Hartford Business Journal

13 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | DECEMBER 13, 2021 "Virtual health and telehealth is certainly on the top of the mind of our clients and with administrators," said John Giliberto, a broker and partner specializing in health care with Alera Group Inc. "It creates more access, but the jury is still out on the impact it's had. Employers are asking for this. I don't have any clients now that do not have some component of telehealth in their plan." While in-person visits for things like mammograms, blood draws and X-rays are a must, virtual care is an option for a wide range of services including medication and chronic conditions management and mental health. In many cases, the wait time for patients to see a primary care physician is dramatically reduced. Aetna said the typical wait time to visit a new physician in-person is about 24 days vs. five days to see a doctor virtually. Virtual mental health is also gaining traction because it expands access and lessens the time it takes to schedule an appointment. In fact, UnitedHealthcare said that 68% of behavioral health visits by its members during the last year have been conducted virtually. "Mental health was a lower utilized service that people were not willing to talk about because of the stigma. That is starting to change," Giliberto said. "Employers are now promoting mental health services and support. Telehealth can really help on the mental health side. It does not have to just be a phone call, but it can be Zoom time or Facetime." TOTAL PROJECT SIZE: 24,000 SF Building For Your Success MAX TRANSPORTATION EAST GRANBY, CT For this project, PDS served in a Design Build role to complete a new 24,000 square foot building. Standing 30' tall, this pre-engineered building is complete with three 8,000 square foot warehouse divisions, ten overhead doors, and three main office spaces. For over 55 years, PDS has always built relationships based on trust, efficiency, and transparency to provide the highest quality end result. SPOTLIGHT ON: PRE-ENGINEERED METAL BUILDINGS 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 | 860.242.8586 | pdsec.com THINK • PLAN • BUILD Jill Daley John Giliberto By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com C olin Cooper, a well-known Connecticut executive who became the state's first- ever chief manufacturing officer, is stepping down from his state role, the Hartford Business Journal has learned. Cooper confirmed to HBJ he'll be leaving his post in the coming months to retire. Cooper was named the state's manufacturing czar in 2019 by Gov. Ned Lamont. "When I was offered this position with the state in late 2019, I was in the process of retiring from my aerospace manufacturing career and I subsequently delayed retirement and made a two-year commitment to serve as the state's first CMO," Cooper told HBJ. "This fall, as I approached my two-year anniversary, I spoke with [Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner] David Lehman about my plans to retire and we agreed that I would help identify candidates for my replacement and work toward an orderly transition. I expect that my successor will be announced in the next month or so and I will work with that person on a transition plan and timing." The chief manufacturing officer role was created by state lawmakers in 2019 to coordinate state and private-sector efforts to educate and support the next generation of skilled manufacturers. It initially called for a two-year appointment of a manufacturing director within the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The Connecticut Business & Industry Association spent years lobbying for the creation of the position, particularly as the industry has faced a major workforce shortage. Cooper, a former Pratt & Whitney engineer and executive chairman of Eastford's Whitcraft Group, was one of 10 finalists for the job. Prior to joining Whitcraft, Cooper was a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal Inc., a nationally-recognized crisis management and turnaround consulting firm specializing in operational and financial restructurings, and before that he worked as an associate in corporate finance for Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. CT's first-ever manufacturing czar Cooper stepping down, to retire He began his career as a design engineer for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Cooper has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Columbia University. Gov. Ned Lamont in 2019 introducing Colin Cooper as the state's chief manufacturing officer. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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