Health & Wellness
Community Violence
There are no words to describe the anguish and grief many are experiencing in response to the increase in community violence impacting children and families. In Connecticut, the nationwide violence toward children in schools is a traumatic reminder of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown.
These are hard topics to discuss with young children. Please see the resource below to assist in talking with children about school violence.
A Message to our Integrated Health Services Community
As we all attempt to navigate the circumstances surrounding this public health crisis with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), first and foremost, it is our hope that you and your families remain safe and healthy!
COVID-19 Tips
We offer you the following resources to be informed of community, state, and national updates:
The national Center for Disease Control updates and resources can be found here, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
The stated Department of Public Health updates and resources can be found here, https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus
The updates offered by Goodwin University can be found here, https://www.goodwin.edu/covid-19/
As we all practice social distancing, at the link below are some suggested healthy activities list from the IHS team:
Nestor Leon has over 25 years of workforce development experience. He has designed, implemented and monitored programs that provide pathways to economic self-sufficiency. He has coordinated programs in multiple states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and Virginia that resulted in improved access for low-income customers. He is currently working with the Connecticut State College and Universities (CSCU) on a 35-million-dollar statewide healthcare and social work initiative.
James Cornell is the Senior Manager of Accounting Compliance at Hartford Steam Boiler. For the last 17 years, he has provided his assurance and financial analysis experience to healthcare and insurance entities in Connecticut. He joined the IHS board in May 2023.
Dr. Andrew Feller is a Family Physician who currently works with Trinity Health of New England. For the last 20+ years, he has split his time working as a family doctor in East Hartford, taking care of hospitalized patients at St. Francis Hospital, and teaching residents and medical students at University of CT in Farmington. 
Matthew Cholewa is an attorney with over 30 years of experience. Matt has spent about half his career in private practice and half in the title insurance industry and is currently employed with Old Republic National Title Insurance Company as First Vice President & Senior Underwriting Counsel for its Commercial Agency Services office based in Hartford, Connecticut. While in private practice, Matt’s practice consisted of commercial and residential real estate transactions, real property related litigation, zoning, tax appeals and other small business matters.
Dr. Saunders is a staff psychologist working at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital and is also Board Certified in Clinical Psychology. She is the Director of the new initiative, the Center for Gender Health at Hartford Healthcare. In 2015, Dr. Saunders was named Employee of the Year for Hartford Hospital and in 2019, she was the recipient of the Ned Graffagnino Award for distinguished service in the areas of community-oriented work and collaboration with other mental health professionals. Her areas of expertise include LGBTQ mental health, child psychopathology, behavior management, parent training, and family therapy. She appears regularly in local TV news to provide psychological input on topics relevant to youth and families and currently has two weekly segments on WFSB/Ch. 3 Great Day CT, related to child mental health. 
Joe Murphy is a Certified Financial Planner™ at Gateway Financial Partners. He has over 40 years of experience in Wealth Management and Investment Planning, including working with teams in the bank investment arena. 
Kareen Wilson is a team leader, owner, and patient-therapist at Contemporary General Dentistry in West Hartford, CT, and Smile Studio Dentistry in Hartford, CT. Kareen also works as an adjunct professor in the leadership program at Goodwin University. She has over twenty-five years of experience in clinical dental hygiene and office management. 
Jeff Walsh is a graduate of Babson College in Wellesley, MA, with a degree in Accounting. Prior to joining CRT as their CFO, Jeff worked in public accounting for 19 years, specializing in non-profit and governmental audits throughout the northeast region. Jeff has extensive experience with the Federal Single Audit and State of Connecticut Single Audit requirements, in addition to Form 990 preparation and indirect cost rate calculations. 
For over 25 years Doug Edwards has been a family services consultant who designs and facilitates fatherhood-focused programs. He provides professional development and training for family workers at state and non-profit human services agencies.