News

News 12 Connecticut
By Marissa Alter
Nov. 24, 2022

On Saturdays in the fall and spring, Calf Pasture Beach is home to the Norwalk Karting Association -- the stillness of the shore, drowned out by speed, as the parking lot becomes a racetrack.

"This is our 51st year. We go from 5 years old to whatever age," said Norwalk Karting President Tom Donahue. "We've got nine people that have started here and are up in the NASCAR race circuit now." 

"For some people, this is as good as it gets," said member Hugh Gorman, pointing to himself.

Hugh started about eight years ago after life got off course. His brother died from cancer in 2012.

WTNH, Channel 8
By Sarah Cody
Nov. 28, 2022

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Aleta Staton is working on strengthening, balance, and endurance.

“When I’m pushing weight it’s making me use those legs,” said the 64-year-old, as she works hard at a Gaylord Specialty Healthcare physical therapy facility in North Haven.

She’s fighting back after a scary stretch. Staton has lived three decades with congestive heart failure, an underlying health condition.

“I contracted COVID about 3 weeks before it had a name,” she explained. “My heart started doing strange things. It would beat fast, it would beat slow, it was so erratic.”

CT Post
By David Borges
Nov. 9, 2022

HARTFORD — The collective gasp from the 9,116 at XL Center when UConn men's basketball sophomore standout Jordan Hawkins crashed to the floor Monday night spoke volumes.  

The tears that flowed from Hawkins’ eyes as he sat near the end of the bench, towel over head, before retreating to the locker room spoke even more. 

Wallingford, Connecticut, November 9, 2022 - Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, is pleased to announce that Phillip King, a 94-year-old Cheshire resident and long-time Gaylord volunteer, was today recognized by the AARP of Connecticut with the 2022 Andrus Award for Community Service.

The Andrus Award is AARP’s most prestigious state award given annually to an outstanding volunteer who shares their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.  

Fox 61 News
By Jim Altman
Published: November 2, 2022

WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Mauricio Espinoza, a father of four from Middletown, estimated he fell more than 22 feet from a ladder when he was trimming tree limbs back in September.

Espinoza has spent the past two months intensely rehabbing at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. Two months ago, Espinoza could barely move his toes, but after working with the team at Gaylord, he is now back on his feet.

Fox 61 
By Jim Altman
Updated: October 28, 2022

WALLINGFORD, Conn — John Casolo has been totally blind since 1984, but the 90-year-old is intent on still hitting the links.

Casolo is part of Gaylord Hospital’s Sports Association, which provides the opportunity for physically challenged athletes to stay in the game. Every week, Casolo gets picked up by his “coach”, good friend, and golf guide Gary Kendall for at least a nine-hole round.

The 2023 2nd Quarter Nominees for the Joseph A. Lindenmayer Employee of the Year Award

New Haven Register
October 20, 2022
WALLINGFORD — Dino Fuoco said he thanks two lords: the Good Lord and Gaylord Hospital.

Fuoco, 90, was able to live an independent life before early this year when he collapsed out of bed, struggling to breathe, move or speak. He was able to reach his telephone and call 911. He does not recall how paramedics entered his home or took him to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was diagnosed with COVID-19. His symptoms were severe.

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT, October 20, 2022 - Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, announces that it has received a $62,000 grant from The John & Margaret Sinclaire Foundation.

The Pittsford, New York-based foundation is dedicated to the promotion of justice and to the protection, conservation and restoration of the natural world. The two-year grant will support the purchase of equipment for the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation gym.
  

Hartford Business Journal
Oct. 10, 2022

As Gaylord Specialty Healthcare’s CEO, Sonja LaBarbera continues to oversee a multiyear, $10-million renovation of the rehabilitation hospital’s main Wallingford campus.

There have been other growth initiatives and milestones achieved in 2022.

They include the opening of Gaylord Physical Therapy in Madison; the expansion of the Gaylord Therapy Services outpatient clinic in North Haven; and the awarding in July of $4.5 million in state bond funds for a new electronic medical records system.