A panel discussion presented by We-Ha.com and co-hosted on the Neighbors & Friends in West Hartford Facebook page was held Thursday, March 12, at 5:30 p.m.

The event was broadcast through Facebook Live, and WHCi’s channel 96 and YouTube, and provided locally-focused news about COVID-19 and a question and answer period for the public. We apologize for audio problems in the Live version of this first-time event, but the sound quality is not a problem on the YouTube version of the broadcast provided below.

The program addressed the pathology behind COVID-19, how it is spread, and other pertinent information, including myths that have been proliferating.

Included was a discussion of the day’s headlines, including West Hartford’s preparedness and plans to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in the  community.

Panelists included:

• Dr. Nicholas Bennett, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who lives in Simsbury. He received his medical training at Cambridge in the United Kingdom and has his Ph.D. in virology also from Cambridge. His pediatric residency and infectious disease fellowship were at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, NY. He has lived in Connecticut  for the last eight years and was the division head of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center until last summer, when he took a break from clinical practice. He’s currently engaged in consulting and speaking work.
• Registered Nurse Carol Steinke, representing the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District. She has been a public health nurse for West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District for the past year, and prior to that was public health nursing supervisor for the City of Hartford for 13 years, serving as program manager of the Disease Prevention Health Promotion Division.
• Representing the Town of West Hartford, Bob McCue, who retired as assistant chief last summer after 39 years with the West Hartford Police Department, currently serves with the town’s Office of Emergency Management.

Patti Albee, founder and administrator of the Neighbors & Friends in West Hartford Facebook curated the questions for the panelists. Albee is a lifelong West Hartford resident, who attended schools here in town as did her four kids. She has a unique perspective and understands the pulse of West Hartford.

The forum was moderated by John Lyons along with Ronni Newton, managing editor of We-Ha.com and editor of West Hartford LIFE.

The intent of the forum was to inform the community, not scare people.

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