Picture of Barry Simon and Spencer CainJune 2022

To the Oak Hill Community,

As the forsythia bushes bloom on our beautiful Hartford campus, we take stock of the change and progress our agency has experienced over the past several years. Through adversity, we have grown stronger and more centered in our mission to support the care, health, and dignity of the individuals we serve. Over the next several years, Oak Hill and our affiliates, Easterseals of Oak Hill and Gilead Community Services, will undertake several strategic efforts to adapt to the evolving needs of our participants, communities, and stakeholders.

When we consider the work we do as an agency, it is vital that we recognize the cooccurrence of many disabilities with mental illness and substance use. The need for services often occurring simultaneously, Oak Hill will explore and pursue synergies with Gilead Community Services and ensure that individuals needing services receive the most holistic treatment experience possible.

As resources have grown tighter, we are called to support and cultivate our most precious resource: our talented and committed staff. Our goal as an agency is to provide the very best care we can to our participants, while giving staff of all levels a place to grow as professionals.  Through partnerships with local colleges and universities, we will strive to offer enhanced professional development opportunities to ensure staff want to remain with us over the duration of their careers. Efforts to improve our diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront, Oak Hill will explore barriers to retaining a diverse workforce and evaluate our cultural competency practices.

To ensure long-term financial viability and match our services to evolving community needs, Oak Hill will evaluate new areas of programming, including private pay services. Our goal is to remain responsive to the people of Connecticut’s needs while fortifying our agency against turbulent State budgets in times of downturn.

As Oak Hill evolves and grows stronger, we look to you, our supporters and cheerleaders, with gratitude. Thank you for seeing us through. The past two years have been unlike any others in history, but we are confident the future is bright.

Thank you,

Barry Simon
Oak Hill President & CEO

Spencer Cain
Oak Hill Board Chair