Health & Human Services
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*Please note that some Senior Centers share space and staff with other town departments.
Northwest Hills
Community Health Network
of Connecticut
The purpose of the Northwest Hills Community Health Network of CT
(NHCHN-CT) is to increase access to adolescent behavioral health services and to encourage widespread implementation of mental health screening in schools. Network partners use shared messaging and provide training that highlights the important mediating effects that PCEs (Positive Childhood Experiences) have on ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
Initiative: The NHCHN-CT serves adolescents ages 13 through 18 who are either in need of services related to behavioral health or who are at risk of experiencing behavioral health concerns due to various social determinants of health (SDOH) and exposure to toxic stress (ACEs).
To address the elevated need for youth behavioral health services, network
partners’ clinical teams conduct ACES and SDOH screening to identify and
respond to trauma and toxic stress proactively. In addition, the NHCHN-CT partners with EdAdvance (the Regional Education Service Center) to provide Trauma-Informed Care and Strength-Based Approaches training and continuing education units (CEUs) for school Social Workers, counselors, and other school staff.
Our Partners -
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Greenwoods Counseling & Referrals, Inc., a non-profit mental health provider, will leverage its existing school-based mental health programs to provide outreach and trauma screening. Through this screening process, the clinician will coordinate referrals for youth in need of mental health or substance use disorder services, as well as refer to other services relating to social determinants of health (i.e. food access, transportation, social activities, etc). The clinician will monitor and track referrals to ensure referral loop closures when youth are referred to services.
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Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington (CHWC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offering school-based mental health services, will conduct outreach and trauma screening in the schools they serve, as well as provide access to adolescent psychiatric medication management. CHWC will also provide Continuing Education Units and mental health training events open to all providers in the region.
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McCall Behavioral Health Network will provide access to their adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, in which teens with substance use and/or mental health issues attend the program three afternoons a week for up to three hours each day. The evidence-based curriculum addresses substance use disorders, mental health, and trauma, including toxicology screens and contingency management. A psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioner are available to consult with teens and their guardians to prescribe psychiatric medication, as needed. A combination of counseling and medication can help individuals make positive changes and experience long-term success. McCall will also provide Question, Prevent, Refer (QPR) training opportunities for the community and local Emergency Responders. McCall will conduct trauma and Social Determinants of Health screenings and make referrals for ongoing support and care.
The Northwest Hills Community Health Network of Connecticut welcomes inquiries from organizations interested in learning more about our work and collaborative efforts.
This project is made possible through financial support from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Health Network Development grant program [HRSA-23-030].
Regional Human Services
Resource Map
New Map Coming Soon!
The map can be searched by agency name, Town, services provided, or keywords, such as: energy assistance, food pantry, childcare, family services, mental health, women’s services, etc.
Regional Opioid Response Fund
On June 1st, 2023, nine towns in our region executed a Memorandum of Understanding to contribute their National Opioid Settlement Funds to the Regional Opioid Response Fund (RORF) organized under the auspices of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments. The RORF is an innovative model that solves the challenges our small towns face in making a significant impact on local opioid prevention and treatment. The RORF aims to continue reducing the community and fiscal impacts of substance use, as well as the administrative burden on town staff when receiving these settlement funds. Our collective efforts have garnered noteworthy support from DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navarretta (as reported in an article from the CT Examiner) and have been further recognized as a “model” in the media by the CT Mirror and WSHU Public Radio.
Additional Regional Resources
The WCAAA is a resource for information and referral to services and serves as a strong advocate for older adults and those with disabilities in our 21-town region.
New Opportunities, Inc. is the community action agency serving Waterbury, Meriden, Torrington and 27 surrounding Connecticut towns. We offer a variety of social service programs designed to eliminate poverty and assist people in need.
The mission of the Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut is to provide social services to low-income individuals living in western Connecticut in order to stabilize and improve their lives.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services oversees and administers a wide variety of assistance programs to low-income families & individuals. These programs include Food Stamps, Medicaid, Temporary Family Assistance, Care4Kids, Medicare Savings Programs, CT Home Care Program for Elders, and many more.
211 is a free, confidential information and referral service that connects people to essential health and human services 24 hours a day, seven days a week online and over the phone.
Western Connecticut Coalition's mission is to promote the behavioral health continuum of care, and to enhance the quality of life at every stage. WCTC supports the Local Prevention Councils that serve each town in the region.