News from Wheeler

As part of an initiative funded by the City of Hartford and coordinated by the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center in Hartford is hosting public vaccination events this winter and launching an awareness campaign around the need for flu and COVID-19 vaccination in the capital city.

A three-year, $2.7 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) will facilitate and expand family-based addiction treatment and other services for pregnant and postpartum women with histories of substance use disorders.

In this issue of Giving From the Heart, let’s examine how another planned giving tool, the charitable gift annuity, may benefit you and your estate, and offer more stability of fixed payments for the remainder of your life. Always consult with your tax or financial advisors to determine the best strategies for you.

If there's anything we've learned from the past year, it's the power of--and need for--community, particularly communities that work together for a better future that is focused on wellness, justice, and peace for all. Wheeler's new tagline, COMMUNITY | HEALTH | CARE, reflects all of these.

The new year often brings in resolutions to get in shape, and fitness can play a life-saving role in health outcomes, particularly with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Thanks to an anonymous donor, Wheeler has received a $10,000 gift, with a pledge to match up to $5,000 more if other donors come forward by March 31, to help patients achieve better wellness through fitness in 2021.

During their 23-year journey as foster and adoptive parents, Dee and Jim have collected many pieces of wisdom, which have served them well while fostering more than 50 children and adopting six.

This morning, Wheeler received our first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and we immediately went to work protecting our frontline health care professionals and staff,

Five organizations and individuals were recognized by Wheeler for outstanding support of its mission at the organization’s 10th Annual Hands & Hearts event, held virtually this year on December 16.

From a grant through the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s COVID-19 Response Fund, patients at Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center, a community health center at 43 Woodland Street in Hartford, have received support since July for many basic needs of wellness and healthy life.

Leda has fostered children and youth intermittently for the past 13 years. She fostered five children and adopted her daughter 12 years ago. Recently, she adopted her son, whom she fostered for four years, on November 20, 2020, National Adoption Day.

Monique Daley, MS, has joined Wheeler as the first diversity officer. In her new role, she will promote and monitor equity, diversity and inclusion for the Wheeler workforce and patients; lead the Wheeler Diversity and Inclusion Committee; monitor and review the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion efforts; promote full integration of National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (The National CLAS Standards) and health equity throughout Wheeler; and much more, including training and education, as well as ensuring Wheeler is working with minority- and women-owned businesses.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to stay safe and well this holiday season. Here are some tips from our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) team for celebrating safety and staying resilient.

Suffering from headaches, or back and neck pain? Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Centers at 855 Lakewood Road, Waterbury, and 43 Woodland Street, Hartford, in conjunction with Anthony H. Debe, DC, offer chiropractic care for adults, children, and teens to address these conditions and more

A November 10, 2020 Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) website story highlights how community health centers are serving patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 crisis. Wheeler's Keturah Kinch, MPA, site director, Susan Walkama Family Health & Wellness Center, Hartford, is interviewed.

As part of LGBTQ+ History Month, we are sharing our very first Visibility Campaign, where we look to our diverse and talented staff, to tell their stories and shed light on the rich cultural diversity that exists in our workforce.