News from Wheeler

Wheeler has received $122,000 in federal awards for quality care, including special recognition as the only health center in Connecticut ranked in the top two percent of all centers nationally that improved quality of care between 2017 and 2018 in one or more measures that promote behavioral health, diabetes health, and heart health.

Teams from across Wheeler recently participated in two community events in Bristol, providing individuals and families with information about our many programs and services.

Wheeler’s Heidi Levitz, early childhood specialist, was part of Access Health CT’s series on National Health Center Week (August 4-10, 2019) and highlighted how community health centers serve many generations within families.

Saint Mary’s Hospital, a Regional Health Ministry of Trinity Health of New England, has received approval from the State Office of Health Strategy to transition its outpatient behavioral health clinic to Wheeler Clinic, which is establishing a new Family Health & Wellness Center in Waterbury.

Wheeler’s Christiane Pimentel, senior health outreach coordinator, is part of an Access Health CT social media campaign focused on this observance (August 4-10, 2019) and the role that community health centers play in cities and towns across the country.

Wheeler's Health & Wellness Center team will have eight walk-in clinics available to assist with SNAP, SAGA, TANF, HUSKY and Access Healthcare.

For more than five decades, the central Connecticut community has supported Wheeler Clinic in its mission to serve residents in need. Much of that support has come from the region’s manufacturing sector, which includes several notable local wire and spring firms.

In observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, Wheeler’s Connecticut Clearinghouse at 334 Farmington Avenue will host a community Remembrance Quilt workshop event on Saturday, August 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during which the memory of those lost to substance use disorders, including opioid addiction, will be honored.

A new foster care music video—a collaboration between Wheeler’s Foster Care Team and the Annie E. Casey Foundation—premiered recently at the North American Council on Adoptable Children conference in Las Vegas.

More than 150 people attended an August 7 National Health Center Week Celebration at the Wheeler Family Health & Wellness Center at 43 Woodland Street, Hartford.

Wheeler’s early childhood team recently contributed to CHDI’s June 2019 Impact Report, “Helping Young Children Exposed to Trauma: A Systems Approach to Implementing Trauma-Informed Care.”

Chris Popilowski, senior recruiter, Wheeler Foster Care Programs, is featured in an Exvadio Network podcast about the need for foster families for children and youth in Connecticut.

Wheeler’s Dr. Michael P. Twist, psychiatric medical director, was featured was part of Access Health CT’s series on health and the LGBTQ community. The series features perspectives on the state of health for the LGBTQ population in Connecticut, available services, barriers to care, and strategies for effectiveness.

Dr. Rebecca Eleck-Bruce, primary care medical director, Wheeler, is among the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty class this year.

Wheeler and Connecticut's innovative Mobile Crisis Program are featured in a July 10, 2019 article in US News & World Report. If you or your family are experiencing a mental health crisis, call 211.