News from Wheeler

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.

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.

Wearing a blue surgical mask, Sabrina Trocchi stood outside the Susan Walkama Health and Wellness Center at the Wheeler Clinic’s expansive Hartford campus, not far from the center’s COVID-19 testing site. Trocchi, a former chief of staff with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services a.nd previously Wheeler’s chief operating officer, was promoted to president and CEO in November 2019. Four months later, the coronavirus pandemic tested virtually everything she knew about leadership.

Wheeler is a 2020 Top Workplaces award winner from The Hartford Courant for the seventh time. In addition, Wheeler President and CEO Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, received “Top Leader” in the Large Employer category of the same survey.

"This is an individual, organizational, community, national, and international issue, and it starts with a mirror." Letters to Wheeler's staff on June 1 and June 6 by Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, President and CEO.

As families everywhere prepare for the return to school amid the COVID-19 crisis, there are many issues to consider and address, including back-to-school anxiety on the part of children, adolescents, or teens. Kim Nelson, chief program officer, Wheeler, shares some strategies for addressing your child's anxiety amid the uncertainty.

Pediatrician Barbara “Basia” Szajda, MD, IBCLC, (she/her pronouns) has joined Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center at 43–49 Woodland Street, Hartford. In this role, Dr. Szajda provides pediatric medical care to infants, children, and teenagers for families in Hartford and the surrounding communities.

Community leaders, donors, friends, and staff gathered online for a virtual building dedication on June 25 in honor of former Wheeler President and Chief Executive Officer, Susan Walkama, LCSW. The primary five-story building at Wheeler’s flagship community health center at 43 Woodland Street in Hartford was renamed the “Susan Walkama Family Health & Wellness Center.”

Teodoro Anderson Diaz, LCSW, LADC, vice president of Health and Wellness Center Outpatient Services, Wheeler, recently talked with Access Health CT about the importance of prevention in maintaining men’s health.

If you or a loved one are in emotional crisis, here are some short-term strategies.

Home schooling—or a modified version of it—may be with us for a while longer because of the COVID-19 crisis. Here are some tips to help parents and caregivers to continue to navigate the at-home learning process.

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.

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.

While many of us remain at home, there are tangible steps we can take to manage our chronic health conditions and preserve our overall health and well-being. Wheeler's Dr. Rebecca Eleck-Bruce, offers some ideas.

With the COVID-19 pandemic at or near peak in Connecticut, many local residents may unfortunately face the death of a loved one, a friend, or an acquaintance. We asked Kim Nelson, LCSW, Wheeler’s Chief Program Officer, for her thoughts on grief and grieving to help all of us find acceptance and peace.