Mott Improves Health of Connecticut Communities through Health Ambassadors and new Wheeler Community Health Outreach Worker
Wheeler and Mott have formed an innovative collaboration to promote community health and wellness, and engage underserved individuals and families in Connecticut in accessing primary and behavioral health care information and services.
With support from Mott, Wheeler added a full-time community health outreach worker, Bristol resident Lisbeth Barreto, who will use a peer-based education model to engage families in culturally and linguistically responsive health care services, including those provided at Wheeler’s Health & Wellness Centers in New Britain and Bristol. The community health worker model builds on the belief that community members are experts in their own lives and in their own communities, and harnesses local expertise, relationships and trust to improve engagement in primary and preventative care, chronic disease management and patient education and advocacy.
“Mott has shown extraordinary leadership and vision by making an investment in the health of the communities where their employees live, work and do business,” said Susan Walkama, LCSW, President and CEO, Wheeler. “This investment extends well beyond the company’s charitable contribution. Many Mott employees have become health ambassadors, volunteering their time to promote health and wellness at local housing authorities, recovery events and community forums on opioids. Boris Levin and all of the Mott staff are at the forefront of a new and very proactive type of philanthropy and we’re excited to advance this vision with them.”
“Wheeler is a phenomenal organization that has done so much to bring healing to countless people in Connecticut. We’re so grateful for the work they do”, said Boris Levin, President and CEO of Mott. “As an employee-owned Connecticut business, we care deeply about the community that we live in. Our employees are inspired by Wheeler’s mission and we are honored to contribute to healing, growth, and positive change for people cared for by them.”
Elements of the Wheeler/Mott Collaboration
Community Health Outreach Worker
• The new community health outreach worker will engage families through local outreach and health education, including visits to homes, churches, workplaces, local markets, community fairs, schools and other neighborhood gatherings. Individual and group presentations focused on health promotion and healthy choices also will take place, as well as efforts to engage local residents in routine health care services.
Mott Health Ambassadors
• Mott employees also help Wheeler improve community health by participating as health ambassadors in an array of community-based health outreach activities, including recovery walks, neighborhood health and wellness fairs and events, and community conversations about addiction, mental health and recovery.
“Volunteering for events with Wheeler as a Mott Health Ambassador has been a truly rewarding experience. Getting a chance to participate in local events and educational panel discussions to raise awareness on issues that affect all of us really gave me a good perspective on how important Wheeler programs are to the people in our community”, said Patty Cruickshanks, Sales and Marketing Services at Mott.
Mott has been connected to Wheeler in a number of meaningful ways for close to a decade, including significant leadership support for Wheeler’s Golf Classic. In 2015, Wheeler’s Board of Trustees presented the agency’s Hands & Hearts Award to Mott for the company’s outstanding support of Wheeler’s mission.
