Danbury Hospital/WCSU Collaborate to Help Shut-ins

People who are confined to their beds, in wheel chairs or are oxygen dependent, but are without power, now have a place to go in Danbury.

A group of agencies have turned the Bill Williams Gymnasium in Berkshire Hall at Western Connecticut State University into a care center for people with certain serious medical needs.

"We do not want anyone to suffer from hypothermia or any ill-effect," said Matthew G. Cassavechia, director, emergency medical services. "This is an all-hands-on-deck effort. I've been doing this for a long time, and I've never seen such collaboration."

For one thing, WCSU has moved to other locations the 150 students taking its Health Promotion and Exercise classes, along with both the women and men's basketball teams.

"It's one of the university's goals to support the community," said Paul Steinmetz, vice president of institutional advancement at WCSU.

Cassavechia said 10 patients are now using the gymnasium, which includes showers, hospital beds, oxygen and bathroom facilities with a specific focus for those people that are non-ambulatory, bed confined, wheel chair bound, or oxygen dependent. Cassavechia described it as an "emergency functional needs center."

People who want to use the center must be pre-qualified by calling 1-203-648-5160. Food is provided by the American Red Cross with special needs assistance and monitoring provided by Danbury Hospital paramedics and regional medical reserve corps. Space will be limited to the resident with special needs and one family member or aide.

Other agencies cooperating in the effort include Danbury public school nurses, the Medical Reserve Corps, Danbury Hospital's Behaviorial Health Physicians, the VNA, Western Connecticut State University nursing students, paramedics and the state Department of Emergency Management and the state Department of Public Health. It is serving people from Ridgefield, Newtown, New Fairfield, New York state and Danbury.