• The Connecticut Light & Power Company, part of the Northeast Utilities System, and the United Illuminating Company, part of the UIL Corp., announced that the Middletown-Norwalk transmission project has been energized, nearly one year ahead of schedule, improving reliability for Connecticut and the region’s electric customers. The project — one of the largest electric infrastructure upgrades in the country — is a joint effort of CL&P and UI, and consists of 69 miles of 345-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage transmission lines through 18 Connecticut cities and towns.
• Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced that the state is adding $200,000 to a program that provides small loans to women and minorities who are starting or expanding businesses. Since its inception in 1999, the Micro-Loan Guarantee Program for Women- and Minority-Owned Businesses, administered through the Community Economic Development Fund and guaranteed by the state Dept. of Economic and Community Development, has loaned $3.5 million to 115 businesses and helped create 2,557 full- and part-time jobs.
• Masonicare announced that effective Jan. 1, four of the eight Masonicare affiliates that make up the organization’s continuum of care have new names. Masonicare, whose roots date back to 1895, is a Connecticut not-for-profit provider of senior healthcare and retirement living communities. The name changes are: Connecticut VNA will become Masonicare Home Health & Hospice; Ashlar of Newtown will become Masonicare at Newtown; Ashlar Village will become Masonicare at Ashlar Village; and, Masonic Healthcare Center will become Masonicare Health Center. Connecticut VNA Partners, a collaboration between Masonicare and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, will be known as Masonicare Partners Home Health & Hospice, effective Feb. 1.
• Mercy Community Health has been named to the 2008 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance. Mercy Community Health was recognized for this distinction in 2007, as well. The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information.
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