WTNH, Channel 8 News
by: Lisa Carberg
Posted: Jul 1, 2021 

WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — July is the month when the most spinal cord accidents happen. The victims are mostly men in their 20’s diving into water that is too shallow or dangerous according to Megan Palmer who runs a Diving Danger Awareness Program from Gaylord Specialty Healthcare called “Think First.”

Gaylord is a top facility for caring for paraplegic patients.

Ryan Rosario of Meriden has been going to Gaylord since his diving accident left him paralyzed from the neck down in 2007.

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Record Journal
June 27, 2021 03:42PM
By Faith Williams, Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — About 500 people participated in the annual Gaylord Gauntlet on Saturday. 

“It's amazing to be able to get back to some level of normalcy,” said Gaylord Specialty Healthcare President Sonja LaBarbera. “This is my favorite event because it is a time where both able-bodied and adaptive athletes come together to compete and have a goal.” 

The Gaylord Gauntlet is a 5-kilometer trail and obstacle run that raises money for the Gaylord Sports Association. The association offers adaptive sports to those with physical or visual disabilities, according to the Gaylord website. 

Record Journal
June 24, 2021 05:00AM
By Sean Krofssik, Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — Greg Whitehouse has endured a lot in the last seven months. 

The Wallingford resident contracted COVID-19 in November, just days before his 61st birthday.

While in quarantine, he discovered he also had Guillain-Barre syndrome, an illness in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

It can rapidly bring on paralysis. In a matter of days, Whitehouse was paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Now, seven months later, Whitehouse is expected to make a full recovery.

He will also be one of the featured athletes this Saturday in the annual Gaylord Gauntlet on the campus of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, where he was treated.

The Hour
By Alyssa Seidman
June 23, 2021

RIDGEFIELD — The story behind Ben Rosenbaum’s Eagle Scout project begins 15 years ago.

At 14 months old, he hadn’t yet attempted to crawl, which alerted his parents that something might be wrong. An MRI scan at Tufts Medical Center in Boston revealed a thumb-sized pocket of fluid known as a syrinx cyst was compressing the nerves in young Ben’s spinal cord.

The Rosenbaums went to Boston Children’s Hospital to get a second opinion from Dr. Mark Proctor, who recommended Dr. Carl Heilman, who diagnosed Ben, perform the surgery.

CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — New questions are arising as COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up across Connecticut. One of the most asked by News 8 viewers: Should you get the shot if you’re pregnant?

Pfizer is enrolling some 4,000 pregnant women to participate in its COVID vaccine trial. This after extensive analysis on animals showing the shot’s safety and efficacy.

Expectant moms were initially left out of COVID trials as a safety precaution by the FDA.

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT, February 9, 2021 — Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system based in Wallingford, presented its quarterly DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Care to Meriden resident, Marylou Colangelo, RN, BSN.  

Colangelo was nominated by her colleague Jessica Crespo, RN, BSN, and supervisor Sandy Delong, RN, MSN, who called her a “true asset to the nursing profession."
 

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT, February 1, 2021 — Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, is pleased to announce its collaboration with the CT Tech Act Project’s ‘Connect to Tech’ program to expand access to assistive technologies (AT) for hospitalized patients with paralysis. The Connect to Tech program’s goal is to enhance the quality of life for this patient population and help them maintain or increase their independence at home after discharge.
 

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT, November 17, 2020 — Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-based healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, is proud to announce that President and CEO Sonja LaBarbera, MSOL, MS CCC/SLP, was recognized by New Haven Biz with the Women Who Mean Business Award.

According to New Haven Biz, the second annual award was given to women leaders who “stand out from the crowd because of their achievements and their commitment to encourage others to succeed.”

LaBarbera, a Wallingford resident, is well-recognized among Connecticut’s healthcare leaders for her forward-thinking leadership, pledge to patient-centric care and commitment to cultivating a system of innovation and excellence.

Megan Panico, MD

As a teen, I spent months at Gaylord recovering from an auto accident. It’s a time that ultimately shaped my profession and my understanding of what patient-focused care really means. Coming full circle now as Gaylord Hospital medical director has been the highlight of my career.

From what I witnessed as a front-line pulmonologist in Hartford Hospital’s ICU at the height of COVID, I knew that my patients would need the kind of extensive post-acute rehabilitation that only Gaylord can offer.

WHAT GAYLORD OFFERS – A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO HELPING PEOPLE WITH COMPLEX MEDICAL NEEDS FOCUS ON REHAB – JUST CAN’T BE OFFERED ANYWHERE ELSE.
 

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Jessica Crespo, RN

I have been with Gaylord for six years and I lead by example with my passion and devotion to my patients during these unprecedented times.

The battle against COVID-19 brought forth new challenges and revealed strengths and resilience within the Gaylord nursing team. COVID also created a time in which patients could not physically be with their loved ones. Our role as nurses became even more impactful to their stay at Gaylord providing a great deal of emotional support to both patients and their family members.

CARING FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS SHINED THE LIGHT ON THE BEAUTY OF THE ART OF NURSING.
 

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Brittany Brown, RRT

In my six-year career as a respiratory therapist at Gaylord, I have worked with patients who have COPD, lung cancer, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and many other cardiopulmonary diseases. Tracheostomies are common procedures at Gaylord that we care for on a daily basis.

Since the arrival of COVID, we are working extra diligently to make sure our patients are feeling safe, comfortable and able to breathe with ease. Many of these patients require respiratory services, whether it’s oxygen, inhaled medications and/or BiPAPs/CPAPs at night.

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The 2021 2nd Quarter Nominees for the Joseph A. Lindenmayer Employee of the Year Award

The 2021 4th Quarter Nominees for the Joseph A. Lindenmayer Employee of the Year Award

Full Circle: Finding and Giving Purpose By Noungning Rogozinski, RN

The 2020 4th Quarter Nominees for the Joseph A. Lindenmayer Employee of the Year Award