News from Wheeler

Wheeler’s Allison Casinghino, senior foster care recruiter, highlights how foster families from the LGBTQ+ community can help to meet the dynamic needs of children and youth.

Wheeler President and CEO Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, appeared on the award-winning 'For the People' radio program to talk about Wheeler's new Family Health & Wellness Center in Waterbury, our response to COVID-19, and more.

Wheeler offers COVID-19 virus and antibody testing for patients at all of its Family Health & Wellness Center sites.

Our partners at OneDigital New England recently highlighted the vital work that local nonprofit organizations perform in communities across our state, through their "Friends with Employee Benefits & HR" podcast. Hear from Wheeler's President and CEO, Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, as she talks with host Jeff Cross about how Wheeler is adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping volunteers engaged, and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the need for services for some of our most vulnerable individuals, including youth in foster care and the families who care for them.

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), in partnership with local organizations and communities, kicks off National Prevention Week 2020 with an array of theme-specific online and social media activities, and two scheduled webinars led by spiritual and clinical leaders.

Wheeler’s Waterbury Family Health & Wellness Center has moved from 100 Jefferson Square to 855 Lakewood Road, and the new community health center is now open. An expanded array of primary care and behavioral health services, including medication-assisted treatment for addiction, will be offered through walk-in, appointments, and telehealth and telemedicine services.

Some children might be feeling worried or scared seeing so many people wearing masks during the current COVID-19 crisis. Melissa Mendez, LCSW, IMH-E, Director of Early Childhood Programs at Wheeler, shares some ideas for how to talk children and calm some of their fears.

COVID-19 does not discriminate based on age. A group that can easily be overlooked are teens, who are going through a transitional period towards becoming an adult. On a normal day, teens are navigating so many feelings, awkward social moments, and discovering who they are.

Grief is not limited to death. Tens of thousands of local couples due to get married, graduating seniors, children celebrating birthdays, and countless other people have had plans interrupted, cancelled or postponed. We asked Kim Nelson, LCSW, Wheeler’s Chief Program Officer, for her thoughts.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been stressful for everyone. People with an active gambling addiction, or who are in recovery, may find this period even more challenging because of the effects of prolonged isolation, boredom, economic instability, and fear. Wheeler's Bettor Choice Gambling Treatment Program team offers tips for dealing with these challenges.

Patients at Wheeler struggling with basic needs or substance use disorder will benefit from the philanthropic generosity of an Avon family foundation.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted passage of the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, a $2.2-trillion stimulus package that is focused on assisting individuals and businesses through loans and incentives, but which also affects philanthropic giving in some significant ways for the 2020 tax year and beyond.

Intimate partner violence (IPV)—often aggravated by external events—has moved to forefront during the COVID-19 outbreak, as families and partners spend more time together at home, struggling with the tensions and mental health impact of job loss, food and other forms of economic insecurity, health-related fears, and isolation.

Residents in the Waterbury region will have easier access to a lifesaving medication used to reverse overdoses, thanks to the American Savings Foundation and Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center community health center in the Brass City.