Following her graduation from Russell Sage College, Gayle Kataja began her career as a cardiac intensive care nurse at Hartford Hospital. She subsequently worked as a home care nurse with what was then the Manchester Visiting Nurse Association. On August 16, 1976, she became one of the two original professionals in a fledgling and innovative pilot program that demonstrated that independent care management with a focus on the person, their family and their goals coupled with coordinated quality home care services can indeed change the world one person at a time. And it did. Out of that pilot grew Connecticut Community Care, one of the first independent care management organizations in the country. And, that fledgling program evolved into what we now know as the CT Home Care Program for Elders. Her passion for the nursing profession infused every aspect of her work as a care manager, clinical supervisor and director.

Her impressive legacy is baked into the foundation from which CCC was built. Please join all of us in congratulating Gayle on this remarkable milestone. Beyond that, Gayle has kindly requested that donations in her honor be made to the CCC Affinity Fund.

The Affinity Fund was established by the Porter Kataja and Rees Gavin families in memory of their loved ones to provide complementary short-term interventions and short term assessments to those who have had long-time relationships with CCC (eg: former employees, board members and corporators).