Annual Messages

From the President & CEO, and the Chairman, Board of Directors

2008 Annual Message

"Answering the Need"

The need for improved access to mental health services is a nation-wide challenge which Natchaug Hospital continues to answer.

We continue to strive to address emerging community needs on a financially sound basis. While this may seem remarkable in today’s health care sector, it is a testimony to the extremely capable and dedicated staff of Natchaug Hospital and the support of our community.

During the past year we opened a new wing on our child and adolescent inpatient program, an initiative which responds to the need of our general hospitals for relief from the increasing number of young people arriving in emergency departments in acute psychiatric distress. Julia and Dr. Carl Lindquist have provided remarkable leadership with the Extraordinary Care Appeal, generating crucial financial support for this project from the community. In its first three months of operation, this expanded program has supported a 24% increase in pediatric and adolescent admissions.

More than half of the people under the care of Natchaug Hospital receive treatment in our expanded community-based outpatient programs. We launched a new intensive in-home program in New London County to support court-referred youth and other young clients and their families. Adults with daytime responsibilities of work and/or college are now able to receive treatment through Natchaug’s expanded evening outpatient behavioral health treatment programs in Groton, Mansfield, Putnam and Vernon. Additionally, our Enfield Joshua Center will answer the need for expanding school and after-school programs with a newly leased facility this summer.

Looking ahead, Natchaug is addressing the ever-increasing demand for clinical health care professionals by hosting more than 40 nursing, pharmacy, psychology and social work students for their behavioral health internships this year.

These answers to emerging community needs are guided by Natchaug Hospital’s all-volunteer Board of Directors, which is welcoming a new member this year: William Anderson, Jr.. This year also marks the milestone transition of Dr. George A. Little, in his 54th year with the hospital and his 31st year of service on our current Board. We have been fortunate to have had George’s sustained participation and support throughout this time. We look forward to his continued involvement with Natchaug Hospital as a Director Emeritus, maintaining an uninterrupted legacy with the Little family.

We are proud of our dedicated staff and their answers to the needs of our community, and we look forward with confidence as we continue our commitment to caring for people living with mental illness, substance abuse and special education needs. Always foremost in our minds is our vision of “helping people find their way.”

2007 Annual Message

"Extraordinary Care"

Providing extraordinary, compassionate care for those who suffer from mental illness requires a talented staff with many skills. One of the most important is active listening, which requires understanding needs and responding in an appropriate and timely manner. Active listening is a hallmark of the Natchaug Hospital team, and it supports the two tenets in our philosophy of health care: that a person’s journey through the health care system should be as smooth as possible, and that people should be able to receive the care they need as close to home as possible.

We’ve done a lot of active listening this year, including having our Board of Directors and senior staff make regular visits to each of our 15 programs so we can listen to patients, their families and the staff who provide their direct care.

In response to identified needs, we have launched two new programs. In our Putnam and Mansfield locations, and soon to be offered in Vernon and Groton, we are offering a state-of-the-art medication called Suboxone (buprenorphine), which suppresses symptoms of opioid withdrawal and decreases cravings, making it possible for patients to recover at home rather than in the hospital. Second, knowing that it can be difficult for adults who work during the day to find appropriate, convenient treatment, we are now offering evening programs in Mansfield and Groton.

Our Board and staff continue to support local, state and national advocacy efforts to provide payment for mental health services on the same basis as payment for general health services. We know that having a mental health disorder can be as serious as having cancer or suffering from heart disease. Yet, many who suffer from mental health conditions don’t seek treatment because they lack insurance, or their insurance excludes their condition or puts limits on their treatment. In the same vein, we continue to be active in the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s Healthcare Council, an effort that improves our collective ability to ensure that all people have insurance coverage.

Through actively listening to parents and healthcare providers, and by joining with volunteers from the community, we are expanding our inpatient program for children. This will eliminate long waits in the emergency rooms of our region’s general hospitals, or referrals out of the region. Parents and children will have faster access to the near-home extraordinary care they have learned to expect at Natchaug.

In each of our current and future endeavors, it is our intent to continue to listen, hear, and respond to the behavioral health needs of the Natchaug “community.”

2006 Annual Message

"Family Matters"

Families from all walks of life have stepped forward to advocate for services that support recovery from mental illness. They make a compelling case to policy-makers and providers alike that we must maintain vigilance and continue the expansion of community-based treatment resources.

At Natchaug, we are proud of the role we play in this effort. We have joined with family advocates and other community providers to ensure that services are responsive to the needs of families. Our work in familyfocused services, multifamily education and support
groups, and community treatment programs reflects our commitment to families and the pursuit of our mission...

"to provide a continuum of accessible, community-based services for those suffering from psychiatric illness and chemical dependency, with a commitment to the dignity and privacy of our patients, empowering them to participate in their own care and recovery."

Family advocacy reflects a refreshing willingness to share that which once was private, embarrassing, and frequently stigmatized – the stories of the impact of mental health struggles upon family dynamics. Stories shared by Natchaug families emphasize this point. For example, a local business executive who recovered at Natchaug from a suicide attempt as a teenager. She indicates that her successful achievement of a full life is
due, in no small part, to the extra time our staff spent with her family, educating them and enhancing their ability to help their daughter sustain her recovery.

We have heard stories from parents, grateful that someone finally understood and could help with the challenges they were experiencing with their children. We have also heard from adult patients, recognizing and thanking Natchaug’s counselors and physicians for providing the life-changing “Aha!” moment of insight – the moment when their disease is correctly diagnosed, and they are finally steered onto the road of appropriate treatment and subsequent recovery.

At Natchaug, we are continuously increasing our efforts to meet the need for community-based behavioral health services in Eastern Connecticut, through our own programs as well as through partnerships and collaborations with other providers. One example of emerging success is Connecticut Community KidCare, a program now in its fifth year, which is reforming the delivery and financing of children’s behavioral health services in Connecticut. Another example is the Behavioral Health Partnership launched in January 2006, a program which links state funders, community providers, and families in the design and delivery of behavioral health care for children and families.

The substantial increase in Natchaug’s day treatment programs reflects our response to community need, the knowledge of which is the direct result of our community involvement. The sixteen members of our all-volunteer Board of Directors live in the communities we serve, and our staff are active as members of Boards of Education, town Finance Committees, fire departments, and other volunteer community services.

Above all, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care at every level of our operating programs. Our May 2005 certification by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and this year’s renewed approval by Connecticut’s Department of Education of all of our school programs for the maximum five years, affirm this commitment.

Regardless of wars and natural disasters that may occupy headlines and press for society’s attention, one in four families will be experiencing the immediate impact of mental illness, either that of a family member or someone of significance in their lives. Natchaug Hospital is and will be here to help these families find their way.

2005 Annual Message

"Building a Better Future"

Natchaug Hospital ’s Golden 50th year of service to the community is a story of growth and strength.

Through the efforts of dedicated individuals and the solid support of the community, Natchaug Hospital has truly spun a golden year. Since our last annual report, Natchaug has:

Increased services, institutional integrity, and financial stability. These are remarkable achievements for a nonprofit, free-standing psychiatric treatment organization. Other accomplishments are equally prodigious. For example:

An anniversary within Natchaug’s 50th was the celebration of Carol Marchand’s 35 years of service with Natchaug Hospital. The longevity among Natchaug’s staff provides a depth of experience and level of professionalism of which we are extremely proud.

We invite you to review the details of our year in this report and online at our web site, www.natchaug.org.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Management Team and our staff, we welcome you to the sustained and ever-growing Natchaug “family ”.

2004 Annual Message

"Clear Vision"

An open letter to Drs. Olga Little (1910 – 1997) and Mervyn Little (1908 – 1997), founders of Natchaug Hospital.

Beloved Founders:

We are looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the hospital you opened on August 4, 1954. As you might expect, it is a time of great activity, endless details, and innumerable contacts with history. In the midst of this happy frenzy, we spread before us the photographs, certificates of accreditation, by-laws, testimonials, maps, architectural drawings and the rest -- and we pause for a moment to reflect.

First, please accept our profound thanks for your clear vision. You got it right. It’s about access, community support and recovery. You were dedicated to serving the community, providing the best medical care with compassion and respect for each person. Your attention to detail is impressive, but there are also what appear to be leaps of faith. It is there on every page.

Some of the people you hired more than a quarter a century ago are still here – Carol Dauphin-Kilburn, Jo-Ann Feeley, Carolyn Marchand, Claire Shea, Diane Richards, Peggy Raye Hynes, David Klein and many more – still providing excellent care to the more than 3,000 people receiving treatment each year. Our staff is what makes Natchaug programs so successful. They are professionals at every level, with high standards, unlimited compassion and the expectation that people can recover from mental illness.

The Board of Directors is actively involved with policy and governance issues and are the stewards of this legacy of helping people find their way. Among the several subcommittees they chair is this year’s five-year strategic plan. The continuity and perspective from long-term members such as Antoinette Ellzey and your son, George, are invaluable, as is the fresh perspective coming from our newest members.

We are still developing new programs, new ways to make behavioral health care available to more people. We continue to look for partners to make sure programs truly meet community needs. For example, this past year we worked with Community Health Resources and Johnson Memorial Hospital to open a new Joshua Center in Enfield, and facilitated the transition of the Thames Valley Clinical Day Treatment program to Natchaug from Saint Francis Care Behavioral Health.

You built Natchaug Hospital because there was no other place that would care for your patients with chronic conditions or long periods of recovery. Following your example, when the state, which did not have a place that could care for teenage girls in the juvenile courts who need intensive treatment for mental illness, asked for help, we responded. We are building the facilities and the program that the community needs. The new residential treatment center for girls will be dedicated in June 2004 as a unique collaboration between Natchaug and the Department of Children and Families.

And thank you for the name, Natchaug. The land between two rivers. Upstream, we know people will continue to need behavioral health care. We will be here for them, with advanced medicine and caring hearts. Downstream, we are proud of the thousands of people we have helped find their paths to recovery. Mostly, they are silent about their time at Natchaug. The stigma associated with mental illness lingers. But the land between the rivers is good – we’re growing new choices for better futures on it.

We are proud to be here, carrying your vision forward into the next 50 years.

On behalf of the Board, Management Team and our staff,

2002 Annual Message

"With Values as our Guide"

Natchaug Hospital is making a difference. Thousands of people in communities throughout the state benefit from Natchaug’s care. Drawing on the hospital's nearly fifty years of experience in responding to community need, and guided by a clear understanding of the institution's core values, Natchaug’s Board of Directors and management are able to respond quickly and effectively in areas that further its mission and vision.

Natchaug Hospital’s core values – six statements that reflect the institution’s soul – emerged from an extended exchange in which all employees participated. We learned what, in hindsight, seems obvious: that compassion, teamwork, respect, empowerment, education and quality are fundamental to the way we treat patients and each other. Though recently adopted, these core values are not new. In fact, they reach back to Natchaug’s founders, who passed those values to us as the building blocks to create a better future for people suffering with mental illness, then and now.

A key component of Natchaug’s ambitious construction and renovation project has been the expansion of our capacity for inpatient treatment of children. Natchaug doubled its admissions of children for inpatient treatment this past year, significantly reducing (but, sadly, not eliminating) the stress on area emergency rooms.

The growing need for day treatment programs for school-age youth generated waiting lists for Natchaug’s child and adolescent day programs – a year-round phenomenon for the first time this year.
Natchaug is pursuing funding to expand and enhance our day treatment programs in Brooklyn, Mansfield, Montville and Windham through a special initiative – the Joshua Appeal.

Natchaug Hospital is continuously alert to community need, assessing how, when and where Natchaug can further its mission.

When approached by Community Health Resources and Johnson Memorial Hospital to replicate the Joshua Center program in the Enfield area, Natchaug responded. A Natchaug Joshua Center will open in partnership with these organizations this month.

When the state of Connecticut solicited proposals for residential treatment programs to serve adolescent girls, Natchaug responded. The plan to build a facility staffed with specially trained professionals adjacent to the main hospital in Mansfield fulfills a well-recognized behavioral health need.

Natchaug is proud to serve as the primary provider of behavioral health care for Eastern Connecticut. Even in a year of national and international stress and uncertainty, the need for effective treatment of mental illness is recognized – a condition that knows no bounds of race, income, education or geography. Natchaug is confident it can help people recovering from mental illness and substance abuse find their way to living full, productive lives.

2001 Annual Message

"A Helping Hand Can Change the World"

The headlines of 2001 from Natchaug Hospital reflect the American spirit of extending a helping hand to help improve the lives of our neighbors and the quality of life in our community.

As the tragedies of September 11, 2001 started to unfold, Natchaug’s experienced staff went into action. Mental health workers and therapists not already at work lent a hand by voluntarily coming in help their co-workers and patients. Students in Natchaug Hospital’s School program developed a 4-week plan to collect money for victims of September 11 that not only raised $746 but also the spirits of the entire hospital.

Earlier in the year Natchaug’s big news was the June 10, 2001 dedication of the expanded and renovated facility. Celebrating this dream of Natchaug’s founders, Drs. Olga and Mervyn Little, were Senator Joseph Lieberman and more than 200 of Natchaug’s friends and neighbors.

The new facility achieved virtually every goal that was incorporated into the design and construction, including the critically important 30 percent increase in capacity for inpatient treatment of children and adolescents. Concurrently, census in Natchaug's outpatient programs, including the Natchaug K-12 special education school, after-school treatment and adult day programs, increased 13.8 percent.

Helping hands from throughout the State worked as teams in Manchester, Putnam, Willimantic, Norwich and new London to make this dream of improved access to behavioral health care come true. The Century Appeal, which funded the expansion and renovation project, topped the $1,150,000 goal for community contributions in June, 2002. This testament to the dedication and hard work of more than 50 Century Appeal Leadership volunteers and 300 contributors from throughout the state was celebrated on June 13, 2002.

2000 Annual Message

"Changing for the Good"

Natchaug Hospital is changing. The most visible change is our ambitious construction and renovation project, the most extensive since the hospital was built in 1954. The three-phase plan will create 42,500 square feet of new and renovated space designed to meet the needs of Natchaug's patients. This $5.15 million capital project is made possible by Natchaug's first-ever community fundraising effort: the Century Appeal. Hartford Health Care Corporation (HHCC), Natchaug's parent organization, provided a $4 million contribution to allow construction to proceed while community contributions were solicited.

Changes not visible when driving by include single rooms for all children and adolescents, thus eliminating the many limitations of double occupancy rooms, which effectively increases the number of patients that can be served by over 20 percent without changing the number of beds. This is critically important to our region, which is experiencing severe shortages of available beds for behavioral health care patients. Other changes include nursing stations that are integrated with patient areas, multi-purpose rooms that support numerous program activities as well as expanded treatment and observation areas.

Natchaug is actively involved in addressing public policy issues regarding funding and accessibility of behavioral health care throughout the state. President and CEO Stephen Larcen, PhD, served on the Task Force on the Delivery and Financing of Children's Behavioral Health Services in Connecticut created by the General Assembly. With the support of area legislative leaders, and funding from the State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Natchaug expanded services to meet the needs of patients displaced by the closing of Norwich Hospital.
An important change that is helping Natchaug achieve its goals is the increased visibility of the hospital and its programs in the communities it serves. More than 30 volunteers are providing invaluable support in launching the Leadership Phase of the Century Appeal and a video produced by Charter Communications tells the Natchaug story.

A constant throughout these changes is our dedicated staff providing excellent patient care. Patient satisfaction surveys regularly thank the staff for the compassion and dignity with which they care for our patients. Our staff and management have also contributed a generous $86,536 to the Century Appeal through direct gifts, pledges and proceeds from creative fundraisers.

Natchaug is proud of the improvements to behavioral health care services it is implementing for Eastern Connecticut and honored to participate in statewide behavioral health care planning.

1999 Annual Message

"A Message from the Heart"

The delivery of behavioral health care services is changing rapidly in Connecticut and across the country. These changes challenge us to work more efficiently, ensuring that every patient receives the care they need in the most appropriate treatment setting. At Natchaug Hospital, we see these challenges as exciting opportunities for growth in quality and accessibility of care for the thousands of children, adolescents and adults we serve each year.

We commend our Board of Directors and dedicated staff for continually rising to each new challenge, seeking to improve our performance and maximize our use of available resources as we strive to promote the behavioral health of our community. Our strategy of partnering with other health care providers has been a key factor in meeting these challenges.

Our affiliation in 1998 with Hartford Health Care Corporation (HHCC) has helped Natchaug become an integral part of a statewide network of health and behavioral health providers. HHCC has made a substantial investment in Natchaug's future while preserving the hospital's identity as an organization dedicated to the health of our Eastern Connecticut communities, led by well-respected members of those communities.

Natchaug Hospital increased access to care in the communities where our patients live, work and attend school through the expansion of outpatient and special education services in 1998. We jointly developed the Quinebaug Day Treatment program with Day Kimball Hospital in March 1998, resulting in expanded, cost-effective substance abuse services in the Northeast. We also expanded our special school programs in partnership with Perception Programs in Windham and developed an innovative in-district special education program in collaboration with the Norwich school system and United Community & Family Services.

As we approach the new millennium, we are preparing to secure the hospital's future as a regional behavioral health provider by initiating the Century Appeal. This appeal, the first community fundraising campaign in Natchaug's nearly 50-year history, will allow us to reconstruct our aging facility. We broke ground in 1998 on the $5.1 million project and now prepare for our next challenge: raising $1.1 million from our community to match HHCC's generous $4 million investment in Natchaug's future. We look forward to facing that challenge with you.