News, Events & Press

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR APRIL 2022 SPOTLIGHT RECIPIENTS!

Angie Melendez, Patient Access Supervisor

The Open Access Center is where many have their first interaction with CMHA. While seeking treatment is hard enough for many people, having a kind, compassionate person go through that process with you makes all the difference. Angie's expertise, patience, and exceptional way of taking care of our clients is a testament to her heart and dedication to CMHA's mission. Thank you, Angie!

Laura Vazquez, Patient Access Representative

Laura's enthusiasm and compassion for the CMHA mission can't be contained - and neither can her smile! Always there for our clients, she takes the time to sit with people to explain the intake process, and effectively coordinates with OP managers to ensure everyone in need gets an on-the-spot intake. For all the joy and hope you bring to the office and our clients: thank you, Laura!

Perla Girardo, Employment Specialist

An active member of the Benefits & Wellness Committee, Perla is also Chair of the Russell St. Events Committee. In collaboration with Team Time Staff, Perla has spearheaded the planning and putting together of the upcoming Spring Gala for Team Time members and CCFS clients. The amount of time and energy she has dedicated to this event is unparalleled: thank you for all your hardwork, Perla!

Writing Our Own Story: Resilience, Recovery, and Community at CMHA

At CMHA's 2021 Annual Meeting, joined by community partners and supporters of the agency, President & CEO Raymond J. Gorman remarked, "Back when the pandemic began and so much was uncertain, I sent an all staff email in which I said that in the coming months, we will learn a lot about ourselves as an organization and as individuals. Looking back now, 18 months later, I’ll tell you what we learned: that we are resilient, dynamic, determined, and, simply put, really good at what we do."

Over the past year and a half, we've seen so many staff shine as true heroes. What others might call 'going above and beyond' is just the way things are done at CMHA, which makes naming the Chairman's Award recipient such a difficult task. That is why CMHA started a new tradition this year and presented three awards: one for a programmatic team, one for a direct care individual, and another for an administrative services individual.

In its inaugural year, the 2021 Chairman's Team Award went to: The Multidimensional Family Therapy Teams which include Amanda Ferrari, Diana Roman, Renny Lora-Acosta, Joel Garcia, Autumn McClendon, Ariel Perkins, Kirsten Burdick, Edielynn Cardona, Mirtalis Rubert, Marta Ortiz, Nichole Pagan, Jazmine Nava, Roseydy Martinez, and Patricia Spiegel. Congratulations all!

The 2021 Chairman's Direct Care Award went to Christopher Marino, Clinical Director, and the Administrative Services Award went to Lisa Daley, MIS Systems Manager. Congratulations to you both on a well-deserved recognition!

The achievements of this past year were only made possible because of the compassionate people that choose to be a part of CMHA's mission every day. It is difficult to truly capture the culture and dedication that makes CMHA's services unique. That is why CMHA produced this video, "Writing Our Own Story", to let our staff and clients tell you, in their own words, what makes our agency so special.

While we're ready to close the book on this past year, CMHA is excited to already be writing our next chapter with the addition of three new Board members. Sworn in at the Annual Meeting, CMHA welcomes: Joe Aresimowicz, former two-term House Speaker and eight-term State House member; Veronica T. DeLandro, founder of VTD Consulting Group, current Board Member of both the New Britain YWCA and the New Britain branch of the NAACP, and newly appointed Clerk of Committees by the Common Council of New Britain; and Anthony D'Amato, lifelong resident of Bristol, part of the 3rd generation of family leadership at D'Amato Construction, and current Director of the Bristol Education Foundation. CMHA welcomes the combined knowledge, experience, and expertise of our newest Board members and cannot wait to see what the future holds for us!