every three women experiences depression during pregnancy,” said Vaillant. “With numbers like these, it is imperative that all of us increase our understanding of perinatal emotional complications and share resources to build a stronger safety net for all women and families in our community.” The CPSM-MA grant will give providers in greater Westfield and the hilltowns the tools necessary to build a leadership team with key partners from primary care, mental health, social service, and mothers with lived experience of postpartum depression. The grant will also create a city-wide coalition to address perinatal mental health issues, develop strategies to address barriers to care, and provide perinatal support groups for mothers at risk for or experiencing perinatal depression. “The grant provides a rare opportunity to work closely with experts in the field of perinatal mental health,” she said. Vaillant, a mother of two, knows firsthand the roller coaster ride that See Women’s Health, Page 3
The Westfield News will run our masthead in pink, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
teachers getting a sense when someone’s “not there” in reading and other skills. Throughout the presentation, Leslie talked about the journey of her son, who is dyslexic, and the challenges she went through in getting him the appropriate services he needed. A “consent for evaluation form” must be sent to parents within five days of a referral, listing all of the concerns regarding the child. Once the form is signed, “it starts the ball rolling,” Leslie said. The school then has 30 school days to evaluate the child, not counting weekends or days that school is not in session. Tests may include a reading test, fluency test (to determine comprehension), functional behavior evaluations, and more. Physicians may be asked to do a comprehensive health exam. There may also be a psychological assessment done by a licensed school, educational, or general psychologist. Home assessments may also be done. Parents may have a dialogue with the school about the testing. “You want to be comfortable that the school is testing in all areas of disabilities,” Leslie said.
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The owners of two historic buildings made an informal presentation to the Community Preservation Committee last week for funds needed during the public participation segment of the meeting. Judy Lyon of the First Congregational Church Property Committee said the church is looking for funds to bring a building into compliance with requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The building, which was built as a school and later used as the city hall, requires accessibility to bring the building into state and federal building and ADA codes. The structure had been occupied by a long-term tenant, the Carson Center, which recently relocated. “The building needs to be brought up to code before we find another tenant,” Lyon said. “We hired an architect to access handicap accessibility to the first floor and a contractor has given us a ball park number of about $150,000 for the cost of construction.” Lyon said the lift would be similar to that installed at the nearby Tavern Restaurant and to two lifts installed recently in the current City Hall. “The church has saved some money for this project, but we can’t afford the entire project cost,” Lyon said. “We’d like to explore options for when the next tenant is identified and the specific needs of that tenant.” Cindy Gaylord, representing the Historical Commission on the CPC, said “it is an amazing building. It was the old city hall and it is on the city’s historic register. It could draw a large tenant if it has handicapped accessibility.” Peter Fiordalice, who represents the Planning Board on the CPC, asked specify questions about the location of the handicap lift and how it would be enclosed or incorporated into the building structure. Lyon said the church has not released a request for bids because it does not have the funding to act on a bid and that part of how the lift would be incorporated would be included in the individual bids for the project. Tom Sharp, representing the Conservation Commission, said he would like an opinion from the Law Department because of a possible church-state
See Basic Rights, Page 3
See Historic, Page 3
Leslie Leslie, presenter, Darlene Fernandez, SPED supervisor at Westfield Technical Academy, Dawn Altieri, Michele Douglas and Melissa Rutkowski of SEPAC at workshop on basic rights for special education. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Special Education basic rights discussed By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The Westfield Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC) held a workshop on the basic rights of parents in regard to the Special Education process on Thursday evening at the Westfield Technical Academy. Leslie Leslie from the Federation for Children with Special Needs gave an overview to around one dozen parents and educators in attendance on the process of receiving Special Education (SPED) for their children. Leslie said all children with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate education. Special Education services must meet the needs of the child, which she said is the reason individual education plans (IEPs) are put in place. Parents, teachers, professionals and physicians may all refer a child for an evaluation, which is the first step in the process. Parents must consent to the evaluation in writing. Parents might refuse services for various reasons, such as a concern about labeling their child, or wanting to wait and see if the problems resolve themselves. Referrals might be prompted by a child missing developmental milestones, or by
Springfield man arrested for threatening to commit murder By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The law finally caught up with a man who has had two warrants out for his arrest for charges that include threatening to murder his girlfriend’s ex. Rafael A. Ortiz, 34, of Springfield was arrested by Massachusetts State Police Tuesday on two outstanding warrants dating back to threats made in December 2014. Ortiz was released on $1,000 cash on Tuesday, was due in Springfield District Court on Wednesday and then due in Westfield District Court on Thursday. He was released on $2,500 personal surety for the following
charges for which he was arraigned in Westfield District Court: two counts of threat to commit a crime (murder), criminal harassment and witness/juror/police/court official intimidation. The victim first contacted Westfield Police on December 16 to report that Ortiz allegedly told him, “I will deal with you on the spot, and I’m not going to use my hands,” which the victim took to mean he would use a gun, according to Westfield Police Officer Patrick Shea’s report. Ortiz was reportedly dating the victim’s ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of one of the victim’s children. Additionally, the victim reported Ortiz as saying “I have 357 reasons
to deal with you,” which the victim assumed meant using a .357 magnum firearm on him, according to Shea. Ortiz allegedly made other threats including, “I’m going to put you six feet under! I know where you and your kids rest your heads at,” Shea wrote. Shea wrote that “Ortiz has an extensive violent criminal history which includes firearms charges and armed robbery.” Reportedly Shea was unable to obtain a current address for Ortiz. On December 29, the victim returned to Westfield police to report that he had received approximately 20 phone calls to his cell within a three-hour period that day from a private number and several
threatening messages were left allegedly by Ortiz, according to court records. The threats again referred to “ending” the victim. The victim told police he believes Ortiz is making threats against him due to the victim receiving full custody of the child he fathered with his ex. Allegedly, Ortiz also threatened bodily harm to the victim’s case worker at DCF. Ortiz is due back in Westfield District Court on December 3. ——— Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at christinec@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com
Review: ‘The Laramie Project’ at Connecticut Repertory Theatre By MARK AUERBACH Correspondent STORRS, Conn. – The Connecticut Repertory Theatre on the UConn campus in Storrs, has produced some great theatre in the last few years. I enjoyed productions of The Music Man with Barrett Foa and Gypsy with Leslie Uggams there. They open their season with a riveting production of The Laramie Project. Seventeen years ago this Columbus Day Weekend, Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming, was abducted, tortured, beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in a field outside the small Wyoming college town. As details about this brutal and horrific hate crime made world headlines, Moises Kaufman and members of The Tectonic Theatre Company went to Laramie to interview the townspeople – friends and acquaintances of Shepard and his family, and friends and acquaintances of Aaron McKinney and ANNE VALLIANT Women’s Health Associates
See The Laramie Project, Page 3
Josh Aaron McCabe leads the ensemble of The Laramie Project at Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nafe Katter Theatre in Storrs, CT. (Photo by Gerry Goodstein)