News from Wheeler

Donors to Wheeler honored retired President and Chief Executive Officer Susan Walkama, LCSW, by contributing more than $38,000 in her name, spurred on by the challenge of an anonymous $25,000 matching gift. The total raised to support the program, between the match and the contributions, exceeds $63,000.

Imagine that you are 18 years old and preparing for life as an independent adult outside of the foster care system. The prospects may be scary but made easier by a Wheeler program to help emerging adults navigate the journey.

Wheeler Clinic is expanding its participation in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, which offers tax-free loan repayment assistance to employees of qualified health care providers. Loan assistance recipients can each earn up to $75,000 toward student loans in exchange for a two- or three-year commitment at an NHSC-approved site.

Education classes for Wheeler primary care patients with diabetes and pre-diabetes will be offered at our community health centers in Hartford and New Britain starting in December.

The primary five-story building at Wheeler’s flagship community health center in Hartford will be renamed the Susan Walkama Family Health & Wellness Center this spring, the Board of Trustees announced on October 29.

A matching gift campaign from an anonymous former Wheeler trustee honors retired President and Chief Executive Officer Susan Walkama, LCSW, and raises support for Wheeler’s nutrition programming, matching gifts 1:1, up to $25,000 in total.

Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Wheeler Clinic effective November 2, 2019, the Board of Trustees announced today.

Susan Walkama, LCSW, who transformed Wheeler Clinic into a leading statewide provider of integrated health care services, will retire on November 1, 2019, the Wheeler Board of Trustees announced today.

Heidi Joseph, DNP, RN, vice president, Health Center Operations, and other community health center providers, recently were featured in a Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHCACT) video highlighting the success of the Transforming Clinical Practices Initiative (TCPI).

Late-night stories. Songs by the campfire. Hikes, games, and more. These were among the many memories made by nearly 100 Connecticut foster children, including youth in Wheeler’s care, and their siblings, at the 11th Annual Siblings Connections Camp, August 4-9, at WFSB-TV Channel 3’s Kids Camp in Andover.

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.

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.

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.

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.”