News from Wheeler

Wheeler Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Behavioral Health Accreditation in numerous programs by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.

Wheeler’s Emily Kahnke, LMFT, associate director, was a guest yesterday on Connoisseur Media’s “For the People” radio program, where she highlighted our Mobile Crisis Intervention Services (MCIS) program and how we’re serving youth and families experiencing a crisis.

In May, members of Wheeler's senior leadership team will enjoy cold buckets of water over their head to support mental health awareness, and raise funds for Wheeler.

Wheeler’s Community Support for Families (CSF) program marked its 13th birthday in recently, and there was a lot for this team to celebrate.

Wheeler has announced it has earned the 2025 USA TODAY Top Workplaces award. Issued by Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces, the Top Workplaces program has a 15-year history of surveying more than 20 million employees and recognizing the top organizations across 60 markets for regional Top Workplaces awards. 

From “Poopons” that incentivize patients to do colorectal screenings, to deep dives into the patient check-in process, Wheeler staff routinely work across disciplines in continuous quality improvement (CQI) teams to improve health outcomes in our patients.

Dru Breslav, LCSW, senior director of community-based family services, and Elisabeth Cannata, Ph.D., vice president, community-based family services and practice innovation, are among the authors of a chapter in a new book by the Child Welfare League of America, entitled "Child Neglect, Inequity, & Poverty. Volume II: Practice Innovations, Concrete Resources, and Justice."

Dozens of attendees honored an anniversary in Bristol for two decades of a highly successful model of home-based behavioral health treatment. Wheeler was intimately involved in the development of the Multisystemic Therapy – Building Stronger Families model in 2004-2005 and continues to be a leading provider around the state.

For more than 16 years, Wheeler’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Services (MCIS) program has served children and youth in the Greater Hartford region, right in their homes, schools, and communities. This approach helps to divert unnecessary visits to the emergency room or inpatient hospital stays.

From operating his own family medical practice in New Hampshire, to leading improvements in the quality of care for more than 15 million Americans as national medical director of Cigna HealthCare, Richard (Dick) Salmon, MD, PhD, has seen firsthand the complexity, challenges, and potential of America’s health care system. He now brings his decades of knowledge to Wheeler Health, joining our volunteer board of trustees in January.

Here are links to recent news stories highlighting federal-level funding developments and short- and longer-term impact on community health centers in Connecticut.

A short video with Sharon Pendleton-Ponzani, director, Wheeler Foster Care Programs, highlights the need for loving foster homes in Connecticut and what individuals and families can do to help.

Valerie Fusco, a pediatric LPN for Wheeler's Susan Walkama Family Health & Wellness Center in Hartford, received the organization's second annual Ethics & Integrity Award. Valerie was nominated by her peers as part of the 2024 Health Care Compliance Association’s Corporate Compliance & Ethics week, November 3 through 9.

November is National Adoption Month, which is designed to raise awareness about the critical need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care. It’s also a time to consider the urgent need for foster homes for hundreds of children and youth in Connecticut.

Wheeler has been named a Top Workplace for professional development of its staff and for being a woman-led organization.