Joel and Nanette Hausman have lived in Westport for 30 years. Their 3 sons — Lucas, Casey and Corey — were excellent athletes at Staples High School. All worked during that time too, flipping burgers and filling gas tanks.
In September of 2018, Corey died in a skateboarding accident at the University of Colorado. He had begun his freshman year just 15 days earlier.
Corey Hausman (center) with Lucas (left) and Casey (right): “The Brothers.”
After his death, his family created College911.net. The organization has 2 goals: reform college safety, and educate students and parents about emergency medical procedures.
The Hausmans did not know they could have taken steps that could have saved them from the tragedy. They want others to be ready, when their children move away from home.
“This initiative will lead to more informed student decisions, and help families be better prepared as medical emergencies arise,” they says.
They believe that transparency will enable public health agencies to use evidence-based data to support accident prevention recommendations.
In addition, colleges will be incentivized to increase investment in infrastructure and safety programs, and establish emergency protocols to include access to the best possible student emergency medical care.
In the legislative realm, College911 has launched a petition to:
Require colleges to publicly report all serious accidents (911 calls) and student deaths on or near campuses (while protecting student and family privacy)
Adopt protocols to ensure students have access to the best possible emergency care (Trauma Level 1), and
Require college websites to post the college-associated and other relevant health facilities (name, website/link) that provide emergency medical services to students in response to 911 calls, and (b) if this facility is not a Trauma-1, post the location of nearest Trauma-1 facility.
A proposed bill is moving through the Connecticut Legislature. It has bipartisan support, including from area lawmakers.
In addition, College911 created a Medical Emergency Checklist. It includes information for students on what they need to know once they turn 18 about their medical care (such as what information to always carry, and how to set up a smartphone health app), and for parents on what to consider before getting a call that their son or daughter needs emergency care.
Click here for the checklist. Click here for more information. To learn more or to help, email info@College911.net.
The Board of Education meets tonight at 7 p.m. The Zoom meeting includes 2 important agenda items: superintendent of schools Tom Scarice’s recommendation for reopening, and proposed changes to the calendar.
The session will be livestreamed on westportps.org, and televised on Optimum channel 78 and Frontier channel 6021.
Avery Place — a main component of downtown — has finally been cleared of wires, limbs and debris. More than a week after Tropical Storm Isiais, power has been restored to the area.
But, as photographer Wendy Cusick notes, vines are killing trees here, and throughout Fairfield County. And when high winds roar in, they can help kill utility poles too.
(Photo/Wendy Cusick)
This will send goosebumps down the spines of many youngsters:
R.L. Stine — the bestselling horror story kids’ author — will be the final speaker in the Westport Library’s Camp Explore program.
The virtual (and free!) event — open to anyone, anywhere with an internet connection — is set for this Tuesday (August 18, 4 p.m.).
Click here to register for Stine’s appearance — and click here to watch all previous Camp Explore events.
In the aftermath of Eversource’s twin public relations disasters — a rate hike, and a belated response to Tropical Storm Isaias — State Senator Will Haskell says:
“Public utilities need to be monitored closely, and both legislators and members of the public have a role to play in holding Eversource accountable. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority is holding a public hearing (via Zoom) on Monday (August 24, 10 a.m.),
“I encourage anyone interested to submit testimony and join me in standing up to this monopoly that too often lets customers down. This isn’t about one neighborhood left behind or the unpredictability of New England weather — this is about a company that makes billions in profits yet fails to prepare for a storm that announced itself days in advance of arriving in our backyard.
“To submit testimony, email comments to pura.information@ct.gov (mention Docket #20-01-01 in the subject line), or mail them to: Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051.
To attend or participate in the Zoom hearing, click this link.
Manna Toast has been open just a couple of weeks. But already they’re expanding their Church Lane hours — and adding music.
They’re open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Entertainment this weekend includes Henry Jones (Friday, August 14, 6 to 9 p.m.), Suzanne Sheridan & Friends (Saturday, August 15, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.), and Wass (Melissa Wasserman, Sunday brunch, August 16, 12 to 2 p.m.).
Here’s a toast to a new Westport tradition!
Carole Bernstein did her civic duty on Tuesday: She voted in the state primary election.
Two days before, 3 cars — parked in her driveway — were broken into. She’s not alone. She’s seen plenty of Ring videos posted online, showing near-daily brazen break-ins. She’s read several warnings, by town and police officials, to never leave anything visible in your car.
So Carole was quite surprised to see several signs at the Bedford Middle School polling place, telling voters to “leave purses and backpacks in your locked vehicle.”
What’s the reason for the signs? What’s wrong with bringing a purse or backpack into the voting station (which is no longer even a booth — it’s open, for all to see).
Is it a COVID-related rule? If so, what’s the theory behind it? Even so, doesn’t it contradict everything we’re hearing about vehicle safety?
I vote for purses and backpacks in the polling place!
Two years ago — just 15 days after arriving at the University of Colorado — recent Staples High School graduate Corey Hausman died in a tragic skateboard accident on a steep campus pathway. He was unsuccessfully treated at a local medical facility. It was the 3rd college death of the new semester.
Since then, his family has been involved in College911.net. Among their projects: creating a medical emergency checklist with questions and suggestions his family wishes they had considered while sending Corey off to college.
Some of the items pertain to students (“Did you sign a HIPAA release providing a family member rights to access medical records? Do you carry a medical alert card or ID with emergency contacts, in case you lose your phone?”). Some are for parents, if 911 is called on behalf of a child (“What medical rights do you have if your child is over 18? What is the quality of the campus medical center?”).
Nanette hopes all students and parents will review the checklist, before the new school year begins. Click here to see.
Corey Hausman (center) with Lucas (left) and Casey (right): “The Brothers.”
Earlier this summer, Tony Award-winning Kelli O’Hara hosted a great virtual Westport Country Playhouse event, showcasing Fairfield County’s best young talent.
The Westport resident is back this Friday (August 14, 7 p.m.). It’s the capstone for THRIVE — Teens Having Resilience In a Virtual Environment. The online program for area high school students was created by Westport Country Playhouse, the Shubert Theatre and Long Wharf Theatre.
The 15 THRIVE participants — including Westporters Camille Foisie and Raia Morgan, and Weston’s Harrison Solomon — will share their experiences in the virtual summer camp. It’s part talk show, part variety show, and part cast party.
The “Friday Night THRIVE Live!” event is available on You Tube (WestportPlayhouse channel) and Facebook Live (Westport Country Playhouse).
Kelli O’Hara
And finally … yeah, Eversource. We’re talking about you:
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
