Root Center Welcomes New Director of Nursing

January 30, 2024

The Root Center is excited to announce Joseph Maddalena, as our new Director of Nursing!


Joe has been a Registered Nurse since 2014. His passion for mental health and addiction treatment started while he was working at South Central Rehabilitation Center, which is part of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, in New Haven. 


There, Joe became the Nurse Manager of both inpatient withdrawal management and two methadone clinics. It was while doing this work that Joe developed a love for helping those on their recovery journey.


We are fortunate to add Joe’s dedication and experience to the team, and know that he will have an impact on our staff and patients. Welcome, Joe!

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June 25, 2025
Summer is here following a busy spring packed with excitement! From our Lafayette Street Clinic Grand Opening to the Middletown Pride Parade, we kept ourselves busy in our communities. In our last newsletter, we were close to opening our Lafayette Street Clinic, a new location in Hartford where our Doctors Clinic staff and patients (currently on Main Street) will move when we begin accepting patients starting June 23rd! But that's just the beginning! We have hosted many exciting events this spring, including our most recent Community Forum on Burnout, our Annual Years of Service Awards, and a documentary screening of an independent film focusing on four women in recovery.  It's been a jam-packed spring, and there's so much to share. Keep reading for some special announcements and updates!
May 12, 2025
Our Community Forum was a success! Burnout: More than Just Stress, was a wonderful, insightful, and at times even funny conversation about occupational and personal burnout, shifting legislature, personal coping strategies, systemic changes, the effect of burnout in children, and so much more! The Root Center is proud to offer free events like this as part of our Advanced Recovery Institute (ARI). The ARI is committed to research and training to elevate clinical care. It is our hope that by organizing these forums that we will help expand our understanding and awareness of topics that impact our communities. Special thanks to all of our panelists for your insight and expertise: Samantha Alzate LCSW , - Owner of Mindful Transformations Brent Heineman, MD/MPH - Psychiatry Intern at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine Christian Damiana - Public Policy Manager at Mental Health Connecticut, Inc. Dr. Cassandra Holinka, PsyD - Clinical Psychologist & Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Jay Lasser, M.D - Founder of The Center for Work Stress Reduction Kristine Olson , M.D., M.S. - Chief Wellness Officer for Yale New Haven Health
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