The Newtown Health District, along with other local and regional organizations and agencies, were eventually able to turn their near-exclusive focus on addressing the COVID pandemic to other health trends and issues as the Year 2022 progressed.

"The year 2022 had its share of challenges, but certainly it was a great relief from '20 and '21," observed Health District Director Donna Culbert. "Newtown is an amazing community — we've known it for a long time and we bear witness to it in our growing resilience after our Sandy Hook tragedy."

Culbert noted that "there are so many places, people and opportunities here to seek and achieve better health, physically, emotionally and spiritually...so many."

"Good health, mental and physical, is a lifelong journey not a destination," Culbert added. "We have work to do, to renew and rekindle connections that have fallen or frayed in these past few years. The renewal and the strengthening of those connections help ourselves, and help others. It's a win-win, and it is where we need to go."

Looking back, as COVID-19 was still sickening many Newtown residents as the New Year arrived last January, the health district and its partners remained laser-focused on helping residents access testing kits. Late in 2021, the state prematurely released information leading residents to believe they would be able to obtain several free testing kits. That led town agencies to set up a distribution plan for December 31.

But logistics issues plagued the state and plans for delivery to municipalities were delayed, pushing Newtown to re-examine its plan, establish a registration program, and reschedule its distribution for January 2. Then, shortfalls in the state’s intended supply left only 1,500 — a fraction of local households — able to actually receive one kit containing two tests.

As vehicles queued up around Reed Intermediate School January 2, hearty volunteers and town staff verified registry and residency information and distributed the entire initial supply of available kits along with face masks that were also part of the program. Within days, another 1,800 tests arrived and were distributed between the health and school districts, and 400 were set aside for Newtown fire companies and first responders.

At the same time, the town continued to aggressively schedule COVID vaccine booster clinics, planning one almost weekly into the new year.

Scholastic sports began a slow return to normalcy by the end of January, with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) updating its Winter Sports Guidance to align with Department of Public Health’s (DPH) updated guidance for youth, interscholastic, and amateur sports. Under new guidelines, student-athletes could return to sports sooner from quarantine and avoid having to quarantine if vaccinated.

Previously, there was a ten-day quarantine for exposure with a mandatory seven-day gradual return to sports, starting with conditioning and easing into full return. With the change, it is only a five-day quarantine, Newtown High School Athletic Director Matt Memoli said, with potential but not always necessary seven-day return on a case by case basis.

If there are no symptoms a doctor can approve a regular return to teams on the sixth day, Memoli explained.

“The new guidance should allow all schools to be on the same page. There was a lot of discrepancy from district to district. Hopefully this evens the playing field,” said Tim Tallcouch, coach of the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team.

Masks continued to be required along sidelines and in locker rooms, as well as for competitions with some competition exceptions — wrestling, gymnastics, track throwing and jumping events, cheer and dance stunting/tumbling, and swimming — due to the nature of those activities.

February arrived with The Newtown Bee celebrating National Grapefruit Month with a focus feature by reporter Alissa Silber with all kinds of juicy information about this healthy, robust citrus fruit. Registered dietitian nutritionist Jill Patterson shared with readers, “Grapefruit is high in vitamins A and C. Vitamins A and C, and orange/yellow fruits and vegetables, contain phytonutrients that can help support a healthy immune system.”

Early February also saw the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Service publishing a report to The Newtown Bee detailing some of the challenges its emergency medical responders had been facing in relation to the global pandemic. The report also celebrated the election of the ambulance corps’ new Chief, Ryan Horn, detailing how the all-volunteer corps — among the last of such units in Connecticut — addressed increasing call volumes along with reminding residents about how more of those calls are involving falls, lift assists, and intervention when a mental health emergency affects someone in the community.

As March arrived, a state mask mandate had expired, leaving state and local health officials to coordinate a new framework to monitor the level of COVID-19 in communities that included hospitalizations, hospital capacity, and cases. This new approach focuses on preventing hospitals and health care systems from being overwhelmed and directing prevention efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness. And while the state solidified its own guidelines that were poised to take effect in March, CDC experts were working to update guidance for K-12 schools, early childhood education facilities, and institutes of higher education across the nation.

Focusing On Overdoses

April and May saw two different Newtown agencies working toward mitigating a rapidly escalating trend in dangerous and often fatal drug and opioid overdoses.

On Saturday, April 30, Newtown Police Department and other law enforcement agencies nationwide partnered with the DEA for the 22nd Drug Take Back Day. Residents were invited to visit the Newtown Police Department headquarters where they could anonymously drop off expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications.

Tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs were all accepted for proper disposal.

With an estimated 107,000-plus drug overdose deaths in 2021 — more than 1,500 in Connecticut — and no signs that trend was slowing in 2022, the Newtown-based Parent Connection and founder Dorrie Carolan remained busy working to help communities understand how fentanyl is playing such a prominent role in taking so many lives.

“Based on the overdoses, relapses, and outreach of community members to our organization for assistance or support, Parent Connection feels the necessity to bring the community together,” Carolan told The Newtown Bee.

To help inform the community, on May 25, Parent Connection hosted a presentation entitled “Dare To Discuss Drugs,” facilitated by John Hamilton, LMFT, LADC. Hamilton is CEO at Liberation Programs, Inc. The organization also distributed Narcan revival kits to attendees while supplies lasted.

While the state was bracing for a late May heat wave and temps possibly hitting 100 degrees, the local health district was also focusing on another threat that had been exacerbated by an unusually mild winter and spring temperatures, ticks and the expanding number of insidious diseases they carry. By May 20, Newtown’s district staff including Administrative Assistant Maureen Schaedler accepted 51 ticks for testing that had bitten and been removed from residents.

Among them, 45 were returned with 15 identified as carrying Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, or Babesiosis. Schaedler said at least one was returned with all three, and another three were identified with co-infections of two of the diseases.

“The Health District, along with our community partners, want to share the word about the risk of tick bites and tick-borne disease,” Newtown Health District Director of Health Donna Culbert told The Newtown Bee. “Remember, we live, work and play in tick country. So it’s important to be aware and take action to protect yourself and your loved ones — that includes pets.”

That protection followed a time-proven method called BLAST that the district had been promoting for years.

“BLAST stands for five important things you and your family can do to stay safe from tick-borne diseases,” Culbert said, noting each letter represents a practice that when followed completely could provide the best chance for dodging a tick bite and any of the potential diseases it may carry: B — stands for bathing or showering soon after being outdoors; L — reminds everyone to look for and remove ticks from your skin and your pets; A — encourages you to apply repellent to skin and clothes and avoid tick infested areas; S — is for safeguarding your yard against ticks; spray or manage tall grass and leaf piles; and T — reminds everyone to treat pets with veterinarian recommended products.

“Ticks and tick-borne disease aren’t going away, so it’s up to the individual to take action,” Culbert said.

June arrived with the Newtown Giving Circle of Regional Hospice and Palliative Care holding its 31st Summer Breakfast at The Waterview in Monroe. The event was co-chaired by long-time Giving Circle supporters Marg Studley and Marie Sturdevant, with a committee comprised of Laurie Wrabel, Janet Hovious, Colleen Honan, Ellie Staib, Marilyn Alexander, and Marci Albanesi.

Many of Newtown’s businesses donated prizes to be auctioned off to raise funds for Regional Hospice in its work of end of life care for patients and their families. Monsignor Robert Weiss provided the benediction, and a guest speaker shared their Regional Hospice story.

With continued focus on preventing substance addiction and overdoses, along with addressing issues such as depression and anxiety as the end of the school year neared, The Newtown Bee profiled the school districts two “Teen Talk” counselors who were provided through a Parent Connection grant. The counselors, Olivia Bucci, MSW at NMS and Wendy Chum, MSW at NHS, brought their trained mental health and crisis intervention skills to their respective facilities while providing unique back-up to district counselors and social workers.

On any given day during the school year, Chum said she may be carrying a case load in excess of 100 students. Although she does not actively engage with all those students daily, she said, “I like to tell parents that I’m a bridge for kids who need support.”

Giving credit to her students, Bucci said she found many are “very self-aware.”

Now retired NMS Principal Tom Einhorn could not agree more. “We know middle school age kids are facing a lot of stress,” he said, adding that with his students, working with Bucci in small groups helps reinforce the fact they are not alone, and that they have a trained adult who can serve as a sounding board.

“I have kids coming to me and asking if I can help set up a therapist for them to see after school,” she said. “I have to say they have a keen sense of how to ask for help when they are dealing with difficulties. There are times when I’ve been in the counseling department and someone comes in and their counselor is not available, and they ask if they can talk to anyone, just to get something off their chest. That kind of self-awareness — asking for help when they need it is really helpful.”

With the threat of COVID still looming, and impacting more children, June closed out with the health district touting COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the youngest candidates who just became qualified to receive a protective jab as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met and voted to recommend children 6 months through 5 years of age to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Monkeypox And 988

With increasing numbers of COVID vaccinations being distributed, and dangerous incidents of the pandemic receding into summer, local and state health officials spent much of July splitting their attention to focus on an escalation of monkeypox. As of July 19, the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reported that Connecticut had 14 cases of monkeypox diagnosed among its nearly 3.6 million residents.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health said at least the first dozen infected patients were between the ages of 20 and 50, and live in Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties. Culbert said in Newtown and her other district communities, the Health District is monitoring monkeypox information as it becomes available.

“We regularly attend calls with the State Health Department and the CDC,” she said. “We want to remind residents that at this time it is relatively rare, far less common than COVID-19, and want to emphasize the importance of avoiding those who have symptoms.”

Although there have been no cases reported in the district as of July 19, Culbert admitted that, “We won’t be surprised if we are notified of cases in the future.”

At the same time, Newtown Legislative Delegation member Rep Raghib Allie-Brennan called for a swift and targeted response to the expanding monkeypox outbreak sweeping the nation and causing growing concern around the globe.

“As evidenced by the state’s nation-leading response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut has the tools and operational framework to quickly address the recent outbreak and limit further community spread,” Allie-Brennan said. “Working to safeguard at-risk populations and combat the stigma surrounding monkeypox will ensure patients have access to dignified care while also protecting public health.”

With ambitions to stem the increasing tide of suicide locally and across the nation, a new three-digit mental health crisis hotline went live on July 16. Designed to be as easy to remember and use as 911, instead of a dispatcher sending police, firefighters or paramedics, 988 promised to connect callers to trained mental health counselors.

Dispatching paramedics for heart attacks and police for crimes makes sense — but not for psychiatric emergencies, mental health advocates said. Calls to 911 for those crises often lead to violent law enforcement encounters and trips to jail or crowded emergency rooms where suicidal people can wait days for treatment.

The 988 system “is a real opportunity to do things right,” said Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

August saw a new local grassroots service nonprofit gaining traction. Bee Managing Editor Shannon Hicks produced a feature introducing residents to Love Mom XOXO, a 501(c)(3) founder Lori Nespoli described as a family bereavement organization focusing on surviving parents and their children.

“Every day, in the paper, you read about these families who lose one parent, and suddenly those people are mourning their partner while also filling the roles of both parents for their children,” Nespoli said. “The rest of us around them, we try to fill those voids, but it’s just not the same.”

Her first steps created an online peer-to-peer support forum and a private Facebook group for those who want to connect online privately. The foundation’s website (lovemomxoxo.org) also featured growing sections that offer resources for fathers, mothers, and family members in general.

As the foundation’s finances increase, goals include booking educational workshops, and motivational and support speakers; providing services to families such as housekeeping, meal planning, tutoring, etc; hosting fun events and activities; and providing some financial support immediately following a loss. The foundation’s ultimate goal, said Nespoli, was to develop scholarships and grants for educational and extracurricular activities.

September found a group of familiar, long-time cancer prevention and support advocates touting a high-profile event. Hope On Main Street returned after being forced to cancel the last prior years’ activities due to the pandemic.

Gayle DiBenedetto, founder and chairperson of Hope On Main Street, said the event was a smaller version of Relay For Life, which previously took place in Newtown.

“Our goal is to continue to raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. And to bring some hope and happiness into the lives of our survivors and caregivers. They deserve this special time and [to] be surrounded by their biggest supporters,” she said.

The event began with a small gathering in front of the library, where survivors and their caregivers were welcomed with a small reception, speech and prayer, and tokens/gifts were presented to survivors and caregivers.

The official walk kicked off with a bagpiper and the group walking south from the library to 3 Main Street, where the former police station was located, repeating that pattern until the end of the event. Participants and passersby also were inspired by lit luminary bags along both sides of Main Street from the corner of Sugar Street/Route 302 to Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street.

Vision Screenings & Flu Clinics

September arrived with the announcement that the 27th Newtown Health Fair would be happening Saturday, September 24 at Newtown Community Center following a two-year hiatus. Presented by the health district, the event provided community members and visitors with free health screenings, giveaways, raffle drawings, flu shots and loads of family health and wellness information from numerous local health care providers and agencies.

The Lions Club’s free vision screenings attracted dozens of visitors as trained volunteers used state of the art technology checking for unequal pupil size, eye misalignment, near or far sightedness, unequal eye refraction, and blurred vision. The Lions also took the opportunity to collect unused glasses that would be cleaned, restored, and distributed to those in need in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

Around the same time, the Newtown Health District touted a newly formed partnership with the Housatonic Valley Health District, which would supplement Newtown VNA support of local and regional flu shot clinics. Officials at both Health Districts urge all Connecticut residents to get their flu shot and stay up-to-date with the COVID-19 vaccinations during the fall.

Housatonic Valley Director of Health, Lisa Morrissey, reminded residents, “By getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, you are protecting yourself, your friends and family, and your community. Stand together with your community this fall by rolling up your sleeves.”

On October 15, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal joined families in front of the Community Center to mark National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month with a brief welcoming from Newtown residents Jessi Ruotolo and Kathy Birchall Gardner, ahead of a brief walk around the campus and a reading of names representing the lost and too-short lives each of the families in attendance continued to celebrate.

Birchall Gardner and Ruotolo recalled their own losses, and Ruotolo explained to The Newtown Bee that both are in a place now where they are able to serve as caring and receptive supporters to other families who have more recently experienced this affecting tragedy.

Following the walk, those who gathered lit candles in concert with countless others across the nation and around the world — candles of remembrance that for most, remained burning for a full 24 hours on behalf of all the babies gone too soon.

The joining together of these families from across Fairfield County also included a few individuals who attended in support of someone else’s baby, and everyone was invited to post the name of the departed soul on one of the pink and blue hearts that fluttered below the cluster of balloons.

With Thanksgiving approaching, Newtown and federal health and food safety authorities cooked up a number of tips to help keep family gatherings free from foodborne illness. Suzanne LeBlanc, the health district’s food service inspector, along with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminded everyone prepping, cooking, and consuming the culinary bounties for Thanksgiving to remember the steps to food safety during America’s biggest meal day.

Finally, as end of year holidays approached, Culbert, who is also Newtown’s Deputy Director of Emergency Management joined officials across the state warning residents to be prepared to hunker down and stay safe as forecasted torrential rain and wind preceding a severe drop in temperatures were expected to affect many as they prepared for the Christmas weekend.