News from Wheeler

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.

A Community Baby Shower for expectant families and new parents living in Hamden, New Haven, Middletown, Meriden, Old Saybrook, and surrounding areas will take place on May 15 from 3 to 6 pm at the Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine Street, Hamden, Connecticut (parking available at 18 George Street).

Wheeler Health and the City of Bristol invite all students in Bristol to celebrate this amazing community by creating and sharing original artwork featuring their favorite places in Bristol! Submission deadline is May 30, 2025.

This year, Wheeler celebrates the 40th anniversary of the construction of Northwest Village School (NVS) but its delivery of therapeutic education services nearly spans our entire 55-plus-year history.

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

What do glitter jars and classical music have to do with occupational therapy? As it turns out, quite a bit. This is according to Adrianne Smith, Wheeler’s Northwest Village School (NVS) occupational therapist who has served students for 22 years after graduating from the University of New Hampshire. Working collaboratively with a team of transdisciplinary professionals, Adrianne develops traditional and out-of-the-box strategies to help students perform necessary tasks throughout their school day and beyond.

Wheeler’s Extended Day Treatment (EDT) program offers comprehensive, intensive therapeutic afterschool services designed to support youth aged 6 to 17 and their families.

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.

Garrett entered his senior year of high school with the goal of attending college. However, the track-and-field athlete needed assistance in getting over some hurdles to reach his goals. He was referred to LifeSet, which is called Transitional Supports for Emerging Adults (TSEA) in Connecticut.

With a new $250,000, multiyear grant, The Cigna Group Foundation is expanding access to health care in Hartford through a partnership with Wheeler Health.

Every day, across the state, dozens of Wheeler clinicians step out of their cars, ring a doorbell, and change lives in the most intimate setting, a family’s home.

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.

John and Brian Pica-Sneeden started their foster care journey nearly 30 years ago. Since then, they have adopted six of their foster children – one as recently as last month!