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Dear Friend,
After a busy week in eastern Connecticut, I’m here with an update on closing gaps in access to health care, career pathways for high school students, and more federal funding I secured to help communities kick-start or complete important projects. As always, thanks for starting you weekend here with me.
Closing Gaps in Access to Health Care for Northeast CT
As the only hospital in northeastern Connecticut, Day Kimball is a health care anchor for our region. I’ve worked with the hospital to deliver federal Community Project funding to expand the medical services they can provide to quiet corner residents, and yesterday, I visited for an update on the projects and to hear where more resources are needed.
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| New fluoroscopy equipment |
As a 2022 Community Project, we secured $550,000 in federal funding for Day Kimball to purchase new fluoroscopy equipment. Previously, the hospital was not capable of preforming fluoroscopy procedures – real-time x-ray imaging that can diagnose health problems. Now, Day Kimball has purchased and installed the new equipment, allowing local residents to access the procedure much closer to home.
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| MRI services |
This year, as a 2024 Community Project, we secured $1,000,000 for Day Kimball to help purchase a new Fixed MRI System, which would further expand imaging services for patients. Unfortunately, the final funding signed into law is significantly less than we requested to be included in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, underscoring the need for more resources at the hospital.
Northeast Connecticut residents should not be forced to drive hours for medical care, especially in emergencies. Thank you to CEO Kyle Kramer, Diagnostic Imaging Director Randy Paquette, and more for updating me on Day Kimball's mission of providing quality care. I will keep working in Congress to further expand its services.
Visiting Nurses in Training at the CNA Bootcamp in Danielson
With a booming job market, federal workforce funding is filling positions in critical industries. Yesterday, I visited the CNA Bootcamp in Danielson, a federally supported nurse training course, to meet with students, instructors, and Owner Angelina Zabbo.
A class of Haitian trainees are skilling-up for immediate employment at eastern Connecticut health care providers. In a moment when there are 9 million job openings nationwide, bringing our skilled community members from varied and diverse backgrounds into the local workforce is critical. Kudos to this class and the CNA Bootcamp for helping eastern Connecticut health care providers meet the needs of our towns.
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| Rep. Courtney with CNA Bootcamp instructors Sarah Watts, Amy Mercado, and Ashly Meyer, students Mardocheline Moricette, Vanite Revolus Vixamar, Flora Lucas Philippe, Donato Dibertto, Lood's Shaika Guerrier, Witshell Alabre, Nelgens Louis, Andre Fils Marcelin, and Djemerson Celestin, and Owner Angelina Zabbo. |
Touring Fitch High School's Career Pathways Program
Eastern Connecticut is a national leader in providing career pathways to young people. In addition to our fantastic technical high schools, comprehensive high schools in our region have implemented ground-breaking career pathways programs that open up all sorts of doors for students.
As a 2022 Community Project, I worked with Fitch High School in Groton to bring home $150,000 to help launch their career pathways program. Now, courses in health science/nursing, engineering, business, communications, hospitality, and more are offered to students with industry professionals as their teachers. I visited on Wednesday to tour classrooms with school administrators, teachers, and students.
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| Health Sciences/Nursing |
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| Photography |
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| Engineering |
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| Engineering |
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| Culinary Arts |
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| Culinary Arts |
Every freshman at Fitch selects a career pathway to follow while in school. These courses can set students up for higher education in a specific field, a career after graduation, and provide valuable life-skills across multiple fields.
Thank you to Groton Public Schools Superintendent Susan Austin, Career Pathways Program Coordinator Chelsey Courtright, Fitch High School Principal Matthew Brown, and the excellent teachers and students at Fitch for welcoming me to see the career pathways program in action.
Earth Day: Habitat Preservation in Old Lyme & Pipeline Replacement in Norwich
On Monday, we celebrated Earth Day – a reminder of the need to build cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant communities. Through action I’ve taken in Congress, important projects are underway to deliver on that goal, for today and future generations.
In Old Lyme, I visited Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center to meet with its Board Chair Mrs. Claudia Weicker and her staff. We worked together to secure $800k in federal Community Project funding for habitat preservation along the Lieutenant River.
The Center connects over 7,000 public school children on the shoreline with the biodiverse wonders of the Long Island Sound, and this Community Project funding will uplift the site with trails and storyboards to welcome visitors to the spectacular preserve.
Then, in Norwich, I joined Norwich Public Utilities (NPU), Mayor Peter Nystrom, and the U.S. Department of Transportation at City Hall to announce a new $10.9 million federal grant from the Infrastructure Law to replace old, leaky gas pipelines in the city.
This funding comes through a nationwide initiative led by the Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. It’s made possible by the Infrastructure Law I helped pass in 2021, and it is significantly accelerating pipeline replacement timelines for Norwich.
Some of the pipelines which NPU will replace through this union-led project are from the Civil War era. Replacement will make services more reliable and prevent potential environmental contamination.
Supporting the Gemma E. Moran Food Center in New London
In New London, the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center supplies over 70 food banks in our region. As a 2024 Community Project, I worked with United Way of Southeastern CT to secure $266k in federal funding for a new power generator at the warehouse, which will ensure it can continue its vital operations during storms and power outages.
On Tuesday, I visited to meet with United Way President and CEO Dina Sears-Graves, Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center Vice President Annie Stockton, and the hardworking staff and volunteers who keep the warehouse running.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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