The state Office of Health Strategy (OHS) announced on Friday the approval of a plan to terminate labor and delivery services at Windham Hospital, bringing an end to a three-year saga that pitted community organizers against one of the state’s largest health systems.
Under the terms of the settlement, Windham Hospital, owned by Hartford HealthCare, must hire an independent third party to assess the need for and feasibility of establishing a birthing center in the area. If the study concludes that it is necessary and possible to do so, the hospital will have to either find a provider to operate a birthing center or operate it itself.
“Together with Windham Hospital, we carefully crafted this settlement to ensure the healthcare of birthing parents is not compromised by the termination,” said OHS executive director Deidre Gifford in a statement.
The hospital will also be required to provide both emergency and nonemergency transportation for the birthing parent, as well as any support people, to and from the hospital for predelivery exams, labor and delivery, and post-delivery visits. Windham Hospital will continue to provide prenatal and postpartum care.
“Windham Hospital’s decision to end childbirth services has always been about providing safe and sustainable care for women and babies. The state Office of Health Strategy’s settlement with the hospital underscores our commitment to a safe childbirth experience, while acknowledging the existing and enhanced pre- and post-natal programs and services we continue to provide,” said president of Windham and Backus Hospitals Donna Handley in the same statement.
The decision marks the first of three applications currently under consideration by OHS to close labor and delivery units in rural areas of the state.
In addition to Windham Hospital, two other rural hospitals — Johnson Memorial in Stafford and Sharon Hospital — also have pending applications to terminate birthing services. If all three receive approval, Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam would be the only rural hospital in the state offering birthing services.
Windham Hospital stopped performing births in June 2020. Three months later, Hartford HealthCare applied for state approval — known as a “certificate of need” — to officially close the unit, pointing to patient safety concerns due to low birth volumes and difficulty recruiting health care providers.
Community organizers from Windham have sustained a fierce campaign opposing the closure for over three years, holding vigils and protests in Windham and Hartford to voice their concerns about the service cuts. In July 2022, OHS issued an initial denial of the proposal to permanently close labor and delivery at Windham, finding that, among other potential negative outcomes, the move could exacerbate existing health inequities, diminish access, increase costs and limit patient choice in the region.
Per the approval process, Hartford HealthCare appealed the decision the following month.
Among the new evidence Hartford HealthCare presented was the findings from a survey where hospital administrators reported “needing at least 200 annual births for safety and financial viability.” Hartford HealthCare noted that “Windham handled approximately 100 births in each of its last several years of operation.”
The survey’s authors also concluded that “many administrators indicated prioritizing local community needs for obstetric care over concerns about viability and staffing.”
The issue of low birth volumes at Windham has been one of the most contentious points of disagreement between Hartford HealthCare and community members opposed to the closure.
“It comes down to both sides saying it’s unsafe,” said John Brady in a November 2021 interview with the CT Mirror. Brady is a registered nurse and serves as the executive vice president of AFT CT, a union representing health care professionals, as well as teachers and public employees.
According to the statement, once both OHS and Windham sign the agreement, the parties will meet to establish a work plan for the study of the birthing center.
“This is how you kill a small city,” said Willimantic town council member Rodney Alexander on the steps of the state Capitol during a November evening vigil calling for the restoration of services. “How can you convince a young couple to move to Willimantic, raise a family, with no maternity ward?”
The Journal occasionally will offer articles from CTMirror.org, a source of nonprofit journalism and a partner with The Lakeville Journal.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.
Photographer Sarah Blodgett displayed her prints on canvas at the Souterrain Gallery of The Wish House during the Open Studio Tour in Cornwall.
The weather was perfect on Saturday, Aug. 30, for the 19th annual Artists’ Studio Tour in Cornwall, held each Labor Day weekend.
Organizer David Colbert said, “It has become quite a tradition.”
Colbert’s studio was one of 10 on this year’s tour.His large geometric works line a sculpture walk near the studio, which those on the tour were welcome to enjoy.
Another stop was at Tim Prentice’s barn and studio. Prentice is famous for his kinetic sculptures, which were on display in the barn and surrounding fields.Now in his 90s, Prentice held court in his nearby studio.With his eyesight failing due to macular degeneration, he has turned to drawing.
Prentice recently completed “a series of trees before the leaves come out and obscure the structure.I do them from memory.” Drawings on display in his barn were being snapped up by tourgoers, with profits going to help fight macular degeneration.
At the Souterrain Gallery of the Wish House, first-time tour participant and basket maker Tina Puckett sat outside demonstrating her art. Inside the gallery, her unique baskets were on display. “I think the studio tour is great for the public and for us,” she said.
Also, at Souterrain, another first-timer, photographer Sarah Blodgett, showed her work. Photographs printed on canvas were vibrant with colors.She said she works on these in the winter when she can’t be outside doing wildlife photography which, is “near and dear to my heart.”There were samples of that as well.
Other artists on the tour included shoemaker Lauren Brinker, photographer Stephan Sagmiller, potter Sanah Peterson, painters Magaly Ohika, Emily Waters, and Debby Jones, photographer Nick Jacobs, and poet/artist Sally Van Doren.
The tour is a unique opportunity to chat with artists, view and purchase their work, and see their studios.
For more information go to: https://cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2025/
