FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

October 15, 2026

(EAST WINDSOR, CT) – An anonymous complaint filed with the Connecticut State Long Term Care Ombudsman has elevated concerns about resident safety at East Windsor’s Fresh River Healthcare facility.

“We have received dozens of complaints about this facility over the last few years with many still unresolved,” said Ombudsman Mairead Painter. “This resident’s experience has been truly horrific resulting in a dangerous condition that no one would want their loved one to experience.”

The complaint submitted to Painter’s office included images and video of a maggot infested wound on the resident’s head.

Painter and State Senator Saud Anwar were joined by Aging Committee Co-Chair State Representative Jane Garibay at a press conference on Thursday at the facility.

“This resident’s medical condition was permitted to deteriorate with limited staff intervention and poor care documentation. The facility has failed to meet individual care needs and consistently failed to maintain the minimum required staffing ratios in Connecticut,” said Painter. “Without appropriate staffing how can a facility be prepared to meet the actual care needs of their residents?”

The long-term care Ombudsman’s office has filed six (6) staffing complaints against this facility. The most recent one was after the resident council called for action reporting that residents are left for hours unattended in the dining room/lounges.

“This resident’s experience is outrageous,” said Senator Anwar. “What’s even more concerning is that the disregard for residents. Facilities must provide sufficient staffing to meet their residents’ needs, and our regulatory agencies must hold them accountable.”

Finding these conditions at a facility that has received a five-star quality rating raises additional questions about facility inspections, complaints pending with the Department of Public Health, and about the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s risk-based survey approach. This new approach, implemented last month, streamlines recertification inspections for facilities with high ratings. That means eligible facilities, like this one, can receive a shorter, more focused review involving fewer surveyors, a smaller resident sample, and less onsite time, unless concerns are identified by the Ombudsman’s office or other complaints are filed. These streamlined surveys focus primarily on infection control and increase the risk that resident care issues can be missed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

10AM, EAST WINDSOR: LONG TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN, SENATOR ANWAR, AGING AND PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE LEADERS CALL FOR ACTION AT NURSING HOME

(HARTFORD, CT) – On Thursday morning, Connecticut’s State Long Term Care Ombudsman Mairead Painter and Senator Saud Anwar will hold a press conference to raise concerns about the quality of care at Fresh River Healthcare in East Windsor. Multiple complaints have uncovered patient safety concerns at the facility.

• WHO: State Long Term Care Ombudsman Mairead Painter, State Senator and Public Health Senate Chair Saud Anwar; State Senator and Senate Chair of Aging Jan Hochadel, State Representative and House Public Health Chair Cristin McCarthy Vahey, State Representative and House Aging Chair Jane Garibay, State Representative Carol Hall (invited)
• WHAT: News conference to raise resident safety concerns at Fresh River Healthcare
• WHEN: Thursday, October 15, 2026; 10:00 a.m.
• WHERE: Fresh River Healthcare; 96 Prospect Hill Rd., East Windsor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

October 14, 2026

SENATOR ANWAR SUBMITS TESTIMONY OPPOSING EVERSOURCE PROPOSED RATE INCREASE

Members of the public can submit written comments through January 2027

This week, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) submitted testimony to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority in strong opposition to a proposed rate increase sought by Eversource, noting the proposal, which could increase electricity rates in Connecticut by up to 18%, would add to financial strain faced by many Connecticut families.

In July, Eversource filed a request for an annual rate increase of $727 million, which would raise consumer monthly electric bills by up to 18%. It’s the first rate hike Eversource sought since 2017. Just under half of the proposal involves storm-related costs from 2018 to 2025.

With consumer costs climbing – inflation in September rose to 3.7% due to fuel cost surges – the rate increase comes across as tone-deaf given Eversource profits doubled in 2025 and Eversource CEO Joe Nolan recently told shareholders the company “shut the faucet off in Connecticut,” holding back on investments in the state.

Members of the public are encouraged to submit comments in writing on the Eversource rate increase proposal. They can send written comments via email to PURA.ExecutiveSecretary@ct.gov with their name, home address and the Eversource proposal’s docket number, 26-05-10. They can also attend in-person or virtual public comment hearings taking place in November and December. Comments need to be submitted through January 27, 2027 for them to be considered by PURA staff studying the proposal.

The text of Sen. Anwar’s testimony is available in full below:

To the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority,
I write today in strong opposition to Eversource’s rate request seeking a significant increase in revenue for the utility company. At a time when regular residents’ ability to afford everyday expenses is strained and when Eversource corporate income remains high, in addition to concerning public remarks recently made by Eversource’s CEO, it is not fathomable for Connecticut to approve an increase to consumer bills as high as 18%.

In the midst of inflation, high fuel costs and other financial pressures, Connecticut families are struggling to make ends meet. When groceries, housing, child care, gasoline and fuel and other daily expenses are dragging on our residents, for the cost of another everyday need – electricity is far from a luxury we can go without – to climb so high is morally and ethically challenging. Our residents should not be expected to shoulder high costs and potentially go without when the financial gravity of the situation is so apparent.

What makes this more striking is while everyday residents are experiencing issues, Eversource itself is doing more than fine. In 2025, the company reported twice the profits it did in 2024, delivering significant funds to its shareholders. In other words, the big corporation is making money hand over fist while Main Street goes without. This comes as Eversource also continues to charge high costs for electricity and gas.

That’s not all. In a recent discussion with shareholders, Eversource CEO Joe Nolan told them that the company has “over $1 billion in cash coming in the door” and encouraged investors to “get in heavy,” adding that the company “shut the faucet off in Connecticut,” implying the utility held back on investments in Connecticut until it could secure new revenue. My colleagues and I plan to investigate the depth of these comments, but for now, they serve as a concerning backdrop for the ongoing issues at hand.

In light of regular Connecticut residents struggling while Eversource is already making profits hand over fist, and in light of the company’s leadership indicating it is making decisions to negatively impact ratepayers in the state, I strongly oppose Eversource’s rate request and I encourage PURA to dive deep into the records, documents and information it reviews to ensure the people of Connecticut aren’t put in an even more precarious financial position.

Sincerely,
State Senator Saud Anwar