To the Editor:

Connecticut is reaching a crisis point where the most vulnerable members of the population are experiencing worsening health conditions. Despite being one of the wealthiest states in the U.S., we are failing to adequately support healthcare, dental, and mental health services for marginalized communities. This failure is eroding our humanity as health disparities persist unchecked.

My name is Leslie Bumpus, DDS,  (Doctor of Dental Surgery),  and I am a dentist at the York Correctional Institution, the state’s sole women’s facility. For nearly five years, I’ve worked with the Department of Corrections (DOC), covering multiple facilities. Additionally, I’m pursuing a second master’s degree in public health with a certificate in interdisciplinary disability studies at the University of Connecticut. Lastly, I serve as a District 1199 New England Executive Board Member and Delegate.

As the only dentist responsible for over 800 incarcerated women, and with no option for overtime, I witness individuals suffering from dental pain daily. My responsibilities as a health care provider are to treat infections, diagnose disease, and educate individuals on oral health and disease prevention. I relieve dental pain and restore mouths back to health to help patients attain a better quality of life. I’m proud of the care I provide. However, with DOC dental staff being severely underpaid compared to the private sector and several other states, it is nearly impossible to recruit and retain oral health professionals to work for the state.

Those incarcerated have a constitutional right to receive timely and equitable healthcare. Public Act 22-133 (formerly SB 448) mandated dental screenings and care plans upon intake and annually thereafter. Despite our willingness, DOC dental practitioners struggle due to high patient needs and inadequate staffing. This results in delayed treatment, turning manageable issues into painful emergencies, like the story of one incarcerated individual that I cared for whose tooth decay progressed due to delays in treatment. This individual was bounced around to several facilities, and by the time I saw him at my facility, the decay had already reached the nerve. It was so bad that it got infected, and we had to extract the tooth, which, incidentally, we can’t replace because, per policy, he isn’t missing enough teeth for a partial denture. Routine fillings are not getting done in a timely manner because dentists are spread too thin treating emergencies rather than being able to fill a cavity while it is still small and savable.

Imagine that throbbing, pounding, incessant chronic pain in your head, and then having to sit and wait with that until it is finally your turn to be seen. This is unacceptable. To have the capacity to ACTUALLY provide quality care and to fulfill the requirements of Public Act 22-133, we urgently need more dentists, assistants, and hygienists — 34 more, to be exact — to meet the demand. Additionally, our facilities need upgrades such as portable dental chairs, adequate space, and extra X-ray units. Without addressing short staffing, foreseeable harm looms as there is not enough personnel or space to treat everyone promptly. Addressing systemic understaffing and expanding services requires funding from the Governor’s Budget to the DOC.

We have the resources to do whatever it takes to recruit quality healthcare staff with proper compensation, but this is simply not being done. Incarcerated individuals must be ensured the same rights and level of healthcare treatment as those who are not incarcerated. This health disparity continues to exist as we do not have an adequate amount of healthcare personnel. To address years of systemic understaffing of medical services, expand access, and improve the quality of healthcare and mental healthcare services for the incarcerated population, there must be adequate funding given in the budget to be allocated to the “DOC Inmate Medical” line item. Access to healthcare is a human right that we must invest in, especially in one of the richest states in the country with an astronomical budget surplus.

As a medical professional and someone who is on the frontline of this issue I am pleading for the state to fully fund DOC and its mandated programs. Without adequate funding, we cannot fulfill our obligations to provide essential healthcare to incarcerated individuals as mandated by P.A. 22-133.

—
Leslie Bumpus is Lead Dentist at York Correctional Institution for female offenders, and has worked for the Department of Correction since 2019

There is nothing but love behind Gavin Anderson’s big smile.

And now, the East Windsor community is rallying around the 10-year-old and his family with an equal amount of love.

The family is Kate and Colin Anderson and their three children, including Gavin and his twin brother, Spencer, and their 12-year-old sister, Bailey.

Gavin has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and is non-mobile and non-verbal and the Anderson home needs major — and very expensive — renovations to make the house more comfortable for him, his family said. East Windsor’s two firehouses, Police Department and the town’s EMS department learned of the need and have joined forces for “Gavin’s Home Makeover Pasta Dinner” benefit to be held at the Warehouse Point Fire Department on Sunday, April 28, at 89 Bridge St.

Among the renovations needed at the Anderson home are: ramps on the front and back of the home so Gavin can easily and safely enter/exit the house in addition to having more than one exit in case of an emergency; creating an ADA compliant bathroom and installing a lift/track system to move him from what will become his bedroom to the bathroom; creating a space in the kitchen for him to play and explore, as well as room to store Gavin’s equipment, including a gate trainer for walking and his wheelchair.

“We’ve had three or four different quotes that are all over $100,000 to do everything we need,” Kate Anderson said.

The Anderson’s broke ground in September on the renovations and they have been ongoing. Anderson said that, even with donations, the family will still likely owe between $80,000 and $85,000. She’s hoping all work will be done by the end of the summer.

Workers are customizing an island in the kitchen for Gavin to sit with his gate trainer or wheelchair to wash his hands at the sink or do arts and crafts.

“The current kitchen is being gutted and will become the bathroom,” Anderson said. “Doors are being widened and all the wood is coming out and being replaced with tile.

“The most expensive part is pulling down the ceiling to reinforce a lift to move Gavin from the bedroom to the bathroom, so we don’t have to carry him. The lift will be helpful as he gets bigger,” she said. “The lift is a game changer for us. We still have to do the front and back ramp, so he has multiple ways of getting into the house.”

Phase II of the improvements includes making the house “smart” to sync him up with Alexa or Google Home.

“He will be able to interact and control his own environment,” Anderson said. “He can turn off or on the TV or turn the lights on or off. Right now, he has to wait for one of us to do that.”

Anderson said Gavin loves to float around in the family pool and loves bubbles, music, playing with friends and family arts and crafts and going on walks with the family’s two dogs. Gavin also has a tricycle.

Kate Anderson said the support from the town has been amazing.

“They are being superheroes in different ways now,” Anderson said. “It’s been amazing to get our town and surrounding towns and businesses to rally around Gavin and this renovation – which is extremely expensive with time and materials.”

“This pasta dinner helps so much, and you won’t understand it unless you are in this situation,” Anderson said. “When you are purchasing a home, it doesn’t come with wheelchair accessibility. There wasn’t a home out there that met everything we needed for every person in the family. Having a fundraiser like this raises awareness.”

The mom said Gavin “is well loved by everyone who knows him.”

“He has a million dollar smile that lights up a room every time he enters,” Kate Anderson said. “He gets to be included in a lot of things. A lot of kids out there aren’t included for one reason or another. We are hoping to bring general awareness.”

Anderson said Gavin’s siblings are protective of their brother and keep him included in whatever they do.

“They make sure kids that aren’t as familiar with Gavin or someone with a wheelchair and bring them over to introduce him to other kids,” Anderson said. “They are trying to teach other kids and that he is another kid and will respond to you. They are very much supporters and cheerleaders for him as well.”

Kate Anderson said she wants everyone in the community to come out and meet Gavin.

“Part of it is awareness. The other part of it is when we go out there is a lot of staring. He’s not an anomaly. He’s a happy kid and loves to be around people. Just because he doesn’t talk. It doesn’t mean there isn’t someone in there that will respond. We want to make sure people will come,” Anderson said.

“When he sees the firefighters, he wants to jump out of his chair,” she added. “He smiles and makes noises and is very interactive when they all come see him. You never have to guess what he’s feeling because he’s so expressive.”

East Windsor’s Sofia’s Restaurant is donating pasta and sauce for the event. East Windsor’s Pickle Jar Deli is providing meatballs. These are two of the 27 sponsors for the event. There will also be raffle prizes.

Jill Caron, the administrative assistant at the Warehouse Point Fire District, said the organizing process started in January when first responders met with Gavin and his family.

“He’s the happiest little boy you will meet,” Caron said. “The support has been overwhelming both inside and outside of East Windsor.”

Warehouse Point firefighter Heather Mitchell said it’s exciting that all four first responder agencies in town are coming together for a cause.

“We are using our firehouse and pulling out the fire trucks and we are used to putting on large events,” Mitchell said. “So many businesses in town have stepped up and we are very lucky. We are lucky to be in East Windsor. Everyone is working together to make this a success for the Anderson family.”

Caron said the goal is to raise $15,000 and said there will be a touch-a-truck with ambulances, police and fire vehicles outside of the Warehouse Point station.

“So many people are already giving,” Caron said. “We got handed a $500 check from Broad Brook Fire Department. All four of the East Windsor first responder organizations provided $500 apiece as well. So many people are pulling up not only to buy tickets but to give donations. The past couple of weeks we’ve had so many people pop in.”

The Andersons will be at all three separate dinner seatings on Sunday. Each seating can hold 100-125 people and will include pasta, salad, meatballs, rolls and dessert. The first wave is from noon to 2:30 p.m., the second is 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and the last wave is 5 to 7 p.m. Takeout is also available. Tickets are $20 each.

Walk-ins are welcome. About 200 seats of the 560 total available were sold as of Wednesday afternoon. No one will be turned away. To buy tickets in advance, visit https://www.whpfd.org/.

Milford’s Kelly Aspras of Foran High has been selected as the 2024 Connecticut winner of the Tricia Sanders High School Excellence Award and Greens Farms Academy senior Nate Taylor of the Sandy Hook section of Newtown has been selected as the state winner of the Dave Schultz Excellence Award in 2024 from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Both awards recognize and honor wrestlers for their excellence on the mat, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service.

Aspras, who will attend nationally-ranked Sacred Heart University next winter, had a limited wrestling schedule this past winter. She eliminated wrestling against boys to avoid injuries and remain healthy throughout the season.

Aspras continued to dominate the competition among the girls. She finished third at the Eastern States Classic in New York at 145 pounds in January and won Foran’s Queen of the Mat tournament for the second time with three pins.

She won her third CIAC Girls Invitational championship and won her first New England championship at 152 pounds, finishing her high school season with a 13-1 record and 11 pins. She became the third girl in state history to win a third Girls Invitational title.

Taylor, who will attend the University of Pennsylvania next season, is a four-time National Prep School Tournament All-American. Three times, he finished third in 2021, 2022 and 2024 with a second place finish in 2023. Taylor wrestled at 190 this past season.

He won three New England Prep School championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and three Western New England championships, being named Most Outstanding Wrestler twice in 2023 and 2024. Taylor helped Greens Farms Academy win the last two New England championships.

Last December he was third at the Ironman Tournament in Ohio at 190 pounds and was an All-American at the Super 32 preseason tournament in 2022. He earned All-American honors in the 16-and-under division, formerly known as the Cadet Division, at 170 pounds at the USA Wrestling national championship meet in 2021.

In 2021, he won the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) freshman tournament at 160 pounds.

First presented in 2014, the Tricia Saunders Award is named in honor of Saunders, a four-time world champion wrestler and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Dave Schultz Award was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and world champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.