Nightingale Award

May 16, 2019

The nightingale award is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve and is awarded to nurses or nursing aides for “exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster”. The Root Center for Advanced Recovery is proud to announce this year’s recipient Lisa Barbati. Lisa Barbati has devoted herself to a career of care, providing the Root Center for Advanced Recovery with 20 years of nursing experience. As an agency that focuses on mental health and addiction services, Lisa has proven to be a dedicated employee assisting individuals on their path to recovery. The journey to recovery is difficult as it presents obstacles that in some cases can be life threatening. With 50,000 people dying every year and 1,000 overdoses each day, there is no denying that the opioid epidemic has affected many communities here in Connecticut. Henderson Johnson, where Lisa is primarily deployed, supports approximately 800 clients daily for methadone maintenance, mental health, and education on eliminating the stigma of substance disorder.

Recent Posts

01 Mar, 2024
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!
27 Feb, 2024
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
16 Feb, 2024
The Root Center is now offering problem gambling treatment! Is gambling a problem in your life? Are you ready to start your recovery journey? Join us Friday mornings from 9am to 10am for our problem gambling program hosted virtually, and in-person at our New London Clinic: 931 Bank Street. What to expect? A safe space to discuss the impact of gambling your life. Identify the ways gambling may contribute to substance use. See how gambling has altered your family unit and socializing. Build skills to cope and identify community supports. Recognize you are NOT alone! Please call our Central Admissions line at (800) 862-2181 for more information.
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