Last month, Ledge Light Health District and Centro de la Comunidad announced the formation of a new group designed to inform Latino women and their families about the dangers of heart disease.
Funded by a $100,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Health, Latino Preventative Health Partnership of Southeastern Connecticut hopes to curb the alarming statistic that Latino women are 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease than white women.
“We are thrilled to be part of this partnership,” Cindy Barry, assistant director at Ledge Light, said.
In order to help implement the program, Ledge Light hired Laura Silk, a local nurse who also helps translate for Spanish speakers at municipal meetings.
“This is a very exciting program,” Silk said. “I appreciate the outreach by the state.”
Silk will be assisted by promotoras, or volunteers who will venture into the Spanish-speaking community to help inform women of health risks.
“Getting information out there is the most important thing,” Juana Castro, a promotora, said. “We need to tell our community they need to work out more, and be stronger women.”
Baker Salsbury, the executive director of Ledge Light, said in a prepared statement that the goal “is to save the lives of women who might otherwise die unnecessarily and prematurely due to cardiovascular disease.”
Meetings will take place at Centro at 109 Blinman Street on the third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
For more information, call Cindy Barry at 860-448-4882, ext. 302.
Cyclists in Fort Trumbull
Something is finally moving in Fort Trumbull—bicycles.
On June 22 the former site of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood will host the New London Cyclone, a day-long bicycle race that will whip around the streets of the as-yet-unbuilt redevelopment.
In order to promote the race, organizer and U.S. National Team coach Bill Humphreys asked three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond to lead a group of riders from the course to Old Lyme.
Riding along were a group of junior members of the local race team Mystic Velo.
“This was a thrill of a lifetime for those kids to meet Greg,” Humphreys said. “That is like Pele working with a youth soccer team.”
LeMond said Fort Trumbull “looks like a great course.”