
Community Health & Wellness Center’s team of medical providers and support staff gather outside the North Canaan facility on a windy afternoon Friday, April 4.
Riley Klein
Community Health & Wellness Center’s team of medical providers and support staff gather outside the North Canaan facility on a windy afternoon Friday, April 4.
NORTH CANAAN — Community Health & Wellness Center opened the doors of its North Canaan facility in May 2024 and has since served more than 1,000 patients.
Today, the center continues to blossom with a team of dedicated, specialized professionals.
CHWC offers a wide range of medical services to meet the needs of the community.
Residents of the Northwest Corner and beyond have access to primary care for adults and adolescents, pediatric care for newborns and children, behavioral therapy, social services, substance abuse counseling and chiropractic care.
In addition to an administrative and support team, there are eight medical providers on site.
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: General internal medicine, infectious disease consults, HIV primary care.
Dr. Sarah Humphreys is originally from New York City and has spent time in the Northwest Corner throughout her life. Humphreys became chief medical officer at CHWC in March 2025.
“I’ve been coming to the Salisbury area since I was a baby and learned to swim in Lakeville Lake. I’m excited to help grow and strengthen community health access in the Northwest Corner.”
Humphreys earned her BA from Brown University before completing a Master of Public Health at Yale University. She then obtained her medical degree from Ben Gurion University in Israel, followed by residency in Internal Medicine at New York University and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Humphreys said at CHWC “it’s not just about what medical services we’re providing, but really trying to help people in their lives.”
Photo by Riley Klein
Services Provided: Youth autism evaluation (under age 6) and treatment/evaluation for individuals with developmental behavioral challenges (under age 21).
Dr. Deborah Buccino joined CHWC’s North Canaan facility in September 2024, bringing more than 25 years of professional experience. She previously worked as a physician for public and private schools ranging from preschool through college. She has been an Instructor of Pediatrics at Boston University Medical School and UMass Chan Medical School.
In addition to autism spectrum disorder evaluations, Buccino works with individuals under the age of 21 experiencing developmental behavioral challenges like ADHD, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, sleep and feeding difficulties.
Having spent time in Connecticut has a child, she is “excited to be reconnecting with my Connecticut roots. I am passionate about collaborative care that bridges silos between youth, families, healthcare providers and school staff to deliver optimal support.”
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: Pediatric primary care from newborn through young adulthood. School based primary care at HVRHS and NCES.
Rebecca Malone, of Sharon, began her career in pediatric primary care in January 2009 practicing family medicine and offering substance abuse treatment. Malone’s experience includes health promotion, disease prevention, adolescent health and diagnosing and treating asthma, allergies, anxiety, depression, ADHD, diabetes and thyroid disease.
Malone’s role as a school-based primary care provider allows her to “take care of students in their natural habitat.” There is no bill for students utilizing this in-school medical care program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School and North Canaan Elementary School. Parents must sign a consent form in order for their child to receive treatment.
Outside of work, Malone enjoys “being outdoors with my family, paddleboarding, hiking and raising food on our farm. In addition, I coach cheerleading with amazing athletes ages 5 to 14.”
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: Primary care for adults and adolescents, Dept. of Transportation physicals for CDLs.
With more than 20 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, Cay Hosterman brings knowledge from a variety of settings working in adult and adolescent health.
Hosterman is licensed to provide Department of Transportation physicals, which is necessary for those seeking commercial driver’s licenses.
“So the highway department and [Becton, Dickinson & Company] can come here. If you need to have a CDL license, you need to have a physical,” she said. “We do those here.”
Hosterman is originally from Kent and enjoys hiking, skiing and spending time in the community with friends and family.
Hosterman earned her degrees from University of New Hampshire and Fairfield University.
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: Primary care provider for all ages.
Joining CHWC earlier this year, Elizabeth Russ brings experience from a previous private practice and more than five years as an emergency department nurse at Sharon Hospital.
“I am a Litchfield County native who grew up showing dairy cattle as a member of the Busy Farmer’s 4-H Club here in North Canaan. On my days off, I help on my family’s farm in Cornwall.”
Russ earned her degrees from Quinnipiac University, Hartwick College and St. Lawrence University before returning to the Northwest Corner to practice medicine.
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: Psychiatric evaluation and medication management.
A Master of Science in Nursing, Kristy Clark has 35 years’ experience as a psychiatric nurse in various inpatient, emergency and school nursing settings. She joined CHWC in 2023.
“I wanted to work in a center that provides care to everyone who needs it. I love to be able to help people in a small-town setting and in reaching one person.Also reaching a family and making ripples of positive mental health.”
Clark lives in Goshen with her husband and two Cavalier spaniels.
Photo by Riley Klein
Services provided: Outpatient clinical services for adults.
Elise Sideli offers the skills of an experienced social worker in community mental health, early college and recovery residence health centers. She provides therapy to individuals through CHWC.
In addition to CHWC’s North Canaan facility, Sideli also works with East Rock Collective in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
She is native to the area, having grown up in New York State, and now resides in South Egremont, Massachusetts.
“I love cycling, hiking and making jewelry, and I enjoy working at my local CSA in the summer.”
Photo provided
Services provided: Diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal conditions.
Kimberly Layman was magna cum laude at Keene College, earning her BS in biology in 2012 and her Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2017.
Layman is a spine specialist, certified in Active Release Technique and FAKTR.
Prior to joining CHWC, she ran Layman Sport and Family Chiropractic in Litchfield County.
Layman also brings experience from clinical rotations through Stonybrook Hospital on Long Island, New York, Optimus Health in Bridgeport and with minor league baseball team The Bridgeport Bluefish.
Cornwall Consolidated School seventh graders Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willow Berry, Claire Barbosa, Willa Lesch, Vivianne DiRocco and Franco Aburto presented a group research project on the life of Naomi Freeman Wednesday, April 23. In attendance were U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., John Mills, president of Alex Breanne Corporation, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall Selectman Jennifer Markow and CCS social studies teacher Will Vincent.
CORNWALL — “In Cornwall you have made the decision that everyone here matters and everyone’s story is important,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Waterbury, to the seventh grade class at Cornwall Consolidated School April 23.
Hayes was in attendance to celebrate history on Wednesday as the CCS students presented their group research project on the life of Naomi Cain Freeman, the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
To memorialize Freeman, the seventh graders petitioned the town selectmen to rename Great Hollow Road where the Freemans once lived. New street signs for Naomi Freeman Historic Road were created with some help from the town highway department.
“No one in this community, or the state for that matter, will ever forget that this happened here,” said Hayes.
Cornwall Highway Department helped the students create new signs to install on Great Hollow Road.Photo by Riley Klein
Per Cornwall Historical Society records, Freeman’s story began in 1794 when she was born in Vermont. John Sedgwick and his wife Abigail, of Cornwall, adopted her in 1801: an act that protected her from slavery, which was still legal in Connecticut at the time.
Sedgwick included Naomi in his will and she received a dowry after his death in 1820.
Naomi later married Obadiah “Obed” Freeman, a man who had been enslaved in Cornwall. She purchased an acre in Cornwall, becoming the town’s first African American woman to own land, and the two settled on Great Hollow Road in 1828.
Nearly 200 years later, the street itself bears her name.
“We are really proud of the work we’ve done and that Naomi Freeman will continue to be an impactful presence in our town,” said CCS student Vivianne DiRocco.
DiRocco and her classmates Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willa Lesch, Willow Berry, and Claire Barbosa discovered Freeman’s story earlier this year while conducting research into important women in Cornwall’s history. The full project will be presented at Troutbeck Symposium May 1.
“One of the archaeologists who excavated the Freemans’ home told us about a gap in Connecticut’s history concerning the everyday life for free African Americans. We hope that we filled that gap a little bit,” said Lesch.
There are no known photographs or portraits of Freeman. The students utilized artificial intelligence to create images of what she might have looked like during her life in Cornwall.
The students created artwork to show what Naomi Freeman, her husband Obed and daughter Sarah might have looked like living in Cornwall.Photo by Riley Klein
“What an incredible example of what happens when young people are given the tools, the encouragement and the space to lead,” said CCS Principal Leanne Maguire. “Thank you for showing us what is possible when curiosity meets courage.”
John Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation in West Hartford, was consulted by the students to help unearth census data and track down living descendants of Freeman. His company researches formerly enslaved people and brings their stories to light.
Mills said he was surprised to see the extensive research that was conducted by the students by the time he was contacted. His company sometimes helps render images for individuals lost to history, but the students had even taken that on themselves.
“I’m incredibly impressed with what you’ve done here,” said Mills to the students. “Now you’re a part of the celebration and civic engagement.”
Town of Salisbury
Board of Finance
Notice of Public Hearing Hybrid Meeting
Wednesday,
April 30th, 2025
7:30pm
A public hearing called by the Board of Finance will be held in-person and via Zoom at 7:30pm on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 at Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068 with the following agenda:
1. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Education budget as presented.
2. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Selectmen, town government budget as presented.
Note: Copies of the proposed budgets are available at Town Hall.
Board of Finance Meeting Immediately following the Public Hearing
1. Final Budget Review; Discussion and possible vote to present the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen, Town Government Budget to the Annual Town Budget meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm
Please Note: The Annual Town Budget Meeting date has been changed to Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Topic: Public Hearing on Budgets immediately followed by Board of Finance
Time: Apr 30, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 868 3123 5186
Passcode: 641984
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04-24-25
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2025-0280 by owner Richard Cantele for Structures Located less than Fifty (50) feet from a Waterbody or Watercourse at 204 Between the Lakes Road, Salisbury, Map 58, Lot 03 per Section 404 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Martin Whalen, Secretary
04-24-25
05-01-25
Notice of Decision
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following action was taken by the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on April 14, 2025:
Approved - Application 2025-IW-050 by Engineer Pat Hackett to install a new septic system. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 59 as lot 09 and is known as 36 South Shore Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Noelle G Becker, Trustee.
Any aggrieved person may appeal this decision to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §22a-43(a) & §8-8.
04-24-25
TAX COLLECTOR TOWN OF
SALISBURY CT
LEGAL NOTICE
Pursuant to Sec. 12-145 of the Connecticut State Statutes, the taxpayers of the Town of Salisbury are hereby notified that the fourth installment on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 is due and payable on April l, 2025. Payments must be received or postmarked by May 1, 2025. If said Real Estate and Personal Property taxes are not paid on or before May 1, 2025, interest at the rate of one and one half percent (18% per year) will be added for each month or a fraction thereof which elapses from the time when such tax becomes due and payable until the same is paid. Minimum interest charge is $2.00.
Pursuant to Section 12-173 of the Connecticut State Statutes, unpaid Real Estate tax on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 will be LIENED on JUNE 6, 2025. Payment must be received by 12:00 p.m. on June 6, 2025 to avoid a Lien. Tax Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am- 4pm. Closed 12:30pm- 1 :30 pm.
Taxes can be paid by mail addressed to: Tax Collector, P.O. Box 338, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068, There is a drop box in the vestibule of the Town Hall which is available 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday as well as a 24-hour drop slot at the rear of the building adjacent to the parking area. The Town is urging taxpayers to mail checks or use the option of paying by credit card or E-Check. Please see the Town website salisburyct.us for additional information. Dated at Town of Salisbury, CT this 15TH day of March 2025.
Jean F. Bell, CCMC
Tax Collector
Salisbury CT 06068
03-20-25
04-03-25
04-24-25
Experienced horse equestrian: to train three-year-old white Persian Mare for trail riding. 860-67-0499.
Help wanted: Small Angus Farm seeks reliable help for cattle and horses. Duties include feeding, fence repair, machine repair. Will train the right person. 860-671-0499.
The Town of Cornwall has several job openings for the Town Beach: Beach Director, Water Safety Instructor, and Certified Lifeguards. For more details and to apply, contact First Selectman’s office 860-672-4959.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
Hay For Sale: Round Bales. First Cutting covered hay, round bales. First cut hay covered with plastic. $25 for bale loaded. 860-671-0499.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
3b/3b home in Sharon:fully furnished, lake access, 3.84 acres. $5000 per month. 860-309-4482.
MT RIGA Two Bedroom LAKEFRONT: Log cabin. Private beach, canoes and kayaks. $1350/Week. 585-355-5245.
Seasonal rental: Very private and comfortable 4B/3B home set back from the road. 6/15-9/15. sun rm/dr, upper and lower decks, ping pong and knock hockey, den, FP, W/D, fully equipped. 15K seas. 917-887-8885.
Sharon Rentals: 1b/1b home on a private lake. Avail 4/1/25. Yearly. $2750/Furnished, weekly house--keeping, garbage, water, ground maint. included. utilities addtl. 860-309-4482.