New Casey Foundation Initiative Aims to Improve Job Prospects for Young Adults in Hartford

A total of up to $900,000 will be awarded over the next four years to a Hartford collaborative initiative to strengthen the next generation of workers and meet employer demand.  The Annie E. Casey Foundation has announced plans to award $6 million in grants to increase job opportunities for young adults from low income families in Hartford and four other communities - Cleveland, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Hartford expects to receive up to $900,000 over the grant period for planning and implementation.

Through Generation Work, the Foundation aims to combine building relationships with businesses, factoring in their needs in the local economy, with youth development strategies to prepare young people for work, such as mentoring and on-the-job learning opportunities. Ultimately, the Casey Foundation hopes to help establish local networks of workforce development organizations that serve young job seekers and have strong connections with businesses.

The Hartford Generation Work initiative is led by United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, working with five other community partners:

• Capital Workforce Partners,
• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving,
• Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative,
• Our Piece of the Pie, and
• Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford.

Hartford’s initiative will connect young adults, including those out-of-school or work or underemployed, with education, training and employment for careers in manufacturing and healthcare, officials said. The initiative also intends to improve coordination and collaboration among partners and youth initiatives.

“The strength of our future workforce is one of our nation’s greatest assets and is critical to our ability to compete globally,” said Allison Gerber, a senior associate who oversees the Casey Foundation’s investments in improving job opportunities for low-income individuals and families. “The next generation is eager to work, but we must create more avenues for young adults to develop the knowledge and experience they need to succeed in the job market.”

While the Great Recession hit many hard, teens and young adults have experienced the most drastic drop in employment, data show. Millions of young people — particularly young people of color, justice-system involved, or aging out of foster care and from low-income families — face obstacles to employment or education, and the percentage of young people ages 18 to 29 in the job market nationwide has steadily declined in recent years. At the same time, employers often struggle to find workers with the right set of skills for available positions, Foundation officials point out.

Insurance Department Recovers $6 Million for Policyholders, Taxpayers in 2015; Recoveries, Fines Both At 4-Year Low

The Connecticut Insurance Department recovered approximately $6 million for policyholders and taxpayers in 2015, helping individuals and families with their claims and complaints.  The total dollar amount of the recoveries declined for the third consecutive year, down from a high of $8.7 million in 2012, $7.4 million in 2013 and $6.3 million in 2014. Officials indicated that the Department’s Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU) fielded more than 6,100 complaints and inquiries and helped policyholders recoup more than $4 million from January 1 to December 31, 2015.  The number of complaints and inquiries dropped slightly from the previous year, when 6,500 were handled, recouping $4.3 million for policy owners.  In 2013, policyholders saw $4.7 million returned.  In 2012, the numbers were virtually identical to 2015.

“Behind these statistics are the individuals and families the Department was able to help through our intervention,” Commissioner Katharine L. Wade said. “In many cases we were able to make a real difference in their lives and I encourage anyone with questions or concerns about their insurance to contact the Department. We are here to help consumers.”

The department, in announcing the annual totals for 2015, also highlighted some individual recoveries, including:

• $27,000 for home health care services for a senior citizen under her long-term care policy
• $13,000 to pay for speech therapy for an autistic child
• $16,000 paid to a policyholder for an inpatient stay at a skilled nursing facility
• $37,000 in an additional payment to a homeowner to settle a claim

“Our staff makes certain that companies and agents comply with all state insurance laws and regulation and have extensive knowledge to answer a wide range of insurance questions,” the Commissioner said.

In addition to recoveries for policyholders, the Department’s Market Conduct division levied approximately $1.7 million in fines against carriers and returned that money to the state General Fund in 2015. The fines resulted from a variety of violations and settlements ranging from untimely claim payments to improper licensing. That was the lowest total for fines in recent years, perhaps signifying greater compliance.  In 2014, fines totaled $2.03 million, in 2013 the total was $2.7 million and in 2012 fines levied totaled $4.6 million.

The majority of the funds recovered for policyholders stemmed from complaints over health, accident, homeowners and life and annuities policies.

The following is the breakdown of funds recovered in 2015:

• Accident, Health - $2.7 million, compared with $2.5 million in 2014
• Auto - $430,000, compared with $381,000 in 2014
• General Liability - $17,200, compared with $65,000 in 2014
• Homeowners - $530,000, compared with $65,000 in 2014
• Life, Annuities - $294,000, compared with $330,000 in 2014

Recoveries in 2013 were largely focused on homeowners, as a result of Superstorm Sandy-related claims. Department recoveries in 2012 reflect the impact of claims from 2011 Storm Irene and the late October snow-filled Nor’easter that landed in Connecticut.

The Department calculates its consumer recoveries based on what the policyholder received as a result of the Department’s intervention. The inquiries and complaints also help the Department identify industry trends that may adversely affect consumers and trigger investigation by the Market Conduct division, officials said.

In addition, complaint data also help determine topics for consumer education and serve as tools to help the Department monitor the industry.  The Market Conduct enforcement actions are posted on the Department’s web site at www.ct.gov/cid

Ten Percent of CT Community College Students Earn Bachelor's Degree, Below National Average, 30th in U.S.

Nationally, only 14 percent of community college students go on to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.  In Connecticut, that percentage is even lower – 10 percent.  That’s the finding in a new study measuring states’ effectiveness at helping community college students attain four-year degrees. In the best-performing states—Wyoming, Montana, and Maryland—nearly 20 percent of community college students earned a bachelor’s within six years. But in several states, bachelor’s completion rates were in the single digits. Connecticut ranked 30th out of 43 states.  The study was released this week by the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.  

As the cost of higher education continues to grow, the role of considerably less-expensive community colleges - and their success at helping students earn an associate’s degree and continue in higher education is receiving more scrutiny.  The study concluded that "transfer outcomes depend on what community colleges and 4-year colleges do to teach and support their students."  The data also indicated that 36 percent of higher income students transfer to a 4-year school while 28 percent of low-income students do.  A diminishing percentage complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree after transferring.

The study’s analysis indicated that for “students who plan to transfer to a four-year college, there too often is no clear path through the thicket of choices at the community college and across the divide to the four-year school. Though as many as 80 percent of new community college students want to get a bachelor’s degree, only about 14 percent transfer and graduate within six years.”

The Connecticut State University and College System has developed a Transfer and Articulation Program (TAP) aimed at “ensuring Connecticut community college students complete degree programs that transfer to the Connecticut State Universities and Charter Oak State College “without either losing or generating excess credit.”

Under the new plan, students attending any of the state’s 12 community colleges enrolled in the program would complete the first 60-63 credits at a community college and the final 60-63 credits at one of the state universities (Central, Eastern, Southern or Western).  The program, which launches for students entering college in the Fall 2016 semester, will allow students to select from “over 20 concentrations that prepare them to complete four-year bachelor’s degrees.”

The first TAP pathway—Biology—was approved by the Board of Regents last month, “after careful review by TAP's Framework Implementation and Review Committee (FIRC) and curriculum committees on all 17 CSCU campuses.”  Additional pathways are slated to be determined beginning next month, with a total of 11 initially to be selected.  Possible subject areas include history, chemistry, communication, criminology, English, math, political science, psychology, social work and sociology, according to the state Board of Regents website.

“This research tells Connecticut that far too many community college students are failing to meet their higher education goals,” said Davis Jenkins, a senior research associate at the center, told the Connecticut Post. The TAP program aims to help address that. The study found that students who can tranfer 90 percent of their crfedits are 205 percent more likely to earn their bachelor's degree, compared to those who transfer half or less.  

The study looked at the outcomes of more than 700,000 degree-seeking students nationwide who entered higher education through a community college in fall 2007, providing evidence about where students are getting stuck in particular states.

Some states, such as Oklahoma, had above-average rates of transfer out of community colleges but low transfer-student graduation rates at four-year schools. In others, such as Washington, community colleges transferred out relatively few students, but relatively high numbers of those who transferred earned bachelor’s degrees. In the states where more community college entrants earned bachelor’s degrees, both rates tended to be high, according to the study’s authors.

The study also found that “the student demographics at community colleges appear to matter less than how the colleges serve students aiming to transfer. Regardless of whether they are rural or urban, or serving mostly lower or higher income students, community colleges can boost the transfer success of their students by looking to better performing schools to inform their practices.”

Housed at Teachers College, Columbia University, CCRC strategically assesses the problems and performance of community colleges in order to contribute to the development of practice and policy that expands access to higher education and promotes success for all students.

https://youtu.be/Fg61rj6kO-o

Advertisers Target Hispanic and Black Youth with Unhealthy Snack Ads, UConn Center Study Finds

The University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is calling on media companies to “set nutrition standards” for snack ads aimed at children and teens and “stop targeting advertising high-calorie, nutritionally poor foods to all young people,” but “especially advertising aimed at Black and Hispanic youth.” The recommendations come in the wake of a report that found that Black and Hispanic children “are exposed to more food advertising than white non-Hispanic children” and much of it is for unhealthy foods that have a greater likelihood of adversely impact children’s health.

The Rudd Center’s report, Snack Facts, found that Black children saw 64 percent more snack food ads on TV compared to white children, and Black teens viewed 103 percent more compared to white teens.  The disparity, according to the report issued last fall, had increased between 2010 and 2014, the most recent year studied.  “FACTS” is an acronym for “Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score.”

The findings also indicated that in addition to a barrage of advertising for unhealthy snacks, Black children and teens saw approximately 50 percent and 80 percent more ads for healthier fruit and yogurt brands – although the positive findings were generally outdistanced by findings of concern.  Black children also saw 99 percent more ads for savory snacks and Black teens saw 129 percent more, compared with white children and teens.

From 2010 to 2014, TV ads for savory snacks (salty or spicy) viewed by black children increased 48 percent and ads viewed by black teens increased 95 percent.  “Given that youth of color suffer from higher rates of obesity and other diet-related diseases,” the Rudd Center indicated, “snack food advertising likely exacerbates health disparities affecting their communities.”

Two-thirds of 2- to 5 year-olds and more than half of youth ages 6 to 19 report having three of more snacks per day, and Americans are spending more on snacks – an increase of more than $100 million from 2012 to 2015, according to data cited in the report.

The Rudd Center report found that snack advertising on Spanish language television had changed dramatically between 2010 and 2014, and not for the better:

• Yogurt advertising declined by 93 percent, and not one fruit brand advertised on Spanish-language TV in 2014.
• Spending on savory snack ads (salty/spicy snacks) skyrocketed 551 percent and sweet snack ads rose 30 percent.
• Ads for unhealthy snacks comprised 88 percent of snack food ads viewed by Hispanic children on Spanish-language TV in 2014, a dramatic jump from 39 percent in 2010.

The 102-page report reviewed the advertising practices of specific companies in the snack food industry, and highlighted changes in advertising emphasis.  It also tracked trends in advertising on social media.  The advertising analysis examined 90 brands spending more than$1 million in total advertising in 2014 from 43 different companies, according to the report. 

The report suggested that “media companies could provide lower rates for advertising that promotes nutritious foods,” noting that aggressive marketing of unhealthy snack foods to children and teens exacerbates the crisis of poor diet and related diseases among young people.”

Snack FACTS examined the nutritional quality and advertising for 90 snack food brands offered by 43 companies that were marketed to U.S. children and teens on TV, internet, and in schools in 2014. Researchers analyzed healthier snacks, including yogurt, fruit, and nuts, as well as unhealthy snacks, including sweet and savory snacks such as cookies, chips, and fruit snacks, comparing 2010 and 2014 when possible.

The report also indicates that “companies have recognized the business opportunity in marketing healthy snacks to young people,” and urges those companies to respond in children and youth’s best interest.

The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, which affiliated with UConn a year ago after a decade at Yale University, is a non-profit research and public policy organization devoted to improving the world’s diet, preventing obesity, and reducing weight stigma. The Rudd Center is described as “a leader in building broad-based consensus to change diet and activity patterns, while holding industry and government agencies responsible for safeguarding public health.”  Research related to the report was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Award-Winning Start-Up Accelerator to Launch Largest Class of Social Enterprises, Fledgling Businesses

When the Hartford-based Social Enterprise Trust, known as reSET, was among the winners of the U.S Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Competition last year – the only Connecticut organization to do so and one of 80 nationwide – it was not known what earning that designation, and  the $50,000 that came with it, would mean for reSET’s Impact Accelerator program. Now, the picture is becoming clearer – and boosting Hartford’s reputation as a city for socially committed entrepreneurial start-up businesses.  The expanding initiative is attracting not only home grown companies, but start-ups from elsewhere across the country, including as far away as California.

Tailored for impact-driven businesses but available to all early-stage ventures, reSET’s Impact Accelerator, now beginning its fourth year, has as its primary objective to test and hone entrepreneurs’ models, and to connect them to networks, mentors, customers, and resources.

A cohort of 22 businesses have been accepted to the program and most of their models are impact focused, serving the educational technology, health and health tech, energy, and agriculture industries. More than 60 percent of them are already generating revenue.  It is the largest group of companies to take part in the accelerator program at reSET, and the first to include a handful of out-of-state participants.

Running from January 20 to June 2, reSET’s accelerator will feature a more flexible program designed for busy, full-time entrepreneurs, as well as a ‘pay what you can’ model.  Entrepreneurial teams will attend five weekend summits, with 30+ optional workshops, mentor office hours, and consultations with an Entrepreneur in Residence conducted during the week.

At program’s end, a $25,000 accelerator funding pool will be available to the cohort, and they'll have priority access to reSET’s investment fund as well, via mentors and advisors that can help them put their best foot forward with their applications, according to reSET officials.

The 2016 cohort includes: Agyncy (www.agyncy.com), AmRide (www.amride.com), Asarasi (www.asarasi.com), BLT Robotics (www.bltrobotics.com), Doors to Explore (www.doorstoexplore.com), DopaFit (www.mydopafit.com), Enviro Power, LLC (www.enviropowertec.com), Keep Sight (www.keepsight.com), Lion’s Heart (www.lionsheartservice.org), Mivy (www.mivyapp.com), Movia Robotics (www.moviarobotics.com), Muni (www.muni.info), myHomeProNetwork (https://myhomepronetwork.com), Plucked (www.pluckedadmissions.org), RepVisits (www.repvisits.com), ScripFlip (www.scriptflip.org), SnapSeat (www.snapseatbooths.com), Tainted Inc. (www.tainted-beauty.com), Text Engine (www.textengine.info), The TubieGuard (the-tubieguard.myshopify.com), Trekeffect (https://trekeffect.com), and Untapped Potential (www.upotential.org).

“We’ve made a strategic shift with our accelerator model so it can accommodate more participants at one time, which we feel will really encourage more collaboration,” said Rosie Gallant, reSET’s Director of Programs. “The shift will help tee up the accelerator for our annual Impact Challenge as well, since the program will wrap in the spring right around when applications will open for the competition in which participants will vie for this year’s $100,000 prize purse.”

reSET is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the social enterprise sector.  Its strategic goals are threefold: to be the “go-to” place for impact entrepreneurs, to make Hartford the Impact City, and Connecticut the social enterprise state.  reSET aims to inspire innovation and community collaboration, and to support entrepreneurs in creating market-based solutions to community challenges.  reSET’s goal is to meet entrepreneurs wherever they are in their trajectory and to help them take their businesses to the next level.

Health Care Providers, Insurers Need to Collaborate to Improve Care, Rein in Costs

When Eric Schultz began his keynote remarks, the President and CEO of Massachusetts-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care made sure to alert his audience to his homegrown pedigree.  Whether his youth in the Naugatuck Valley, college years (five of them) at UConn, or graduate work at Yale contributed to Harvard Pilgrim’s more-than-solid inaugural years doing business in Connecticut isn’t certain, but the above-expectations numbers are indisputable.  And Schmitt made clear that his nonprofit health insurance company is looking for even greater achievements in his home state. Since entering the Connecticut market in the summer of 2014, the company has been aggressively growing its customer base in a competitive market while working diligently to grow and expand its network of doctors.  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announced recently that its Connecticut membership has grown to more than 24,000, exceeding expectations for 2015. It now serves more than 800 Connecticut businesses.  Twenty-nine of the state’s 30 hospitals are now in-network.

With more than 500 business leaders in attendance at an annual Economic Summit & Outlook last week, brought together by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and MetroHartford Alliance, Schmitt spent some time touting a new model launched in the state of New Hampshire that he believes may be a glimpse into the direction the industry is moving. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s footprint in New England now covers “where 90 percent of New Englanders live,” in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. 

Schultz, who succeeded now-Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker in leading the organization five years ago, pointed to what he described as “a practical example of how an insurance company and groups of providers can work together to get control of medical cost trends and to help improve medical outcomes and help create better experiences for physicians and their patients.”

The goals, Shultz explained, are to reduce insurance premium trends by 10 to 15 percent, to improve clinical outcomes, to create a better “practice environment” for medical staff and to grow business.  The partnership is driven to “produce something that’s better than what we have today, because we know the financing of health care is largely broken in the U.S.”

Launched in October 2015 and in business as of January 1, Benevera Health, a joint venture led by senior leadership at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, is a population health company, centered around “clinical and medical informatics.”  Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a nonprofit academic health system that serves a patient population of 1.2 million in New Hampshire and Vermont, is led by Dr. James Weinstein, recently named as one of “100 Physician Leaders to Know” by a national health care trade publication.

“We are combining insurance data with clinical data,” Schultz said, “from their electronic medical records and our claims system, and creating a very powerful source of information.”  That information, he stressed, could be used to better understand what’s happening in regards to patient care, and it can help to redesign and improve clinical care.  This has the potential to be especially important in chronically ill patients, noting that 10 percent of patients drive 50 percent of health care costs.  “It is a great financial opportunity and a great clinical opportunity.”

“The magic,” Shultz noted, is in having the provider and the payer sit down together and figure out” what should be done.  Too often in the past, he said, providers and insurers haven’t gotten together – a lack of cooperation and collaboration that contributes to higher costs and to disconnects regarding patient care.  His expectation is the Benevera will “reduce headaches” that insurance companies often cause providers, reduce duplication and costs, and improve patient care. 

In fact, when the new venture was launched last fall, officials from the two companies stressed that the groundbreaking entity, “will take health care coordination to a new level by bringing together clinical, financial and operational data from across partner institutions to provide actionable analytics for clinicians to further improve the quality and efficiency of patient care.”  They added that  “at the center of this approach will be locally-based care advocates who will identify early opportunities to engage patients – especially those with chronic, complex or emerging conditions - and provide them with one-on-one support.”

Schultz noted that insurance companies tend to resist providers suggesting how insurance plans ought to be designed.  He disagrees with that resistance.  “If more insurers took more input from providers on plan design, we’d be a lot better off.”

Harvard Pilgrim is the only not-for-profit, regional health plan operating in four contiguous New England states.  Harvard Pilgrim’s flagship health plans in New England provide health coverage to 1.3 million members, while another 1.4 million individuals are served through Health Plans, Inc., a subsidiary that provides integrated care management, health coaching and plan administration solutions to self-funded employers nationwide.  Schultz holds an MBA in Health Care Leadership from Yale University’s School of Management, as well as a bachelor of science degree in biology and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Connecticut.

“We’re about change and driving change,” Schultz told those attending the Hartford summit, “and I believe we need to do more of that.”  He’s hoping to build a similar structure in Connecticut, and in other states around the country, because “it’s exactly what we need to do.”

Link to CT-N video of Economic Summit & Outlook.

CT is a Top-10 State in Energy Efficiency, Recent Growth of Solar Power Capacity

An annual ranking from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) rated Connecticut among the top ten energy-efficient states in the country along with Massachusetts, California, Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Maryland, Washington, and New York, with Minnesota and Illinois tied for 10th place. Connecticut was noted for its financial incentives and energy efficiency investments. The state  ranked 6th in the 2015 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, the same position it held in 2014. The state also earned the same number of points as it did in 2014, totaling 35.5 points out of 50.

According to the report, “Connecticut’s leadership is committed to pursuing policies that encourage energy efficiency within the state, although processes like building code adoption have moved relatively slowly in recent years. Connecticut has put significant resources behind the launching of its green bank. While there are signs of early success, these projects will need to be closely tracked as other states look to Connecticut as an example. Connecticut will need to realize even higher levels of savings in the future in order to remain in the top tier and meet state energy savings targets.”

Connecticut earned 15 out of 20 points for its utility policies and programs, 6 points out of a possible 10 points for transportation policies, 5 points out of 7 for its building energy code stringency and compliance efforts, earned 3 points out of 4 for its combined heat and power policies and programs, 5.5 out of 7 points for state-led energy efficiency initiatives, and 1 point out of 2 for appliance standards.

At the bottom of the list were Mississippi, South Dakota, Louisiana, Wyoming and North Dakota.

The ACEEE also developed a similar rating system for the nation’s largest cities, ranking the top 50.  Leading the list were Boston, New York City, Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Austin and Denver.  The only Connecticut city to crack the top 50, Hartford, ranked at number 45.  Connecticut’s Capitol City earned 23 points out of a possible 100, in an analysis that included local government operations, community-wide initiatives, building policies, energy & water utilities, and transportation.

The report noted that “policymakers, regulators, and citizens are increasingly recognizing that energy efficiency is a crucially important resource. States and localities are leading the way when it comes to implementing energy-efficient policies and programs.”

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. The organization believes that “the United States can harness the full potential of energy efficiency to achieve greater economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection for all its people.”

Another  recent study, “Lighting the Way III: The Top States that Helped Drive America’s Solar Energy Boom in 2014,” by the research and policy arm of Environment Connecticut finds Connecticut ranks 10th nationally for solar power capacity per capita installed in 2014, with 13 watts of solar electric capacity per person installed last year. Nevada led all of the states in 2014, with 119 watts per capita, according to the study. Part of this success is credited to supportive state policymaking.  The organization points out that “solar power has tripled in the U.S. in the last two years, with another American family or business going solar every four minutes.  That’s in part because the price of solar has dropped more than 50 percent since 2011.”

They add that “research shows the cities and states with the most solar power aren’t necessarily the ones with the most sunshine; they also include states with smart pro-solar policies.  States like Connecticut have outpaced sunnier locales like Florida because of policies that allow increasing numbers of homeowners, businesses, communities and utilities to go solar.”

olar power in Connecticut has grown 221 percent per Capita since 2012, ranking the state 13th in the nation, the report points out. The top solar growth states in the nation, like Connecticut, have adopted renewable energy requirements, strong laws allowing solar customers to sell their excess power to the electric grid, and other policies encouraging growth of the industry, the report indicates.  The industry is also adding jobs much faster than the overall economy, employing 1,600 people in Connecticut last year, according to www.solarstates.org

“Demand for solar power in Connecticut is growing exponentially,” said Bryan Garcia, President and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank. “Consumers continue to demand solar power despite a 70 percent reduction in state incentives. In fact, increased private investment has enabled the market to offer lease and loan products that deliver immediate positive cash flow to consumers. This makes solar PV a cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative."

Bipartisan legislation signed by Governor Malloy earlier this year lays a foundation for continued growth of solar power, and jobs, in Connecticut, Environment Connecticut points out, citing the stated goal of building enough residential solar systems to power over 40,000 homes in the state by 2022.

Two Connecticut Librarians Receive National Public Service Recognition

Ten librarians from around the country – including two from Connecticut, in New Haven and Groton - were honored this month with this year’s I Love My Librarian Award for their exceptional public service to the community and ongoing commitment to transforming lives through education and lifelong learning. The winning librarians were selected from a pool of more than 1,300 nominations submitted by library patrons nationwide who use public, school, college, community college or university libraries. The nominations detailed stories about how their favorite librarians helped improve the quality of life in their communities. The last time Connecticut had a winner was in 2012.  There were two winners from the state in 2012 and in 2011.

The nation’s more than 166,000 certified librarians “continue to play a vital role in assisting and inspiring all who seek information and access to technologies,” according to officials. “The I Love My Librarian Award winners are living examples of how library professionals are expanding beyond their traditional functions and providing more opportunities for community engagement and delivering new services that connect closely with patrons’ needs.”

The Connecticut recipients of the national recognition are:

• Diane Brown, New Haven (Connecticut) Free Public Library, Stetson Branch
• Elizabeth G. Rumery, Avery Point Campus Library, University of Connecticut, Groton

Diane Brown is branch manager of the New Haven Free Public Library’s Stetson Branch. Known as the “urban librarian” to her patrons, Brown develops valuable programs and services to meet the needs of the underserved residents in a community with high rates of poverty, crime and low literacy levels.  Under Brown’s leadership, the library has been transformed into a true community center. She brings residents together by hosting cultural and educational events such as an international “pop up” festival, art exhibits, lectures and health fairs, according to officials.  She has been praised for facilitating an afterschool tutoring program for K-8 students and providing opportunities for children and their families to spend time together by establishing history and game nights.

“It is gratifying to have the I Love My Librarian Award bring much deserved recognition to librarians. As libraries transform so do librarians to support individual opportunity and community progress,” said Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Association. “Every day librarians connect library users with the books, information and critical technology resources they need to thrive in the digital age.”

Each winning librarian will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception held in New York City, hosted by the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York, which sponsors the award. The New York Public Library and The New York Times are co-sponsors of the award, which is administered by the American Library Association.

Elizabeth G. Rumery, library director for the Avery Point Campus Library at the University of Connecticut in Groton, has “transformed the library into a welcoming and dynamic place for students by modernizing the facility to meet the needs of 21st century learners.”  Officials indicate that she worked with contractors and school administrators on renovating the library, with improvements including new media rooms and collaborative study spaces for students and faculty.

Rumery has also expanded services to create a safe haven for students, establishing a place in the library where anyone can talk with her about concerns related to GLBTQ, depression or other personal issues. She finds the appropriate help and resources they may need. She also serves as an advisor for the student gay/straight ALLIANCE club at the campus.

The other recipients in 2015 are librarians in Texas, California, Alaska, North Carolina, Missouri, Alabama and Mississippi.  In addition to Connecticut, there were two recipients from Texas.

The award recipients include a librarian who fought censorship when residents attempted to ban and remove books from the shelves, a librarian who works with incarcerated youth at a school within a juvenile hall, a librarian who fostered a deeper understanding of the Muslim world by facilitating a campus exhibit and lecture and a librarian whose efforts helped raise student reading scores significantly at an underserved elementary school.

The librarians join “an esteemed group of award recipients who are recognized as being catalysts for powerful individual and community change.” Only 80 librarians have received the national award since its inception in 2008, including six from Connecticut.  In 2012, the recipients were Rachel Hyland, Tunxis Community College Library in Farmington, and Rae Anne Locke, Saugatuck Elementary "Secret Garden" Library in Westport. The 2011 winners included Jennifer O. Keohane, The Simsbury Public Library and Michelle Luhtala, New Canaan High School Library.

For more information regarding the 2015 I Love My Librarian Award recipients, go to www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian

Laurencin’s International Accolades and Research Objectives Grow, Earns National Medal of Technology and Innovation

In mid-2011, it was announced that after three years at the helm, Dr. Cato T. Laurencin would step down as vice president for health affairs and dean of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine on July 1 of that year. Laurencin, it was said, would continue conducting research, mentoring and providing clinical care. In the four and a half years since, it would seem that stepping down was the best thing that could ever have happened for Laurencin, and UConn.

It was announced last week by the White House that Laurencin will receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama next year.  The award is the nation's highest honor for technological achievement that is bestowed by the president on America's leading innovators.

The news came just weeks after it was announced that Laurencin is the recipient of the 2016 Founders Award, the highest honor of The Society For Biomaterials.  He will be honored at the 2016 World Biomaterials Congress in Montreal, Canada on May 18, 2016.

Laurencin is a world-renowned surgeon-scientist in orthopaedic surgery, engineering, and materials science, and is known as a pioneer of the field of regenerative engineering, UConn said in announcing the award. He has made fundamental contributions in polymeric materials science and engineering, and nanotechnology. His research successes have included the growth and regeneration of bone, ligaments and other musculoskeletal tissues.

In November, UConn announced the launch of a new grand research challenge: regeneration of a human knee within seven years, and an entire limb within 15 years.  This major international research undertaking, called The HEAL Project, stands for Hartford Engineering A Limb. It is the brainchild of Cato T. Laurencin, whose laboratory research successes include the growth of bone and knee ligaments.

For the project, Laurencin is teaming with other top tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and bioengineering experts dedicated to the mission of advancing the fields and developing future therapies for patients living with musculoskeletal defects or who have limb injury or loss. HEAL’s other research investigators include Professors Lakshmi Nair and Yusuf Khan of UConn, Professor David M. Gardiner of UC Irvine, professors at Harvard University, Columbia University, and Sastra University in India.

Earlier this fall, Laurencin was elected a Foreign Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in India. He is one of only two 2015 Foreign Fellows elected, and the first from the University of Connecticut and UConn Health Center.  Laurencin was honored by India’s National Academy of Sciences “for his pioneering work in the field of material sciences.” He was recognized as a world leader in polymer-ceramic composites, and recognized for his contributions in tissue generation and bioengineering.

He was also one of select group of research scientists from around the world to be named this year to be a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), one of the most prestigious academic institutions in China.  He was named among a group of foreign members that include five Americans, one Briton, one Canadian and one Austrian, bringing CAE's foreign members to 49.

Laurencin is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering; professor of materials science and engineering; and professor of biomedical engineering at UConn.  He is also the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS), UConn's cross-university translational science institute.

At UConn Health, he is director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering; the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; and director of The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical, and Engineering Sciences.

Laurencin previously received the Presidential Faculty Fellow Award from President Bill Clinton for his work bridging engineering and medicine, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama.

“Science and technology are fundamental to solving some of our Nation’s biggest challenges,” President Obama said. “The knowledge produced by these Americans today will carry our country’s legacy of innovation forward and continue to help countless others around the world. Their work is a testament to American ingenuity.”  Established by the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, the medal was first awarded in 1985.

Joel D. Bumgardner, chair of the Awards Committee of The Society For Biomaterials said, “Dr. Cato Laurencin has become a world leader in nanomaterials, and tissue engineering, working across the spectrum from establishing basic science and biomaterial properties to translating discoveries into clinical practice. Also, his work has led to the development of a new area called regenerative engineering. This emerging area builds on and synergizes principles in biomaterials engineering and stem cell/developmental biology to formulate new paradigms for effective repair/regeneration of diseased/damaged tissues.

Bumgardner also noted Laurencin’s mentorship of young faculty and students – “a legacy that will have a significant and long-ranging impact in the broad biomaterials community.”

Child Poverty on the Rise; State Budget Percentage for Children Dropping, Advocacy Group Says

When the state legislature in Special Session this month restored planned budget cuts that would have adversely impacted Connecticut children and families, advocates for those segments of society praised the action.  But they also took the opportunity to highlight continued disparities and shortfalls in the level of state resources allocated to programs and policies impacting children in the state. “Alleviating the wide disparities left in the wake of the economic recovery, including record-high child poverty, requires a state budget that reflects the needs of our children and families,” pointed out Connecticut Voices for Children, an organization marking two decades of advocating for Connecticut children. 

They went on to point out that a recent update to their Children’s Budget finds “continued long-term disinvestment in programs that serve children and families,” such as K-12 education, developmental services, and health coverage - down nearly 10 percentage points from the early 1990s when the state spent nearly 40% of the General Fund on such programs.

They also noted that while child poverty has increased by more than 16.4 percent since the economic recovery began in 2010 (from a rate of 12.8 percent to 14.9 percent), the share of the state budget that is appropriated to the Children’s Budget has declined by 5.7 percent (from 32.4 percent of General Funds to 30.6 percent).

“We believe that more can and must be done in the upcoming session and in the years to come to reverse the long term decline in state investment in children and youth and to prioritize the establishment of equitable opportunity across race, ethnicity and zip code,” said Ellen Shemitz, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children.  The legislature’s 2016 session convenes in February.

Among the aspects of the budget impacted in the Special Session were a series of “short-term fixes,” according to published reports, such as transferring $5.7 million from various accounts to the state's general fund, including the school bus seat belt account, and $15.1 million from public colleges and universities. 

A November report by Connecticut Voices for Children found that "despite lower levels of unemployment, the recovery has left behind many of our state’s residents, including people of color, young workers, those paid low wages, and many with relatively low levels of education. These trends have  made it more difficult for families to afford their most basic needs."  The report stressed that "failure to address the needs of our children sets us up for an intergenerational cycle of poverty that will undermine preparedness for work in a state that has long boasted one of the nation’s most productive and highly educated workforces."

This summer, Shemitz was among those appointed to serve on the state’s Commission on Economic Competitiveness, created by the legislature amidst concerns in the state’s business community about the perceived lack of competitiveness.  The Commission is considering steps to improve Connecticut’s employment and business climate including measures to support workforce development and family and economic security.  Recommendations are anticipated for legislative action next year.

Writing recently in the Hartford Business Journal, Shemitz stressed that the state needs “a healthy economy to assure gainful employment and economically secure families.”  She noted that “business climate is about more than taxes.  A healthy business climate requires good transportation and a highly educated workforce, both of which depend upon strategic planning and public investment.”  The Commission’s organizational meeting was held in September.  (CT-N coverage)  It is co-chaired by State Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford) and Joe McGee, Vice President of the Business Council of Fairfield County.

Based in New Haven, the mission of Connecticut Voices for Children is to “promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's young people and their families by advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies.”