A Waterbury dentist who provides charitable services internationally and the founder of a charity to help Waterbury’s homeless are among the four people and organizations to be honored by the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Health Care Council during its 13th Annual Members Breakfast and Awards Ceremony in June.
Awards to be presented during the event, set for Tuesday, June 19, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Wyndham Southbury Hotel, are: The 2018 Leadership Award, to Dr. Christine Lathuras of Sunrise Family Dental Care; The 2018 Unsung Hero Award, to Joseph Ochieng, founder of God Provides Ministries International Inc.; The 2018 Organizational Excellence Award, to Waterbury Neurology LLC in Middlebury, and The 2018 Stephen Sasala Health Advocate Award, to Acts 4 Ministry of Waterbury.
Leadership Award: This award is presented to a health professional who embodies the qualities required to improve healthcare in the community by raising awareness, initiating change, enhancing the quality of care and/or creating new services. Dr. Lathuras owns and operates Sunrise Family Dental Care at 160 Robbins St., Suite 200, in Waterbury. In addition to providing excellent dental care, she encourages her staff to give back to the community, with staff members selecting a different local charity each month to receive a donation. She also has volunteered her services in more than 20 different countries, providing dental care, dental education, and emergency relief, and implementing dental programs in under-served areas.
She received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and completed a General Practice Residency program at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Greensboro, N.C. She also earned a Graduate Degree in Public Health Policy and received the Public Health Award for her volunteer dental work. She is accredited by the International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology and is a member of the American Dental Association, Connecticut Dental Association, Waterbury Dental Society, American Association of Women Dentists and Holistic Dental Association.
Unsung Hero Award: This award is presented to a healthcare practitioner who has distinguished him or herself by providing exceptional care, compassion and commitment daily, and who is dedicated to working behind the scenes in a hands-on capacity, making a difference for the people served. Joseph Ochieng is a native of Kenya who now lives in Waterbury and works as a Patient Care Associate in the Waterbury Hospital Emergency Department. He is the founder, president, and CEO of God Provides Ministries International Inc., a nonprofit organization that collects, stores and provides a variety of items needed by the homeless in Waterbury.
In nominating Ochieng, LaBonne’s Markets President & CEO Robert LaBonne Jr. described him as unselfish and dedicated to “helping those less fortunate in any and every way he can. He has provided food, cooked meals, rides, clothing, whole house and apartment furnishings, (and) job placement” for the homeless, LaBonne said, adding, “he has served hundreds.”
The group consists of Dr. Pooia Fattahi, Dr. Kenneth Kaplove, Dr. Katherine Kedzierski, and Dr. David Tkeshelashvili, as well as Physician Assistants Sabra Becker and Jonica Pagnucco. In nominating Waterbury Neurology, Brian Emerick, president of Access Rehab Centers and Immediate Past Chairman of the Chamber’s Health Care Council, said the group is “totally selfless in making themselves available whenever and wherever there are patients in need,” and “are an incredibly dedicated group of physicians.”
Stephen Sasala Health Advocate Award: This award, honoring a former Chamber president & CEO, is presented to an individual or group outside the healthcare industry that demonstrates exceptional commitment to healthcare-related issues. Acts 4 Ministry is a non-denominational charitable organization that supports the needs of families and individuals in financial distress. According to Sarah Elizabeth Carabetta, executive director of Acts 4 Ministry, each year the organization distributes clothing to nearly 7,000 people and delivers more than 10,000 pieces of furniture and housewares to people of varying income levels throughout Greater Waterbury.
The ministry also created a Sleep Well fundraising campaign, seeking to provide every family member a clean, proper sleeping environment. Since its inception in 2015, Acts 4 has supplied more than 1,000 new bed sets to local families in need, including more than 250 sets to children in 2017 as part of a special grant partnership with the Elisha Leavenworth Foundation.
The Waterbury Regional Chamber is one of Connecticut’s largest, with over 1,000 business members in Greater Waterbury. The Chamber and its Health Care Council create the semi-annual “HealthMatters” supplement produced in cooperation with the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury.
The Platinum sponsor for the annual event is Saint Mary’s Hospital. Costs for the Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast are $35 for Waterbury Regional Chamber members, $50 for not-yet-members, and $400 for a table of 10. For information, and to reserve a seat, visit the Chamber’s website at www.waterburychamber.com or call 203-757-0701.