Student compiling health report card for local towns STAFF WRITER
PET OF THE WEEK Kap is a handsome black kitten with a just a dash of white on his chest. He is raring to go to a nice home to stretch out and romp and play. Four-monthold Kap is here at the Humane Society with his brother, Kudos, who is just as cute in his orange stripes. The brothers would be fine going together or to separate homes, and they would do best with “cat savvy� children who are 10 years of age or older. If you would like to see about adopting Kap and/or Kudos then come down to the Newington branch of the Connecticut Humane Society today! Remember, the Connecticut Humane Society has no time limits for adoption. Inquiries for adoption should be made at the Connecticut Humane Society located at 701 Russell Road in Newington or by calling (860) 5944500 or toll free at 1-800-452-0114. The Connecticut Humane Society is a private organization with branch shelters in Waterford, Westport and a cat adoption center in the PetSMART store in New London. The Connecticut Humane Society is not affiliated with any other animal welfare organizations on the national, regional or local level.
“When you’re actually part of the information you’re researching, you see how everything has an impact where you live. It’s interesting to see how poverty status, education and graduation rates can actually impact the health of the community.�
Rocky Hill resident Leslie Baxter had the chance to see her hometown in a whole new light this summer. The Northeastern University senior is about three-quarters of the way through creating a Community Health Report Card for the Central Connecticut Health District, where she is spending the summer as an intern. Baxter is working under the supervision of Hilary Norcia, community health coordinator of the CCTHD, which provides public health services to the towns of Newington,Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and Berlin. The report card, which outlines the towns’ prevalence and incidence of infectious diseases, cancers and heart disease by demographics, has been LESLIE BAXTER released annually since 2002. “We use this information to apply for grants and it gives a snapshot of our community to town leaders,�explained Norcia. “It also helps us look at the needs of the community to gauge the programs and services we offer.� Baxter, who is working toward a bachelor’s degree in health science at Northeastern, is working on gathering data and analyzing it, then formulating a booklet with charts and a narrative of the trends found over the last decade. This booklet will be presented to each of the Town Councils and other community stakeholders.There will also be copies in the library made available to the public. “It has been a lot of work,� she said Tuesday. “When you’re actually part of the information you’re researching you see how everything has an impact where you live,� she added. “I found out there are a lot of things that can be improved. It’s interesting to see how poverty status, education and graduation rates can actually impact the health of the community.� The 10-year look-back conducted in 2011 indicated that both Wethersfield and Newington have high elderly populations in need of health services, so the CCHD subsequently designed more programs for seniors.The organization is now looking into applying for state grants to tackle obesity, which was another trend identified. Baxter hopes to complete the report card by September, after which it will be reviewed by the district and likely released in October. Norcia is increasingly impressed with Baxter’s ability to tackle such a challenging project, which in the past has been completed by CCHD staff. “She’s doing this all on her own and not getting credit for it from school; its purely her own motivation,�she commented. Baxter says she’s driven by a desire to decide what career path she will take when she graduates next spring. “I just wanted to get experience,� she explained. “I’m still considering other options,but I probably will be working in a public health setting like this in the future. It’s been awesome; everyone I work with is so nice and helpful.� To learn more about the Central Connecticut Health District, visit ccthd. org. Erica Schmitt can be reached at (860) 225-4601, ext. 210, or eschmitt@newbritainherald.com.
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