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Proclamation
Left to right: From Day Kimball: Valerie Schrump, Melody Cassio,  Barbara Chubbuck, Putnam Mayor Barney Seney; Valentine Iamartino, president of the Woman’s Board of DKH; Michelle La France, DKH Manager of Public Relations and Community Outreach. Courtesy photo.



PUTNAM — Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH) was presented with an official proclamation in honor of the organization’s 125th anniversary by Barney Seney, mayor of Putnam, during the Woodstock Fair Sept. 1. The proclamation honored DKH’s longstanding service to the community and applauded its distinguished history.
“On this occasion of Day Kimball Healthcare’s 125th anniversary, the community enthusiastically celebrates its devoted and compassionate staff, physicians, and volunteers who selflessly care for their patients and families every day,” said Mayor Seney.
Sept. 1, 2019, marked a major milestone in the history of Day Kimball Healthcare. Founded for the community, by the community, DKH began as the inspiration of two sisters, Elizabeth and Gertrude Vinton, of Pomfret who identified a need for healthcare providers in the area and had a vision to open an infirmary in Putnam.
The Windham County Infirmary, northeastern Connecticut’s first in-residence infirmary and predecessor to Day Kimball Hospital, opened in a blizzard on Feb. 26, 1894, in a small, rented house on Bolles Street in Putnam. The Infirmary boasted 20 beds, one housemaid, one matron Mrs. A.E. Ogilvie, a single nurse, Miss Alma D. Paine, and two doctors, J.B. Kent and F.A. Morrell.
After the Infirmary had been in operation for some time, a friend of Elizabeth Vinton, Mrs. M. Day Kimball of Boston, and one of the contributors to the Infirmary offered a gift of $5,000 for the erection of a hospital building, as a memorial to her son, Moses Day Kimball, lately deceased, on condition that it be known as Day Kimball Hospital. Other Kimball family members and community supporters contributed additional donations.
In August 1894, the members of the board of the newly formed Day Kimball Hospital Corporation of Windham County took over all property in possession of the Windham County Infirmary, and on Sept. 1, 1894, the building reopened as Day Kimball Hospital.
Throughout the years, DKH has grown to become the region’s major provider of healthcare. What was once a stand-alone hospital is now an integrated health system anchored by Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Day Kimball Medical Groups in 13 locations in northeastern Connecticut, Day Kimball Healthcare at Home, and healthcare centers in Danielson, Dayville, Plainfield, and Putnam.
 “Now, 125 years later, we can look back on a history that has had a profound impact on healthcare in Northeast Connecticut through the application of advances in medicine, technology, patient safety, and patient care,” said Joseph Adiletta, DKH Board chairman. “This milestone and the success of the hospital are the result of incredible contributions of our employees, including nurses and physicians, and the support of the community. They are the reason we have been able to sustain our founders’ vision year after year. With this rich history as our foundation, we look forward to another 125 years of providing high quality, compassionate healthcare to our community.”
Today, the nonprofit community healthcare system is the area’s largest employer, with more than 1,000 staff including nearly 300 associated, highly skilled physicians, surgeons and specialists and contributes more than $258 million in economic impact according to a report from the Connecticut Hospital Association.
Highlights of DKH’s achievements include Baby Friendly designation; American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers; Gold Seal of Approval for Hip and Knee Replacement; Accredited Sleep Disorder Center; Cigna Center of Excellence designation for pulmonary medical care; Anthem Blue Distinction Specialty Care.

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Then
This is the former Bugbee's with a trolley in front around 1900. Putnam Town Crier file photos.


& Now
The same corner today.

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Practice
Stepheny Davis working with goalkeeper coach Gio Riello at practice earlier this season. Photo by Steve Nalbandian.



When Stepheny Davis decided to go to Putnam Science Academy for her junior year, it was to play basketball. She had thoughts of basketball and soccer, but really, she was here for soccer.
She wasn’t at school for the basketball team meeting on the first day, but the soccer team had its initial get-together the following day. Davis went to that, “and now, here I am,” she said.
Indeed, Davis has landed on the Mustangs’ first-year soccer team. She was hoping to play in the midfield, but PSA’s roster, limited as it was, already had a number of very talented players to fill those spots. What the team did not have was a goalkeeper.
“I knew we didn’t have a lot of people on the team, and that we needed a goalie,” Davis said recently. “I thought about it, and then one of the coaches asked me if I wanted to try it out. I thought that if it would help the team, I would do it.”
The question then became whether having her in net would actually be a help. The first impression she left wasn’t exactly inspiring. But she was really all the Mustangs had, and despite playing only rec league soccer back home in Fairfield — and never as the goalkeeper — Davis found herself as the Mustangs’ starting goalie from that point forward.
“At first, no, I didn’t like it,” she said. “I was getting over my fears of having the ball flying at my face.”
Others weren’t so sure either.
“The first time I worked with her, it was a little rough,” said PSA goalkeeper coach Gio Riello. “It was her first time putting on the gloves. But the other thing I noticed was that she was motivated and cared about getting better. She wanted to practice and train and improve.”
Said teammate Elisha Clinkscale: “Our first game, she gave up two goals that shouldn’t have gone in. It was her first time ever being in goal in a real game. We tried to pick her up and support her. So to see what she did against Winchendon (on Sept. 21), that was crazy. It was such an incredible change. To see her do that on the field and be so confident was amazing.”
What Davis did was make 11 saves in a tightly contested 2-0 win in which her team played two players short for most of the game. She read the plays well in front of her, coming out on balls when she should have, playing smart and playing aggressively. PSA won its first two games by a combined score of 24-2.
“She was seeing balls and shots she hasn’t had to see to this point and she amazed us all,” said coach Jen Bennett. “She had a direct kick just outside the 18, sun in her eyes, and she made a great save. That was just one of many.
“She played an amazing game for us. She stepped up for us. She’s improved so much since Day One.”
Davis was proud of her effort in that game, and the congratulatory hugs and high fives only reinforced that.
“After that game I got a lot of congratulations from teachers and just random people in the cafeteria,” she said. “I was like, ‘Who was that?’ But of course it makes you feel good.”
Now the job is to keep going forward. And Davis, her teammates, and her coaches believe she is up to the task.
“I can do better,” Davis said. “But at the same time, a game like that does help me because it’s letting me think, ‘Hey, maybe I can make all the saves.’”
Steve Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy