Stress levels in the country are at their highest in at least a decade, research shows, and a recent American Psychological Association (APA) study found two-thirds of respondents feel stressed about the future.

Kate Mitcheom, certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher.

To learn about the leading sources of stress, how stress affects your health and how to reduce stress, the Connecticut Health I-Team will host a community forum, “Getting Ahead of Stress: A Primer on Medicine, Mental Health and Mindfulness,’’ from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, 370 Bassett Road in North Haven. The free event is open to the public and you can register here.

Participants will learn innovative ways to reduce stress, including practicing mindfulness, a form of meditation intended to center people in the present.

“Reducing stress is not a drive-by thing; there’s no pill or quick fix,” said Kate Mitcheom, a panelist and certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, yoga teacher and certified nurse midwife. “It really is a practice of learning how to be aware of stress, be aware of how your mind reacts to it and your body reacts to it, and learning how to sort of reboot yourself to come back to the present moment.”

A lot of stress is caused, Mitcheom said, by worrying about what will happen in the future. Practicing mindfulness can help people by focusing them on what they’re experiencing right now, she said.

The medical community is increasingly exploring links between stress and its physical consequences: heart health, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic illness, poor eating habits, disturbed sleep, among other ailments.

“Stress has been recognized to be a factor for coronary disease and heart disease for a long time,” said Dr. Lisa Freed, clinical cardiologist and director of the Women’s Heart and Vascular Program at Yale New Haven Health and an event panelist.

Dr. Lisa Freed, director of the Women’s Heart and Vascular Program, Yale New Haven Health.

“When you’re stressed, your hormone levels – like cortisol and adrenaline – go up, and all of that takes a toll on your heart,” she said. “Those are stressor hormones for your heart, and that’s not good. It kind of slowly erodes your cardiac health.”

Other panelists are: Dr. D. Barry Boyd, oncologist at Greenwich Hospital, Yale New Haven Health; Dr. Kathleen Mueller, medical director at the Center for Integrative Medicine at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford; and Dr. James Ocampo, specialist in Internal Medicine, ProHealth Physicians, Somerset Internal Medicine Office in Glastonbury.

Donna Montesi, an APRN and director of clinical and business development at West Haven Medical Group, a division of the Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, will moderate the discussion.

Major sponsors include M7, ProHealth Physicians, Inc. and the Connecticut Hospital Association.

Refreshments will be served starting at 5 p.m. and free parking is available.

If you missed our forum — you can view it on CT-N

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Presented by Connecticut Health I-Team (C-HIT) 

Thursday, October 5
5-7:30 p.m.
Panel discussion begins at 6 p.m.
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, auditorium
370 Bassett Road, North Haven, CT 06473
Free Parking

Pre-registration is closed. Walk-ins Welcome.

Recent surveys have reported that stress levels in the U.S. are at
their highest in at least a decade, with the American Psychological
Association reporting that a full two-thirds of respondents to its recent
survey were stressed out about the nation’s future.

Our free, unique Community Forum—targeted to people of all ages who are
looking for ways to reduce stress– will bring a range of experts’ perspectives to
the growing phenomenon of stress, in hopes of detangling the physical and
psychological factors that are fueling an age of worry.

For sponsorship information: 2017 C-HIT Community Forum Sponsorship Opportunities.

Panelists

Thanks to our sponsors!

Now ‘N’ Then Therapeutic Massage, LLC

Maureen Welch, LMT

Thanks to our partners!

Nobile Communications International, LLC

This event is supported with a grant from Koopman Share of the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Interested in being a sponsor? Click here.

To address the crisis and stir community discussion about prevention, intervention and treatment, the Conn. Health I-Team, in collaboration with Wheeler Clinic, will host a free community forum, “Working Women: The New Face of Addiction,” from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on April 6 at the New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington St., New Britain. The event is open to the public. Register here.

Jessica Smith

Nationally in 2015, 1.2 million women – 3,300 per day – started taking opioids, a rate 25 percent higher than men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Opioids are a class of drugs that includes the illegal drug heroin, as well as powerful prescription pain relievers.

Women are more likely than men to have chronic pain and be prescribed opioid pain relievers, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. They also are more likely to be given higher doses, use them for longer periods of time, and become dependent on them more quickly than men, according to the society.

“The forum is an opportunity for the community to engage in meaningful dialogue about women and addiction and the unique issues associated with the epidemic,” said Jessica Smith, senior director of adult outpatient services at Wheeler Clinic and one of the event’s panelists. “There are common misconceptions about how and why women use opioids– more specifically, their pathways to addiction and into recovery.”

Patricia Rehmer

About 48,000 women died nationwide from overdosing on prescription pain relievers between 1999 and 2010 – a more than 400 percent increase, compared with a 237 percent increase among men, according to the society of addiction medicine.

In Connecticut, 1,646 people died of drug overdoses in 2015 and 2016, of which 423 were women, according to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill.

“It’s a growing problem, for sure,” said Smith. “The misuse of prescription pain

medication, specifically opioids such as Oxycodone, Percocet and Hydrocodone, is a primary factor.”

Additionally, heroin use is increasing at faster rates among women than in men, she said.

Addicted women have complex treatment needs, Smith said, and are best served by “a multimodal approach” that addresses the wide range of issues tied to opioid use.

Judith Stonger

In addition to the pain or medical problem that may have led them to opioids, women may face other problems – unemployment, loss of custody and relationship issues, for instance – as a result of their addiction.

In addition to Smith, panelists at the forum will include: Judith Stonger, vice president of prevention, wellness and recovery at Wheeler Clinic; Patricia A. Rehmer, senior vice president, Hartford Healthcare, and president of the Behavioral Health Network; and Annette Diaz, a woman in long-term recovery, doing peer work since 2009 and a Certified Recovery Support Specialist, Peer Coordinator at CHR.

Annette Diaz

The moderator is Angi Carter, senior web producer and metrics specialist, New Haven Register. Wheeler Clinic is a major event sponsor and ctlatinonews.com and the Hartford Courant are media partners.

Register for the event here. Light refreshments will be served starting at 5 p.m., and free parking is available. Attendees receive free admission to the museum.

For more information, contact Lynne DeLucia at delucia@c-hit.org or 203-215-6373.

Hosted by the Conn. Health I-Team, in collaboration with Wheeler Clinic

Women are becoming addicted to opioids at an alarming rate, in Connecticut and the rest of the nation. A new CDC report highlights findings from a 2015 survey that found 1.2 million women – 3,300 per day – initiated opioid use, a rate 25 percent higher than among men.

The forum will bring together a panel of leading experts to discuss the reasons for this trend and the efforts underway in Connecticut to prevent, identify and treat opioid addiction in women.

All are welcome; light refreshments will be served.

5:00-7:30 pm (Panel discussion begins at 6)
New Britain Museum of American Art • Stanley Works Center
56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT 06052 • Free Parking

Attendees receive free admission to the museum.

For registration: email delucia.cthealth@gmail.com or call 203-215-6373

Panelists

Thanks to our sponsors!

Media Partners

Nobile Communications International, LLC

Business Development Communications & Social Responsibility Planning

This event is supported with a grant from Koopman Share of the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The Conn. Health I-Team, in collaboration with ConnectiCare and the Hispanic Health Council, invites the public to a forum on diabetes, with a focus on healthy eating. Becky Stevens-McGuigan, an executive chef at Billings Forge, will offer a sampling of diabetes-friendly food choices and a cooking demonstration, including recipes. That will be followed by a discussion and question-and-answer session with a panel of experts on the latest developments in preventing and managing diabetes.

Thursday, Sept. 29, 5-7:30 p.m. · The Lyceum, 227 Lawrence St., Hartford · FREE ON-SITE PARKING

WALK-INS WELCOME!

Panelists

Thanks to our sponsors!

Media Partners

This event is supported with a grant from the Koopman Share of the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The Conn. Health I-Team, in collaboration with ConnectiCare and the Hispanic Health Council, is hosting a panel discussion on the latest developments in early screening and treatment of diabetes, and adopting a healthy lifestyle – with a special appearance by Chef Jay Lewis, who will present a sampling of healthy food choices.

Thursday, April 7, 5:00-7:30 PM • Chrysalis Center, 255 Homestead Ave., Hartford • Free on-site parking available • Live Spanish translation provided

WALK-INS WELCOME!!

Panelists

Thanks to our sponsors!

Supporters

Media Partners