UConnectCare Blog

By Mike Pettinella “A Haircut Always Helps!” Cassandra Hirsch, Jamie Torrence and co-workers at UConnectCare on Saturday afternoon enlisted the support of three barbers from My Cut in Batavia to provide free haircuts to men and boys. Hirsch, a data evaluator who also...

By Mike Pettinella The first quarterly meeting of the GOW CARES Alliance, formerly known as the GOW Opioid Task Force, on Tuesday afternoon illustrated the value of community partnerships in improving people’s health and well-being. About 90 people, representing...

By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare has promoted Kathy Hodgins of Medina, a 23-year-employee of the nonprofit substance use prevention, treatment and recovery agency, to chief executive officer. Hodgins succeeds John Bennett, who resigned to become director of network...

By Mike Pettinella John Bennett is leaving UConnectCare after dedicating the past 25 years at the agency formerly known as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to helping those affected by substance and alcohol use disorder. With his last day as...

By Mike Pettinella Four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded through the annual UConnectCare Foundation Scholarship program in 2025. The program, initiated several years ago, provides financial support to individuals pursuing their education at an institution of higher...

By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare recognized 18 employees with longevity awards at its annual holiday luncheon on Tuesday at Terry Hills Restaurant in Batavia. Among those honored was President/Chief Executive Officer John Bennett, who joined the nonprofit agency in...

By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare is looking to make the holiday season – starting with two “Friendsgiving” activities in Batavia next week – a special one for the recovery community in Genesee and Orleans counties. The Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton St. Rd. and the...

https://youtu.be/gWCTAa2qYNY?si=SBGmjxcnIePrDjfW By Mike Pettinella Just as he did when he was drinking and partying, LeRoyan Justin Stimson isn’t holding back in his role as a certified recovery peer advocate and addiction recovery coach at UConnectCare (formerly...

By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare has promoted Jessica Ferry to the position of Assistant Chief Fiscal Officer. John Bennett, chief executive officer of the nonprofit agency (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse), announced the promotion of...

By Mike Pettinella The “scene” is set for UConnectCare’s Prevention Department to “direct” local school and community projects during this month’s Red Ribbon Week, which is draping itself in the theme, “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free.” Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s...

By Mike Pettinella Understanding that creative expression serves as a therapeutic means toward healing and self-esteem, the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Genesee County and UConnectCare are partnering to sponsor the Grateful for Recovery art show throughout...

https://youtu.be/xUsMpqNz03g By Mike Pettinella As someone in recovery for more than four decades, Linda Ackley knows what those struggling with substance use are going through. Now in her 22nd year at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and...

By Mike Pettinella “Come and celebrate the grand opening of The Recovery Station. Be among the first to experience our new kitchen and discover your favorite spot in town.” With that clear invitation, Luke Granger, director of Recovery Services at UConnectCare...

https://youtu.be/tw29N3KkHd0     By Mike Pettinella     Energetic and personable, with a warm sense of humor and jovial laugh, Melissa Vinyard is only half joking when she tells people that she was “predisposed to be an alcoholic with a last name like Vinyard.” That’s...

By Mike Pettinella Wednesday afternoon’s annual meeting at Terry Hills Restaurant in Batavia may have been the first under the name UConnectCare, but it served as a celebration of the many ways the agency formerly known as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and...

By Mike Pettinella Growing up in what he calls “the cowboy culture” of rural Montana, former National Football League quarterback Ryan Leaf said that he never saw another man reach out for help with mental health issues because of the stigma associated with it. Leaf...

By Mike Pettinella “Twelve years ago today I woke up on the floor of a jail cell...with no hope or possible idea what could be! There was no possibility of this life, no love of my life, no career, no future, no family, no recovery," Leaf wrote on X. "You can't go...