Root Center for Advanced Recovery

Patient Defined Success Study

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:16:44 GMT

Kristyn Zajac and Liz Narwold, medical researchers with University of Connecticut, talk about a recent study with Root Center Patients. The study looked at what metrics patients used to define their own success in their recovery, and how researchers can reflect on the data to inform future studies regarding patients in recovery.

Winter 2026 Newsletter

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:28:04 GMT

Welcome 2026! Root Center has had a lot unfold since our last newsletter.

Most recently, staff came together for our annual holiday party, a tradition we look forward to as an opportunity to come together and celebrate the hard work we've put forth over the past year.

We also donated our oldest clinic to the city of Hartford, hosted a Community Forum, were featured on NBC CT, celebrated one year of being open in New Haven County, and much more!

Keep reading for more details and exciting updates!

News and Events

Root Donates Oldest Clinic to City of Hartford

In October, the Root Center donated our oldest clinic to the City of Hartford. Our beloved Doctors Clinic on Main Street was recently replaced with our new Lafayette Street Facility, and the more than 700 patients served are continuing to receive care in a brighter, more modern space.

Root Center is one of the longest operating nonprofits in Connecticut, and this amazing and historic building will always be close to our hearts, serving our patients diligently for decades.

We are so grateful to Mayor Arunan Arulampalam for his support of the Root Center, and we are honored to hand over the keys to this historic site. We look forward to seeing what the city of Hartford will go on to do with this space that is conveniently located in the heart of the capital city.

Root Center Partners Win Construction Awards

Also in October, Root Center was honored to attend the Connecticut ABC 2025 Excellence in Construction Awards.

We are so proud to be in partnership with Nosal Builders, who have helped us build our beautiful Lafayette Street Clinic in Hartford and Washington Street Clinic in Middletown. Nosal won two awards for these buildings. We also want to congratulate and thank Tecton Architects and Interior Building Contractors on their awards for these projects, as well.

Root is thankful for the continued partnership with such wonderful outside contractors who have put forth such beautiful work that has helped benefit our staff and patients alike!

Root Center on NBC CT

Root Center would also like to extend a special thank you to NBC CT for our recent feature on the news. Take a look at the video above to learn more about our mental health offerings for both adults and adolescents available out of our Middletown Saybrook and Branford locations, as well as in certain school systems. Please click on the image above to watch the segment.

Community Forum- Scrolled Out:

Social Media and the State of Our Minds

In January, we kicked off the year with our most recent Community Forum, "Scrolled Out: Social Media and the State of Our Minds". It was an insightful conversations about our digital age, and the impacts of social media on mental health.

We were fortunate to have a very diverse and experienced group of panelists, which included:

John Murphy: UConn Digital Media & Design Professor and Digital Health Advocate
Paul Weigle, Associate Medical Director for Natchaug Hospital, a Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network partner, at UConn Medical School
Keith McGilvery, Good News Guy and Journalist
Micheal Shelby, LPC, Founder and Director of Technology Addiction Center, LLC, and Plan Be Counseling, LLC
Aly Fox, Root Center Clinic Supervisor
State Representative Gary Turco

To watch the full recording, please click on the image below.

You can follow Root on social media to learn more about events like these, and stay tuned for our next forum, which will be held later this year in the summer.

Root Center Hosts First Art Show

Calling all Artists!

Root Center is pleased to present New Beginnings, an art exhibition celebrating recovery, hope, and renewal on the eve of the Vernal Equinox. On March 19th from 6-8pm, Root Center will host this juried art show at our Branford location, featuring work by local artists exploring the theme of new beginnings.

Much like recovery itself, the exhibition reflects the possibility of change, growth, and redefinition. The selected works invite viewers to consider what it means to start again—whether through healing, self-discovery, or the quiet courage it takes to move forward. Timed with the return of spring, New Beginnings honors transformation as both a personal and collective experience. Artists are encouraged to interpret new beginnings broadly.

Location:
Stony Creek Medical Center, 6-12 Business Park Drive, Branford, CT 06405

Submission: Please submit all pieces for consideration via email to margaux.farrell@rootcenter.org by FEBRUARY 16, 2026. All submissions will be responded to by February 20th.

Special thanks to Alex Ranniello, MA for your collaboration as our juror on this exciting project! You can visit our website for more information on this exciting event!

Patient and Family Education Committee Meet n Greet

Our Patient and Family Education Committee is committed to spreading the word about Root Center. If you are interested in learning more about our mental health services for adults and teens at our Middletown Saybrook and/or Branford locations please join us at our next meet n greet! On February 19th, from 9am-11am, stop by 520 Saybrook Road in Middletown to learn more about our services, meet our counselors and patients, and tour our facility to figure out if Root Center is right for you. No sign up necessary, we're just happy to see you. Hope you can make it!

Team Updates and Openings

Root Celebrates One Year in New Haven County

Wow! Back in September, Root reached an incredible milestone of being open and offering care in New Haven County for a year!

For the first time in Root's history, we are now accepting and treating patients for addiction and/or mental health care in New Haven County.

This new clinic is located at 6-12 Business Park Drive in Branford, conveniently inside of a medical office building with direct access to many other providers for additional care, if needed.

Root Staff Holiday Part

At Root Center, one of our values is to renew yourself to share your strength. With that in mind, something we always look forward to is our annual holiday party, a time for our staff and loved ones to come together to celebrate a year of hard work with good fun! We thank the Farmington Gardens venue for once again hosting such a fun and inviting celebration.

This year's party had great food, music, two photo booths, caricature artists, raffles, and giveaways! It is always a fun evening to let loose and bond with each other.

Congrats on 25 Years Darcie!

At Root, we believe it is important to celebrate our staff accomplishments and achievements, and we recently had one staff member reach an incredible milestone... 25 years with the organization!

Over the course of 25 years, Darcie Boiano, Executive Administrator, has seen the many changes our organization has gone through. From our name change of "The Hartford Dispensary” to “The Root Center for Advanced Recovery”, she has been committed to the community and care of our patients, working tirelessly behind the scenes to help the executive leadership team, our Board of Directors, and an ever-growing staff.

Darcie is getting ready to retire later this year, and we are so thankful for all that she has done over the years. Dedication like hers is endlessly appreciated, and we are so excited to continue to grow, knowing that legacy staff members always have our back. She will leave very big shoes to fill! Please click on the image below to watch Darcie's feature.

Want to work for an organization you can stick with for decades? Check out rootcenter.org/careers to see our current opportunities!

New Annual Report

We are pleased to announce we recently released our Annual Report for 2024-2025. This report is filled with many of our highlights and accomplishments over the past year, and it's always nice to look back an appreciate how far we have come and all that we have been able to do.

To view the interactive virtual edition of the report, please click here .

Advanced Recovery Institute

As a reminder, our Advanced Recovery Institute (ARI) is an entity of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery that is committed to research and training to elevate clinical care. ARI is responsible for events like our Community Forums, our research endeavors, and our monthly Clinical Grand Rounds.

Clinical Grand Rounds

Our 2024-2025 Clinical Grand Rounds schedule officially started in July. We are very excited for our upcoming year of exciting speakers that we have set for the months to come. Each month, we host leading speakers from across the country to deliver presentations on important topics regarding mental health and addiction.

These presentations are virtual, free, and open to the public. You can receive Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) for $10, and CEUs are FREE for Root staff members. Learn more about our lineup and register for any of our presentations, including the one later today, here .

Here at the Root Center, we are always looking to expand our team with like-minded individuals who share a passion for clinical care, and want to better serve the needs of the thousands of clients we serve on a daily basis who struggle with mental health and/or substance use disorder.

We pride ourselves on being a rapidly growing team offering excellent benefits that will enhance your work-life balance. Start with 37 days off, which includes PTO, holidays, and more. Take advantage of our $2,000 for training and education, up to 10% retirement match, plus comprehensive health benefits!

Check out our current openings here !

We have a podcast, Recovery with Root! We are diving deeper into mental health and addiction topics with leading professionals, researchers, patients, counselors, and so much more! It is hosted by Margaux Farrell, a former Journalist and News Anchor, who is now the current Root Center Chief of Staff. New episodes drop on the first Monday of every month. Listen and subscribe for free on all major streaming platforms!

Scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe to our newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox!

Winter Storm Update, February 23rd 2026

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:49:54 GMT

Root Center Community Forum - Scrolled Out: Social Media and the State of Our Minds

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:52:49 GMT

It is time for our first Community Forum of 2026. On January 13th at 6 p.m, we will be hosting a panel of experts at 335 Broad Street in Manchester to discuss the impacts of social media on mental health.

"Scrolled Out: Social Media and the State of Our Minds" is sure to spark insightful conversations about our digital age.

If you missed the event, not to worry, you can watch and listen to the full discussion here .

Panelists include:
John Murphy: UConn Digital Media & Design Professor and Digital Health Advocate

Paul Weigle, Associate Medical Director for Natchaug

Hospital, a Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network partner, at UConn Medical School

Keith McGilvery, Good News Guy and Journalist

Micheal Shelby, LPC, Founder and Director of Technology

Addiction Center, LLC, and Plan Be Counseling, LLC

Aly Fox, Root Center Clinic Supervisor

State Representative Gary Turco

Root Center Hosting First Art Show

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:47:18 GMT

Root Center is pleased to present New Beginnings, an art exhibition celebrating recovery, hope, and renewal on the eve of the Vernal Equinox. On March 19th , Root Center hosted the opening of this juried art show at our Branford location , featuring work by local artists exploring the theme of New Beginnings .

Much like recovery itself, the exhibition reflects the possibility of change, growth, and redefinition. The selected works invite viewers to consider what it means to start again—whether through healing, self-discovery, or the quiet courage it takes to move forward. Timed with the return of spring, New Beginnings honors transformation as both a personal and collective experience . Artists were encouraged to interpret new beginnings broadly.

The exhibition will run March 19th, 2026 - June 19th, 2026. Anyone is welcome to visit the exhibition during our normal business hours, Monday - Friday, between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., and on Thursdays until 6 p.m..

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery does not charge for submissions and takes 0% commission on all artwork(s) sold. The exhibition is also free and open to all to attend.

Location:
Stony Creek Medical Center, 6-12 Business Park Drive, Branford, CT 06405 (First floor)

Special thanks to Alex Ranniello , MA for your collaboration as our juror on this exciting project!

Root Center is also thankful for FOX61 News for attending the show and publishing this excellent feature on the show. Take a look at the segment below!

Summer 2025 Newsletter

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:48:12 GMT

Summer seemingly flew by for us here at the Root Center. From events to new projects, we were busy!

Since our last newsletter, we welcomed a new cohort of Fall Semester interns, spruced up our Weston Street facilities, and had our annual Overdose Awareness Day Event, among so much more!

We just successfully held our first ever Root center Charity Golf Tournament to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Middletown at Lyman Orchards Golf Club, and we were able to donate $25,000 to help them continue to do amazing work for our communities!

Keep reading for more details and exciting updates!

News and Events

International Overdose Awareness Day

In 2021, Root Center broke ground on a Memorial Garden that was to be built behind our Manchester Clinic. This garden was intended to be a sanctuary for the community to have a safe space to come for a moment of reflection and a place to honor those lost to the disease of addiction.

Root officially opened the garden on August 31st, 2022. August 31st is recognized annually as International Overdose Awareness Day. Every year, we host a Remembrance Ceremony to remember all of the lives lost, and to raise awareness for those who continue to struggle.

Like last year, we put out a handmade box gifted to us by a patient at our Torrington Clinic, who just celebrated two years in recovery, encouraging the community to write notes with the provided paper, and leave them in between the stones of our Remembrance Wall. This year, we included a Burning Ceremony in the garden, burning the notes collected last year and allowing the wind to take the ashes and wishes wherever they're meant to be. It was a beautiful display of hope, with the warmth of the fire offering comfort to those affected by the disease of addiction.

And, as we do every year, we planted a new plant in the garden to co-represent the growth of recovery. This year's Crepe Myrtle was the runner up to the vote we held last year to decide what would be planted. Its pink and purple flowers are a wonderful addition to the garden, and we look forward to watching it thrive for the years to come.

Everyone in attendance offered community support, pleasant company, and inspiration to those around them. We heard wonderful speeches from Senator Saud Anwar, Senator MD Rahman, and State Representative Geoffrey Luxenberg. We also heard from Taylor, a patient of our Manchester Clinic, currently on his recovery journey. His words of hope and message of love was the perfect way to end the speeches of the morning, and we are so proud of him for his commitment to his recovery.

As an addition to our Remembrance Ceremony, we wanted to offer the community harm reduction services, and we were thankful to have InterCommunity bring their Mobile Clinic to offer primary healthcare services to anyone in need. We also had our harm reduction rovers providing NARCAN, fentanyl testing strips, along with other important items, with providers available to aid in explaining how to use any of the offerings. We were pleased to see many people took the time to learn about the many life-saving items we had to offer.

We hope for a day where we no longer lose people to this disease. Until then, we will continue to offer our help and services to those in need, and our Memorial Garden is always open to anyone who needs a safe space to reflect. If you have not visited, please stop by at 335 Broad Street in Manchester, CT.

We kept this up for a week, and by the end, the amount of notes left in the wall was astounding. There was so much love, and so many memories filling this wall. It was beautiful.

As an addition to our Remembrance Ceremony, we wanted to offer the community harm reduction services, and we were thankful to have InterCommunity bring their mobile clinic to offer primary healthcare services to anyone in need. We also had Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, and a harm reduction Rover on-site, as well as providers available to aid in explaining how to use any of the offerings. We were pleased to see many people took the time to learn about the many life-saving items we had to offer.

Golf Tournament

Our Golf Tournament to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Middletown was a complete success! On September 25th, we hosted this charity event at Lyman Orchards Golf Club for nearly 100 golfers on the famous Jones Course! The day was filled with impressive swings, Lyman Classics including Cider Donuts and Apple Pies, amazing raffle prizes, and only a little bit of rain. Check out the video to see all the festivities!

We are so so thrilled to announce the Golf Tournament yielded $25,000 in donations for St. Vincent de Paul, Middletown! This tournament was a fundraising event specifically to donate all proceeds to this amazing organization. Root Center takes pride in being a Nonprofit that Supports Nonprofits, and the work St. Vincent de Paul does every day is invaluable! SVDM exists to meet needs and offer hope by providing food, clothing, shelter, and basic human services to community members who experience food, income, and housing insecurity. Check out of most recent podcast episode featuring Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul, Maryellen Shuckerow, sharing with us the impact St. Vincent has on the communities they serve, and the work they're doing every day to make Middletown, and Connecticut, a little brighter!

Not only was the tournament a huge success regarding donations, but also a huge success regarding experience. Despite the momentary rain, we hosted almost 100 golfers, offered 30 raffle prizes, and had 31 Sponsors!

Participants were able to enjoy a beautiful dinner, had the chance to win luxury vacation vouchers and other wonderful prizes, hear speeches from Mayor of Middletown Gene Lucera and Connecticut's Good News Guy Keith McGilvery, all while spending a day supporting the same cause. We couldn't have done this without the amazing people and organizations who not only joined us last week, but also offered their support in the months leading up to this hole-in-one event!

Team Updates and Openings

Intern Welcoming Ceremony

At the end of September, we held our Annual Intern Welcoming Ceremony! This event is held at the beginning of every new intern class to give them an opportunity to meet leadership, full-time staff who were previously interns, and each other for a lighthearted day of learning and fun! We love events like these, because they give everyone the opportunity to learn something new, and this year, we decided to do something fun.

One of our clinics painted a lovely tree on canvas for us to use for this event, we then asked everyone in attendance to stamp their thumbprints on the branches to make leaves, with a unique touch! Hopefully, this tree will be able to make an appearance for many years to come, and slowly grow and bloom with all of the new lives touched by Root!

Weston Street Campus New Look

Our Hartford twin facilities, the Henderson Johnson Clinic and Central Admissions Facility, just got a bright new look! To help our facilities feel more welcoming and cohesive, we have been painting and landscaping our Weston Campus, and we think the new look is beautiful! We are so excited to continue offering high quality and compassionate care to our patients with this more modern touch!

Fun with the Yard Goats

And finally, summer wouldn't be complete without an outing to the Yard Goats Game! Every year, staff take a trip together to a home Yard Goat Game, taking a well deserved summer break and enjoying the warm weather and good company. Even more fun, our Chief Operations Officer, Ashley Hickey, got to throw the first pitch ! We had so much fun, and we look forward to going every year. Who knows, maybe next year we'll get to throw another ball!

Advanced Recovery Institute

Clinical Grand Rounds

Check out our current openings here !

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Root Center Hosts First Golf Tournament

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:34:55 GMT

Our FIRST EVER Charity Golf Tournament was a Hole in One! This event was so special to us, and we are so thrilled to have been able to host such a successful day for all of our golfers and guests! We're also excited to be able to donate 100% of proceeds from this fundraiser to Executive Director Maryellen Shuckerow and St. Vincent de Paul Middletown to help them continue their amazing and crucial community work.

Pictured: Jenn Succi, CFO, Maryellen Shuckerow, SVDM Executive Director, Margaux Farrell, COS, Ashley Hickey, COO, Steven Zuckerman, CEO and President, Gene Lucera, Mayor of Middletown,

Paul McLaughlin, Root Former CEO, and more!

Despite a rainy forecast, we hosted nearly 100 golfers! Luckily, most players were able to finish their games by the time the rain started, or were having so much fun they kept playing anyway!

After the game was a lovely banquet catered by Lyman Orchard Golf Club. We also heard speeches from Root CEO, Steven Zuckerman, St. Vincent de Paul's Executive Director and Board President, and the new Middletown Mayor, Gene Lucera!

We also held raffle drawings for our more than 30 prizes! From paintings to spa services, and even luxury vacation vouchers, we had some great gifts donated.

At the end of the day, everyone went home with their very own famous Lyman Apple Pie. To add to the goodness, all pies not taken home were donated to St. Vincent de Paul's food kitchen, and we were told they were a huge hit!

Check out the video from the day (and some amazing swings from our players!)

This event was such an honor to put on, but we couldn't have done it without the support and love from our communities. We received more than 30 unique sponsors, many donors supporting multiple sponsorships, and all of our raffle prizes were charity donations. Even our volunteers, registering players, selling mulligans on the golf course, and helping keep the day running smoothly were so important to the success of this tournament, and we couldn't be more grateful.

At the end of the day, Root Center was able to raise $25,000 to donate to St. Vincent de Paul. Maryellen and her organization have been crucial to Root Center's success in Middletown, from testifying on our behalf during Town Halls when we were working to bring our services, including methadone treatment, to recommending our services to clients when they need mental health care. We couldn't think of a better organization to donate 100% of the proceeds of this event to, and we are so grateful to be in partnership with SVDM. We know this donation will help St. Vincent de Paul continue to do the life saving and invaluable community work they do every day, to help our communities live well-fed, warm, and dignified lives, especially in an emergency or crisis.

So thank you again to everyone who made this event possible, from sponsors to players, and everyone in between!

Root Center International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 19:29:28 GMT

International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized yearly on August 31st.

This year, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery hosted our Annual International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony in our Manchester Memorial Garden.

This year, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 929 overdose deaths. This number was down more than 20% from the year prior, but there is still a lot of work that remains to be done so that no other family has to endure a such a loss.

Every year, during Overdose Awareness Week, Root invites the community to join us as we come together to honor and remember those lost to overdose, and support those still struggling.

The event was held in our Memorial Garden, w e began with some brief remarks from Root Leadership, Community Leaders, like Senator Saud Anwar, Senator MD Rahman, and State Representative Geoff Luxenberg. We also heard from a Root Center patient!

Like last year, we put out a handmade box gifted to us by a patient at our Torrington Clinic, who is celebrating two years in recovery. The box is meant to encourage the community to write notes with the provided paper, and leave them in between the stones of our Remembrance Wall. This year, we included a Burning Ceremony in the garden, burning the notes collected last year and allowing the wind to take the ashes and wishes wherever they're meant to be. It was a beautiful display of hope, with the warmth of the fire offering comfort to those impacted by the disease of addiction.

The box will remain out in the garden until 9/2. The public is welcome to stop by to visit, leave a note, and enjoy the serene beautiful sanctuary.

And, as we do every year, we also planted a new plant in the garden, a representation of the growth of recovery. This year's Crape Myrtle was the runner up to the vote we held last year to decide what would be planted. Its pink and purple flowers are a wonderful addition to the garden, and we look forward to watching it thrive for the years to come.

After our ceremony, we distributed free Narcan and fentanyl drug testing strips and offered important education on usage and benefits, which we know can save lives.

For the third year in a row, we also partnered with InterCommunity Health Care to offer a mobile vaccine clinic on-site. This mobile clinic was able to provide primary care, screenings, COVID vaccines, and more, to any who were interested. We know physical health and mental health are equally important, so we appreciated being able to offer this to attendees!

Pictured above (L to R):

Allison Pons, Director of Operations, Ashley Hickey, Chief Operations Officer, Margaux Farrell, Chief of Staff, Aly Fox, Clinical Supervisor

This event is always intended to honor the far too many lives that we have lost to the disease of addiction, and also to raise awareness, promote education, and help the public take advantage of the lifesaving and preventative services.

If you missed it this year, check out the video recap below, and join us next year.

In the meantime, we invite you to stop by our Memorial Garden: 335 Broad Street in Manchester, Ct. Remember, you are never alone.

Root Center would also like to extend a special thanks to our political supporters who spoke at our Remembrance Ceremony. We appreciate these individuals for all of their support to our agency and missions.

Pictured Above (L to R): Steven Zuckerman, Root President/CEO and Senator Saud Anwar

Last but not least, thank you to our media partners, FOX61 News, who included Root Center in their coverage of International Overdose Awareness Day. We appreciate their support in spreading awareness and also honoring the lives lost.

Root Welcomes New Director of Finance

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 21:25:21 GMT

Root Center is so excited to welcome Cory Porter as our new Director of Finance!

Cory attended Southern Connecticut State University to study Finance, and has since spent most of his career working for nonprofits. While in college he worked for years in DDS group homes where he assisted disabled individuals with daily living, including assisting in personal care tasks, shopping trips, and social outings.

He then spent over 17 years at Planned Parenthood where he started out as a Financial Analyst and worked his way up to Director of Finance. While there, he worked on implementing multiple practice management systems, moving from paper charts to electronic health records. He oversaw audits and an almost $50M operating budget, and assisted with starting new lines of business which include an in-house lab that brings in more than $3M in annual revenue.

In Cory's free time he enjoys hanging out with his friends and family. He is also a special Olympics coach for the Waterbury Knights.

We are so excited to welcome Cory for this new chapter in his life. We know he will do amazing work, and we can't wait to see him shine!

Welcome Cory!

Spring 2025 Newsletter

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:24:14 GMT

Summer is here following a busy spring packed with excitement! From our Lafayette Street Clinic Grand Opening to the Middletown Pride Parade, we kept ourselves busy in our communities.

In our last newsletter, we were close to opening our Lafayette Street Clinic, a new location in Hartford where our Doctors Clinic staff and patients (currently on Main Street) will move when we begin accepting patients starting June 23rd!

But that's just the beginning! We have hosted many exciting events this spring, including our most recent Community Forum on Burnout, our Annual Years of Service Awards, and a documentary screening of an independent film focusing on four women in recovery.

It's been a jam-packed spring, and there's so much to share. Keep reading for some special announcements and updates!

News and Events

Lafayette Street Clinic In Hartford Now Open!

The Root Center is proud to announce that our Lafayette Street construction is complete! This new facility will replace our longest-standing clinic, Doctors Clinic on Main Street, and bring staff and patients a newfound sense of brightness, dignity, and strength. On Thursday, March 13th, we had a successful Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest clinic, conveniently located at 35 Lafayette Street in Hartford.

This new clinic has expanded parking, state-of-the-art design and architecture, and we hope, will one day also offer primary care services. Root Center is looking forward to offering patients a network of care with familiar staff who fully understand their treatment needs in relation to their recovery. We believe it is important to treat each patient as a whole!

Special thanks to everyone who has supported the Root Center and our mission. Our board members, community legislators and leaders, media partners, and, of course, our staff. We know this new facility will go on to help so many patients, and is a long-awaited upgrade from our Main Street Clinic.

Check out this video below from our ribbon-cutting ceremony!

When we opened our doors to patients on June 23rd, everyone was thrilled to see the facility again, now buzzing with nurses, counselors, and other patients. We are so honored to be able to offer a facility like this to our patients, staff, and community members. We believe the environments people receive their care matters just as much as the care itself. We are committed to offering every person that walks through our doors a high quality experience of compassion, excellence, and personal growth. Thank you to every person who has supported us in this mission, and continues to support us every single day!

Nonprofits Putting Fore Nonprofits

Root Center Charity Golf Tournament to benefit Saint Vincent de Paul Middletown

Dust off your clubs and get ready to hit the links! The Root Center is excited to announce our first-ever CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT.

However, this charity golf tournament won’t be to benefit Root… on September 25th, 2025, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting a charity golf outing at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT, to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Middletown.

Root Center feels strongly about nonprofits supporting nonprofits, and we are thankful for the work St. Vincent de Paul Middletown performs to help the residents in our state, particularly in Middletown, where Root Center proudly operates two sites. Many Root Center patients benefit from their critical services, and we are proud to support such an important mission helping some of the most marginalized members of our community.

Interested in sponsoring, donating, or playing? Click here to learn more.

Recovery City Documentary Screening!

This year, for Women's History Month, to honor the strength and resilience of women, the Root Center hosted a screening of a new award-winning documentary, Recovery City , featuring the powerful stories of four Massachusetts women battling substance use disorder and fighting for recovery.

We rented the Parkade Movie Theater in Manchester, Connecticut, and filled theater seats with staff, board members, and community members for this moving film and insightful Q&A segment with the director and some of the wonderful folks featured in the film. Special thanks to director and producer, Lisa Olivieri, and fellow cast members, for coming out to meet us and show your film to our community!

Community Forum | Burnout: More than Just Stress

This June, we also hosted another successful Community Forum on Burnout.

Burnout: More than Just Stress, was a wonderful, insightful, and at times even funny conversation about occupational and personal burnout, shifting legislature, personal coping strategies, systemic changes, the effect of burnout in children, and so much more!

Special thanks to our panelists for their insight and expertise:

Samantha Alzate LCSW , - Owner of Mindful Transformations .

Brent Heineman, MD/MPH - Psychiatry Intern at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine .

Christian Damiana - Public Policy Manager at Mental Health Connecticut, Inc.

Dr. Cassandra Holinka, PsyD - Clinical Psychologist & Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.

Jay Lasser, M.D - Founder of The Center for Work Stress Reduction .

Kristine Olson , M.D., M.S. - Chief Wellness Officer for Yale New Haven Health .

We expect our next forum to be this fall, check our socials for more details to come.

Advanced Recovery Institute

Clinical Grand Rounds

Our 2024-2025 Clinical Grand Rounds will be wrapping up this month with our final presentation on June 26th. Each month, we host leading speakers from across the country to deliver presentations on important topics regarding mental health and addiction. All recorded sessions can be found on our YouTube Page .

Our 2025-2026 session will then start on July 17th, so keep an eye out for new topics you might be interested in and register for presentations here . We will release the new lineup on July 1st.

These presentations are virtual, free, and open to the public. You can receive Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) for $10, and CEUs are FREE for Root staff members.

Clinical Updates

May is National Nurses Month, and every year, we honor a new Nightingale Award Recipient. Special Congratulations to Jill Mulvey , RN, in New Britain, for being Root Center's 2025 Nightingale Award recipient for excellence in nursing! The Nightingale is the highest honor and distinction that a nurse can receive. We are proud of all Jill has done for our patients and her team members. Jill has made a clear impact in her tenure at Root, and we can't wait to see how she continues to grow!

Check out this clip below to learn more about Jill or take a listen to this Recovery With Root Podcast Feature here!

Our Washington Street Clinic Celebrated 1 Year in Middletown!

Can you believe it? Root Center has officially been operating Middletown's first and only methadone clinic for more than a year now! Congratulations Washington Street on your one year anniversary!

Last April, Root Center opened this clinic in Middlesex County, fighting against discriminatory and harmful zoning laws that had previously outlawed there being any clinics offering methadone within the city limits.

One year later, we serve more than 150 patients a day at this site, providing critical and compassionate care to a community that needed us close to home. We are so excited to have passed this milestone, and look forward to continuing to serve more folks for years to come.

Team Updates and Openings

Celebrating Pride with our Community

Did you see us at Middletown Pride? We had so much fun walking in the parade and celebrating Pride Month with our community!

Root joins the Pride Parade every year, not just for the rainbows and cheering, but to show our communities and patients that they are safe and accepted in any of our clinics. Middletown Pride is the largest Pride celebration in Connecticut, and with so many people coming out to participate, we know for many people in the LGBTQ+ community, it's more than just a party, it's identity.

We believe everyone deserves safety, joy, and peace, regardless of how we're different from one another. Our doors are always open, because everyone deserves high quality and compassionate health care.

See scenes from the day in this short video below.

Years of Service Awards

A perfect way to wrap up this newsletter is to highlight our recent Years of Service Awards celebration! Every year, Root Center hosts a celebration dinner to honor staff who have been with the agency for 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 25 years!

This year we honored more than 20 staff members, our highest award going to someone who had been with the organization for 25 years... WOW! We are so thankful to have such committed employees making a difference every day in the lives of our patients and in their communities. This commitment and devotion to Root Center, and our mission, is what makes it possible for us to open our doors at 14 locations across Connecticut, every single day, and welcome patients inside for their lifesaving care. Thank you to all of our staff on their well deserved recognition for such amazing efforts.

Here is a look back at the fun we had that night!

Here at the Root Center, we are always looking to expand our team with likeminded individuals who share a passion for clinical care, and want to better serve the needs of the thousands of clients we serve on a daily basis who struggle with mental health and/or substance use disorder.

Check out our current openings here !

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Root Center Community Forum - Breaking Free From Burnout: More Than Just Stress

Mon, 12 May 2025 16:39:27 GMT

Our Community Forum was a success! Burnout: More than Just Stress, was a wonderful, insightful, and at times even funny conversation about occupational and personal burnout, shifting legislature, personal coping strategies, systemic changes, the effect of burnout in children, and so much more!

The Root Center is proud to offer free events like this as part of our Advanced Recovery Institute (ARI). The ARI is committed to research and training to elevate clinical care. It is our hope that by organizing these forums that we will help expand our understanding and awareness of topics that impact our communities.

Special thanks to all of our panelists for your insight and expertise:

Samantha Alzate LCSW , - Owner of Mindful Transformations

Brent Heineman, MD/MPH - Psychiatry Intern at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Christian Damiana - Public Policy Manager at Mental Health Connecticut, Inc.

Dr. Cassandra Holinka, PsyD - Clinical Psychologist & Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Jay Lasser, M.D - Founder of The Center for Work Stress Reduction

Kristine Olson , M.D., M.S. - Chief Wellness Officer for Yale New Haven Health

A dditional thanks to our audiences for your thought provoking questions! We hope you learned something, and are able to walk away feeling a little more able to handle burnout.

Keep an eye out for the recording of the whole forum, coming soon!

Root Center Spring Promotions

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:24:35 GMT

Root’s First Grant Funded Research Study Now Published!

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:47:13 GMT

Dr. Yifrah Kaminer accepting a check from President and CEO Steven Zuckerman to fund this study.

In March of 2023, our Advanced Recovery Institute, an entity of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery dedicated to research and training, awarded a $100,000 grant to Dr. Yifrah Kaminer and his team at UCONN for his study on, " Youth Opioid Overdose: Implementing Overdose Suicide Risk Assessment Solutions".

This grant was a first of its kind for Root Center, and we are thrilled to announce the study has now been published in the American Journal on Addictions from the The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Special thanks to the University of Connecticut and Dr. Kaminer for their work on this important topic.

Want to learn more? Take a listen to Dr. Kaminer on our podcast, Recovery with Root, where he discussed the study and some of his findings!

The Advanced Recovery Institute seeks to elevate clinical care and patient outcomes by conducting research and sponsoring mental health and substance use disorder training and education programs. As an initiative of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery, the Advanced Recovery Institute leverages and freely shares the clinical insights gained from treating 5,500 patients per day, training hundreds of practitioners, and participating in dozens of research programs each year.

We take pride in the research we fund and the thought leaders we host in all of our initiatives, and we look forward to continuing this groundbreaking work to educate and inform on these important topics.

Root Center Hosts Ribbon Cutting for New Hartford Location

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 20:15:48 GMT

From Left to right: James Classon, Root Center Clinical Supervisor, Elliott Pollack former Board Member, John Mohring, Root Center Board Member, Steven Zuckerman, Root Center CEO and President, Arunan Arulampalam, Mayor of Hartford, Bruce Simmons, Root Center Board Chairman, Patricia Rehmer, former DMHAS Commissioner and Board Vice Chair, William Schumann, Root Center Board Member. David Louden, Root Center Board Member, and Joseph Sirko, Root Center Director of Facilities.

The Root Center is proud to announce that our Lafayette Street construction is completed! This new facility will replace our longest standing clinic, Doctors Clinic on Main Street, and bring staff and patients a newfound sense of brightness, dignity, and strength.

On Thursday, March 13th, we had a successful Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest clinic, wonderfully located at 35 Lafayette Street in Hartford. This new clinic has expanded and safer parking, an outdoor sitting area, and will soon include primary care services!

It is our goal for this site to be able to offer primary care services in the future. Root center is looking forward to allowing patients to have a network of care with familiar staff who fully understand their treatment needs in relation to their recovery. We believe it is important to treat each patient as a whole!

Special thanks to everyone who has supported the Root Center and our mission. Our board members, community legislators and leaders, media partners, and of course, our staff. We know this new facility will go on to help so many patients, and is a long awaited upgrade from our Main Street Clinic.

Check out some photos from our Grand Opening celebration!

We would also like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Connecticut State Senator Saud Anwar for his words that he shared with us on this special day, and Mayor Arunan Arulampalam of Hartford for your continued support!

Thank you to our media partners for attending our Grand Opening, and sharing the news! We appreciate FOX 61 for coming to see our special day!

Watch FOX 61's report below!

Root Center Hosting First Charity Golf Tournament

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:40:18 GMT

The Root Center is excited to announce our first ever CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT!

However, this charity golf tournament won’t be to benefit Root… on September 25th, 2025, we will host a charity golf outing at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT, to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Middletown .

Root Center feels strongly about nonprofits supporting nonprofits, and we are thankful for the work St. Vincent de Paul Middletown performs to help the residents in our state, particularly in Middletown, where Root Center proudly operates two sites. Many Root Center patients benefit from their critical services, and we are proud to support such an important mission helping some of the most marginalized members of our community.

So, dust off those clubs, and get ready to play for a great cause! More information on signing up and sponsoring coming soon!

Maryellen Shuckerow, Executive Director of SVDP, pictured below as she received the news of this event alongside Root Center CEO/President Steven Zuckerman, Root Center Chief of Staff Margaux Farrell, and Root Center Chief of Operations Ashley Hickey, LPC, LADC!

CTBUZZ Features the Root Center

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:38:49 GMT

In the fall of 2024, Root Center opened its first clinic in New Haven County- Branford. We are so appreciative of WTNH CH 8 for featuring our new site, and allowing us the opportunity to share all of the amazing things the Root Center does! We loved sitting down with reporter, Lisa Rovello, and talking all about what we do to provide high quality care to our clients every day. Our new site in Branford is conveniently located inside of the Stony Creek Medical Center. This site serves both adolescents and adults. You can learn more about it here !

Thank you again to CTBUZZ through WTNH CH8, and if you would like to read the full article, it can be found here .

Root Center To Host Documentary Screening at Parkade Cinemas

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:58:45 GMT

March is quickly approaching, and with it comes the celebration of Womens' History Month !

This year, to honor the strength and resilience of women, the Root Center will be hosting a screening of a new award winning documentary , Recovery City, featuring the powerful stories of four Massachusetts women battling substance use disorder and fighting for recovery. Join us at the Manchester Parkade Cinemas on March 20th for the 6 p.m. screening and 7:30 p.m. q&a segment with the Director and some of the women featured in the film!

Register for the event here !

Special thanks to Parkade Cinemas for the facilities to host this event!

Winter Storm Update 2/6/2025

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

Fall 2024 Newsletter

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:25:41 GMT

Fall at the Root Center was a season packed tight with exciting developments!

In our last newsletter, we were just one month away from opening our first clinic in New Haven County, and since then, our Branford location is now accepting patients, and has been featured on WTNH CH 8!

We also hosted our Fall Community Forum on, "The Loneliness Epidemic", welcomed our newest Chief Medical Officer, published our Annual Report , and held a Grand Opening for our first Residential Treatment Clinic in New Britain on Whiting Street... just to name a few.

We then recently celebrated the end of the year with our annual staff holiday party. It was a great time to get together and have some fun with music, food, raffles, and good company!

Keep reading to learn more...

News and Events

Branford Location Now Open!

The Root Center is proud to now offer mental health and addiction treatment services in New Haven County at the Stony Creek Medical Center!

Our Branford clinic opened in September, and is the Root Center's first and only clinic in New Haven County. We are so excited to also internally promote, Aly Fox , to now be the Clinic Supervisor of our Middletown Saybrook and Branford Clinics. This clinic will serve both adults and adolescents. Hear from Aly, and Chief of Staff, Margaux Farrell, in this feature by Reporter, Jillian Andrews, on WTNH News Ch8!

Click below to watch... or learn more here.

New Britain Residential Treatment Facility Grand Opening Ceremony

Branford wasn't the only ribbon cutting that we had these past few months! We were also excited to host our New Britain Residential Treatment Facility Grand Opening ceremony to kick off the new year.

This new clinic is housed at 70 Whiting Street, which was the former location of our New Britain Clinic. That clinic has since been moved to a brand new facility located on East Main Street . This is Root Center's first ever Residential Treatment Facility. Root Center is proud to now offer these additional services, and we couldn’t have done this without the amazing support of our partners, Board, and everyone who believed in us along the way.

Special thanks to Mayor Erin Stewart, Senator Saud Anwar, Senator Rick Lopes, and our amazing staff for all of your help making this project come to life! We also appreciate our media partners for their coverage. Check out this fantastic piece done by Reporter, Jimmy Altman, on FOX61 News.

We hope to begin accepting patients in April. Stay tuned for more details!

Another exciting event that we held recently was our community forum in November! The topic was, "The Epidemic of Loneliness: The Silent Sadness". The conversation was incredibly powerful, and we thank our panelists for an insightful evening of thought provoking discussion.

Panelists:

Dr. Peter Donato , Vice President of Clinical Services at Apple Rehab.
Deb Bibbins, JD, MBA , Founder and CEO of For All Ages, a convener of CT Collaborative to End Loneliness.
Dr. John Nazarian MD , Chief Medical Officer of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.
Allison Gaffey, PhD, FAHA , Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine.
Andi Campbell , President of Wellspark Health, an EmblemHealth company.
Dr. Saud Anwar MD FCCP , State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore, Medical Doctor specializing in lung diseases and critical care medicine, occupational and environmental medicine.

If you missed the forum, we recorded the virtual event, watch here ! We expect our next forum to be this spring, check our socials for more details to come.

Advanced Recovery Institute

Clinical Grand Rounds

Our 2024-2025 Clinical Grand Rounds started back in July, and are presented monthly. Each month, we host leading speakers from across the country to deliver presentations on important topics regarding mental health and addiction.

Clinical Updates

In December, Root Center welcomed a new Chief Medical Officer, John Nazarian , M.D.. Dr. Nazarian is Board Certified in General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.

Dr. Nazarian previously served as Medical Director at Community Mental Health Affiliates in New Britain, CT. He also has extensive experience working in both in-patient and outpatient psychiatric treatment settings. Dr. Nazarian has a passion for treating individuals with substance use disorder, and we are so lucky to have him join Root.

If you want to know a little more about Dr. Nazarian, you can meet him here , on our recent episode of our monthly podcast, Recovery with Root.

Team Updates and Openings

We wrapped up an amazing year with our annual holiday party in January. With music, dancing, and a relaxed atmosphere, our Farmington Gardens celebration was a great way to let loose with fellow colleagues! Watch the video above for a fun recap of the night.

Check out our current openings here !

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Root Center Hosts Grand Opening For First Residential Treatment Clinic in New Britain!

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:05:30 GMT

Steven Zuckerman, Root CEO/President, Margaux Farrell, Root Chief of Staff, Ashley Hickey, Root Chief Operations Officer, Jenn Succi, Root Chief Financial Officer

The Root Center recently celebrated a successful Grand Opening for our New Britain Residential Treatment Clinic!

On Thursday, January 9th, we held a successful Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest clinic. This clinic is located where our former New Britain site was housed at 70 Whiting Street. That former New Britain Clinic was moved to a brand new site in 2022 on East Main Street.

Now, for the first time in Root's more than 151 year history, we are getting ready to accept patients at this new 16 bed facility. We are eager to be able to provide patients with this more intensive treatment that many so desperately need.

Special thanks to everyone who has supported the Root Center and our mission. Our Board members, community Legislators and Leaders, media partners, and of course, our staff. We know this new facility will go on to help so many patients.

Check out some photos from our Grand Opening celebration!

Steven Zuckerman, CEO and President of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery, Cutting the opening ribbon with Mayor Erin Stewart of New Britain | Steven Zuckerman with Mayor Erin Stewart | Steven Zuckerman with Senator Saud Anwar.

We would also like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the Mayor of New Britain, Erin Stewart, for her continued support in our efforts to take care of the communities that need us most.

Thank you to our media partners for attending our Grand Opening, and sharing the news! We appreciate FOX 61, NBC 30, WFSB, and the New Britain Herald for coming to report on our special day.

Watch FOX61 Reporter, Jimmy Altman's, report below, and read the article here .

We anticipate beginning to accept patients in April of 2025. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Ashley Hickey Promoted to Chief Operations Officer

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 17:35:16 GMT

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Ashley Hickey, LPC, LADC, former Director of Operations to Chief Operations Officer.

Ashley has grown tremendously in her time at Root. She has also previously served as a Clinic Supervisor at our Middletown Clinic, and most recently, Director of Operations.

She has been with the organization for more than five years, and has expertise in managing multiple service lines for both adults and adolescents. She is well versed in the operations of medication assisted treatment (methadone and the other forms of MAT), outpatient behavioral health services, psychiatric medication management, and is dedicated to the vision of our organization.

As we continue to grow as an organization, it is wonderful to see one of our own use their knowledge and experience to progress into a greater leadership role.

Way to go, Ashley!

WTNH CH8 Features New Root Center Branford Clinic!

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 16:39:02 GMT

In the fall of 2024, Root Center opened its first clinic in New Haven County- Branford. We are so appreciative of WTNH CH 8 for featuring our new site! We loved showing Reporter, Jillian Andrews, around our newest facility and talking all about what do to provide high quality care to our clients every day. Our newest site in Branford is conveniently located inside of the Stony Creek Medical Center. This site serves both adolescents and adults. You can learn more about it here !

Aly Fox Promoted to Clinic Supervisor

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:46:13 GMT

The Root Center is excited to announce the promotion of Aly Fox, LPC, ATR as the Clinical Supervisor of the Middletown, Saybrook location and new Branford location! Aly has been with the Root Center for a little over three years and has been promoted within from IOP counselor to Senior Counselor, and now, Clinic Supervisor. She brings with her years of experience in clinical work expanding from hospital and inpatient work, in-home therapy, and outpatient care- including her own personal private practice.

Throughout her career, Aly has cultivated an eclectic approach to therapy as well as clinical oversight and supervision of staff. She completed her Master's Degree at Albertus Magnus College and is dually licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Art Therapist (ATR). She graduated top of her class and received the academic excellence award in 2019. She additionally is a Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP) with a focus in nutrition and mental health.

She has always had a calling to connect and work with people, whether that be in a therapeutic relationship or supporting and mentoring growing therapists. From a young age, she has expressed empathy and compassion for those around her. She is continuously committed to enriching the lives of the people around her and provides support in any and all capacities.

Aly is excited to be a part of the continued growth here at the Root Center. With her new role, she is going to continue to pursue the growth of the MOB sites and maintain the positive regard and compassion for all clients we serve!

Root Welcomes New Britain Residential Clinic Supervisor

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:31:27 GMT

Root Center is excited for the return of Allison Pons as our New Britain Residential Clinic Supervisor! Allison returns 5 years later to bring her expertise and passion for her work to Root Center's most exciting undertaking yet... our very first Residential Treatment Facility!

Allison began her field work many years ago as an intern at Root Center for Advanced Recovery in one of our Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs. She is now excited to be return to the Root Center, in her new role as Residential Clinical Supervisor.

Allison returns to RCAR after further developing her career in the addictions and mental health field. Allison is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), and Internationally Certified Gambling Clinician (ICGC-I). She also has more than 8 years of clinical and administrative experience in outpatient behavioral health care settings. She has enjoyed providing individual and group services to adolescents and adults and working as part of multidisciplinary teams to support a whole-person approach to recovery.

Allison is excited to be part of RCAR’s first residential facility, and introducing this new service line to the community and patients we serve, providing high-quality mental health and addictions treatment. Welcome (back), Allison!

Root Welcomes New Director of Quality and Compliance

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:11:07 GMT

Root Center is so excited to welcome (back) Lisa Barbati as our Director of Quality & Compliance!

Lisa returns to Root after obtaining her BSN and developing her career in Quality and Compliance. Lisa is Board Certified in Addictions Nursing (CARN) and has over 33 years of Nursing experience in Acute Hospital Care, Inpatient Behavioral Health Services and Outpatient Addiction Treatment Services. She served Root Center for 24 years in several prior capacities as a staff nurse and RN supervisor and is the 2019 RCAR recipient of the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing.

Most recently, Lisa held roles in Quality Improvement as a Clinical Quality RN with Intercommunity, Inc., and as a Virtual RN with Trinity Health of New England. In these roles, she honed her skills in Quality Assurance, Clinical Documentation Compliance, Data Analysis, and Ambulatory Care Risk Management. She's worked closely with leadership in Quality and Compliance, acted as a change agent and subject matter expert for several Quality Improvement initiatives, and assisted in developing tools and training on Quality & Compliance platforms.

Lisa is dedicated to getting the facts right and maintaining high credibility. She thrives on research, making sense of things, and finding balance. She advocates for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, serving as an advocate for Autism and the LGBTQ community.

Lisa is excited to be back in her new role as Director of Quality and Compliance at Root.

Root Center Community Forum - The Loneliness Epidemic: The Silent Sadness

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 20:15:03 GMT

Our Community Forum on, "The Epidemic of Loneliness: The Silent Sadness", was a success!

Thank you to all of our wonderful panelists for sharing their time and expertise. It was a great evening filled with thoughtful discussion and conversation. The Root Center is proud to offer free events like this as part of our Advanced Recovery Institute (ARI). The ARI is committed to research and training to elevate clinical care. It is our hope that by organizing these forums that we will help expand our understanding and awareness of topics that impact our communities.

Thank you again to our panelists:

Andi Campbell, President of Wellspark Health, an EmblemHealth company.

Dr. Peter Donato, Vice President of Clinical Services at Apple Rehab.

Deb Bibbins, JD, MBA, Founder and CEO of For All Ages, a convener of CT Collaborative to End Loneliness.

Dr. Saud Anwar, MD FCCP, State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore, Medical Doctor specializing in lung diseases and critical care medicine, occupational and environmental medicine.

Allison Gaffey, PhD, FAHA, Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine.

and Dr. John Nazarian, MD, Medical Director at Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA), and future Chief Medical Officer of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Group photo (bottom right) from Left to Right:

Dr. Peter Donato, Deb Bibbins JD MBA, Dr. John Nazarian MD, Allison Gaffey PHD FAHA, Andi Campbell, and Dr. Saud Anwar MD FCCP

Did you miss the forum? Check out the video here!

Root Welcomes New Director of Human Resources

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:53:32 GMT

The Root Center is excited to announce the appointment of Jeff DiGirolamo as our new Director of Human Resources! Jeff brings over 35 years of experience in both the private and nonprofit healthcare sectors, with an extensive background in executive leadership and human capital management.

Throughout his career, Jeff has held several high-level executive roles, guiding small to medium-sized organizations with a focus on improving operations and organizational culture. Most recently, he served in leadership positions at Perception Programs and Coordinated Transportation Solutions, where his work centered on supporting underserved populations. In these roles, Jeff led human resource functions through both direct oversight and strategic managerial leadership, demonstrating a deep commitment to building effective teams and fostering a positive workplace environment.

Jeff's passion for helping those seeking life transformation extends beyond his professional endeavors. He has dedicated time as a Youth Minister and serves as a board member for MARCH, Inc. in Manchester, CT, further underscoring his commitment to community service and advocacy.

We are thrilled to have Jeff join the Root Center, and we look forward to the impact his expertise and compassion will have on our organization and the people we serve. Please join us in welcoming Jeff to the Root Center family!

Root Center Enters New Haven County!

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:49:04 GMT

Ashley Hickey, Root Director of Operations; Steven Zuckerman, Root CEO/President, Pat Rehmar, Root Board member; Robin Comey, CT State Representative

The Root Center is proud to announce that our Branford Clinic is now open!

On Thursday, September 26th, we had a successful Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony for our newest clinic, conveniently located inside of the Stony Creek Medical Center on Business Park Drive.

For the first time in Root's history, we are now accepting and treating patients for addiction and mental health care in New Haven County.

This new clinic is located at 6-12 Business Park Drive in Branford. To learn more, please click here or call our Central Admissions Clinic to learn more at (800) 862-2181.

Check out some photos from our Grand Opening celebration!

Steven Zuckerman, Root CEO/President; Pat Rehmar, Root Board; Bruce Simons, Root Center Board President; Margaux Farrell, Root Center Chief of Staff; Ashley Hickey, Root Director of Operations; Robin Comey, CT State Legislator

We would also like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Connecticut State Representative Robin Comey for her words that she shared with us on this special day.

Thank you to our media partners for attending our Grand Opening, and sharing the news! We appreciate WTNH Ch8 and NBC 30 for coming to see our special day!

Watch WTNH CH8's report below, and read the article here .

Learn more about the Branford location here !

Summer 2024 Newsletter

rosalie.garcia@rootcenter.org — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:59:57 GMT

Summer seemingly flew by for us here at the Root Center. From events to new projects, we were busy!

Since our last newsletter, we made some excellent progress on new construction for our newest clinics set to open soon, some as early as this month!

We expanded our Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Methadone Management Treatment Program (MMTP) admissions to include Norwich on Fridays, we started our 2024-2025 Clinical Grand Rounds series, we held our annual Remembrance Ceremony for International Overdose Awareness Day, and we are very close to officially opening our first clinic in New Haven county!

News and Events

Root officially opened the garden on August 31st, 2022. August 31st is recognized annually as International Overdose Awareness Day. Every year, we host a Remembrance Ceremony to remember all of the lives lost, and to raise awareness for those who continue to struggle.

This year's event was particularly special. At the back of the garden is our Remembrance Wall. We put notes and pens on a table beside the wall for individuals to write messages to leave in the wall.

The box that held the notes and pens was handmade and donated by a Root Center patient who is currently celebrating one year in recovery. We were so honored to put this box on display in our garden.

We kept this up for a week, and by the end, the amount of notes left in the wall was astounding. There was so much love, and so many memories filling this wall. It was beautiful.

Root Center would also like to extend a special thanks to our political supporters for speaking at our Remembrance Ceremony and supporting our agency and missions.

Pictured above (L to R, top to bottom): Manchester Mayor, Jay Moran / State Senator Saud Anwar / State Representative Geoffrey Luxenberg, and State Senator, MD Rahman.

Senator Saud Anwar also gifted Root a proclamation from President Joe Biden in honor of Overdose Awareness. We are honored to put this on display in our facility.

In addition, thank you to our media partners, FOX61 News and WFSB CH3, who included Root Center in their coverage of International Overdose Awareness Day. We appreciate their support in spreading awareness and also honoring the lives lost.

Advanced Recovery Institute

Clinical Grand Rounds

Clinical Updates

We are excited to announce that we also started an evening IOP group at our Willimantic Clinic on September 10th. Details listed above. If you're interested in getting started, please call (800) 862 -2181.

Another service we are now offering is MAT and MMTP admissions at our Norwich Clinic! Please note, this is currently only available on Fridays.

Team Updates and Openings

We can't wait! We are getting ready to open our 12th clinic, which will be our 13th facility, and our FIRST in New Haven County. On September 26th, Root Center will be hosting a Grand Opening for our Branford Clinic.

This new clinic will be part of the Stony Creek Medical Center. We are looking forward to being able to offer patients convenient access to care with multiple providers available throughout this facility, making referred care that much easier!

With a new clinic also comes new job openings! We are actively hiring for many roles, not only in Branford but across many of our sites throughout our state. If you're interested in learning more, please click here . In just a few short months we will also be opening our first residential treatment facility so be on the lookout for numerous and eclectic opportunities to join Root!

Our New Britain Residential Clinic construction is progressing rapidly! This is Root Center's first residential treatment facility. This new building replaced what was our original New Britain Clinic on Whiting Street, prior to us opening a brand new clinic on East Main Street in 2022. We anticipate opening this facility later this fall. Stay tuned for updates.

We are also going to be rehoming our Hartford Clinic that is currently located on Main Street to Lafayette Street. This new space will also offer additional primary care services. More to come on this, as well!

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Root Center International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:20:21 GMT

International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized yearly on August 31st.

This year, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery hosted our Annual International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony in our Manchester Memorial Garden.

In 2023, the Department of Public Health reported that there were 1,343 confirmed overdose deaths. That was 121 fewer deaths than the year prior, and yet that number is still staggeringly high.

Every year, during Overdose Awareness Week, Root invites the community to join us as we come together to honor and remember those lost to overdose, and support those still struggling.

The event was held in our Memorial Garden, w e began with some brief remarks from Root Leadership, Community Leaders, and also heard from a Root Center patient.

Directly following these remarks, we had a planting ceremony. This is a tradition we started in 2023, where for International Overdose Awareness Day, we add a new plant to the Memorial Garden. This year, our new addition to the garden was voted on by our social media followers. We are thrilled to announce that the Butterfly Bush won by an astounding margin! It looks great in the garden.

Pictured above (L to R, top to bottom):

Saud Anwar, State Senator / Jay Moran, Manchester Mayor / Steven Zuckerman, Root Center CEO & President / Bruce Simons, Root Center Board President alongside the new butterfly bush!

Another new addition this year was a handmade wooden box that was gifted to us by a patient celebrating one year of sobriety. Inside the box there were pieces of paper and pens for individuals to write messages on and leave in the cracks of our Remembrance Wall at the back of our garden. This box is on display from 8/23-9/3, and is welcome to all who may want to leave a message in the wall. It can be anything, a prayer, a wish, a sentiment… we are looking to fill the wall with love and memories.

After our ceremony, we distributed free Narcan and fentanyl drug testing strips and offered important education on usage and benefits, which we know can save lives. We also had one of our harm reduction “Rovers” on-site to offer other important items that help others stay safe.

For the second year in a row, we also partnered with InterCommunity Health Care to offer a mobile vaccine clinic on-site. This mobile clinic was able to provide primary care, screenings, COVID vaccines, and more, to any who were interested. We know physical health and mental health are equally important, so we appreciated being able to offer this to attendees!

If you missed it this year, check out the video recap below, and join us next year.

In the meantime, we invite you to stop by our Memorial Garden: 335 Broad Street in Manchester, Ct. Remember, you are never alone.

Pictured above (L to R, top to bottom):

Manchester Mayor, Jay Moran / State Senator Saud Anwar / State Representative Geoffrey Luxenberg, and State Senator, MD Rahman.

Senator Saud Anwar also gifted Root a proclamation from President Joe Biden in honor of Overdose Awareness Week. We are honored to now put this on display in our facility.

Last but not least, thank you to our media partners, FOX61 News and WFSB CH3, who included Root Center in their coverage of International Overdose Awareness Day. We appreciate their support in spreading awareness and also honoring the lives lost.

Spring 2024 Newsletter

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 17:29:56 GMT

Summer is just around the corner, and the Root Center is proud to continue making strides on major projects and initiatives.

Since our last newsletter, we wrapped up our most recent internships, hosted a Community Forum on Harm Reduction with leaders in the mental health/addiction space and political officials, celebrated our employees with our annual Years of Service Awards Celebration, and sponsored and participated in Middletown PrideFest!

In our last newsletter, we mentioned our new Middletown healthcare clinic grand opening. In this newsletter, we are excited to say that in April, we officially started accepting patients!

This new healthcare facility is bringing much needed mental health and addiction services to Middlesex County, and we are excited to now be fully operational.

News and Events

In May, we said good-bye, and wished good luck, to our most recent group of interns. We held a ceremony where some of the interns were celebrated with a certificate, and enjoyed candid discussions over breakfast with Root Center President & CEO, Steven Zuckerman, as well as other Directors and Executive Leadership Team members, on what they learned and gained from this experience.

Here at Root, we aim not only to provide the best care to our patients, but also the best learning environment for our staff, and that includes interns. Just last year we had 29 total interns from 22 different universities. Some as far as New Mexico!

Root Center is committed to growth and opportunities, and many current Root employees were once interns themselves. If you are a student with an interest in helping others reach their goals of optimal behavioral health, we encourage you to apply for an internship.

If you are interested in applying for an internship, please submit your resume and cover letter to hr@rootcenter.org.

You may recall from our last newsletter that on February 29th, we LEAPT into Middlesex County with our Grand Opening of our newest healthcare clinic at 392 Washington Street in Middletown.

Root Center is now the FIRST and ONLY mental health and addiction treatment clinic to offer methadone in Middlesex County, and in April, we were so excited to officially begin treating patients.

As we have mentioned on many occasions before, this new clinic will help change the face of recovery for residents in Middlesex County, giving them the option of seeking treatment in their own community, rather than having to travel, often lengthy distances, on public transit or rideshare services, 6 days a week, as they begin treatment. Our goal at the Root Center is to be able to offer mental health and addiction treatment services across Connecticut, especially to those often most marginalized in our communities. We are striving to make treatment more inclusive and accessible for those in need, as we know one of the greatest predictors of treatment success is services close to home to facilitate sustained participation.

Check out this patient story below to see just how big of a difference this new clinic will make for some folks. Doug, for instance, is a Middletown resident, who, at one point, had to travel for more than three hours roundtrip to Hartford on public transit to receive treatment. He couldn't receive treatment in Middletown because there previously had been an explicit prohibition on methadone clinics within city limits. Root Center fought this discriminatory law, and ultimately, won. Now, we are able to help those seeking treatment in Middlesex County get access to life saving medications closer to home.

Advanced Recovery Institute

Clinical Grand Rounds

Our 2023-2024 Clinical Grand Rounds schedule is coming to a close this week with our final presentation today at 12pm on "Commitment Statutes in Connecticut". Our 2024-2025 Clinical Grand Rounds schedule will then begin on Thursday, July 25, with a presentation on “Mental health and performance in athletes: The role of sport psychology".

We are very excited for our upcoming year of exciting speakers that we have set for the months to come. Each month, we host leading speakers from across the country to deliver presentations on important topics regarding mental health and addiction.

Community Forum - Harm Reduction: Navigating Public and Political Perceptions

Root Center for Advanced Recovery's Advanced Recovery Institute hosted its first Community Forum of the year. This Community Forum was on: "Harm Reduction: Navigating Public and Political Perceptions."

Twice a year, our Advanced Recovery Institute hosts a Community Forums to spark thought provoking discussions on relevant mental health and addiction topics. These forums are held in-person at our Manchester Clinic, as well as on Zoom. They are free and open to all. Be sure to follow us on social media so you don't miss the next one coming later this fall!

A big thank you to our Panelists pictured above (left to right):

Sue Clark-Levin - Harm Reduction Health Educator, CT Center for Harm Reduction

Benjamin Bazin, M.D. - Resident, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Surita Rao, M.D. - Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Steven Zuckerman - Root Center President & CEO

Mayor Ben Florsheim - Mayor of Middletown

Cameron Breen, RCP - Harm Reduction Coordinator, McCall Behavioral Health Network

Liz Evans - Senior Director of Harm Reduction, Liberation Programs

Geri-Lynn Utter, PsyD . - Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Author, Podcast Host, and Documentary Producer

Margaux Farrell - Root Center Chief of Staff

If you missed the discussion, don't worry! You can watch the full program here .

Clinical Updates

It's worth noting again for our new subscribers this quarter that this year, not only have we expanded our partnerships and facilities, we are also expanding our services! Root Center is proud to now offer Problem Gambling Treatment, details above.

Team Updates and Openings

At Root Center, we believe that we are stronger together! Pictured above, Perceptions Program and Root leadership bringing their synergies together to support community based healthcare initiatives. We value partnerships with organizations employing likeminded individuals looking to make a difference in mental health and addiction treatment.

Pictured above (left to right):
Margaux Farrell - Root Chief of Staff

Jennifer L. Succi, MPH - Root CFO

Jeffrey DiGirolamo - Perceptions Program Chief Executive Officer

Charles Bittner - Perceptions Program Chief Of Staff

Steven Zuckerman - Root President & CEO

Stephen Feathers - Perceptions Program Director of Compliance & Training

Root Celebrates Nurse of the Year

In May, in honor of National Nurses Month, Root announced its 'Nurse of the Year' for 2024. This year's honor went to our New London Clinic Nursing Supervisor, Julie Handleman, R.N., B.S.N..

Julie has been with Root Center for six years, and she is currently the Nursing Supervisor at our New London Clinic.

"Julie embodies what it means to be a trusted healthcare professional," said Root Center President and CEO, Steven Zuckerman. "She represents Root in a way that exudes dedication and compassion, and we are honored to have her on our team. Thank you, Julie, for your dedication to our patients, and our organization, allowing us to continue providing hope to those in need."

Root Center Annual Years of Service Awards Ceremony

In June, we were honored to host our Annual Years of Service Awards ceremony. This event is a celebration of our employees who have been with the agency for 5, 10, 15, 20, and some, even 25 years!

"As a non-profit organization currently serving more than 5,500 patients every single day across our state, we strive to be a center of excellence for those who are interested in making a difference in mental health and addiction treatment," said Root Center Chief of Staff, Margaux Farrell. "We want Root to be a place for our employees to plant and grow their ROOTS with us."

Now is the perfect time to join our team! Construction is underway as we are getting ready to open our FIRST clinic in New Haven County at the Stony Creek Medical Center in Branford. We pride ourselves on being a rapidly growing team offering excellent benefits that will enhance your work-life balance. Start with 37 days off, which includes PTO, holidays, and more. Take advantage of our $2,000 for training and education, up to 10% retirement match, plus comprehensive health benefits!

We are hiring for many different positions so please check out our current opportunities here . Anticipated opening, August 2024!

Root Center Annual Years of Service Awards

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 14:49:57 GMT

Every year, the Root Center hosts a Years of Service Awards event. This event is meant to celebrate our staff who have been with the organization for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years. This year, we held part of the ceremony in our beautiful Manchester Memorial Garden, and then finished with a dinner inside of our Manchester facility. We are so appreciative to have staff who have made Root a place to call home for so many years. We are so thankful for each and every person's years of dedication and efforts.

Congratulations to:

Rodney Alexander, Norwich - 5 years

Shannon Arnone, New Britain - 5 years

Taylor Burgos, Doctors, Hartford - 5 years

Michelle Langevin, Henderson Johnson, Hartford - 5 years

Ryan Nicoletti, Manchester Administration - 5 years

Kelly O'Heron, Torrington - 5 years

Liza Pollard, Central Admissions, Hartford - 5 years

Amanda Roy, New Britain - 5 years

Sheri Watts, Manchester Administration - 5 years

Yolanda Villanueva, New Britain - 10 years

Jessica Wozinak, Henderson Johnson, Hartford - 15 years

Ray Bishop, Henderson Johnson, Hartford - 20 years

Eric Rosario, Doctors, Hartford - 20 years

Kim Pascale, Henderson Johnson, Hartford - 25 years

Maria Sanchez, Manchester Administration - 25 years

If you're interested in a career with Root, please check out our current openings here !

Check out some highlights from the event in this video:

Root Nurse of the Year 2024

Fri, 31 May 2024 18:09:42 GMT

May is National Nurses Month , and here at Root, we want to recognize our Root Center for Advanced Recovery Nurse of the Year, Julie Handleman, R.N., B.S.N.! Julie has been with Root Center for six years, and she is currently the Nursing Supervisor at our New London Clinic.

Julie embodies what it means to be a trusted healthcare professional. She represents Root in a way that exudes dedication and compassion, and we are honored to have her on our team! Thank you, Julie, for your continued dedication to our patients, and our organization, allowing us to continue providing hope to those in need.

Please join us in congratulating, Julie, our 2024 Root Nurse of the Year!

Root Center Community Forum - Harm Reduction: Navigating Public and Political Perceptions

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:21:28 GMT

We are excited for our next Community Forum!

Save the date... Thursday, June 6th, we will be hosting a discussion on "Harm Reduction: Navigating Public and Political Perceptions".

Join us for a discussion on this topic with leaders in the mental health/addiction space.

This event is free/open to the public, and you can attend in-person or virtually. It will be from 6-8pm on the 2nd floor of our Manchester Clinic: 335 Broad Street.

This is a moderated discussion from 6-7pm, with a Q&A section with attendees to follow. Hors d'oeuvres will be served, and attendees are encouraged to stay, eat, and mingle.

To register to attend in-person, please go here .

To register to attend virtually, please go here .

Panelists listed below:

Root Center Opens First and Only Methadone Clinic in Middlesex County

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:44:54 GMT

The Root Center is proud to announce that we had a successful Grand Opening ceremony for our newest Healthcare Clinic, which is the first and only mental health and addiction treatment facility to offer methadone in Middlesex County.

The statistics regarding mental health and addiction treatment needs are staggering. Middlesex County had previously seen the highest year-over-year increase in overdose deaths, and yet, it was the only county in Connecticut with no methadone clinic, as it previously had bylaws in their planning and zoning regulations explicitly prohibiting methadone clinics within city limits.

This new clinic will help change the face of recovery for residents in Middlesex County, giving them the option of seeking treatment in their own community, rather than having to travel, often lengthy distances, on public transit or rideshare services, 6 days a week as they begin treatment. Our goal at the Root Center is to be able to offer mental health and addiction treatment services across Connecticut, especially to those often most marginalized in our communities. We are striving to make treatment more inclusive and accessible for those in need, as we know one of the greatest predictors of treatment success is services close to home as it helps to facilitate sustained participation.

We are honored to now have a state-of-the-art clinic that we hope will make our patients and staff feel dignified and proud when they walk into the building. With the help of Tecton Architects , we are redefining what it looks like to recover. We want to make sure that our healthcare facilities look no different than any other type of establishment that someone would go to to seek care.

This new clinic is located at 392 Washington Street in Middletown. We anticipate accepting patients at the end of March. Please call our Central Admissions to learn more at (800) 862-2181.

Special thanks to all of our state legislators, Middletown Mayor, Ben Florsheim, community members, and media partners for helping to make this a success. We know this new facility will go on to help the more than 150 patients we anticipate treating.

Check out the photos below of the clinic, and our Grand Opening celebration!

We would also like to extend a huge THANK YOU to United States Senator Chris Murphy for his proclamation that he shared with us for this special day. Having the support of one of Senator Murphy is invaluable!

Thank you to our media partners for attending our Grand Opening, and sharing the news!

Watch WTNH CH8's report below, and read the article here .

Thank you also to NBC CT, you can watch below, and read more here .

Root Center Celebrates New Partnership with Pequot Health Care

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:43:10 GMT

Our partnership celebration with Pequot Health Care and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation was a day to remember! Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible, and an extra special thank you to the Yootay Singers for their amazing opening and closing drum! We are so excited for this partnership, as we know it will go on to help so many who are in need of mental health and addiction treatment.

Some of the folks pictured throughout:
Dr. Setu Vora - MPTN CMO
Bruce Simons - Root Center Board President
MPTN Council Chairman Rodney Butler
Chris Manzi - PHC President
Heather Angel Mars-Martins - PHC
Margaux Farrell - Root Center Marketing Director
Patricia Rehmer - Root Center and PHC Board Member
State Representative Aundr é Bumgardner
Shanna Reels - Director of Tribal Health Service at MPTN
Yootay Singers

Root Center Offers New Problem Gambling Treatment

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:51:09 GMT

The Root Center is now offering problem gambling treatment!

Is gambling a problem in your life? Are you ready to start your recovery journey?

Join us Friday mornings from 9am to 10am for our problem gambling program hosted virtually, and in-person at our New London Clinic: 931 Bank Street.

What to expect?

A safe space to discuss the impact of gambling your life.
Identify the ways gambling may contribute to substance use.
See how gambling has altered your family unit and socializing.
Build skills to cope and identify community supports.
Recognize you are NOT alone!

Please call our Central Admissions line at (800) 862-2181 for more information.

Root Center Welcomes New Director of Nursing

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 20:19:22 GMT

The Root Center is excited to announce Joseph Maddalena, as our new Director of Nursing!

Joe has been a Registered Nurse since 2014. His passion for mental health and addiction treatment started while he was working at South Central Rehabilitation Center, which is part of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, in New Haven.

There, Joe became the Nurse Manager of both inpatient withdrawal management and two methadone clinics. It was while doing this work that Joe developed a love for helping those on their recovery journey.

We are fortunate to add Joe’s dedication and experience to the team, and know that he will have an impact on our staff and patients. Welcome, Joe!

Ashley Hickey Promoted to Director of Operations

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 18:16:21 GMT

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Ashley Hickey, LPC, LADC, former Clinic Supervisor of our Middletown Clinic, to Director of Operations.

Ashley has been with the organization for over four years, and has expertise in managing multiple service lines for both adults and adolescents. She is well versed in the operations of medication assisted treatment (methadone and the other forms of MAT), outpatient behavioral health services, psychiatric medication management, and is dedicated to the vision of our organization.

As we continue to grow as an organization, it is wonderful to see one of our own use their knowledge and experience to progress into a greater leadership role.

Way to go, Ashley!

Growing Our Roots - Recruitment Event

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:16:04 GMT

We are hiring!

Join us on December 14th from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at Root Center in New Britain (542 E. Main St.) for a 30-minute interview session at our next Recruitment Event!

The Root Center is quickly expanding, and we are looking to hire staff for our brand-new state-of-the-art Middletown Clinic (392 Washington St., address linked on left, Clinic pictured below) set to open in February of 2024.

Root is proud to offer comprehensive and competitive benefits, including, 4 weeks of PTO, 12 paid holidays, a volunteer day, plus a birthday holiday, $2,000 training dollars plus 3 paid training days, 10% retirement match, student loan repayment at certain clinics, and more!

Some key positions that we are hiring for:
Counselor - Master's Level (LMSW, LPC-A) or Fully Certified (LCSW, LPC, LADC)
RN - (Full Time - 35 Hours/Week)
Patient Service Representative (Full Time - 35 Hours/Week)

...and many others!

This one-day event offers candidates the opportunity to meet our team and discuss potential opportunities. Click here to schedule your time slot. Your future awaits!

Root Center Partners with Pequot Health Care

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:51:05 GMT

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, we are excited to announce our new partnership with Pequot Health Care. We feel honored that they have chosen “Root” to be their healthcare provider of choice for addiction and mental health treatment!

Pequot Health Care is a wholly-owned business of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, long recognized as a leader in managing health care plans for Native American tribes and other commercial enterprises. This partnership will serve members and employees of Tribal Nations. We look forward to welcoming these new patients to Root! More details on this exciting new venture to come soon.

Pictured from left to right:
Heather Mars, Pequot Health Care Communications Manager, Christopher Manzi, Pequot Health Care President, Dr. Setu Vora, Pequot Health Care Chief Medical Officer, Steven Zuckerman, Root Center President and CEO, Jenn Succi, Root Center Chief Financial Officer, and Ben Metcalf, Root Center Chief Operations Officer.

Root Center Fall Community Forum: "The Future of Psychedelics and Mental Health Treatment"

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:02:32 GMT

THIS EVENT HAS ENDED. TO WATCH THE DISCUSSION, PLEASE CLICK HERE .

We are so excited to announce our next Community Forum, coming up on November, 16th!

This next forum will be a discussion on, "The Future of Psychedelics and Mental Health Treatment." We have an eclectic group of panelists who bring a breadth of experience and knowledge on this interesting topic that is growing in prominence across mental health recovery and treatment.

Our panelists include:

Peter Grayson, LCDP

Founder of The Flow Initiative/ Psychedelic Assisted Sobriety in NYC, Director of Addiction and Recovery at Nushama Psychedelic Wellness Clinic in NYC.

Jeffrey Quamme, MS, IAADC, ICCS, CNE, CNC

Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Certification Board.

Ireon LeBeauf, PhD, MD

Physician, Chief Resident UCONN Psychiatry Department.

Dr. Saud Anwar

State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore, Medical Doctor specializing in lung diseases and critical care medicine, occupational and environmental medicine.

Don Fertman

Chairman Emeritus for The Phoenix Board of Directors, in long-term recovery 38 years.

Surita Rao, M.B.B.S, M.D, FASAM

Associate Professor and Director of the psychiatry residency training program, at the UConn Medical School, Dept. of Psychiatry. Psychiatrist specializing in addiction.

This will be a moderated discussion with opportunity for questions and answers from the public. The event is free and open to the public, and hors d'oeuvres will be served. If you are attending in-person, this will be held at Manchester Clinic (second floor conference room):

335 Broad Street

Manchester, Ct

06040

There will also be a virtual option to attend.

To register in-person, please click here .

To register virtually, please click here .

Root Center Making Speedy Progress on New Middletown Clinic

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:20:13 GMT

Wow! It has been a busy past few months for construction on our many new clinics opening up in 2024, and Middletown is moving especially fast!

Earlier this year, in February, we broke ground on what will be the FIRST clinic to offer Methadone in Middlesex County. We are so proud to be expanding our footprint in the state of Connecticut to be able to offer more access to mental health and addiction services.

We take pride in all of our facilities having state-of-the-art design to make patients and staff feel dignified and proud when they walk into the clinics. With the help of Tecton Architects , we are redefining what it looks like to recover. We want to make sure that our healthcare facilities look no different than any other type of establishment that someone would go to to seek care.

This new clinic will be at 392 Washington Street in Middletown. We anticipate a groundbreaking ceremony in late winter or early spring.

Want an interactive tour? Check this out !

Take a look inside...

Root Center breaks ground on new clinic in Hartford

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:44:05 GMT

On September 28th, 2023, we officially broke ground on our newest clinic in Hartford.

This new clinic, at 35 Lafayette Street, will replace our current clinic on Main Street (named Doctors Clinic). We feel that our previous clinic no longer meets the needs of patients and staff, and does not reflect what we believe recovery looks like.

Many times, mental health and addiction clinics are hidden in the shadows. We want our staff and patients to feel proud and dignified when they walk into this healthcare facility, because that is exactly what it is... a healthcare facility.

Mental health IS health, and we need to start seeing it, and treating it, as such. Our goal at the Root Center is to continue creating state-of-the-art facilities that resemble any other type of location that someone would go to for primary care, cardiology, or whatever their healthcare needs may be.

Recovery is possible, and most of all, it is beautiful.

Thank you to all of our media partners who attended...FOX61 News, WFSB Ch3, and WTNH Ch8! Here is a montage of the event coverage.

Root Center hosts International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 16:22:48 GMT

August 31st, was International Overdose Awareness Day, and we were proud to host a Remembrance Ceremony in memory of all those we have lost to overdose. In the last year, there have been 1,452 overdose deaths. To honor those lives, we started a tradition of planting something new in our Memorial Garden on this day, every year going forward. Our Memorial Garden was also opened on this day last year. This year, we planted a beautiful a purple leaf plum tree (see below).

We would like thank everyone who attended, and spoke at the ceremony, like Senator Saud Anwar (pictured above on right next to Steven Zuckerman, Root Center President and CEO on left), Manchester Mayor Jay Moran, State Representative Justin Doucette, Senator MD Rahman, and our brave patient, Belmarie, who shared moving words about her own recovery with the Root Center.

Another thank you to InterCommunity Health, as well, for bringing their Mobile Vaccine Clinic to offer free primary health care services to those in need. We also had providers on-site with free Narcan and fentanyl testing strips discussing usage and benefits.

We appreciate those who joined us in remembering those lost, and also fighting for those still struggling. If you have not visited our Memorial Garden, we invite you to do so at your convenience. It is located at our Manchester Clinic, 335 Broad Street, Manchester, CT.

Thank you to FOX61 News for highlighting this special day! A thank you to WFSB Ch3 and WTNH Ch8 for mentioning us, as well!

Root Center and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Study

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 16:19:54 GMT

The Root Center is working with Dr. Vaughn Steele for the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Study.

TMS, short for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is a treatment that applies a series of magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in areas of the brain known to be associated with major depression.

During TMS, pictures related to substance use such as pill bottles and syringes are displayed while a scientist applies magnetic pulses. The participant is encouraged to reflect on the negative experiences of their addiction. The hope is that the part of the brain that controls pleasure-seeking behavior will get rewired in ways that ultimately alleviate cravings and strengthen self-control after undergoing the series of pulses.

With the pairing of repetitive TMS treatments (rTMS) and the use of brain imaging such as MRIs, Dr. Steele, and his research team at Yale hope to bring more understanding and evidence to the usage of TMS as a strong treatment modality that can change addictive behavior in OUD recovery.

Root Center Launches NEW Podcast

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 18:49:41 GMT

The Root Center has a podcast!

Interested in mental health and addiction topics? Then this is the podcast for you! Recovery with Root is a new podcast that is now available on all major streaming platforms.

This podcast delves into mental health and addiction topics, that anyone can listen to... no clinical background required! These are hot-button issues and current topics that we discuss with leading professionals, patients, counselors, elected officials, and many others.

Our host, Margaux Farrell, is a former News Anchor and journalist, and she uses her interviewing skills to make this podcast accessible and engaging for all listeners.

New episodes are released on the first Monday of every month. You can visit this link to listen and subscribe! Also, feel free to follow us on social media, and be sure to leave us comments about future topics you'd like to hear discussed.

Root and the P2P (Peer to Peer) Study

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 19:09:13 GMT

The Root Center is collaborating with Dr. Kristyn Zajac , from UConn Health on the Peer to Peer (P2P) study. This study focuses on whether adding a peer recovery coaching program will improve Opioid Use Disorder treatments for young adults, ages 18 to 25.

This study includes having P2P added to standard outpatient services for an eligible patient.

The goal will be to have the patient meet with recovery coaches for four weekly sessions over the span of two months. The study will then look to investigate what factors drive young patients to drop out of their outpatient services.

Root Collaborates with UCONN to Study Children’s Neural Threat Reactivity

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:26:57 GMT

The Root Center is collaborating with UCONN Health Center’s
Dr. Margaret Briggs-Gowan and Dr. Damion Grasso to study family stressors and their relationship to child neural threat reactivity to better understand children’s clinical vulnerability to psychiatric impairment in their lifetime. In this study, there is a strong focus on negative threat reactivity related to family violence from birth up to the assessment date.

Participants are studied over the course of a year; with a baseline assessment and a 1 year follow up. Children participate in a range of evidence-based activities to measure their reactivity as well as any symptoms they may have due to exposure; some activities include a puppet interview, a computer task that involves an EEG screening, and a developmental stage assessment. Mothers participate in an interview where an inventory of stressors is collected, also known as the Family Stress Inventory (FSI). Items include aspects of home life, partner conflict, and parenting style in response to child’s misbehavior.

Root Center Welcomes New Director of Operations

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 18:12:04 GMT

The Root Center is proud to announce a new addition to the team, Geina Marrett, is now a Director of Operations! Geina came to Root Center from MCCA where she spent nearly five years working with the Residential Programs.

Geina has 18 years of experience working in the substance use and mental health field and comes with a wealth of experience with PHP/IOP and OP programing. Geina's expertise is helping programs identify areas of growth and implementing ways to expand programming that best benefit the clientele served in the mental health and substance use community.

We are lucky to have her on our team!

Root Center Welcomes New Director of Finance

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:44:12 GMT

The Root Center is proud to announce and welcome, Shelby Dumond, our new Director of Finance! Before joining Root Center, Shelby spent the past 9 years working as an auditor in the Public Accounting sector. During her time in Public Accounting, she worked with more than 20 organizations yearly, with a primary focus in healthcare and non-profit industries. Shelby’s experience has helped her gain a broad look at the financial structure of companies both large and small.

Shelby says she looks forward to bringing her diverse background of experience to help the organization expand and grow, but most importantly to provide our clients with the highest level of service!

Meet Root Center's 2023 Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence Winner: Cherie Bochenko, PMHNP-BC

Fri, 12 May 2023 19:43:07 GMT

It’s the time of year when we honor and celebrate a Root Center nurse who demonstrates “exceptional courage and devotion” by nominating them to be the recipient of the Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence. This year, we are so pleased to announce that Root Center’s honoree for the 2023 Nightingale Award is Cherie Bochenko, PMHNP-BC. The Nightingale Award is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, so this is truly an impressive achievement! Cherie joined Root Center in March 2020, at the start of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, hitting the ground running, quickly becoming a pivotal and immensely valuable member of the Admissions team. Cherie has been a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner for 5 years and a Registered Nurse for 14+ years, working in a variety of settings, including extensive experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities, mental health diagnoses, and substance use disorders. Cherie models exemplary clinical judgement and her experience and expertise has helped shaped her ability to act as a valuable resource to clinical & medical staff across Root Center. In the Admissions Department, Cherie meets all incoming patients where they are at in regard to their individual journey of recovery, adapting her approach with expertise to help design a plan of care best suited for them. Cherie’s patient-centered approach and commitment to addressing the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of opioid use disorder is unmatched—-she is a true patient advocate. Cherie is also recognized for her advanced teamworking and communication skills—her Admissions Dept. teammates can attest to her sunny disposition, her willingness to lend a helping hand, and her unwavering support of our community. Learn more about Cherie in this short video, and please join us in celebrating Cherie for this accomplishment and for representing Root Center as this year’s Nightingale Award honoree!

Marijuana and The Impacts on Teen Mental Health and Development

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:41:46 GMT

The Advanced Recovery Institute, a new entity of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery dedicated to research and training to elevate clinical care, will be hosting its next Community Forum.

This session’s topic will be on, “Marijuana and The Impacts on Teen Mental Health and Development.”

We have a great set of panelists joining us with very eclectic backgrounds.

The date is set for 5/24 from 6-8pm. It will be in-person at our Manchester location (335 Broad Street) on the 2nd floor (limited seating, so first registered, first served), and also on Zoom (unlimited).

In-Person Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marijuana-and-the-impacts-on-teen-mental-health-and-development-tickets-625216849427
Virtual Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marijuana-and-the-impacts-on-teen-mental-health-and-development-tickets-625228955637

Root Center Hosts 3-Year Strategic Planning Retreat

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:40:08 GMT

In April, we had a great day at the beautiful Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. Our Board of Directors, Executive Leadership Team, and Directors, all came together for a 3-year strategic planning retreat. We brainstormed ideas on how to continue to grow and improve the Root Center for Advanced Recovery in the years to come, and the future looks exciting!

“It was such an amazing day for me to bear witness to the immense knowledge and enthusiasm of our leadership and Board,” said Root CEO/President, Steven Zuckerman. “Everyone came together so cohesively to discuss the future of Root.”

We believe that coming together as a team helps strengthen our organization so that we can continue to better serve our clients, staff, and the future of recovery in the years to come.

New Site Coming to Lafayette Street!

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:38:54 GMT

At the Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission meeting and Public Hearing in April, Root received UNANIMOUS approval to build a new site on Lafayette street, currently existing as parking lots, with the end goal of relocating our Main Street clinic operations to this new location. There were ZERO public comments that came forth against this plan during the hearing.

“We are beyond excited for our patients, staff, and ultimately, the Hartford community, to be able to bring this new state of the art healthcare facility to our capital,” said Steven Zuckerman , Root Center President & CEO.

More to come on renderings and anticipated opening date!

Root Center Welcomes First Talent Acquisition Specialist

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:30:24 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery is excited to welcome Spencer Duclos, MAIOP , to the team as our new Talent Acquisition Specialist. Before joining The Root Center, Spencer had been working in recruitment for six years across different industries. His experience has helped get a broad look at the recruitment process and to learn different strategies.

Spencer says he is looking forward to working with all of the different teams, and helping the organization grow!

WFSB Ch3 Features Root Center To Weigh In On Breaking Narcan News

jwilliams@thewalkergroup.com (Nicholas Ricard) — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:27:02 GMT

Major news coming out in March, the FDA has announced that Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug, will now be readily available over the counter at many locations like grocery stores, gas stations, and online. This is HUGE for the future of recovery.

Our President/CEO, Steven Zuckerman, met with WFSB TV reporter, Ayah Galal, to explain why this is so important.

FOX61 Speaks One-On-One with Root Center COO About Breaking Narcan News

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:09:20 GMT

Our COO, Ben Metcalf, LCSW , was on FOX61/CW20 with Anchor, Tim Lammers, to talk about the latest news surrounding the FDA approval of Narcan being available over the counter! This is HUGE for the world of addiction.

Thanks for spreading awareness, FOX61, and thanks Ben for explaining more on the topic!

Root Center Breaks Ground On First Residential Treatment Facility

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:02:54 GMT

Get excited because we are continuing to grow and expand! In March, we broke ground in New Britain on what will be our FIRST residential facility. This facility will replace our former NB Clinic on Whiting Street.

It will be state-of-the-art, and offer patients a beautiful treatment center where they can continue their recovery. Root is committed to helping those who struggle with mental health and addiction because we are stronger together, and recovery is possible!

We anticipate opening the clinic in the summer of 2024. Thank you to all those who attended, including our media partners. Check out this recap from NBC Connecticut to see more on this exciting day.

ARI issues $100,000 Grant to Fund Youth Opioid Overdose Study | FIRST Ever Root Center Research Grant Recipient Selected

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:58:56 GMT

Our Advanced Recovery Institute, part of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery, is proud to provide $100,000 to UCONN to support the research project of Dr. Yifrah Kaminer for his study on: Youth Opioid Overdose: Implementing Overdose Suicide Risk Assessment Solutions. This grant is a first of its kind for Root Center, and we are thrilled that we are now able to support this academic research study to help advance research in mental health and addiction.

“This grant will hopefully establish a collaborative partnership between Root and The Department of Psychiatry at UConn Health,” said Dr. Kaminer. “This will be a research-based pathway for improvement of services. Our goal is to learn more about individuals, particularly adolescents, with substance use disorders, to mitigate complications, and in the most extreme outcomes, death.”

As the opioid epidemic continues to worsen, we at the Root Center know that this work is imperative. Our commitment is not only to patient care, but also to long-term success and solutions to try to alleviate this growing problem across our country.

“This study will help to address a critical gap in care for young adults with opioid use disorder who may be at higher risk for intentional or accidental overdose,” said Gabrielle Bostwick, Research Coordinator for Root. “Working closely with our clinicians and patients, the results of this study will be incorporated into our programs and help to identify young adults as high-risk for overdose and suicide.”

While the number of overdose deaths continues to increase, we are also starting to see younger age groups implicated in these harrowing statistics. “The ultimate goal, is to better understand the motivation and intention to prevent overdose among young adults with opioid use disorder (OUD),” said Bostwick.

“We are so proud and excited to play this integral role in not only supporting a local and prestigious academic institution such as UCCONN, but to also be a catalyst in moving such a key research endeavor from academia into Root. It is so inspiring,” said Steven Zuckerman , President and CEO of Root Center. “I also want to take the time to thank our Board of Directors who authorized use of our endowment to fund this first of its kind Root initiated research grant, without their continued support, this partnership would not have been possible.”

We look forward to following the progress of Dr. Kaminer and his UCONN research team and will keep you updated as the study evolves.

Congratulations again, University of Connecticut and Dr. Kaminer!

Root Center Breaks Ground On First Methadone Clinic In Middlesex County

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:56:33 GMT

Exciting things are happening at Root! In February, we broke ground on what will be Middlesex County’s FIRST & ONLY healthcare clinic to offer methadone, the most utilized treatment for opioid dependence! We can’t wait to bring another state-of-the-art facility to our state to continue helping those on their journey to recovery! Stay tuned for Spring of 2024 in Middletown! Thank you to our media partners who attended, here is more on the event from WTNH reporter, Tina Detelj.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/middlesex/ground-breaks-on-first-methadone-clinic-in-middlesex-county/

Root Center Welcomes New Director of Quality and Compliance

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 18:11:00 GMT

We are excited to welcome to Coley Jones, RN, as our new Director of Quality & Compliance! Coley comes to us with over 17 years’ experience working in healthcare in various capacities including as a HIV and Suboxone Nurse Case Manager at Holyoke Health Center, Director of Nursing and Director of the Ryan White HIV Program at Generations Family Health Center, and most recently, she opened a brand-new Dual Diagnosis Unit as Nurse Manager at ECHN. Through this experience, she has demonstrated a passion for person-centered care through evidenced-based practice and has developed an expertise in quality measure and compliance regulations. We know she will be an excellent addition to our growing team, and we look forward to her contributions to our mission to better serve addiction recovery and mental health!

Root Center for Advanced Recovery welcomes new Director of Strategic Initiatives

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 23:15:00 GMT

We are thrilled to welcome Tracy Oni to the “Root” family as our Director of Strategic Initiatives. Tracy has over 12 years of experience working in healthcare in various capacities which include research, operations, process improvement and management. She is passionate about promoting health equity and reducing barriers to care while enhancing the patient experience. Some roles that she has held include: Project Manager at Columbia University Medical Center, Operations Manager at Community Health Center, Inc. and most recently an Administrator at Baystate Health/High Street Health Center. We know that Tracy will be a wonderful addition to the team to help develop strategic projects that will facilitate continued growth while forming partnerships in the community that will augment the services that we provide to our more than 5,500 clients.

Virtual Hiring Event

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 21:16:00 GMT

Mark your calendars!

The year is coming to an end… have you been thinking about a career change? Join us for a VIRTUAL HIRING EVENT on December 7th from 8 AM – 3 PM (EST) to learn more about how the Root Center for Advanced Recovery might be a great fit for you or someone you know!

The post Virtual Hiring Event appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Community Forum: Thoughts on Safe Injection Sites in a Burgeoning Opioid Epidemic (recap below)

Mon, 09 May 2022 12:00:00 GMT

“Thoughts on Safe Injection Sites in a Burgeoning Opioid Epidemic”

As our country continues to grapple with the surging number of overdose deaths across our country, now topping 100,000 in the past year alone, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery is looking to open up discussions on how to better to serve our community at large, and those who struggle with Substance Use Disorder.

Our program will be moderated by, Dr. Joseph Podolski, Root Center Chief Medical Officer, and will include many others from the area who will join to share their opinions, expertise, and insight. The panelists include, Mark Jenkins, Executive Director of the CT Harm Reduction Alliance, Dr. Steven Wolf, Former Chair of St. Francis Hospital’s ED, initiated the first Suboxone induction program in the ED in the state, Peter Canning, EMS coordinator at UCONN and author promoting safe injection sites, Alina Kahn, University of Maryland student who has written in favor of legislation around safe injection sites, Patricia Rehmer, former commissioner of Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and former President of Hartford Healthcare Behavioral Health Network, and Nicole Bell, a former New Britain clinic client.

We are opening this event up to the community to join in the conversation. We welcome all opinions, and want this to be an informative and educational discussion that can help grow the journey to recovery for the hundreds of thousands who suffer, including the more than 5,500 patients the Root Center serves on a daily basis.

———-

In case you missed it, our Advanced Recovery Institute’s first community forum was a great success last night! ARI is a new entity of the Root Center that is committed to research and training to elevate clinical care. The forum’s topic was on Safe Injection Sites, and we thank our panelists, and also State Senator Saud Anwar, for attending and sparking such an important conversation that we hope will lead to helping more people in the future. Change starts with having a conversation. If you’d like to watch the forum, click here .

Root Center Celebrates Expanded Teen and School-Based Services

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:30:00 GMT

Manchester, CT – April 13, 2022 – The Root Center for Advanced Recovery, one of Connecticut’s leading mental health and substance-use treatment organizations and oldest nonprofit agencies, has been increasing its “footprint” in teen services to help address a growing mental health crisis and record overdose deaths among teens nationwide. A March 2022 CDC report put forth that 4 in 10 teens (40%) reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, with 1 in 5 (20%) saying they have contemplated suicide. A study released by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) on April 12, 2022, reported that teen overdose deaths more than doubled from 2010 to 2021, jumping from 518 to 1,146 deaths annually.

To help support the growing community need, the Root Center has expanded its IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) services, for both in-person and virtual treatment, as a way to provide more comprehensive mental health and/or addiction treatment. The organization has also initiated collaborations with numerous high schools in the region to support their need for more on-site clinical staff support due to the burgeoning crises. Through these school partnerships, the Root Center will be providing expert clinical staff at the schools to help support students on their “road to recovery.” And when those teens need more, the Root Center will be there, leveraging our 10 clinic locations across the state to support those teens that require intensive services outside of the school environment.

“We feel strongly about impacting our community in ways that can invoke change and recovery” said President & CEO Steven Zuckerman. “As behavioral health needs continue to change, our organization will continue to adapt to enhance and expand our clinical treatment service offerings, and become an even richer resource for our community.”

Root Center for Advanced Recovery is a holistic behavioral health center, headquartered in Manchester, CT, that serves over 5,500 patients each day. Root Center offers an array of treatment services for adolescents and adults with mental health and substance use disorders; services include medication assisted treatment, intensive outpatient programming, day treatment programming, outpatient therapy services, both in-person and virtual, and school-based services. Root Center began serving the community in 1871, and continues to create relationships that empower clients and support change. Center locations include Bristol, Hartford, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, New London, Norwich, Torrington, and Willimantic.

Root Center New Britain’s Grand Opening

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 18:54:00 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery, one of Connecticut’s leading mental health and substance-use treatment organizations and oldest nonprofit agencies, celebrated the opening of its purpose-built new clinic at 542 East Main Street in New Britain today.

The Root Center has been serving the New Britain community for nearly 40 years, treating more than 700 patients per day in its original facility at 70 Whiting Street. To accommodate the growing demand for its services and to support the introduction of new patient services, Root began looking for a new location in 2019 and after thoughtful planning and design work, broke ground in early 2021. The new 10,000 square foot facility is purpose-built, with four large and flexible group meeting rooms, 17 individual counseling offices, and a kids play area within line of sight for parents or guardians as they receive treatment.

Additional services to support varied facets of holistic recovery, in all its forms, will be strategically integrated into this site over the next few years. Root Center New Britain also plans to open the location up for free community events, including forums on pertinent topics facing our community, particularly as they relate to behavioral health, as well as recovery-based meetings.

Today’s celebration featured remarks about the critical importance of the Root Center’s work from New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, New Britain’s delegation to the State Legislature – Representatives Petit, Sanchez and Tercyzk, DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navarretta, and Root Center President & CEO Steven Zuckerman, along with personal reflections from both a patient and a Senior Counselor from the New Britain clinic.

“We are thrilled to open our beautiful new clinic and to offer our neighbors in New Britain easy access to our expert team and critical services.” said President & CEO Steven Zuckerman. “As behavioral health needs continue to change, our new facility will allow us to enhance and expand our clinical treatment service offerings, provide increased patient and community education, and become an even richer resource for the New Britain community.”

Root Center for Advanced Recovery is a holistic behavioral health center, headquartered in Manchester, CT, that serves over 5,500 patients each day. Root Center offers an array of treatment services for adolescents and adults with mental health and substance use disorders; services include medication assisted treatment, intensive outpatient programming, day treatment programming, outpatient therapy services, both in-person and virtual, and school-based services. Root Center began serving the community in 1871 and continues to create relationships that empower clients and support change. Center locations include Bristol, Hartford, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, New London, Norwich, Torrington, and Willimantic.

Root Center stepping up to help Ukraine

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 16:43:00 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery is so proud and honored to be able to donate $50,000 to Americares to help with relief efforts in the Ukraine. We salute the hard work that Americares does for those in need. Special thanks to their CEO, Christine Squires, and their Deputy SVP, Stephanie Kauffman.

Here are some words from our Root Center CEO & President, Steven Zuckerman:

We are certainly living in extremely challenging times. Each day that seems to pass I often find myself asking, “what else can happen?”. Well, I do not think anything has quite prepared me from what I have witnessed on TV, social media, and other news outlets over the past few weeks with respect to the war in Ukraine. The ongoing devastation has been horrific, to put it mildly. As we know in the behavioral health field, the trauma impacts, not to mention all the other innumerable challenges in putting lives back together almost from scratch, may very well last generations. This is a humanitarian crisis of the highest degree. We have also witnessed great strength from the Ukrainian citizens, great compassion from their neighbors, as well as from individuals from all over the world. I know the latter is always what gives me “hope”, our immense compassion as a human race, even when I find myself asking that internal question – “what else can happen?”.

“Root Center for Advanced Recovery” wanted to do their small part in helping the citizens of Ukraine as we witness so many desperately trying to flee the conflict. To that end, our Endowment Committee has approved a $50,000 donation to Americares, based in CT, which will facilitate that monetary donation directly for needed supplies and services for the citizens of Ukraine. “Root” stands with Ukraine.

Best,

Steven Zuckerman, Root Center CEO/President

Root Center for Advanced Recovery welcomes new Marketing Director

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:58:00 GMT

We are extremely excited to welcome Margaux Farrell to the “Root” family as our new Marketing Director. Margaux was previously a weekday morning news anchor at FOX61, where she also reported on special assignments. Margaux was an All-American swimmer at Indiana University, and then went on to earn a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games representing France, as she is also a dual-citizen. Margaux’s energy is off the charts, as is her desire to make an impact in non-profit behavioral health. She will be a huge asset to the organization as we continue to grow our services and reach broader communities.

Root Center for Advanced Recovery welcomes new Chief Medical Officer

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:57:00 GMT

We are extremely excited to announce the start of our new Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joseph Podolski. Dr. Podolski brings a vast wealth of clinical and administrative experience to “Root Center”. Most recently, Dr. Podolski held the title of Vice President of Behavioral Health & Chairman of Psychiatry at ECHN & Waterbury Hospital. To obtain someone of Dr. Podolski’s ilk and character, while still very much in the midst of an opioid epidemic, and pandemic, will certainly help to further bolster our support of the most vulnerable in our communities, as well as broaden the clinical training and acumen of our great staff.

Clinical Grand Rounds: October Edition – Pregnancy & Substance Abuse

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 20:35:00 GMT

In October’s Clinical Grand Rounds, Dr. Hank Nusbaum, a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and American Board of Addiction Medicine, who is also the Associate Medical Director at Root Center for Advanced Recovery, spoke about pregnancy and substance use disorder (SUD) as it pertains to individual risks to both the mother and the baby.

Chronic untreated opioid use can lead to serious risks, especially during pregnancy. If the substance use disorder remains untreated, it can lead to high-risk activities like prostitution, violence, sex for drugs, and more. When it comes to withdrawal and tapering, Dr. Nusbaum says that those methods can contribute to a higher relapse rate, which could end up resulting in a fatal overdose. Therefore, it is especially important to treat, as unintended pregnancy in women who suffer from SUD is 80 percent, compared to women who do not suffer from SUD, and have around a 25 percent chance.

Dr. Nusbaum says the key to a safe pregnancy for mothers who struggle with SUD, is to dose symptomatically, paying close attention to cravings and withdrawal. Dr. Nusbaum reiterated that there is nothing different in terms of treatment for pregnant women, compared to people who are not pregnant. He added that the medical assisted treatments (MAT) and intensive outpatient program (IOP), are safe for expecting mothers. Pregnant women have already been safely treated with methadone for more than 25 years. Dr. Nusbaum said that one thing that does further help with treatment, is patient counseling, and reassuring patients that their babies will benefit from a treatment program and following the guidance in place.

The goal of Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) in pregnant clients is to increase safety, eliminate adverse substance use behaviors, reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and support the well-being of the mother and child. Withdrawal management during pregnancy is critical, as withdrawal symptoms can contribute to pregnancy complications and mental and physical distress for the expectant mother. At Root Center for Advanced Recovery, you can be sure that you and your child are in good hands, and recovery is possible.

If you are interested in learning more about the services available at Root Center for Advanced Recovery go here:
https://rootcenter.org/services/pregnancy-program/

For more on future Clinical Grand Rounds presentations go here:
https://rootcenter.org/clinical-grand-rounds/

Root Center Middletown: Empowering the Courage and the Ability to Change

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 18:59:00 GMT

Root Center Middletown focuses on the whole person, compassionately delivering comprehensive mental health and substance use treatments. Using proven, evidence-based methods of treatment, we meet the client where he/she is and guide them to where they want to be. This video offers an overview of our clinic and the services we provide.

Employee Service Awards 2020+2021

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 19:54:00 GMT

We would like to congratulate the recipients of our Employee Service Awards for 2020 and 2021! The ceremony was held on Thursday, June 17th, in our Manchester location. One of our core values is to “Honor the Power in Everyone”; this includes our amazing staff on all of their hard work and dedicated service over the years! We are looking forward to continued growth over the many years to come. Thank you for all that you do. Please view the brochure from the event below to see the nominees for the years of service.

Root Center held our first-ever Legislative Breakfast!

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:06:00 GMT

Root Center hosted our first-ever Legislative Breakfast on April 27, 2021, with presentations from our CEO, Medical Director, and other key staff. Root Center leaders discussed the impact of COVID-19 on substance use in CT, telehealth as a tool for ongoing whole-client care, and community needs as we move past the pandemic and into the future. Legislators explored issues related to mental health and recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19 and discussed ways to manage obstacles in the field of behavioral healthcare. The event was a huge success! Thank you to Representative Geoff Luxenberg, Representative Tom Arnone, Representative Jill Barry, Representative Jason Rojas, and Representative William Petit for joining us! All in-person participants confirmed full vaccination prior to the event.

Root Center Donated $10K to the Prudence Crandall Center to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 19:47:00 GMT

Photo featuring (from left to right): Representative William Petit; Mayor Erin Stewart; Barbara Damon, Executive Director of the Prudence Crandall Center; Steven Zuckerman, President and CEO of Root Center; and Bruce Simons, Board President at Root Center.

Rates of domestic violence in Connecticut have surged with the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizations like the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain are being pushed beyond capacity as they work to support those in need. Root Center serves 750 patients each day in the New Britain area, many of whom also require support for domestic safety concerns, and we are partnering with the Prudence Crandall Center and donated $10,000 to support housing, services, and advocacy for those in need. Great things happen when nonprofits support nonprofits!

Rates of domestic violence in Connecticut have surged with the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizations like the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain are being pushed beyond capacity as they work to support those in need. Root Center serves 750 patients each day in the New Britain area, many of whom also require support for domestic safety concerns, and we are partnering with the Prudence Crandall Center and donated $10,000 to support housing, services, and advocacy for those in need. Root Center is proud to partner with Prudence Crandall Center in supporting survivors of domestic violence; we believe that sharing our strength empowers communities and fosters lasting, positive change. Great things happen when nonprofits support nonprofits!

Root Center for Advanced Recovery is a holistic behavioral health center, headquartered in Manchester, CT, with a large behavioral health center in New Britain. Our centers serve 5,500 patients across the state daily, with 750 patients served in the New Britain area each day. Root Center is committed to being responsive to community needs, and we are building a brand-new, sate-of-the-art behavioral health center at 542 East Main Street in New Britain to increase our ability to serve individuals in New Britain and surrounding areas; the new center is projected to open in January 2022! Our centers offer an array of treatment services for adolescents and adults with mental health and substance use disorders; services include medication assisted treatment, intensive outpatient programming, and outpatient therapy services. Root Center began serving the community in 1871, and continues to create relationships that empower clients and support change. Center locations include Bristol, Hartford, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, New London, Norwich, Torrington, and Willimantic.

#rootreason #nonprofitstrong #wedorecover #strongertogether

Photo featuring: Michelle Tenczar, Board President at the Prudence Crandall Center, Barbara Damon, Executive Director of the Prudence Crandall Center; Steven Zuckerman, President & CEO of Root Center; Gabby Gelinas, Clinic Supervisor of Root Center New Britain; and Bruce Simons, Board President at Root Center.

Root Center CEO, Steven Zuckerman, and Foodshare/CTFoodBank CEO, Jason Jakubowski, Teamed up for a Timely Conversation on Nonprofit Leadership and Collaboration

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:58:00 GMT

Steven Zuckerman, President and CEO of Root Center for Advanced Recovery, and Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Food Bank/Foodshare joined together in this timely conversation about nonprofit leadership and collaboration during times of stress. Jason and Steven reflect on the challenges facing our community this past year and explore how non-profits can support one another during times of uncertainty. It is a critical time to have conversations around leadership, collaboration, and community; amazing things happen when nonprofits support nonprofits!

Root Center donated $7k to St Vincent de Paul Place to support access to critical services and fight food insecurity in the Norwich area!

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:19:00 GMT

Photo 1 Featuring: Bruce Simons, Board President, Root Center for Advanced Recovery; Steven Zuckerman, President and CEO, Root Center for Advanced Recovery; Jillian Corbin, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul Place; Frank Manfredi, Board President, St. Vince de Paul Place

Access to essential services is the heart of a healthy community. Root Center is proud to enjoy a long-standing collaborative relationship with St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich in serving our community and ensuring access to core services that promote the health and wellbeing of those in need. In recognition of our ongoing partnership and joint dedication to serving the residents of New London and Windham counties, Root Center donated $7,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Place to help facilitate access to vital services and fight food insecurity in the Norwich and surrounding areas. We believe that sharing our strength empowers communities and fosters lasting, positive change. Great things happen when nonprofits support nonprofits!

Root Center Supports Vaccination Against COVID-19

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 17:14:00 GMT

As vaccines for COVID19 become available across the country, Root Center for Advanced Recovery would like to encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible and stop the spread of the virus. Together we can crush COVID!

A message from our Medical Director, Dr. Leonard Lev:

Root Center is hosting its first-ever Clinical Grand Rounds!

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 15:50:00 GMT

One of the core values of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery is “Embrace New Perspectives”. Continuing education and learning are a big part of it. We learn from our experiences, from each other, our colleagues, supervisors, and from specialists in our field and related areas. Our education is just beginning when we graduate from school. In clinical practice, our pursuit of learning can never stop, and it has no boundaries. It is truly rewarding to acquire new insight and to teach.

For the first time, as part of the agency’s on-going staff training curriculum, Root Center is offering a clinical Grand Rounds Series. This will be a series of in-house clinical lectures covering a range of topics important to our work. The topics for presentations have been selected for this year, and we are excited to expand the range of topics and expert speakers in the years to come! We invite staff to join us in this amazing growth opportunity! Together we can share knowledge, build skills, accomplish wonderful things! Please note that Root Center’s Clinical Grand Rounds is not open to the public at this time.

Root Center New Britain’s Ground-breaking Ceremony: Welcoming a Brand-New Behavioral Health Center to New Britain, CT!

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:11:00 GMT

Root Center’s ground-breaking ceremony for the brand-new behavioral health center in New Britain was a smashing success! We were joined by Mayor Erin Stewart, State Representative William Petit, CMHA, New Britain Recovers, the New Britain police department, and others in celebrating this important day! Thank you to our New Britain partners and neighbors for coming out to support us; we are proud to be a part of the New Britain community!

Photo One featuring: President of Root Center’s Board of Directors, Bruce Simons, State Representative William Petit, Mayor of New Britain, Erin Stewart, Root Center President & CEO, Steven Zuckerman, T-Long President, George Taweh, and Principal Architect at Tecton, Ted Cutler.

Photo two featuring: New Britain Mayor, Erin Stewart and Root Center President & CEO, Steven Zuckerman.

Photo three featuring: President of Root Center’s Board of Directors, Bruce Simons, State Representative William Petit, T-Long President, George Taweh, and Principal Architect at Tecton, Ted Cutler.

Root Center donated an additional $50,000 to Foodshare- with support totaling $100,000 this year to fight food insecurity in CT

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 18:42:00 GMT

Root Center presented a check for $50,000 to Foodshare today to help address food insecurity in Tolland and Hartford counties; this amounts to a total of $100,000 in support this year! Root’s donation will provide approx. 125,000 additional meals for local families. It’s a wonderful thing when non-profits support non-profits!

Featured in Video: Steven Zuckerman, CEO and President of Root Center for Advanced Recovery; Bruce Simons, Board President at Root Center; Jason Jakubowski, CEO of Foodshare.

Root Center staff volunteered at the 2020 Holiday Toy Drive-Thru!

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:21:00 GMT

Root Center staff volunteered at the 2020 Holiday Toy Drive-Thru this weekend and the event was a huge success! Root staff handed out toys to Hartford residents in need; thank you to the Urban League and our other community partners for making this amazing event possible! And a big thank you to our amazing Root … Root Center staff volunteered at the 2020 Holiday Toy Drive-Thru! Read More » The post Root Center staff volunteered at the 2020 Holiday Toy Drive-Thru! appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Dr. Leonard Lev featured in Webinar: FACING THE HOLIDAYS!

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 18:56:00 GMT

Our own Dr. Leonard Lev was featured in this timely webinar on Facing the Holidays. This recovery-oriented event was facilitated by the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce and numerous prestigious panelists who discussed issues related to recovery during the holiday season, offered tips to prepare for holiday stressors, and discussed ways to support loved ones during this important time of year. If you have questions or need support for a loved one this holiday season, reach out to us at Rootcenter.org or call 800-862-2181 today!

Welcoming new Board Members: Dr. Mariela Podolski and Dr. Carla Rash!!!

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 15:47:00 GMT

Root Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Mariela Podolski to our board of directors. Dr. Podolski is dually boarded in both adult and child/adolescent psychiatry, and is a prominent lecturer in the specialty of eating disorders. Dr. Podolski also has academic appointments at the University of New England and Quinnipiac University and is a bilingual provider. Root Center is grateful to have someone with Dr. Podolski’s acumen on our board of directors. Welcome, Dr. Podolski!

Root Center for Advanced Recovery is extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Carla Rash to our Board of Directors. Dr. Rash is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at UConn Health’s Division of Behavioral Health in Farmington, CT. Dr. Rash is a highly respected and world renowned researcher in the field of addiction. As our organization continues to expand its own research endeavors towards becoming a Center of Excellence for addiction treatment, Dr. Rash’ expertise and support will be invaluable. Welcome aboard!

Root Center hosted an virtual expert panel on COVID19 & Our Teens

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 19:00:00 GMT

Root Center held an expert panel exploring the impact of COVID19 on our teens and ways to support our youth through this difficult period. Anxiety, depression, and other challenges are on the rise. This timely discussion addressed issues of youth, wellness and recovery in the midst of the pandemic, hosted by an expert panel including Dr. Leonard Lev, Medical Director at Root Center, Dr. Mariela Podolski, Psychiatrist and Board Member at Root Center, and Tara Ferrante, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services at Root Center.

Root Center was honored to receive a donation from Cooperative Systems Inc!

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 19:29:00 GMT

Root Center was honored to receive a donation check from Cooperative Systems Inc. today after being sponsored at their 2020 Charity Golf Event! Thank you for supporting Root Center’s work and mission. We are proud to collaborate with Cooperative Systems to strengthen communities, deepen roots, and save lives! The post Root Center was honored to receive a donation from Cooperative Systems Inc! appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Root Center partnered with InterCommunity Health Center to provide FREE COVID TESTING to clients and staff!!!

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 17:24:00 GMT

Root Center was proud to partner with InterCommunity Health Center today to provide FREE COVID TESTING to clients and staff!!! Patients were offered drive through and walk up testing options. Thank you to all who participated in this fantastic event!!

Photo featuring: Steven Zuckerman, President & CEO of Root Center for Advanced Recovery; Ryan Fiddler, Francy Gutierrez, and Juan Laboy from InterCommunity; Jenn Succi, Chief Financial Officer at Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Middletown Grand Opening!!!

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the Grand Opening of Root Center Middletown last Friday! This socially distanced celebration featured an interactive tour of our beautiful new location, information on our services, a ribbon cutting, and comments from key figures including Mayor Florsheim, Representative Phipps, Middlesex Chamber President Larry McHugh, and CEO … Middletown Grand Opening!!! Read More » The post Middletown Grand Opening!!! appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Welcoming our new CFO, Jennifer Succi!!!

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 13:05:00 GMT

We are so thrilled to welcome Jennifer Succi, our new Chief Financial Officer at Root Center! Jenn brings a wealth of eclectic experience to the position and will be a key catalyst in helping to spearhead our continued transformational growth and evolution.

Beyond Sobriety: Integrated Holistic Healthcare in the Treatment of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 13:50:00 GMT

The post Beyond Sobriety: Integrated Holistic Healthcare in the Treatment of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Introducing our NEW Central Intake Line!!!

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 15:43:00 GMT

Introducing our NEW Central Intake Line!!!

Root Center donated $8k and partnered with St. Vincent de Paul Middletown to help fight hunger

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26:00 GMT

Hunger hits our community at its core. It impacts everything, undermining feelings of safety and security and creating strain in families and communities. The Root Center for Advanced Recovery recognizes the critical role that food security plays in our patient’s everyday lives, and for this reason, we have partnered with the St. Vincent de Paul … Root Center donated $8k and partnered with St. Vincent de Paul Middletown to help fight hunger Read More » The post Root Center donated $8k and partnered with St. Vincent de Paul Middletown to help fight hunger appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

The Benefits of Being a Collaborative Site for Clinical Research Studies

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 22:04:00 GMT

Rebecca Burke, MS

Over the years, Root Center for Advanced Recovery has participated in numerous research studies as a collaborating site. It has partnered with universities and national research organizations both across the country and in our own backyard including Yale University, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, UCLA, Oregon Science and Health University, and the University of Washington.

So why is this necessary? We know that research allows us to ask questions that lead to increasingly effective methods of addressing addiction . As the field of mental health and addiction treatment continues to change and evolve it’s important that clinical professionals remain up-to-date on research findings and data trends regarding patient outcomes and evidence-based practices. Root Center believes in the power of a research-driven approach to care and in so relies on clinical data including our very own research endeavors to continuously enhance our clinical practices.

So, what’s in it for our clients? Collaborating research sites like Root Center can offer their clients innovative and cutting-edge research treatment or interventions that wouldn’t otherwise be available for 5+ years. The treatment is often at no or low cost and participant compensation is often included. In addition, the research subject has a direct hand in improving treatment approaches by providing quality feedback.

There are many types of research programs that collaborating sites can participate in including clinical trials, which are at the center of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. In the case of Root Center, such treatments might be new drugs, new combinations of drugs and nonmedicinal treatment, or new ways to use existing treatments in order to address substance addiction and mental illness.

There are many goals clinical research trials may aim to reach including:

People chose to participate in clinical research for a variety of reasons. For many, it is the opportunity to receive the newest treatment along with the additional care and attention from clinical research trial staff. However, it is also a unique opportunity for people (both patients and healthy volunteers) to help others and contribute to moving science forward. It is important to note that while some studies may directly benefit participants, perhaps through promising new treatments or intervention, others do not directly benefit participants, but may help scientists learn better ways to help people.

Clinical research studies may also be a great addition to a client’s current treatment regimen. For example, a client may want to quit smoking cigarettes or is looking for alternative treatment approaches to address anxiety. There are many no-cost smoking cessation studies right here in Connecticut along with studies looking at the effects of yoga and mindfulness practice exercises on individual stress levels.

There are strict rules put in place for clinical studies by the National Institutes of Health and the FDA. These rules include the confidentiality of each research participant and ensuring that personal information is seen only by those authorized to have access. The personal identity and medical information of clinical trial participants are known only to the individual patient and researchers and results from a study will not include the identity of the research participants.

So, how can you learn about current research studies? Root Center is currently working with local universities on some new collaborative research initiatives. Once recruitment begins, we will reach out to clinic supervisors to identify clients who may benefit. National research organizations and universities may also offer lists of current research studies and trial locators like those listed below.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Locator

Yale University

Institute of Living (IOL) Clinical Trials Unit

UConn Health Clinical Trials

NAMI CT

Hartford Healthcare

If you would like to learn more about clinical research studies or have ideas for future research endeavors, please contact Rebecca at Root Center for Advanced Recovery ( Rebecca.Burke@rootcenter.org ).

Root Center Service Awards 2020!!!

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 20:14:00 GMT

The post Root Center Service Awards 2020!!! appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Tackling the Transition: Managing Anxiety and Coping with Change in the midst of COVID-19 ❤

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:02:00 GMT

COVID-19 has changed our everyday lives, and new stressors are emerging as we begin to reopen businesses and build a new normal.

Join us in an exploration of resilience and coping in the midst of COVID-19. Discuss challenges, learn coping strategies, and empower yourself to tackle the transition. Our FREE Webinar streamed live on Tues, 6/23 at 11am!

Feel free to catch us on the recording and call with any questions! Keep an eye out for more awesome webinars and free content!

For more resources on COVID-19 visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

CTFSN Interview with Emilie Held: COVID-19 and Families

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:01:00 GMT

Root Center’s Emilie Held joined CTFSN for a conversation about managing family stress, coping with triggers, and accessing care during the COVID19 crisis. Join us in discussing COVID-19 & reach out to ask questions or your thoughts!

Integrating the Treatment of Co-Occurring Disorders

Sun, 10 May 2020 21:50:00 GMT

There is no shortage in publications, guidelines, and statistical data reinforcing the importance of addressing the treatment of co-occurring disorders. Recently published SAMSHA TIP 42 (Substance Use Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders) guidelines once again bring this topic into focus. Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are co-joined in a seemingly never-ending variability with manifestation across the lifespan. These disorders are especially prevalent among patients seeking treatment for addiction. Several reasons have been implicated, among these are predisposing genetic factors and single brain abnormality, brain damage caused by one issue that predisposes the patient to another, symptomatic manifestation of mental illness by addiction behavior, mental illness undermining coping skills and resulting in addiction or vice versa, overlapping environmental triggers, and others.

We know that the treatments for addiction and mental health disorders should be delivered at the same time. While textbooks advise ruling out substance-induced mental illness through monitoring for subsiding anxiety, mood, or psychotic disorders during a period of sobriety, in my practical experience, this is not usually possible. The timing is critical, and we often only get one opportunity to draw a patient into treatment. From frontlines at Root Center for Advanced Recovery, we understand that patient retention in Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders often directly depends on the patients’ engagement in individual counseling, group therapy, and medication management for mental illness. Furthermore, mental health symptoms that start as substance-induced at one point, tend to persist as a separate issue even once sobriety has been achieved.

Providing mental health treatment in the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) setting offers some unique challenges and opportunities. Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, and particularly Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, both acute and chronic, are the predominant mental health problems observed by our clinicians among the patient population in our OTP. There is a historical belief within our field that sobriety will solve all of a patient’s other problems, and while such conceptualization is a driving and motivating force in the treatment of SUDs, it is usually an erroneous assumption. Promoting self-determination and responsibility for success to our patients and utilizing multiple tools for positive reinforcement help to empower our patients in succeeding in maintenance treatment.

Patients with SUDs often experience hopelessness and negative self-image, which is perpetuated by stigma in society and difficulty in achieving a stable socio-economic status due to past legal problems, a broken employment record, and a lack of supportive social connections. These difficulties can negatively impact patient behaviors and attitudes, and adversely impact adherence to treatment. It is not pure abstinence that creates sustained and meaningful recovery but changing the prerequisite behaviors that often drive the patient’s prognosis and the likelihood of achieving sustained recovery.

At Root Center for Advanced Recovery, we witness that once a patient is effectively engaged in treatment for addiction, it promotes their engagement and retention in the treatment of mental illness and vice versa. When we say that there should not be a “wrong door” for patients to access treatment, we also say that there is no “wrong door” for providers to engage the patient. On the bright side, we can see that our patients are more likely to engage in mental health treatment if it is provided in the same clinical setting where they receive their treatment for SUD. This is because there is already a level of trust with the provider, the client has familiarity with clinical setting and staff, and hopefully, the client has received some positive feedback from peers and programming and progress. And most importantly, the patient is more likely to engage in mental health services after becoming established in their SUD treatment program, because they will have established the habit of leaving home and coming to the clinic for Methadone or Buprenorphine programming, which eliminates one of the most common barriers – hesitancy to take action.

The clinical progress is not parallel or congruent, and the course of mental illness does not follow the course of a SUD in step. Among patients at Root Center for Advanced Recovery, we frequently observe a seesaw pattern in exacerbation of mental illness at the time when a patient achieves sobriety , when it becomes unmasked, or when a patient is now dealing with “the morning on the battlefield” with overwhelming memories, emotions, anger, guilt, and remorse. This is important to mention here, as it is not just in the beginning of treatment, but repeatedly and frequently throughout the treatment process that mental health screening and evaluation must take place. While SUDs often follow a familiar pattern through stages of change and manifest in measurable progress, mental illness is never static; the symptoms evolve and transform; wax and wane, and the patient’s ability to cope continues to evolve as well throughout his or her lifespan.

Finally, it is important to note that there are complexities in addressing co-occurring disorders that must be recognized and considered throughout the treatment process. These include the complex effects of medication-assisted treatment, the incidence of opioid-induced low-testosterone and other psychosomatic issues, and significant interactions that can occur between co-prescribed medications and MAT medications. These factors bring another level of complexity to addressing co-occurring disorders in the treatment of substance use disorders.

Root Center for Advanced Recovery is committed to treating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders in a comprehensive, holistic, and client-centered manner. It is with this focused, holistic approach and with the understanding that SUDs and mental health treatments cannot be separated because the quality of the patient’s life remains the same, single denominator, that our medical and clinical teams at Root Center are promoting regular screening for mental health conditions among OTP patients. Psychiatric treatment has been made available to our patients for many years. Several measures will be further introduced in near future to expand screening and further improve access to treatment for patients who need mental health counseling or psychiatric support. Our goal is to completely integrate the treatment of substance use and co-occurring disorders at Root Center for Advanced Recovery, and we are fully dedicated to that mission.

Leonard Lev, MD
Medical Director
Root Center for Advanced Recovery

Norwich Reopening – Ribbon Cutting 1/13 at 10am

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 16:08:00 GMT

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20200106/norwich-methadone-treatment-facility-seeks-to-reopen-by-end-of-january

Norwich Reopening

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 16:06:00 GMT

http://www.theday.com/article/20191231/NWS01/191239899

Community Forum on the State of Vaping Jan 23rd at 5:30 in Manchester

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 15:31:00 GMT

Vaping Panel Flyer Updated

The post Community Forum on the State of Vaping Jan 23rd at 5:30 in Manchester appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Middletown is OPEN for business

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 19:19:00 GMT

Root Center has opened its newest location at 520 Saybrook Rd in Middletown, CT

We are Currently accepting adults and teens for treatment of mental health and/or substance use related problems. We are in network with several insurance providers including Husky. Email us at info@rootcenter.org or stop in Monday through Friday to see us. We can be reached at 860-740-8132. Stay tuned for news and info on our Grand Opening Celebration.

Norwich Re-Opening!!

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 18:42:00 GMT

The Renovations are Complete…
The Root Center’s Norwich Clinic is set to reopen. Please join us for a celebration and to tour the new facility.
Monday, January 13th, 10am
Root Center for Advanced Recovery Norwich Clinic
772 West Thames Street Norwich, CT 06360

Norwich_Clinic_Opening_Postcard_Half_Page

2019 Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 17:34:00 GMT

Root Center staff outdid themselves this year in the Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Each year the clinics become more creative and competitive!Congratulations to our Henderson Johnson Clinic with their entry of Cinderella !

Middletown Clinic

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 19:25:00 GMT

Due to our tremendous growth and the need for services, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery is pleased to announce the opening of our newest clinic, located in Middletown, CT.
The new location allows us to give a wider range of services to people in or near Middlesex County. The Middletown clinic is dedicated to providing the best, most client centered care to adults and teens. We are laying down new roots in Middletown with an expanded array of Substance use and Mental Health services for adults and teens.

The post Middletown Clinic appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

September Employee of the Month

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 19:08:00 GMT

Congratulations to our September Employee of the Month Sue Perry for demonstrating our core value honor the power in everyone. Sue’s compassion and dedication to help those with addiction is evident by her continuous efforts towards our mission as she lives the Root Center’s values.

CCAR 20th Annual Recovery Walk

Sat, 21 Sep 2019 18:37:00 GMT

The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) envisions a world where the power, hope and healing of recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction is thoroughly understood and embraced. CCAR began hosting the annual “Recovery Walks!” celebration in 2000 and the Root Center for Advanced Recovery ( Trade name of the Hartford Dispensary ) has a been a proud sponsor for the last five years!

Overdose Awareness Day

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 16:45:00 GMT

Two of Root Center’s esteemed Board Members, Dr. Surita Rao and Dr. Michie Hesselbrock, pose in their “Root Center for Advanced Recovery” Opioid Awareness Day t-shirts while working at UCONN’s Department of Psychiatry on Thursday, August 29th

Happy Anniversary

Sat, 07 Sep 2019 16:56:00 GMT

On September 7th, Root Center for Advanced Recovery celebrated its ONE year anniversary !! In recognition of this milestone clinics and staff enjoyed tasty treats provided by our Employee Recognition Committee.

Root Reason

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 18:22:00 GMT

We are excited to announce our newest campaign to highlight our rebranding on social media! We chose the hashtag: #RootReason to share and highlight what our team does best, and why we do it! We will be coming to your clinic with some fun photo opportunities to share some of the important day to day reasons we all choose behavioral health and substance use. #RootReason will be launched this month to coincide with International Overdose Awareness day which the agency will observe on 8/28/2019. What better way to share your story with the world? Why do you do the work that you do? We want your #RootReason!

International Overdose Awareness Day

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 17:17:00 GMT

Across the state our clinics and staff observed International Overdose Awareness Day by wearing the color purple.Today we honor those that we lost and honor the ability to change in those that can.#overdoseawarness #honortheabilitytochange #RootReason

August Employee of the Month

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 18:13:00 GMT

Congratulations to our August Employee of the Month Raul !

Raul is an exemplary employee, going above and beyond. On a daily basis, Raul upholds the integrity of the Root Center and promotes the highest of Root Center’s core values, including “Renewing ourselves to share our strength.” Raul models high performance all the time. He is always willing to make an extra stop, or take a detour at a moment’s notice, whenever unforeseen obstacles present themselves.

Walking Our Talk: Preventing Burnout and Vicarious Trauma

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 15:30:00 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery would like to thank Mara Gottlieb, PhD, LMSW for her presentation and training, “Walking Our Talk: Preventing Burnout and Vicarious Trauma”. The term burnout and vicarious trauma is extremely common for therapists and other social service providers to experience throughout the course of their careers.

“Vicarious Trauma” is the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by another or the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person.” – C. Figley, 1995

July Employee of the Month

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 16:15:00 GMT

Congratulations to our July Employee of the Month, Jessica Guzman, as she exemplifies our core value, “Embrace New Perspectives.” Jessica leads by example by often making great recommendations on how to improve the services provided at the Root Center.

Ice Cream Social

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 13:30:00 GMT

The full scoop on how the Root Center stays cool in the summer ! To beat the heat our clinical and administration teams enjoyed a cool treat during our ice cream social .

The post Ice Cream Social appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

June Employee of the Month

Sat, 29 Jun 2019 17:00:00 GMT

Huge congratulations to Emily Stockwell for receiving the employee of the month award for June! Her continuous hard work and dedication is evident to her patients and her team by her daily work ethic as she exemplifies the core values of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.
Specifically, Emily continuously exhibits our core value, “Embrace new perspectives.” Emily began as an intern at the New Britain Clinic and was quickly offered a counseling position in October of 2017, even before the end of her internship program. The New Britain Clinic staff will tell you that Emily is the first to volunteer to assist staff, or take on additional responsibilities, which she executes flawlessly.

2019 NASW Leadership Meeting

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 18:48:00 GMT

Vice President of Operations and regional representative for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Amy DiMauro spoke on Capitol Hill this afternoon during the 2019 NASW leadership meeting. The association is lobbying in favor of three large mental health initiatives to focus on access to behavioral healthcare and to address workplace violence. DiMauro is pictured with State Representative Joe Courtney, sponsor of the Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare bill and to address the abuse and neglect of children at our borders.

Diane Impronto celebrates 43 years

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 18:10:00 GMT

On June 26th the Root Center honored Diane Impronto’ s retirement with a celebration at Casa Mia in Berlin. It was a wonderful evening and a great way to recognize Diane’s many contributions to the organization over 43 years of service. As part of the evenings’ festivities, the newly finished 2nd Floor room at the Manchester Administrative offices was dedicated to Diane and will hereby be known as the “Diane Impronto Training & Education” room.

The post Diane Impronto celebrates 43 years appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Open House

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:38:00 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery (a trade name of the Hartford Dispensary ) would like to thank everyone that attended our Open House as we introduced our new brand and expanded services to the larger community. We continue to develop as the core of our care; relationships driven by compassion and critical intervention which empower the courage and ability to change.

The post Open House appeared first on Root Center for Advanced Recovery .

Open House

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:56:00 GMT

Since we began as Hartford Dispensary, in the Hartford back office of Dr. Joseph Root, we’ve been severing the most pressing health needs of our communities.

Today, we’ve adopted Dr. Root’s name as we begin the next chapter of our work, expanding our services and outreach to more communities and populations.

Come join us for hors d’oeuvres and refreshment and presentation on the re-branding of our name. For more information, please contact Ashley Ouellette, Director, Human Resources at Ashley.Ouellette@rootcenter.org

Learn More.
Hear about our expanded services, job opportunities & internship programs.

Explore More
Come see our renovated 2nd floor, including our new Training and & Education Room.

Socialize More.
Come network with your neighbors

The River 105.9

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 13:52:00 GMT

President and CEO Steven Zuckerman takes a few moments to chat with The River 105.9 and expound on topics related to our services and recent rebranding, as well as behavioral health issues facing our communities.

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery (formally known as the Hartford Dispensary) offers addiction treatment services that include medication assisted treatment, intensive outpatient counseling, and mental health services for nearly 6,000 patients per day. In addition, the organization has added services for adolescents that will allow the agency to treat a diverse array of emerging addictions starting at an earlier developmental stage.

https://theriver1059.iheart.com/content/2019-05-30-the-root-center-for-recovery/

May Employee of the Month

Fri, 31 May 2019 18:03:00 GMT

Congratulations to our May Employee of the Month ,Diane Impronto for living our value- renewing ourselves to share our strength.

Diane has been devoted to the organization for over 40 years and has had an integral role in our agency’s mission and assisted with the organizational culture. She has worn many hats over the years, with playing a role in many different facets of the agency. With new management to the agency, her role has changed but her attitude has not. She has always demonstrated the team player attitude, one would want in their department. Coming on board in a new position can be a challenge, but her professionalism and willingness, has made it easier to become acclimated to the organization.

SERAC Conference

Fri, 31 May 2019 15:45:00 GMT

Friday May 31st, Dr. Lev made a presentation at SERAC conference on Intersection of Opioids and Suicide in Mystic Hilton. The picture was taken before the panel meeting with DMHAS Commissioner and representatives from other agencies.

IHeart Radio

Mon, 20 May 2019 15:09:15 GMT

Root Centers President and CEO Steven Zukerman spoke live on IHeart Radio on Monday 4/20/2019 to discuss the development of our adolescent IOP program. This intensive therapeutic program is available at all 8 clinic locations across the state. Each clinic offers a safe and clean environment with professional staff that are trained to engage at risk youth who present with substance use issues. Substance use among youth can lead to problems at school, cause or aggravate physical and mental health-related issues, promote poor peer relationships, cause motor-vehicle accidents, and place stress on the family. They can also develop into lifelong issues such as substance dependence, chronic health problems, and social and financial consequences.

2019 Service Awards

Sat, 18 May 2019 15:10:24 GMT

The Root Center held its first annual Service Award Celebration on Tuesday, May 14th to recognize employees reaching milestone years of service. A catered reception set the tone for an evening of celebration with the employees and their guests, along with members of the Board, Administration and Management.

Nightingale Award

Thu, 16 May 2019 15:11:26 GMT

The nightingale award is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve and is awarded to nurses or nursing aides for “exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster”. The Root Center for Advanced Recovery is proud to announce this year’s recipient Lisa Barbati. Lisa Barbati has devoted herself to a career of care, providing the Root Center for Advanced Recovery with 20 years of nursing experience. As an agency that focuses on mental health and addiction services, Lisa has proven to be a dedicated employee assisting individuals on their path to recovery. The journey to recovery is difficult as it presents obstacles that in some cases can be life threatening. With 50,000 people dying every year and 1,000 overdoses each day, there is no denying that the opioid epidemic has affected many communities here in Connecticut. Henderson Johnson, where Lisa is primarily deployed, supports approximately 800 clients daily for methadone maintenance, mental health, and education on eliminating the stigma of substance disorder.

April Employee of the Month

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:13:20 GMT

Congratulations to Lisa for consistently exemplifying our core value,

“Honor the power in everyone.”

Her coworkers will tell you that “she always takes the time to meet with patients, whether it’s to congratulate them on their successes or explain concerns, her goal is always to provide quality care in a manner that patients can understand.”

Representative Ritter tours Doctor’s Clinic

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 15:14:32 GMT

Root Center’s CEO and President Steven Zuckerman, alongside Medical Director Dr. Leonard Lev, met on April 12th with State Representative and House Majority Leader, Matthew D. Ritter, at Doctor’s Clinic, to tour the site and discuss the inequitable methadone treatment reimbursement rates. Doctor’s Clinic is one of our three Hartford locations and supports approximately 700 clients. Representative Ritter serves the Hartford District.

March Employee of the Month

Sat, 30 Mar 2019 15:15:32 GMT

NATCON 2019

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:18:57 GMT

The Root Center For Advanced Recovery is proud to be part of this years National Conference for Behavioral Health ( NATCON) held in Nashville Tennessee . Our CFO Christine Geraci and HR Director Ashley Ouellette are available to answer all of your questions.

Lecture at University of Saint Joseph

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 16:20:07 GMT

Dr. Leonard Lev, Root Center Medical Director, and University of Saint Joseph’s professor Dr. Kathryn Henderson, after lecture at McDonough Hall. Dr. Lev provided a lecture and workshop on collaboration with Psychiatrists and medication management practices to a current graduate class of professional counselors at Saint Joseph’s University.

Escape the Room

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 16:21:12 GMT

Congratulations to our Henderson -Johnson clinical staff for winning the employee engagement survey participation contest ! Staff members won an outing at a local escape the room.

Norwich Bulletin

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 16:22:30 GMT

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery has provided a continuum of care to the Norwich community for over 35 years. To ensure the safety of its clients and staff, the agency was faced with the difficult decision to close the Norwich clinic location. President and CEO Steven Zuckerman discusses this obstacle in depth with the Norwich Bulletin.

https://lnkd.in/gJ4zp_a

February Employee of the Month

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:47:11 GMT

Congratulations to our Employee of the Month Allison Smith for demonstrating our mission vision and values

Norwich Clinic Update

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:53:29 GMT

Our top priority has always been the health, safety and recovery of our clients.

During recent renovations to our Norwich facility, contractors discovered problems with the building that two separate engineers later confirmed were structural and posed a danger to anyone in the building. Based on the recommendations of the engineers and with the safety of our clients and staff our top priority, we have temporarily closed the Norwich facility while repairs are made to ensure the structural integrity of the building. These repairs are expected to take 10-12 months.

All Norwich staff have been temporarily relocated to our Willimantic or New London office. Our clients should go to either the Willimantic office (54-56 Boston Post Road) or our New London office (931 Bank Street) to continue their treatments.

There is nothing more important to us than your continued recovery. If you are in need of assistance in navigating transportation resources to Willimantic or New London, we will help you. Please call the Norwich Program Supervisor at 860-886-0446 or New London Program Supervisor at 860-447-2233.

We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause. We are committed to ensuring that your recovery and treatment stay on track until the Norwich office is reopened.

Steven Zuckerman, President & CEO

State Human Service Committee Meeting and Hearing

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 16:51:15 GMT

President and CEO Steven Zuckerman provided testimony at the on February 19, 2019 to discuss additional Medicaid rate support for methadone maintenance treatment.

” We receive the lowest state Medicaid rate for methadone maintenance at $75.80 per client per week. I believe the rate is a consequence of previous historical rates which were established at a time when the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services provided state grant dollars for such service. These grant dollars, as well as federal grant dollars, have all but disappeared. Despite that, all providers, regardless of their weekly rate, must comply with the same federal, state, and accreditation requirements. Since that time, treatment continues to change and evolve, especially as we navigate through what has been an opioid epidemic. New opportunities for treatment have been approved and exhibiting success with the opioid dependent client but are services that we cannot currently offer. These alternative forms of medication assisted treatment (MAT) require more resources to manage and oversee, but our weekly rate is already well below the cost for our Medicaid clients.”

http://ct-n.com/ctnplayer.asp?odID=16038&jump=1:06:58

Lunch and Learn

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 16:52:51 GMT

“Our youth are experiencing relationships of different levels for the very first time.” Clinical Director Paul Cancro explains to our interns, at today’s Lunch and Learn. Todays discussion focused on our Adolescent IOP program.

If you have an adolescent family member or friend in need of substance use treatment services, we can help.

Ages 13 – 17
Daily groups focused on substance use education and relapse prevention
Support from peers and family members
Healthy environment
Licensed, experienced and compassionate counselors

Please email our team at adolescentiop@rootcenter.org so that we may assist in the coordination of the most appropriate level of care.

January’s Employee of the Month

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 17:54:32 GMT

January Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Jeffrey Cincotta on becoming January’s Employee of the Month! Jeffrey has been a dedicated employee since 2005 serving as a counselor at our Doctors Clinic located in Hartford.

Root Center’s Employee Holiday Party!

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:57:34 GMT

President/ CEO Steven Zuckerman giving his welcome remarks.

The Executive Leadership Team (from left to right): Christine Geraci, CFO, Dr. Leonard Lev, Medical Director, Steven Zuckerman, President/CEO, Ashley Ouellette, HR Director, Karen Butterworth-Erban, Vice President of Operations

Board members & their guests enjoying the night!

Senator Gerratana, Representative Petit & Representative Tercyak visit the New Britain Clinic!

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:59:11 GMT

We are committed to addressing critical social issues surrounding opioid addiction. On December 17th, President & CEO Steven Zuckerman and Medical Director, Dr. Leonard Lev joined Senator Gerratana, Representative Petit and Representative Tercyak at our New Britain Clinic to discuss additional Medicaid rate support for methadone maintenance treatment.

Left to Right: Dr. Lev, Senator Terri Gerratana, Representative Peter Tercyak , Steven Zuckerman, and Representative William Petit

The Root Center gets in the Halloween Spirit!

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 17:09:23 GMT

The 2018 Halloween Season was filled with pumpkin decorating, costumes & fun for our staff & patients!

Great costumes & creativity to all of our staff! The bar is set high for next year’s Halloween!

Dave Louden Joins Root Center for Advanced Recovery Board of Directors

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 17:13:41 GMT

Left to Right: Dave Louden, Steven Zuckerman, President & CEO, and Bruce Simons, Chairperson

MANCHESTER, CT – October 19, 2018 – Dave Louden, Co-Founder and Partner at Fathom, was named today to the Board of Directors for the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

Over the past year, Dave and the Fathom team have collaborated with the Root Center team to develop a new narrative, name, visual identity and brand strategy for the organization that had been known as the Hartford Dispensary for nearly 150 years.

“In our work together, we have built a strategic partnership with Dave and his colleagues at Fathom,” said Root Center President & CEO Steven Zuckerman. “As we seek to expand our services and our impact with new locations across the state, Dave will bring a crucial perspective and expertise to our board.”

Senator Formica visits the Root Center’s New London Clinic

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:15:46 GMT

Left to right: Karen Butterworth-Erban, Vice President of Operations, Senator Paul Formica, Steven Zuckerman, President/CEO and Dr. Leonard Lev, Medical Director

On Wednesday, October 17th, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery had the pleasure of providing an onsite tour to State Senator, Paul Formica, at our New London Clinic to learn about our behavioral health services. We thank Senator Formica for his time and support!

Senator Formica represents part of southeastern Connecticut in the Connecticut Senate, including the towns of Bozrah, East Lyme, Montville (part) New London, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Salem, and Waterford.

Senator Cathy Osten & State Representative Kevin Ryan visit the Norwich Clinic

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:14:49 GMT

Left to Right: Andrew Lautenberger, Clinic Supervisor, Steven Zuckerman, President/CEO, Kevin Ryan, State Representative, Cathy Osten, Senator, and Dr. Leonard Lev, Medical Director.

Senator Cathy Osten represents the 19 th District including communities of Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich & Sprague.

State Representative Kevin Ryan serves the towns of Bozrah, Montville and Norwich in the 139th House District.

On Wednesday, October 17 th , The Root Center for Advanced Recovery had the pleasure of providing an onsite tour to State Senator, Cathy Osten and State Representative, Kevin Ryan at our Norwich Clinic to learn more about our behavioral healthcare services. We thank Senator Osten and State Representative Ryan for their time and support!

After Nearly 150 years, Hartford Dispensary is Laying Down New Roots

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 17:16:46 GMT

MANCHESTER, CT – October 03, 2018 – The Hartford Dispensary, one of Connecticut’s leading addiction treatment organizations and oldest nonprofit agencies, announced today that it is changing its name to Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

“In response to the exploding opioid crisis, we have grown to include 10 locations across Connecticut, and have expanded our addiction and mental health services,” said President & CEO Steven Zuckerman. “As we continue to grow and add services to meet our communities’ needs, we wanted a new name— to acknowledge that we are and will continue to expand beyond what we have been known for.”

The Root Center for Advanced Recovery name pays homage to one of the Hartford Dispensary’s founders, Dr. Joseph E. Root, who treated patients who could not afford private medical care from his Pearl Street office. The Hartford Dispensary was established in 1871 as Connecticut’s first outpatient medical clinic.

After 100 years of providing diverse medical services, the organization’s leadership saw a critical unmet need and in 1971, created a program exclusively focused on treating heroin addiction. Over the past 47 years, the organization has remained focused on this mission and become one of the leading opioid treatment organizations in the country.

Today, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery offers addiction treatment services that include medication assisted treatment, intensive outpatient counseling, and mental health services for nearly 6,000 patients per day. In addition, the organization is adding services for adolescents and to treat a diverse array of emerging addictions.

Headquartered in Manchester, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery has clinics in: Bristol, Hartford (3 locations), Manchester, New Britain, New London, Norwich, Torrington, and Willimantic. In addition, the Root Center is actively working to add new locations across the state to serve more communities and to further partner with other medical professionals who are facing growing addiction challenges with their patients.

Root Center’s New Britain Clinic staff participated in the 19th Annual CT Community for Addiction Recovery Walk (CCAR)

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 17:18:17 GMT

Recovery is a Battle that Always Requires Active Work

From Left to Right: Amanda Trehern, James Classon, Erica Cahn, & Emily Stockwell

The New Britain Clinic staff participated in the 19 th Annual CT Community for Addiction Recovery Walk (CCAR) .

The CCAR Recovery walk strives to end discrimination surrounding addiction and recovery. The recovery walk brings the community and providers together to support awareness, opening new doors and removing barriers to recovery.

Root Center’s Norwich Clinic Staff Attend Matt’s Mission Event

Sat, 08 Sep 2018 17:21:06 GMT

It was a great day for community outreach at Matt’s Mission . On September 8 th , the Root Center for Advanced Recovery Staff from the Norwich Clinic attended the event, Matt’s Mission at the Veteran’s Park in Jewitt City, CT.

Matt’s Mission is a small organization of people who are active in trying to get information and resources out to the community for those in need of recovery services. The event included several speakers including someone from the police department, and several people who are successful in recovery.

Back Row: Abigail Thurlow & Carleigh Hannah. Front Row: Rachel Smith & Jennifer Blanchette.

From Left to Right: Rachel Smith, Sally McDowell and Jennifer Blanchette

Root Center for Advanced Recovery’s Launch Event

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 17:23:47 GMT

On September 7, 2018, the Hartford Dispensary launched it’s new name & logo by celebrating with staff with a presentation & luncheon.

The event was hosted at the Adams Mills Restaurant where staff were able to listen to President/ CEO, Steven Zuckerman, on the past, present and future state of the company.

The new name, The Root Center for Advanced Recovery, was chosen to better reflect the services we offer and the ability to grow the services in the future.

New initiatives include expanding the agency’s service lines, to launch the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program this coming Fall. More details will be shared in the upcoming weeks to come.

We look forward to sharing the full vision and strategy for the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.

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Henderson Johnson Clinic’s Annual Car Wash Fundraiser

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 17:27:20 GMT

Honk for Awareness, & Get Your Car Washed!

On September 6, 2018, the Henderson Johnson Clinic Staff hosted their annual carwash fundraiser for their Patient Advisory Council.

The weather was perfect and they even had local police join in the fun!

Seen on Scene: Officer Rowe, Hartford Police Department. Eliezer Rodriguez (top right)

Buckets of Water & Buckets of Fun

Left to Right: Jessica Prisk, Jessica Wozniak, Lisa Barbati, Eliezer Rodriguez, Ronney Perry, Alvin Fryxell, Carisa Sanchez, Kaitlyn Tetreault, Rozalyn Davila, Kimberly Pascale, Steven Zuckerman, Kelly Brown & Dr. Hank Nusbaum

Henderson Johnson Clinic Hosts SAMHSA/ CSAT Clinic Review

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 17:28:23 GMT

On May 25, 2018, the Henderson Johnson Clinic, located in Hartford, hosted a clinical review completed by SAMHSA/ CSAT. Three areas were highlighted by the review team as “exemplary” programming for providing services in a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) environment. CSAT planned on “sharing nationwide” our model in these domains in an effort to bring such best practices to others across the country. The areas specifically recognized consisted of: (1) Patient access to treatment, (No Barriers), (2) the Group Schedule/Offerings (The “incredible” array of themes covered) and (3), the Pregnancy Services and Curriculum.

Connecticut Certification Board Annual Awards Dinner

Sun, 20 May 2018 17:34:43 GMT

Staff members from across the Root team attended the Connecticut Certification Board’s 4th annual awards dinner.

The evening featured an inspirational keynote address from NBA veteran Vin Baker.

Hartford Region 2018 Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing

Sun, 20 May 2018 17:33:09 GMT

Members of the Root team attended the awards ceremony at the Connecticut Convention Center and supported their colleague, Susan Perry, LPN, who was nominated by her colleagues for going above and beyond to serve patients.

The Evolution of the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing

The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program was developed in 2001 out of a desire to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. As a nursing organization with more than a century of service, the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut (VNA South Central) took the lead in creating the award ceremony. The Nightingale vision was quickly embraced by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Yale-New Haven Hospital and The Hospital of Saint Raphael, whose financial support brought the idea to fruition.

In 2003, the program grew to include concurrent galas in the Hartford, Norwich-New London, and Stamford regions, as well as the original program in New Haven. The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing is open and inclusive of all health care settings—hospitals, home health care, health centers, schools, health departments, long-term care, nursing schools, medical practices and more – all are warmly invited to participate. RNs and LPNs (full or part-time) who demonstrate excellence may be considered for recognition if they are involved in clinical practice, leadership, and/or education.

Nurses receiving the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing will be individually recognized at the Program and invited on stage to receive a Certificate of Recognition, a Nightingale insignia lapel pin and a commemorative gift. A nurse can only be nominated once in their lifetime for this award.

HIV Task Force Forum

Wed, 09 May 2018 17:35:55 GMT

Members of the Root team attended the mayor’s task force on HIV/AIDS annual HIV forum.

The event featured speakers on a variety of essential topics including:

HIV and health disparities
Progression and status of the stigma of HIV
Evolution of HIV
Oral manifestations of HIV

The event drew 65 attendees and offered both an opportunity to collaborate with other providers and continuing education credits (CEUs/CECs) for attendees.

Root Center Developing New Adolescent Services

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 17:36:57 GMT

The Root Center is working to develop a new Adolescent Intensive Outpatient program that will start this Fall and be offered five days a week from the hours of 1:30pm-4:30pm for ages 13-17. The program will focus on substance use disorders and will include a three-hour group format including a variety of related topics. Each patient will complete an assessment prior to admission to determine appropriateness for the level of care. The length of time in the program will be individualized.

Root Center Honors Paul McLaughlin

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 17:37:50 GMT

On the evening of March 27th, the board of directors, colleagues, friends, and family honored former Chief Executive Officer Paul McLaughlin for his 35+ years of service to the agency, patients, and community. It was a truly inspiring agency event, highlighted by the unveiling of the sign renaming the agency’s headquarters the McLaughlin Center

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