Senator Boucher Attends National Foundation For Women Legislators Working Weekend

State Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) attended the Labor Day working weekend event held by the National Foundation for Women Legislators in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Expenses paid for by Senator Boucher with the help of a scholarship from the Foundation.)

Following is Senator Boucher’s report of the event.

“The National Foundation For Women Legislators (NFWL) convened a Labor Day working weekend. The timing is fitting because, after all, a woman’s labor is never done. It also provided a momentary change of focus from unrelenting budget deficits. Women legislators from around the country discussed a multitude of issues, including healthcare innovation and best practices: health and substance abuse services for returning military; education; transportation and high speed rail; alternatives to bankruptcy; broadband and internet access; and dating violence.

There was a remarkable demonstration of various, not commonly known, uses for hyperbaric chambers, such as treating traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer’s and autism. Furthermore, the use of hyperbaric chambers have been shown to dramatically improve the ill effects of diabetes when circulation is compromised by returning blood flow to the limbs, thereby reducing the need for amputation by as much as 70%. In addition, many military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing great relief from treatments using hyperbaric chambers that previously were reserved for only treating decompression sickness, or the bends, sometimes experienced by divers.

While discussing military health issues, we were joined by a group of elderly Navajo Indians, veterans who were once known as the “Code Talkers”. The enemy never broke their codes while they used their native language to save countless lives, primarily in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

However, the most dramatic moment came when David Mitchell recounted the brutal murder of his 21-year old sister, Kristin, by an obsessed boyfriend. Mr. Mitchell described how his kind and loving sister was brutally stabbed 55 times by someone close to her who had had no prior history of violence, but who had exhibited possessive, controlling and abusive behavior prior to the murder. Lindsay Anne Burke’s parents from Connecticut and Rhode Island were also in attendance and told their heartbreaking story of her murder by a boyfriend just as she was tying to break free. Being so young, inexperienced, compassionate, trusting, and naïve, these young girls became the perfect victims for their abusers. These were clear and compelling examples of why the issue of relationship violence must be addressed by parents, and by middle and high school health curriculums.

Also, the Federal Reserve Board was on hand to offer helpful information, such as their five tips for protecting your home from foreclosures. More is available by accessing www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo.

If you would like to speak with me regarding any of theses topics, or you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at my legislative office in Hartford at 1-800-842-1421, or via e-mail [email protected].”

Senate Republican Office press contract for Senator Boucher is Catherine Sarault – [email protected], or 860-240-8818.