Month: June 2019

Senator Anwar, Rep. Currey, Rep. Delnicki Welcome State Bonding for South Windsor, East Hartford Senior, Disabled and Veteran Housing Improvement Projects

State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), State Representative Jeff Currey (D-East Hartford, Manchester, South Windsor) and State Representative Tom Delnicki (R-South Windsor) announced today that the State Bond Commission is scheduled to approve funding for two housing projects that will respectively support a project upgrading senior and disabled housing in South Windsor and a project benefitting veteran housing in East Hartford when it meets next week. A total of more than $5 million will be allotted to the two projects, both of which will be rehabilitating and renovating currently existing units.

“We must invest in our towns, especially for housing like this that supports our senior and veteran populations. I’m heartened by the State Bond Commission’s decision to allocate funding for these important rehabilitation projects,” said Sen. Anwar. “With this vital funding, South Windsor and East Hartford will be able to support dozens of residents. I thank Governor Lamont and the Commission for their support.”

“This funding is essential in ensuring the housing needs of our veterans and seniors are met. Everyone should be able to live in a safe and clean environment that they can be proud of,” said Rep. Currey. “These properties are deteriorating and their maintenance is of the utmost importance to guarantee public safety. I would like to thank Governor Lamont and the Bond Commission for their support.”

“It’s essential that these funds be allocated to the Wapping Mews as it is our oldest senior and disabled housing community in South Windsor, and is in desperate need of renovation. It’s high time that these renovations are done to ensure a safe and welcoming facility for our most vulnerable residents,” said Rep. Delnicki.

Expected to be approved during the State Bond Commission’s June 26 meeting is $3,662,560 in funding to Veterans Terrace Communities I in East Hartford for the first phase of its redevelopment, which will include the demolition of 42 new units and new construction of 45 units. The funds will serve households at or below 50 percent of area median income. Additionally, the Commission is scheduled to approve $2.086 million in funds to assist with rehabilitation of the 30-unit Wapping Mews elderly and disabled facility in South Windsor, which serves households at or below 80 percent of area median income.

Senator Anwar Supports Housing Committee’s Approval of Community Development Block Grant Plan

HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) gave his support as the Housing Committee unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2019 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program Allocation Plan. With various items funded in the plan including shelter diversion activities and crisis housing for homeless young adults, as well as municipal projects across the state, the plan will provide support to numerous residents.

“I am happy to support this plan as it will provide more than $13 million of federal support to towns and cities across the state, helping so many who need assistance,” said Sen. Anwar. “In addition to more than $2 million in support for public service, these funds will support so many important projects in our state. In the past, they have supported modernization of elderly-focused public housing in South Windsor and regional housing rehabilitation in Ellington; in the future, rehabilitation of Park Hill in East Windsor may receive support, pending the outcome of its application. These funds will support housing and programs across our state, protecting and assisting thousands.”

The Community Development Block Grant program received applications from 23 municipalities seeking funding for $23.4 million in projects and allocated an estimated $13.38 million of available federal grant funding for the current fiscal year. The Department of Housing will set aside 15 percent, or $2.007 million, to assist shelter diversion activities and crisis housing for homeless young adults, seeking to reduce the homeless population in the state.

There are 22 cities in Connecticut considered “entitlement cities,” meaning they receive separate CDBG funds directly from federal sources. Other cities are eligible to receive these funds, of which 70 percent or more must be used for activities benefitting low-and-moderate-income persons. Additionally, those plans must prevent slums or blight and meet community development needs.

Senator Anwar Leads Numerous Lawmakers and Healthcare Professionals to Fight for Cardiac Laboratory at Manchester Memorial Hospital

HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-East Hartford) led more than a dozen local Senators, Representatives, Mayors, patients and healthcare professionals in calling for the development of an on-site cardiac laboratory at Manchester Memorial Hospital. The call came in response to the June 10 denial of Manchester Memorial Hospital’s application to establish a cardiac catheterization laboratory released by the Office of Health Strategy, which said the laboratory would not benefit health in the region. Sen. Anwar and his colleagues strongly oppose that decision, advocating for its potential health benefits east of the Connecticut River.

“Timing is everything when it comes to blocked arteries providing blood flow to the heart. We know from published data that intervention time is associated with good outcomes,” said Sen. Anwar. “If an individual is managed immediately, they will do better. The longer it takes for arteries to open leads to higher risk of death. We also know towns east of the Connecticut River have a higher risk of cardiac death than the state average. We feel this is related to timing of intervention, and we have learned the time it takes to get from Eastern Connecticut to Hartford is growing. Between traffic accidents on Interstate 84 and events in the city, this leads to delays in care and worsens changes for survival. We must provide equal levels of care to all of our citizens. Citizens in Eastern Connecticut are not getting timely interventions, and we stand united to make our voices heard – if this plan is blocked, up to 200 more people may die than if it were to go through. Today, we stood together to be on the record that we are against the Office of Health Strategy’s decision.”

“This is an important day for us. I’m sick and tired of the east of the river being treated as second-class citizens,” said State Senator Steve Cassano (D-Manchester), who responded to the OHS denial citing a 10-minute commute from Manchester to Hartford as a reason for the decision. “I’ve been driving to the Capitol for nine years, and even on Saturday mornings, I still can’t be there from 10 minutes. None of us can make it within 10 minutes, let alone in a medical emergency. It is a slight to this region. If we have to address it, we will. This is wrong. It’s a poor decision. Let’s do it right. Hopefully they’ll look, hear, listen and do the right thing.”

“The denial of essential cardiac services needed in this community is of great concern to me and my fellow cardiologists. This proposal is the ideal way to satisfy the need for addressing the number one cause of mortality in our community, heart disease,” said Saqib Naseer, President of Medical Staff for Prospect Eastern CT Health Network and a practicing cardiologist. “The program Manchester and St. Francis proposed will improve access to care, resulting in excellent outcomes and costing less to patients and the system. The decision by the state is short-sighted and does not consider demand for services here. My patients with heart attacks are subsequently transported to care centers for interventions. That wastes time. Patients from other areas are brought to other centers as well. That also wastes time. It is a very big deal in a situation where every second and minute counts; when someone is having a heart attack, they’re losing muscle every second. If their life depends on that, they could die; damage to the heart muscle can impact quality of life and increase cost of health services. I urge the OHS to reconsider and approve this application; my colleagues and I recognize and know the need for these services every day.”

Lynne Gustafson and Chris Didden, both cardiac patients who have had heart attacks in the past and received treatment at Manchester Memorial Hospital, both spoke Monday to advocate for the center. Both Gustafson and Didden cited lost time as one of the biggest issues with their care during their cardiac emergencies.

Joining Sen. Anwar and Sen. Cassano were a number of bipartisan officials, including Manchester Mayor Jay Moran, Vernon Mayor and State Senator Dan Champagne, Prospect ECHN cardiologist Dr. Danny Korkmaz, State Representative Mike Winkler, State Representative Tim Ackert, State Representative Tom Delnicki, State Representative Jeff Currey, South Windsor Mayor Andrew Paterna and Ellington First Selectman Lori Spielman.

Late last year, Manchester Memorial Hospital applied to establish a cardiac laboratory at its site as an expansion of its heart-related services. Hospital officials sought to establish new services including cardiac catherization and coronary intervention services, working in partnership with St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute. A key part of its services would be percutaneous coronary intervention, a non-surgical procedure that opens blocked arteries using a catheter. Manchester Memorial Hospital has said the service expansion would fill a void in potentially life-saving cardiac services east of Hartford.

While a number of physicians and community leaders advocated in support of the cardiac lab earlier this year at a public hearing, the Office of Health Strategy denied the application in a June 10 decision, claiming the program wouldn’t improve residents’ access to care or improve current quality of patient care.

Leaders dispute that decision, arguing that while two Hartford hospitals provide similar services, the proposed service area, which includes Ashford, Andover, Bolton, Coventry, Colombia, East Hartford, Ellington, Glastonbury, Hebron, Manchester, Mansfield, Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon and Willington, does not currently have regionalized, local access to such cardiac services, and patients seeking care would be forced to leave the region for that care.

Just as important, a significant number of towns and cities east of the Connecticut River see higher rates of death from heart disease than the state average. Vernon, South Windsor, East Hartford, Ashford, East Windsor, Stafford and Union all see higher average death rates than the state average for both ischemic heart disease, which involves restriction in blood supply, and acute myocardial infarctions, which involves a blockage of blood flow.

Additionally, they said, Interstate 84 experiences, on average, two to three accidents per day. With city traffic taken into account with these crashes, the ten-mile trip to Hartford can take twice or even three times as long; in a medical emergency, where every second matters, that can mean the difference between life and death.

Hospital data further shows the longer it takes an individual to receive treatment for one of these procedures, the more likely that individual may die from lack of treatment. Professionals seek to have a patient receive treatment within 90 minutes; when that number grows, the rate of deaths spikes.

Gathered officials supported an appeal and oral argument on the OHS decision proposed by Manchester Memorial and St. Francis, which must be filed by July 1.

Senator Anwar Joins Deep Commissioner Sykes to Celebrate Opening of Solar-Powered Natural Gas Truck Fueling Station

EAST WINDSOR, CT – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes and USA Hauling and Recycling President Frank Antonacci for the grand opening of the company’s solar-powered natural gas fueling station, which it believes to be the first in the nation. Representatives from Earthlight Technologies, Clean Energy and J.R. Russo and Associates joined to commemorate the opening.

“Today, USA Hauling and Recycling made history. I want to congratulate Frank Antonacci and the Antonacci family, the town of East Windsor, Earthlight, Clean Energy and Capital Cities of Connecticut in their efforts to create the first natural gas fueling station powered by solar in the nation,” said Sen. Anwar. “USA Hauling provides waste hauling and recycling across most parts of our state and we can take pride in the face that this organization’s trucks are far more energy-efficient with a lower carbon footprint and impact on our environment. I hope this project will be looked at as a model for others to follow in the country to continue to reduce our carbon footprint nationwide. I am honored that some of the bills we have worked on in the Senate have ensured such projects can continue, flourish and become financially viable and sustainable while protecting our environment. I also want to thank Commissioner Dykes for her leadership, as DEEP has been instrumental to make sure waste management and energy consumption as well as public health and environmental safety remain important in our state.”

“USA Hauling and Recycling is proving out such an important model for businesses in the state of Connecticut,” said Commissioner Dykes. “We know, at the Department, that this project sits at the intersection of our highest environmental and climate priorities, from waste management to renewable energy deployment and greening transportation. It presents a model we hope many others follow.”

“Like most solutions, simple solutions are the best,” said Antonacci. “In our industry, with mostly diesel-powered vehicles, we saw an opportunity to do things better. Seven years ago, we committed as a company and a family to create the cleanest waste recycling fleet in the country. Ultimately, after much research, we decided to move to a fleet powered by natural gas. Part of our commitment came with the necessity of creating an infrastructure for natural gas-powered vehicles. This station will provide the capacity for an additional 50 CNG vehicles to be brought to our fleet. While we were developing these stations, we found the compressors require an enormous amount of energy. We saw that as an opportunity too. We decided to take it a step further and install solar panels to offset the energy use. This is a one-of-a-kind installation. We can proudly say this is the cleanest waste and recycling fleet in the entire country.”

The fueling station, which uses solar power to power equipment that fuels natural gas-burning trucks, has nearly 1,700 solar panels on its roof, expected to produce clean energy for the next 40 years. Total carbon emissions to be avoided by this use of solar power are the equivalent of nearly 610,000 pounds of coal burned for fuel. The fueling station is centrally located in East Windsor to support other fleets’ conversion to natural gas.

This opening comes as USA Hauling and Recycling is already working to replace its truck fleet with clean-burning natural gas trucks. These trucks emit 90 percent less nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide than traditional trash and recycling trucks. USA Hauling and Recycling already has a fleet of more than 50 recycling and trash hauling trucks energized and operated by natural gas, and the company plans to expand that fleet to 100 by next year, all of them releasing emissions on par with battery-powered trucks. The trucks reduce total greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions by 16 percent. The company additionally noted that natural gas is a domestic fuel, meaning its fleet is American-made and runs on fuel sourced from the United States.