UConnect Care News
The Recovery Station schedules grand opening for Sept. 20; will stream NFL games on Sundays
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...
UConnectCare hires Erik Winarski to succeed Ryan as chief fiscal officer
By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) has hired Erik Winarski, a longtime educator and accountant, as its chief fiscal officer. Winarski, a Rochester native and Canandaigua resident, assumed the role in...
Recovery Journey Leads to Career at UConnectCare – Melissa Vinyard: Living Out Loud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw29N3KkHd0&t=782s 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...
Quality and Quantity: UConnectCare celebrates expansion of services, honors Friends, scholars
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...
Time to stop stigma surrounding mental health, substance use: Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf
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...
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf to speak about substance use disorder, mental health on May 8
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...
Philosophy based on ‘Housing with Dignity’ drives UConnectCare’s residential services
By Mike Pettinella In an ongoing effort to provide the most efficient and compassionate treatment methods for those struggling with substance use disorder, UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) has expanded its residential...
UConnectCare Foundation to award scholarships; application must be postmarked by March 8
By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) is continuing its Foundation Scholarship program for 2024. Four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded, UConnectCare Chief Executive Officer John Bennett announced. They...
‘Go-to guy’ Helenbrook honored for 20 years at UConnectCare
By Mike Pettinella For two decades, Jeff Helenbrook has been the go-to guy when it comes to maintenance, repairs and related responsibilities at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse). Helenbrook was honored for his 20 years...
UConnectCare promotes Batavian Kabel to director of Grant Management post
By Mike Pettinella During her 4 ½ years as an employee at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse), Amy Kabel has worn several hats, and she has worn them well. Hired as a peer recovery advocate in April 2019 to assist those in...
Christen Foley promoted to project director of WNY Prevention Resource Center
By Mike Pettinella UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) has promoted Christen Foley to the position of project director of the Western New York Prevention Resource Center. The Batavia resident will oversee the...
GCASA expects new women and children’s residence in Albion to be ready October 2024
By Mike Pettinella ALBION – Providing a safe and secure place to live for women battling substance use disorder, including those with children, is yet another vital phase of the mission of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to offer a wide...
GCASA’s new name signifies capacity to ‘connect’ public to variety of services
By Mike Pettinella As the result of a remarkable expansion of services over the years, the leadership at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse has decided to give the nonprofit agency a new name that reflects its mission of “person-centered care.”...
Recovery Month a time to recognize ‘real help, real solutions’
By Joanne Beck Recovery can mean so many things to people, whether it’s rebounding from a physical injury or from other less telltale wounds that come with addiction, and those people locally who help with the latter were recognized Tuesday during Recovery Month. The...
Overdose Awareness Day shines light on effort to spread ‘hope and healing’
By Mike Pettinella Cheryl Netter and Scott Davis are two of the fortunate ones. They are people who have survived the grip of addiction and have emerged on the other side, now devoting their lives to helping others who are struggling with substance use disorder. So...
HEALing Genesee banks on proven strategies to reduce opioid-related overdose fatalities
By Mike Pettinella GCASA Publicist A wide-ranging, cooperative effort is being made at the grassroots level to “HEAL” those afflicted by opioid use disorder and to prevent opioid overdose deaths. Professionals in the substance use treatment/prevention and mental...
College Prevention Initiative grant connects GCASA educators with GCC students, staff
By Mike Pettinella GCASA Publicist With a renewed emphasis on health and wellness, the administration at Genesee Community College is confident that a two-year grant to provide alcohol and drug prevention services through Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and...
GOW Opioid Task Force establishes free, confidential ‘Text for Naloxone Line’
By Mike Pettinella The Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force has added another weapon in the battle to prevent opioid overdose deaths: a Text for Naloxone Line. “We are very excited to offer this free and confidential text line to the community. Now, more than...
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