You can! Hartford HealthCare’s Walk with a Doc is a free program, open to the public, in which Hartford HealthCare physicians lead monthly walks throughout central Connecticut (April through December) and share tips and information on a wide variety of health topics. Everyone is welcome!

Stephen W. Larcen, Ph.D.

“Steve is one of Hartford HealthCare’s most able executives,” said Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of HHC. “He has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, intelligence, flexibility and a talent for communication in his various roles.”

Larcen has already made a significant contribution to Windham. Throughout his interim assignment, he has recruited physicians to strengthen its Cardiology program, created a local partnership to help support its Women’s Health Services program and has overseen the construction of a new medical office building.

David C. Klein, Ph.D., vice president of community programs at Natchaug Hospital, will also transition from an interim role to a permanent one. He had been serving as Natchaug’s interim chief operating officer for the past six months and is now its permanent COO.

Larcen has more than 40 years of experience in behavioral health and health care management. He has been president and CEO of Natchaug since 1990 and took on the role of vice president of behavioral health for HHC in 1997. Among his previous positions, he served as vice president of operations of Cumberland Health Systems in Nashville, Tenn.; CEO of Northwest Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn.; and executive director of United Services, a mental health center, in Dayville, Conn. He also worked as an organizational consultant in mergers and affiliations, organizational development, clinical and business operations, and financial management for a wide range of health care facilities and organizations.

Larcen is a member of the management committee and former president of Behavioral Health Connecticut LLC, and is active in the Connecticut Hospital Association. Among his many leadership and community activities, he was appointed by the governor to the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council and serves on the East Lyme Board of Finance.

Larcen received the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems’ 2010 NAPHS Grassroots Leadership Award for his work in elevating the importance of grassroots advocacy within the association and taking direct, personal action to educate members of Congress about issues affecting access, coverage and fair funding for quality mental health services.

Larcen received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut. He completed an internship in clinical and community psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and an advanced training program in community mental health administration at the Staff College of the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, D.C.

About Hartford HealthCare

About Windham Hospital

About Natchaug Hospital

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, Hartford Hospital’s cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists successfully performed two transcatheter aortic valve replacements. This is the first non-surgical replacement of the aortic valve using the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve to take place in Connecticut.

Senile aortic valve stenosis is a progressive, age-related disease caused by calcium deposits on the aortic valve. This causes the valve to narrow. As the heart works harder to pump enough blood through the smaller valve opening, the heart eventually weakens, which can lead to problems such as fainting, chest pain, heart failure, irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias), or cardiac arrest.

Fig. 1 depicts the leaflets of a healthy aortic heart valve, which open wide to allow oxygen-rich blood to flow unobstructed in one direction. The blood flows through the valve into the aorta where it then flows out to the rest of the body.	Fig. 2 depicts the leaflets of a stenotic or calcified aortic valve unable to open wide, obstructing blood flow from the left ventricle into the aorta. The narrowed valve allows less blood to flow through and as a result, less oxygen-rich blood is pumped out to the body, which may cause symptoms like severe shortness of breath.

Up to 1.5 million people in the United States suffer from aortic stenosis, and approximately 250,000 of these patients suffer from severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, often with debilitating symptoms that can restrict normal day-to-day activities, such as walking short distances or climbing stairs. These patients can often benefit from surgery to replace their ailing valve, but many patients are not treated because they are deemed inoperable for surgery. Patients who do not receive an aortic valve replacement have no effective, long-term treatment option to prevent or delay their disease progression. Without treatment, severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is life-threatening – studies indicate that 50 percent of patients will not survive more than an average of two years after the onset of symptoms.

“We have found that surgery to replace the aortic valve is an effective treatment for severe senile aortic valve stenosis. But we recognize that it is not an option for everyone. We are thrilled to be the first in the region to offer the SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) to our patients because it offers hope to those who cannot undergo open heart surgery,” said Dr. Paul Thompson, Hartford Hospital’s Director of Cardiology. “This is an important option to offer our patients. We know it will have a significant impact on patient care throughout Connecticut and beyond.”

A team of specialists places a collapsible aortic heart valve into the body via a catheter that is inserted through the leg, and threaded up to the heart. The Edwards SAPIEN Valve is designed to replace a patient’s diseased native aortic valve without the need for open-heart surgery or the use of a heart-lung machine.

If you wish to learn more about the Edwards SAPIEN Valve, call 860-545-188s8 or visit: www.harthosp.org/TAVR.

Joshua Center Shoreline, which opened in January of 2011 in Old Saybrook, Conn., operates one of Natchaug’s six outpatient programs for children and adolescents as well as a clinical day treatment school.

The Joshua Program offers partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient treatment for children and adolescents from ages 10 to 18 who struggle with social and emotional difficulties including mental illness, substance abuse and emotional trauma. The program operates a group therapy model with additional oversight from a program psychiatrist and family therapy.

The Joshua Clinical Day Treatment (CDT) school is a state-approved special education program operated with support from the home schools of the students. The school, which is one of seven CDT programs run by Natchaug, currently serves adolescents in grades 7 through 12.

Natchaug Hospital decided to open the Shoreline location after an AT&T Planning Grant identified a need for child and adolescent mental health services in the region.

 “It’s exciting because we’ve added a new level of care to an area that didn’t have local partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), or clinical day schools” said Program Director Corey Gartner. “It feels great to meet the needs of a community that had sometimes been overlooked in the past.”

Since opening its doors, Joshua Center Shoreline has served almost 80 children and families from 18 towns in the greater Essex/Old Saybrook region.

“We’re still in the process of educating the community about what we do and what we have to offer, but there’s definitely a lot of talk and chatter about the quality of treatment that children receive while they’re with us,” Gartner said.

Although the year-old program is still small, expansion is already in the works.

“The demand for our clinical day school was so high in the area that we recently added a second classroom to meet these needs,” said CDT Special Education Program Principal Lori Secchiaroli.  “I’m thrilled to see the progress our students are making, and I’m looking forward to giving even more students the opportunity to achieve success in this unique special education program.”

Gartner is looking forward to similar growth with the Joshua Program.

“We’re exploring the possibility of expanding our physical building, as well as expanding our catchment area and maybe adding another therapy group,” Gartner said. “This program is growing for sure and growing faster than anyone expected.”

A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors visited Natchaug Hospital from July 12-15, 2011 and evaluated it for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of individuals served and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management.

Natchaug Hospital voluntarily participated in the assessment and earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™, which is valid for up to three years.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts, individuals served and their families. The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

“With Joint Commission accreditation, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down and bottom up?,” said Dr. Stephen Larcen, President and CEO of Natchaug. “Achieving Joint Commission accreditation is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide.”

Clients enjoy the reception area at Quinebaug Day Treatment's new Dayville facility

November 2011 – Natchaug Hospital’s Quinebaug Adult Day Treatment Program moved from Putnam to a larger, handicap accessible facility in Dayville. The Quinebaug Program, one of four adult day treatment programs, provides mental health and addiction treatment for 350-400 adults each year. Staff and clients enjoy the benefits of a comfortable waiting area, three large program rooms, HIPPA-compliant receptionist area, private clinical offices, and loads of parking. Located at 11 Dog Lane, The Quinebaug Program is within walking distance of Natchaug’s Joshua Center Northeast, which offers special education for grades 7-12, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs for children and adolescents.