APRIL 18, 2012
Dr. John Santopietro, Chief Medical Officer of Community Health Resources (CHR) was installed as the President of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society at their Annual Meeting in New Haven on April 4, 2012. Dr. Santopietro has been an active member of the Psychiatric Society for 5 years and has been an officer for the past 2 years.
Dr. Santopietro is a leader in the psychiatric field. He has held important administrative roles in both public and private agencies in Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut where for the last 3 years he has been the Chief Medical Officer at CHR. CHR is a leading behavioral health provider in Central and Eastern Connecticut, offering a wide array of services including behavioral healthcare for children, adults and families, substance use disorder services and supportive housing. CHR serves over 10,000 children, adults and families every year through over 80 programs and 30 locations, including behavioral health clinics in Manchester, Enfield, Bloomfield, Mansfield and Willimantic. Dr. Santopietro is responsible for the quality and appropriateness of clinical services provided and works to ensure CHR delivers excellent care in a culture of flexibility and customer service.
In his remarks to the members of the CT Psychiatric Society, Dr. Santopietro urged them to advocate for their clients and to do a better job defining and articulating what it is that psychiatrists do. He explained, “One thing I would articulate myself, which grows out of my point of view in community psychiatry, is that we are all advocates. Through the lens of our unique training we are able to see into the suffering of those with mental illness at the level of the brain, the biology, the social and the psychological, in a way no other group can. Indeed, I would challenge us by saying that we are all community psychiatrists on some level. You all advocate every day for your patients.”
Heather Gates, President and CEO of CHR remarked, “We are very pleased that Dr. Santopietro will be serving as the President of the CT Psychiatric Society. He is a proven leader and innovator, always placing high quality community based behavioral healthcare as his top priority.”
Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, incoming president of the American Medical Association (AMA) was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting. Dr. Lazarus is only the 3rd psychiatrist to hold that post since the AMA was founded in 1847 and is, as he says, ‘the first in modern history.’ He encouraged members to support the Affordable Care Act and emphasized the need for psychiatric leadership in the new healthcare environment.
The photo below is of Dr. Santopietro being welcomed to the podium by Dr. Christine Naungayan, the outgoing President of the CT Psychiatric Society.
For more information about the CT Psychiatric Society to go http://www.ctpsych.org/Pages/default.aspx. ; Please visit http://www.chrhealth.org/about-chr/leadership/#john-santopietro to read a brief biography about Dr. Santopietro. For more information about CHR go tohttp://www.chrhealth.org.
