TOP STORY: After 102 years, Town Nurse Program Continues to Bring Comfort and Connection to Lyme and Old Lyme

OLD LYME, CT – Town Nurse Sammee Piette last week wrapped a blood pressure cuff around the arm of 83-year-old Molly Helms in Piette’s office at the newly renovated Lymes’ Senior Center. 

When the nurse read out the results, Helms – who wore a mask to keep herself healthy in preparation for her second cataract surgery – noted the number was higher than usual.

“You are high,” Piette agreed. “I must be stressing you out.” 

Helms’ laugh indicated that probably wasn’t the reason. So did her assessment of the new town nurse. 

“She’s very comforting,” Helms said. “Her demeanor is so wonderful that it’s a privilege for all of us to come in, get a blood pressure check, or say ‘I really don’t feel well.’”

Piette began work in early October as part of a restructured town nurse program through the town of Old Lyme and the Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association (OLVNA). The change came after Yale New Haven Health acquired the Southeast Visiting Nurse Association this summer and ended its relationship with seven local towns from Old Saybrook to Stonington.

Under the new model, Piette does not provide medical services beyond blood pressure checks and does not perform home care. Instead, clients visit in person at her office or through telehealth appointments to talk about things like general health questions, chronic conditions, medications, and the results of their doctor visits.

“She’s here to calm us and guide us on the right path,” Helms said. 

The part-time town nurse works up to 29 hours per week visiting with clients and developing educational programs. 

Helms, of East Lyme, acknowledged dedicated town nurse programs are getting less and less common. She said she appreciates Piette’s availability at the senior center from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“We’re really blessed to have her, for sure,” she said. 

Piette, who has experience as a school and camp nurse in town, splits her day between the senior center and another job as the Lyme-Old Lyme High School athletic trainer. 

OLVNA Executive Director Cindi Taylor and Board of Directors President Sarah Gleason in a phone interview last week said the town nurse position is in its 102nd year. The volunteers, whose parents also served before them, are continuing the legacy that has guided the local institution from its origins with the Red Cross through the formation and growth of the OLVNA. 

“We’ve just always had a town nurse,” Taylor said. 

But it hasn’t always been easy, especially lately. 

Taylor said Yale New Haven Health pulled out of the town nurse sphere after determining that community nursing services no longer aligned with its mission. She credited the town of Old Lyme for working closely with the OLVNA to rebuild the town nurse program. 

Piette is employed by the town of Old Lyme with support and oversight provided by OLVNA.

The current Old Lyme town budget allocates $50,000 to the Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association for the position. Taylor said the nonprofit OLVNA, which relies on donations, picks up any additional expenses. 

Gleason described local officials as highly responsive during the shift. Old Lyme provided human resources support to hire the new nurse, put Piette on the town payroll, and helped set up phone and email systems that the OLVNA did not handle previously.

She said OLVNA has not yet discussed Lyme’s annual contribution under the new model. In past years, the town funded Friday nursing hours and reimbursed for home visits. Talks were postponed during the service transition but are expected to begin soon.

They emphasized the town nurse does not serve only older adults at the senior center. Piette’s office hours and telehealth appointments are available to anyone in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Helping More People

Taylor and Gleason said Piette, who is a lifelong Old Lyme resident, fits in with the century-old organization’s focus on community. 

“She knows a lot of people. She knows the town. She knows the area. She knows what’s going on,” Taylor said.

For Piette, Lyme and Old Lyme “feel like family.” 

Piette offers telehealth appointments every weekday from 8 to 10 a.m. as advertised in flyers posted around town and on social media over the past month. She said her first client logged on just last week. 

The other main part of the town nurse role involves education. When Piette isn’t meeting with clients, she’s likely to be creating or delivering presentations on topics including stress management, resilience, sleep, fall prevention, memory, loneliness, medication management, and hydration.

The job requires her to build relationships with Ledge Light Health District, social service departments in Lyme and Old Lyme, as well as both ambulance associations. She also works closely with the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. 

Piette emphasized the town nurse is for everyone. 

“The focus is trying to help more people, because it’s for the whole community,” she said. “It’s not just for the senior center.”