The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs has a number of resources to assist our military men and women following their courageous service to this nation.

The mobile app offers CT veterans access to crisis assistance by phone, text and online chat. The app also includes information about housing assistance, healthcare options and employment opportunities.

Click here to learn more and download the application.

Our military men and women make tremendous personal sacrifices while deployed. It is our responsibility to make sure they are taken care of when they return home. If you or a loved one has served our nation, I hope you will take advantage of this app.

DEA Collection Sites closest to our area include:

MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT 

9 Campus Dr. – Madison, CT

MIDDLEFIELD RESIDENT TROOPERS OFFICE

405 Main St. – Middlefield, CT

The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In April, Americans turned in 474.5 tons (over 949,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,600 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 16 previous Take-Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 9.9 million pounds — nearly 5,000 tons of pills, with Connecticut accounting for over 94,000 pounds.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase breast cancer awareness and education, while also promoting research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

• Breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women
• Besides being female, age is the most notable risk factor for breast cancer
• Potentially modifiable risk factors for the disease include weight gain and obesity, use of menopausal hormone therapy, physical inactivity, having high breast tissue density and alcohol consumption
• Mammography can often detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective and a cure is more likely
• In 2018, it’s estimated that among U.S. women and men there will be 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,920 breast cancer deaths among women. Also, there will be 2,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 480 breast cancer deaths among men