March marks American Red Cross Month
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — March marks American Red Cross Month, an annual celebration turning compassion into action by honoring its volunteers.
The Red Cross helps millions of people each year through disaster relief, blood donations, and more.
Lynn Fairfield-Sonn, senior regional philanthropy officer of the Red Cross Connecticut & Rhode Island, sat down with News 8's Kathryn Hauser to discuss the organization's life-saving mission and the free testing being rolled out this month.
Click here for more information on American Red Cross Month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Project Purple takes on pancreatic cancer
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Project Purple is taking on one of the most deadly cancers known, pancreatic cancer. Often called a 'silent killer,' this disease rarely shows symptoms until it's too late, contributing to a five-year survival rate in the single digits. Early detection is critical, yet no reliable screening method has existed until now. Thanks to a groundbreaking $700,000 grant announced last fall, Project Purple is six months into a transformative effort to change that reality. Dino Varrelli, founder and CEO of Project Purple, joined Good Morning Connecticut at 9 a.m. to discuss. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Drug overdoses decreasing across Connecticut
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The number of people dying from drug overdoses across Connecticut is down. There has been a drop of more than 25% in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024. Dive into summer safely: Connecticut's efforts to raise awareness for child water safety From fire houses and ambulances to emergency rooms, more people are being saved. And not just saved, but also put on the path to recovery and returning to normal lives. News 8 has talked to several people about the numbers of the overdose deaths who have said those are down. But the number of people on their way to recovery is on the way up. What makes the headlines are drug deaths and mass overdoses. Last week New Haven had 18 overdoses and one death within four days, but Monday there are good news and good deaths are down 26% from the year 2024 to 2023. Advocates said there are so many reasons, from interventions and treatment to recovery, the support systems are synced up, and naloxone is readily available. 'Our first responders are part of the solution by having leave behind kits so that when they're responding to a call, they can leave a kit behind whether it's for the individual or family and friends who are there,' said Pamela Mautte, the director of the Alliance for Prevention and Wellness. Lawmakers also making it easier and safer for anyone to report a drug overdose. 'The Good Samaritan Law so that people know they can call 911 and it protects those who are seeking help for someone who may be overdosing,' Mautte said. Not only are the deaths down, but supports for recovery are up, they even have counselors available and on hand to offer help in the middle of the crisis. 'They have recovery coaches in the emergency rooms, which can link people to meeting them where they are at when they are in that critical moment,' Mautte said. 'So that is also helping to move people into their path of recovery.' Gov. Ned Lamont (D), proud of the accomplishment, released a statement that said, 'Let there be no doubt, the opioid crisis remains a very serious public health issue, but the data is moving in the right direction and we will continue doing everything we can to reduce deaths and provide a path to treatment and recovery supports.' 'There's many people out there who are making a difference, and you know living happy, sober lives,' Mautte said. Funding has played a large role and especially distributing the naloxone. They hope it doesn't run out in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rochester-based organization providing aid to Haiti reacts to international travel ban
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The Trump administration has imposed a travel ban on 12 countries, which took effect Monday. The ban is prohibiting those primarily in Africa and the Middle East from entering the U.S. out of concerns of national security and terrorism. Haiti is among the countries affected. News 8 spoke to the leader of one local organization overseeing mission work there for years. Dr. Ralph Pennino co-founded Intervol in the late 80s and for more than three decades, the Rochester-based organization has helped to provide countless medical supplies and equipment in developing countries each year. In 2017, Dr. Pennino helped to create a school in Leogane, Haiti, which is not far from the country's capital of Port-Au-Prince. 'Right now, we've got grades 1 through 9. These are kids that wouldn't have a choice in education otherwise,' said Dr. Pennino. Regarding the travel ban, Dr. Pennino says the future of volunteerism is unclear. With a population plagued by poverty and violence, he says it only makes matters more complicated. 'Haiti, interestingly enough, has the highest number of volunteers per capita for a population that comes down to try and help Haiti. To be quite honest, there's probably going to be a lot of repair work to do because people are going to be afraid. And I understand. They're not going to go want to go there,' said Dr. Pennino. Catholic Charities closing certain refugee resettlement programs While there's no immediate answer as to when the travel ban will lift, Intervol continues to meet with students online for services like medical checkups or educational lessons. 'We'd normally send doctors down that would go to some of the remote villages to do primary care and the surgeons would go to part of the hospital. That part of what we do, I don't know how long it's going to be,' said Dr. Pennino. Dr. Pennino added for the first time in the Haitian school's history, their ninth graders are about to complete their national exams. He says that has been a positive in the midst of uncertainty. More information on ways to donate or help support Intervol's cause in Haiti can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
