2/26/26: Community Health Resources new residential treatment services for men with substance use disorders

February 26, 2026·11 min·1 clip

The Heartwood Home step-down facility opens this summer, made possible by funding secured by Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal.

Host Wayne Norman opens by noting visible construction activity on Main Street in Willimantic and inviting CHR's Amy DeMauro to explain what is being built. DeMauro describes CHR Community Health Resources as an organization delivering mental health and substance use services to children, adults, and families across northeastern Connecticut, guided by the vision that every life will get better. In the Willimantic area specifically, CHR operates an outpatient counseling center at 1310 Main Street, residential rehab programs nearby, in-home services, crisis intervention, and case management with connections to housing and employment support. The headline announcement is the expansion of residential treatment for men with substance use disorders through a new facility called Heartwood Home, being built at 1491 Main Street adjacent to the existing Roots to Recovery program. Heartwood Home is designed as a step-down level of care: men who complete the intensive Roots to Recovery residential program will be able to continue in a supported residential environment rather than returning prematurely to communities where they may not yet be stable. DeMauro credits U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal for securing the federal funding that made the project possible, and projects an opening by summer 2026. She describes the treatment approach as holistic — addressing physical health, family reconnection, stable housing, and employment or schooling alongside traditional counseling and substance use reduction skills. Referrals can come from community providers, hospitals, family members, or directly from individuals; CHR screens callers by phone and schedules an appointment. Before Heartwood Home, men completing Roots to Recovery who needed a step-down option had to return to their home environments before they were ready, with mixed outcomes including relapse and readmission. Women's residential services are provided through the Milestone and New Life programs in Putnam, with outpatient and community-based services available in Willimantic and surrounding towns. The gender breakdown of local service users is roughly 50-50, though men outnumber women among those currently seeking treatment. A community needs assessment confirmed that Windham County has the highest rates of binge drinking, smoking, and overdose deaths in all of Connecticut, establishing the scale of need behind the expansion. DeMauro emphasizes that alcohol is the most nationally abused substance, pushing back on the assumption that the programs focus only on illicit drugs. She shares an anonymous success story of a man who completed detox, went through the three-month Roots to Recovery program, moved into a CHR recovery home, secured a job, and reconnected with his family — and who now volunteers at Roots to Recovery mentoring men in early recovery. The Mobile Pathways Treatment Program, a second new initiative, will extend a Putnam-based medication-assisted treatment service by placing a mobile unit that travels throughout the region, with a planned stop at 1310 Main Street. DeMauro provides the CHR access line (1-877-884-3571) and website (chrhealth.org) as entry points for anyone seeking help.

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