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!

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