Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | October 10, 2022 37 and milestones achieved in 2022. They include the opening of Gaylord Physical Therapy in Madison; the expan- sion of the Gaylord Therapy Services outpatient clinic in New Haven; and the awarding in July of $4.5 million in state bond funds for a new electronic medical records system. The new physical therapy offices in Madi- son include orthopedic physical, post-op- erative and aquatic therapies. The outpatient clinic expansion in New Haven more than doubled treatment space, while also adding neurological therapy services. And the state bond funding will help the hospital replace its 18-year-old elec- tronic medical record system, allowing for "streamlined communications with referring hospitals and physicians and an expedited admission process for patients." LaBarbera oversees a staff of about 1,000 employees. The organization's annual revenue is $91 million. The 137- bed Wallingford-based nonprofit hospi- tal — which sits on a 400-acre campus — provides rehabilitation services for people who have been injured in traumat- Sonja LaBarbera POWER 25 IN HEALTHCARE ERIC WALSH Urgent care facilities are one of the most competitive growth areas in health care as hospitals and others try to direct patients away from the costly emergen- cy department to lower-cost satellite locations closer to home. Hartford HealthCare and its partner Go- Health Urgent Care have been among the most aggressive builders of urgent care centers in Connecticut. Leading that effort is Eric Walsh, medical director of Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care. Walsh, who joined HHC in March 2019, said his team added five GoHealth Urgent Care centers in the state from October 2021 to May 2022 in Hartford and New Haven counties, with the most recent loca- tion on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington. There are now 23 HHC urgent care cen- ters in the state with more to come. Walsh, who grew up in Bloomfield and Miami, Florida, told the Hartford Business Journal in May that growth of urgent care centers — which provide treatments for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries and offer things like flu shots, COVID test- ing, lab work and X-rays — is a trend that will continue. "When we open urgent care centers in new communities like Newington, people are able to receive high-quality care, clos- er to their home or workplace," he said. Walsh also recently launched a new virtu- al behavioral health talk therapy, aimed at providing greater access to mental health resources, an area with critical demand and challenging accessibility. Walsh served Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama as an advisor on HIV/ AIDS. He graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California, where he received his master's degree and a doctorate in public health. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of St. Joseph nursing school in West Hartford. SONJA LABARBERA As Gaylord Specialty Healthcare's CEO, Sonja LaBarbera continues to oversee a multiyear, $10-million renovation of the rehabilitation hospital's main Wallingford campus. There have been other growth initiatives ic accidents, suffered a stroke, or who are recovering from the long-term effects of COVID-19 or an acute illness. LaBarbera began at Gaylord 17 years ago as director of inpatient therapy. Her background is as a speech language pathologist, and she rose through the ranks, serving as chief operating officer before her promotion in January 2019 to president and CEO. Gaylord recently entered into a partner- ship with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford Hospital, and UConn Health to launch a residency program for rehabilitation physicians. The four-year program will support 16 residents annually at full enrollment. LaBarbera received her master's degree in organizational leadership from Quinnip- iac University in 2013 and her master's in speech pathology from the State Universi- ty of New York at Fredonia in 1996. JOHN DRISCOLL John Driscoll is the CEO of Hart- ford-based CareCentrix, one of Hartford's fastest-growing private healthcare com- panies last decade. Driscoll recently inked a deal that could GENERAL CONTRACTING • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT • DESIGN BUILD PARTNER 21 DEMING ROAD, BERLIN, CT 06037 • (860) 610-1093 • WWW.OLSENCS.COM NEW CONSTRUCTION • TENANT FIT OUT • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE • HEALTHCARE Eric Walsh

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