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Yehyun Kim/CTMirror.org
Nuvance Health, which owns four hospitals in Connecticut and three in New York, will merge with Northwell Health to form a larger regional health system across two states.
Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care and employ 14,500 providers.
“By joining forces with Northwell Health, we are taking a giant leap forward in our shared mission to enhance the quality, accessibility and equity of the health care we provide to our communities,” said Dr. John M. Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance Health. “This agreement enables us to make significant improvements to health outcomes for community hospitals and to deliver unparalleled care and drive positive change in the health care landscape.”
In Connecticut, Nuvance owns Danbury Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Sharon Hospital and New Milford Hospital.
Northwell, based in New Hyde Park, New York, owns 20 hospitals.
“This partnership opens a new and exciting chapter for Northwell and Nuvance and provides an incredible opportunity to enhance both health systems and take patient care and services to an even higher level,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “We have similar missions in providing high-quality care for patients in the communities we serve.”
The deal is still subject to a certificate of need process for state approval in Connecticut and New York, and must also be approved by the Federal Trade Commission. Amy Forni, a spokeswoman for Nuvance, said certificate of need applications are expected to be filed in the coming months.
Nuvance and Northwell officials said the merger will bring greater access to primary, specialty and hospital care through a diverse network of providers. “Northwell will make significant investments in Nuvance Health, helping it continue to evolve as a high-quality and comprehensive health care system,” they said in a statement.
Leaders of both companies said they hoped the merger would create a broader workforce pipeline and expand medical innovation across their facilities.
“Together, both organizations would have the ability to make significant improvements to health outcomes and address health disparities across the communities they serve,” they wrote in a statement. “As nonprofit organizations, Northwell and Nuvance Health would also continue to provide care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.”
The Journal occasionally will offer articles from CTMirror.org, a source of nonprofit journalism and a partner with The Lakeville Journal.
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Story Syndicate
John Hoffman, a Millerton resident, has been nominated for his film “The Barber of Little Rock,” which he co-directed with Christine Turner, in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.
Distributed by The New Yorker and produced by Story Syndicate Production in association with 59th & Prairie, Better World Projects, and Peralta Pictures, “The Barber of Little Rock” explores the efforts of Arkansas local hero Arlo Washington, who opened a barbershop at 19 years old and, with a mission to close the racial inequality gap in his community, went on to found the Washington Barber College as well as People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Washington’s goal is aiding his primarily Black neighborhood, which has historically been underserved by more prominent banking institutions.
Hoffman appeared at The Moviehouse in Millerton for a special screening of the short film Friday, Feb. 23, which played along with the four competing nominees: “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” (Grandma & Grandma), a humorous portrait by Sean Wang of his maternal and paternal Taiwanese grandmothers who share one home in Los Angeles, California; “The ABCs of Book Banning,” which features interviews with Florida school children discussing the books that have been removed from their libraries; “The Island Inbetween” which documents life on Kinman, an island governed by Taiwan and located across a bay from Mainland China; and “The Last Repair Shop,” about the lives of four dedicated craftspeople who repair the musical instruments for public school children in Los Angeles.
“The Barber of Little Rock” received the Jenni Berebitsky Legacy Award at the 2023 Indy Shorts International Film Festival and was nominated at the eighth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
At the talk, Hoffman explained that one of the most potent experiences in filming the documentary was seeing firsthand the financial and racial divide in Little Rock, illustrated by Interstate 630, which acts as a barrier between white affluence and Black poverty in the city. The interstate resulted from the signing of the Federal Highway Act by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, then the most extensive public works program in America. In the documentary, Scott Green calls the fallout from the I-630 “not a wealth gap, but a wealth chasm.” Green is the nephew of Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, the first African American students permitted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School.
People Trust, the only Black-owned Community Development Financial Institution in Arkansas, is attempting to bridge that chasm by supporting the emergence of minority-owned businesses in the community, including helping graduates of Washington’s barber college forge a path toward establishing their own shops and salons and providing emergency grants for Little Rock residents experiencing the strains of houselessness or searching for a new start following incarceration. The average People Trust loan is $5,000 for businesses and $1,000 for individuals.
As Washington says in the documentary short, “Once [Little Rock residents] can put funds here, and deposits, then we’re not going to put money outside of this community, we’re going to put money back into the community.”
“Once this catches on, it becomes a threat,” Green replies. “Because it can inspire others to think that they can become free. This is about being free.”
The 96th Oscars will be held Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC.
“The Barber of Little Rock” is available to watch on www.newyorker.com and The New Yorker’s YouTube channel.
John HoffmanAlexander Wilburn
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Inside Troutbeck's kitchen
Feb 28, 2024
Courtesy of Troutbeck
About growing up in Carmel, New York, Troutbeck’s executive chef Vincent Gilberti said he was fortunate to have a lot of family close by, and time together was always centered around food.
His grandparents in White Plains always made sure to have a supply of cured meats, olives, cheeses and crusty bread during their weekend visits. But it wasn’t until his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was 16 that his passion for food really began. It was there that he joined the German Club, whose partnership with Johnson & Wales University first introduced him to cooking.
During high school, Gilberti also worked at a Greek restaurant as a host, dishwasher and line cook. The appeal, he said, was the sense of camaraderie with the fellow line cooks and the friends he made that he couldn’t have met in high school. He valued what it took for all these people to come together to create a meal.
“As a kid, you don’t think about all the moving parts,” Gilberti said. “As I got older and worked in the restaurant, I had a better understanding of the total experience the restaurant provides — it’s not just the food, it’s not just the atmosphere, it’s everything coming together to create a complete experience.”
After high school, Gilberti attended the French Culinary Institution in Manhattan. He chose the accelerated program because although he got a lot out of school, he knew the real learning took place on the job. After graduating, he worked at Keith McNally’s Pulino’s for three years until leaving to be a part of the opening team at Dover in Brooklyn, where he worked his way up from line cook to sous chef.
From there, Gilberti joined his mentor, Walker Stern, at the restaurant Battersby, for what Gilberti described as the highlight of his career so far: “It was a very special moment for me to work hand in hand with Walker. In most restaurants, you don’t have that direct relationship with the chef. It greatly expanded my horizons and really helped me push the limits with my skills.”
Next was Michelin-starred Clinton Hill restaurant The Finch, where Gilberti joined chef Gabe McMackin. McMackin was also establishing himself at Troutbeck and eventually invited Gilberti to make the join him there as the chef de cuisine.
“I respected and admired Gabe and his philosophy, so I obliged and came to Troutbeck,” said Gilberti. After a brief sojourn at contemporary Italian restaurant SPQR in San Francisco, Gilberti was invited back to Troutbeck to be its executive chef.
Anna Martucci: What, besides your working relationship with chef McMackin, attracted you to Troutbeck?
Vincent Gilberti: The property is extremely special and has a deep-rooted history, and I saw the opportunity that it held. I really admired and respected the owners and their mission and goals and what they wanted to accomplish. They are very much a part of and active in the community here. Not everyone chooses to run their business trying to support the businesses around them, but that is very important to Troutbeck. I also knew it was a great opportunity to learn I had never been a chef for a hotel before and had to quickly learn the ways of navigating weddings and banquets.
AM: In what ways do you use your role as chef to connect to the Hudson Valley community?
VG: In every possible way I can, I try to work with as many local farmers, purveyors and producers as possible. I can’t say that I’m sourcing everything from the Hudson Valley, because I do have to rely on outside sources, but as much as possible, that is the goal. The other goal, which is in the Troutbeck mission statement, is zero waste. I try to use every little thing that I can out of everything we acquire.
AM: Why is connecting to the community important to you?
VG: I’m always thinking about how I can meet other individuals, like-minded or not, in this community and how I can support them in ways that are beneficial for everyone. I want to see every business in this community succeed. We can all work together to make the Hudson Valley what it is. Together we can attract people to this area to experience what we have to offer. I want to help make people realize how special this community is and reflect on the people that are here and make them feel special.
AM: What would you say your specialty is?
VG: People always ask me that, but it’s not about one specific thing for me — I have a lot to bring to the table. I will say, however, that one thing that I’m very passionate about is pasta. It was a passion created at Pulino’s and finessed at Battersby with Walker Stern — he is a savant.
Here at Troutbeck, we will sometimes have three to four different pasta dishes on the menu depending what is happening that week. We are thinking about doing a community-night dinner of pasta dishes, in a way trying to create my Sundays at grandma’s with a beautiful salad, antipasto, housemade bread, and a few pasta options. We have the reputation of being expensive, and there is a cost associated with trying to use local businesses, but I also want to be accessible to people who don’t necessarily want to spend $50 on an entree. We want it to be high quality but still affordable, because the mission of Troutbeck is to be inclusive of the community.
AM: How has the Hudson Valley farm-to-table food scene grown and changed during your lifetime?
VG: Growing up, the farm-to-table establishment wasn’t a thing. In the ‘90s, people were more concerned with quantity over quality. I’ve seen a significant shift of people being more cognizant of what they are eating. They want to know where the steelhead trout is from — is it farmed or is it wild-caught? I see that as the biggest shift, but there is a high cost in that. I see my job as making farm-to-table food be inclusive because I want people in the community to feel comfortable coming here and enjoying what we have to offer.
AM: What would you like to see more of in the agricultural community in this area?
VG: We already have an establishment of great local farms — I’d love to see more of them so we can continue to support the community. I have this opportunity to work with all these people who are just as excited about food as I am. Continuing to build relationships with local farms and the community and sharing it with the guests that come through the door — that is what I am most excited about.
AM: What do you love most about this area?
VG: I really like being away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s nice to be surrounded by nature, it’s nice to be able to go out on hikes. In my personal time, I love to forage and try to make something out of things I find that people wouldn’t normally eat. Come May, you will find morels and ramps all over the Troutbeck property. And I like to cook for my friends.
AM: What do you most appreciate about working at Troutbeck?
VG: The people. It takes an army to do what we are doing here. And I think, across the board in every department we have, everyone has a mutual respect for one another. At any given moment I can call on someone and they will be there for me. It has become a second family for me. I feel special to work with a group of individuals who support one another and have each other’s backs. This article is about Troutbeck and Vinny, but it is so much more than that. I couldn’t do this without the people in the kitchen who support me. There are so many people that it takes to make this happen for everyone and I really just admire them all and I can’t thank them enough. I’m grateful to have every single person on this property.
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Eliza Osborne
Today it feels like all life won’t end tomorrow, but a week or so ago not so much. Man oh man it was cold. It. Was. Cold. Could see your breath freezing in the air when you tried to talk. Seemed like no one would hear what you said until the vapor cloud thawed out sometime next spring. Didn’t want to go out. Didn’t want to get up. Didn’t want to do much of anything but sit around with my blankie. Probably freeze to death just walking from the house to the car.
Which, inevitably, led to thoughts about mortality. I know plenty of people who think you might as well go ahead and eat as much bacon as you want before you go, at least you’ll die happy. If you’re one of them, this might help you check that one off your bucket list.
Linguine with Bacon, Mushrooms and Something Green
1 pound of linguine. I like linguine, use what you like. Buy Italian bronze die-cut pasta, available at every store I go to. So much better.
5 or 6 big Portobello mushroom caps, cleaned. These are easier to clean than small mushrooms, but you can use those instead. The gills on these big caps aren’t good to eat; scrape them out with a small spoon. Chop into generous chunks.
Half of a big red or yellow onion, chopped. You can also use green onions.
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
Butter and neutral olive oil. I use Berio.
Bacon, anywhere from 1/2 a pound up to a pound, up to you. Cut across the slices into pieces about 3/4-inch or so wide. Thick-cut or regular bacon, either is fine.
Parmesan cheese
Salt — I use Maldon sea salt flakes, easily found. You’ll never go back.
Freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes
Baby arugula, which I had in the refrigerator. You could also use baby spinach leaves, endive cut crosswise, parsley, chives, etc. Anyway, something green, so when St. Peter says So, it was bacon that got you? you can point virtuously to the green stuff you threw in. I should warn you it’s possible he may have heard that one before.
One great thing about this is that you can have the work almost totally done way ahead of time. Serves six.
1. Put some butter and oil, a couple of tablespoons of each, into a skillet over low heat. Cook the onions until they are softened and fairly translucent. Tilt the pan, put in a bit more oil, add the garlic. Let the garlic bubble in the oil for a minute or so. Do not brown the garlic. Stir it into the onions. Remove this mix and its oil to a bowl.
2. Heat your pan so it’s medium hot, then add the same amount of butter and oil. Add the mushrooms and quickly stir to coat them. Put a lid on, and after a few minutes, take it off. The mushrooms will have exuded water. Turn the heat up to high to evaporate it, then continue cooking at a slightly lower temperature. Stand there and keep an eye out while you stir: They should brown nicely. Remove them to a bowl. Both of these steps can be done a day or two ahead. Keep the bowls, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. The morning of the day you’re having the pasta, cook the bacon. To keep bacon from shrinking, always start with cold bacon in a cold pan. This can be cooked at a low heat. Stir and separate the pieces; cook until nicely crisped. Don’t burn. Put the pieces on a plate on paper towels to drain, and keep on the counter until later. Wipe the bacon grease out of the pan and leave the covered pan on the stove. You can leave a small amount of grease in the pan; you needn’t wash it.
4. At suppertime, put the mushrooms and onions in the pan and heat them.
5. Boil the pasta.
6. Quickly drain the pasta and mix it with the mushroom mix.
7. Mix in the bacon.
8. Mix in a few big spoonfuls of parmesan.
9. Mix in your fresh greens, as much or as little as you’d like, and toss. I put in a couple of good-sized handfuls.
Serve this in heated bowls or plates with additional cheese, salt and the two peppers on the table. Bread on the side. Heaven. Well, close enough.
Pamela Osborne lives in Salisbury.
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