For Carter Pica-Sneeden, life in college is everything he imagined. A journalism major in his third year at the University of Hartford, Carter is thankful for the path that led him here, including his 2022 adoption from foster care by Broad Brook, Connecticut residents John and Brian Pica-Sneeden.
Grateful to sponsors, donors, and our team
Stories of Our Values Reflected and Supported
Our Year in Review
Wheeler is a national 2025 Hartford Courant Top Workplaces health care industry recipient for the second consecutive year, and a 2025 Hartford Courant Top Workplace winner, the ninth time since 2013. In March, Wheeler earned a national Top Workplaces award from USA Today.
Wheeler Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Behavioral Health Accreditation in numerous programs by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.
This year, Wheeler celebrates the 40th anniversary of the construction of Northwest Village School (NVS), which has delivered therapeutic education services for more than 55 years.
Wheeler received a “Best Of” Awards for Mental Health from The Bristol Press and New Britain Herald for the second consecutive year.
Wheeler’s 40th Annual Golf Classic on September 17 at the Country Club of Farmington netting nearly $70,000 to benefit the basic needs of the individuals and families in our care. Since its inception in 1986, this much-loved event has raised more than $1.4 million
Wheeler received $3,500 from the Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation to expand integrated health services for underserved residents in Bristol and New Britain through its Mobile Family Health & Wellness van. This grant will support weekly outreach Agape House and the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.
With a new $250,000, multiyear grant, The Cigna Group Foundation is expanding access to health care in Hartford through a partnership with Wheeler Health. Wheeler will use the grant to staff and deploy a new mobile health van for community outreach and education, preventive health screenings, primary care, chronic disease management, and health insurance navigation to Hartford residents at dozens of locations throughout the city.
The Story of John, Brian, and Carter
Foster Care, Adoption, and More:
A Career in Caring
Wheeler's Elizabeth Lawton, APRN
If you ask Elizabeth Lawton what led her to a career in care, she would tell you that childhood experiences with her father’s illness put her on the path. “My father was often ill when I was young, and I have distinct memories of asking providers in the hospital to explain his diagnoses to me,” said Elizabeth, an APRN with Wheeler. “I knew as I got older, I wanted to work with people in a helping profession, and my interest in the sciences led me to nursing.”
Delivering Hope, Dignity in New Britain
Foodshare Fridays
Every other Friday, something powerful happens in an empty parking lot at Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center at 40 Hart Street in New Britain. A Connecticut Foodshare Mobile Food Pantry truck pulls in, greeted by a waiting, well-oiled machine of Wheeler staff and community volunteers. This isn’t just a food distribution. It’s a lifeline.