MAY/JUNE 2014
F R O M C O N N E C T I C U T C H I L D R E N ’ S M E D I C A L C E N T E R F O U N D AT I O N
Inside this Issue
Nancy’s Run............................... 2
Concorso Cruises to Town......... 2
Meet Our 2014 Champion......... 3
Be a Partner in Caring................ 4
We hope you enjoy Partners in
Caring, a bimonthly publication
of Connecticut Children’s
Medical Center Foundation,
prepared especially for
friends and patient families of
Connecticut Children’s. Read
on to learn more about the
many programs and services the
hospital provides and about our
generous friends and donors who
help make it happen.
Meet Shemar!
Targeting Critical Health Issues…
UnitedHealthcare Grant Enhances Pediatric Care
A $1 million grant provided by
UnitedHealthcare will help Connecticut
Children’s Office for Community Child
Health (OCCH) enhance care delivery
and address critical health issues facing
children today.
The grant, presented at the Medical
Center in March, will help the OCCH
create a Maintenance of Certification
program to train primary care
pediatricians in managing chronic
conditions, such as asthma and obesity.
The grant will also be used to establish
the UnitedHealthcare Innovation Fund
to assist OCCH in quickly bringing new
programs from design to implementation
with the goal of replication at the state
and national levels.
On behalf of Connecticut Children’s, Paul
Dworkin, MD, executive vice president for
Community Child Health (left), and Marty
Gavin, CEO (right), accept the check from
Stephen J. Farrell, CEO of UnitedHealthcare
of New England.
care for children, with an emphasis on
healthy child development, wellness, and
disease and injury prevention.
“We look forward to working
with Connecticut Children’s Office
for Community Child Health and
pediatricians throughout Connecticut
to enhance the coordination, delivery
and quality of children’s health
care,” said Stephen J. Farrell, CEO of
UnitedHealthcare of New England.
To date, the OCCH has partnered with
10 local, state and regional programs
to help community and primary care
providers coordinate quality, cost-effective
care for children. Programs include Help
Me Grow®, the Hartford Childhood
Wellness Alliance and the Special Kids
Support Center, among others.
A first-of-its-kind model, the OCCH
provides community-based, coordinated
For more information, please visit
www.connecticutchildrens.org.
New Primary Care Center Opens Its Doors
…Page 3
DIABETES &
ENDOCRINOLOGY
GASTROENTEROLOGY
& GI SURGERY
NEONATOLOGY
ORTHOPEDICS
PULMONOLOGY
UROLOGY
Connecticut Children’s new Primary
Care Center officially opened its doors
April 7th at its new 76 New Britain Ave.
location, expanding access to care for
patients and families across the greater
Hartford area.
“Our new Center will benefit
Connecticut Children’s patients and
families as well as provide opportunities
for increased efficiencies,” said Catherine
Wiley, MD, medical director of the
Primary Care Center.
continued on page 2
Karla
Quinones,
5, gives a
“thumbs up”
with Monica
JoyceMontaudy,
APRN,
during a
recent visit at
Connecticut
Children’s
new Primary
Care Center.
In Support of Connecticut Children’s …
Concorso Ferrari & Friends Cruises to Town
Dr. Nancy Law’s
true passion in
life was caring
for the children
and families
of Connecticut
Children’s Primary
Care Center.
The Ferrari Club of America – New
England Region will once again host
its Concorso Ferrari & Friends event to
benefit Connecticut Children’s Medical
Center. This year’s festivities will feature an
array of exotic cars from Lamborghinis to
Maseratis and many more.
More than 130 vehicles will be
showcased throughout downtown West
Hartford during the 14th Annual event
to be held Sunday, June 29, from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m.
“PARADE OF KIDS” KICKOFF
The event kicks off with the “Parade of
Kids,” a tradition in which 40 drivers
pick up children from Connecticut
Children’s Medical Center in exotic cars
and drive them down LaSalle Road in
West Hartford to the applause of more
than 10,000 attendees.
Timothy Prete, who is co-chairing the
event with Andrew Baldassarre, has
been with the organization for the past
10 years and has been involved with
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
since his days as a “mini-intern.” Prete
says he is thrilled to be able to bring
together two things he is passionate
about: Connecticut Children’s Medical
Center and Ferraris.
“What I love most about this event is
seeing the joy it brings to people’s faces
11th Annual Run
for “Nancy’s Kids”
Concorso Ferrari & Friends will cruise into
West Hartford on Sunday, June 29th.
– particularly the children and their
families,” he said.
MORE IN STORE
Attendees can look forward to new
aspects of the event this year, such as
a high-end car corral and a designated
area for antique cars. The event will run
further through West Hartford Center
and involve even more local businesses
than in previous years.
Prete says he hopes that as Concorso
Ferrari & Friends continues to grow it will
draw in even more visitors and vehicles.
In the past 13 years, Concorso
has raised more than $950,000
for deserving children’s charities
right here in our community. This
year’s event will support the stateof-the-art Cardiovascular Care
Center at Connecticut Children’s.
For more information, visit www.
connecticutchildrensfoundation.org or
call the Foundation at 860.837.5700.
Before her death in 2003, Dr. Law
established Nancy’s Kids Fund to
help provide families in need with
financial support for clothing, food
and other assistance.
Today, support for “Nancy’s
Kids” lives on through the Run
for Nancy’s Kids 5K Run/Walk.
Runners and walkers of all ages
are invited to attend the 11th
annual event, which will be held
Saturday, Sept. 20, at the scenic
MDC West Hartford Reservoir
in West Hartford. Proceeds will
benefit Nancy’s Fund and the new
Primary Care Center at Connecticut
Children’s.
For more information, visit www.
connecticutchildrensfoundation.
org/nancysrun, or contact Robin
Vidito at Connecticut Children’s
Foundation at 860.837.5719 or
[email protected].
Connecticut Children’s Opens New Primary Care Center, continued from page 1.
CONVENIENT ACCESS
Located just minutes from Connecticut
Children’s Medical Center, the new
facility offers patient families immediate
proximity to bus lines, on-site parking
and an on-site laboratory, among other
amenities.
“Our new location is a beautifully
appointed facility with more exam
rooms and workstations, specifically
designed to accommodate electronic
medical records, and increased multipurpose space for activities such as
group visits and family meetings,”
Dr. Wiley said.
“Additionally, the new space has been
designed to enhance the operational flow
of the Center and care of patients. This
2.
should result in increased efficiencies
and allow our providers to treat more
patients on a daily basis,” she explained.
Previously located at Connecticut
Children’s, the former Primary Care
Center was formed 18 years ago when
the Medical Center opened at 282
Washington Street.
workers and support staff. Patients will
keep their same primary care provider.”
Hours at the new center will also remain
the same: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and
Wednesday, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
SAME FRIENDLY FACES
While the location of the Primary Care
Center has changed, some things will
stay the same.
“Patients will see the same providers and
staff they are familiar with,” said Dr.
Wiley. “All staff have moved to the new
site – pediatricians, nurse practitioners,
physician assistants, nurses, social
Connecticut Children’s Primary Care Center
began welcoming patients at its new 76 New
Britain Ave. location April 7th.
Brave and Upbeat . . .
2014 Connecticut Champion Shemar Williams Captures Hearts
Lorraine and Donald Williams of West Haven were
preparing for the upcoming birth of their son, Shemar,
in 2006 when they received some startling news: Results
from Lorraine’s prenatal testing indicated that their baby
boy would be born with scoliosis, a medical condition that
causes a sideways curvature of the spine.
Without knowing the extent of his condition, Shemar’s
parents and big brother, Brandon, waited and hoped for
the best. Shemar was born on Valentine’s Day and quickly
captured his family’s hearts.
Today, at age 8, Shemar continues to capture hearts. In
April, he was named the 2014 Connecticut Champion
Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Every year, a child with a remarkable medical story from
each state is identified and spends the year serving as
the face for the millions of children treated in hospitals
throughout the country.
EARLY CHALLENGES
Shemar was born with congenital scoliosis caused by
improper formation of the spine in the womb. Although
he grew and developed like most babies, the severity
of his scoliosis was such that the curve in his spine got
progressively worse. With his torso unable to expand,
his lungs began to malfunction. By age 3, Shemar and
his family made their first visit to Connecticut Children’s
Medical Center to meet with Jeffrey Thomson, MD, chief
of Orthopaedic Surgery.
“Congenital scoliosis is the third most common type of
scoliosis, but Shemar’s condition was relatively unusual
because of its severity,” Dr. Thomson explained. “Without
treatment, the curve would have increased.”
Shemar Williams, who was born with a severe form of congenital scoliosis,
has been named the 2014 Connecticut Champion Ambassador for
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. He is pictured here with his mother,
Lorraine, and his doctor, Jeffrey Thomson, MD, director of the Division of
Orthopaedics at Connecticut Children’s.
Dr. Thomson recommended that Shemar undergo surgery
to have a Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib
(VEPTR) implanted in his back. As an alternative to
spinal fusion, the curved metal rod would help straighten
Shemar’s spine and separate his ribs so that there was space
for his lungs to grow and stretch with each breath. The
VEPTR is expandable, so as Shemar grows, the rods are
lengthened through a small, two-inch incision in his back.
connect with Shemar and explain things to him on his
level.”
“It permits us to elongate and stretch out the spine a little
bit at a time,” Dr. Thomson explained. Since birth, Shemar
has had 10 surgeries, and Dr. Thomson estimates that he
will need to have surgery every six months until he is fully
grown, when he is approximately 12 to 14 years old.
“Connecticut Children’s is such a family-friendly place,”
Lorraine said. “What makes us happy is the care he receives
here.”
In addition to Dr. Thomson, Shemar quickly bonded with
the nurses at Connecticut Children’s, making his visits a
little easier. After his surgeries, many of the hospital staff
will come by to visit him and his family and do what they
can to make them comfortable.
COMFORTABLE WITH CARE
Just as Dr. Thomson is happy with Shemar’s progress,
Shemar’s parents have been happy with their son’s care.
A CHAMPION CHILD
As the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals 2014
Connecticut Champion Ambassador, Shemar is deserving
of the accolades and is a true champion who has faced the
obstacles in his life with courage and a smile.
“Shemar was comfortable with Dr. Thomson and clicked
with him right away,” his mother Lorraine said. “As
parents, we were relieved at Dr. Thomson’s ability to
“He’s very upbeat, very happy and very brave, despite all
the surgeries he’s undergone,” Dr. Thomson said. “He’s a
wonderful kid.”
3.
NONPROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARTFORD, CT
PERMIT NO. 3745
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
282 Washington Street
Hartford, CT 06106
A Proud Member . . .
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is a proud member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals helps to raise funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals
across North America, helping more than 17 million kids each year. Funds raised through this
organization stay in the local community in which they are given. For more information, please visit
www.cmnhospitals.org.
Be a Partner in Caring
Learn more about
Connecticut Children’s
and receive updates about
our initiatives and events.
Please visit our website at
www.connecticutchildrensfoundation.
org/signup
and enter your e-mail
address to receive our
electronic news updates.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY CARE:
Josiah Claudio, 2, gives Laurie
Scheiner, MD, a “high five” at
Connecticut Children’s new
Primary Care Center at
76 New Britain Ave.
NEWSLETTER
CONTRIBUTORS:
Sharon Napolitano, Senior Editor
Kevin McMahon, Contributing Writer
Kelly O’Brien, Contributing Writer
Ed Jalinskas, Creative Services
Michael McCarter, Contributing
Photographer
Your gift, large or small, makes a
difference in the lives of
children. Donations towards MAKE
A GIFT
equipment, technology,
TODAY!
research, people and
programs bring hope and
health to those who entrust their care
to Connecticut Children’s. Won’t you
please consider making a tax-deductible
donation today? Your generosity helps
us provide our region’s children with the
best care possible – each and every day.
To learn more, please contact the
Foundation at 860.837.5700,
or visit our website at www.
connecticutchildrensfoundation.org.
Partners in Caring is a bimonthly publication of Connecticut Children’s Foundation, highlighting the programs
and services of Connecticut Children’s. To be added to or removed from our mailing list, please contact
Kevin McMahon at [email protected].