Hartford Business Journal

HEALTHCARE HEROES | 2025 AWARDS B6 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 6, 2025 Winner Category | Mental Health Care Provider of the Year Jennifer Valva Vice President of Behavioral Health Services InterCommunity J ennifer Valva brings more than 20 years of clinical experience across multiple levels of care, including outpatient, inpatient, crisis and residen- tial settings. She is an educator, therapist and ethics committee chair for CT's Certification Board. As InterCommunity's vice president of behavioral services, she champions integrated, client-centered care and staff development. She is committed to fostering peaceful, professional environ- ments and supporting both clients and staff in achieving their goals through innovation and integrated care. What have been your significant contribu- tions to your organization in the past year? Over the last year, I have created systems to improve client care and staff development. I have created clinical grand rounds for clinicians to support clinical growth and clinical skill building, and a centralized admissions team to improve access to InterCommunity's residential treatment programs. I have also created a system for people seeking outpatient services to receive infor- mation about access to care within 24 hours from a behavioral health professional. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. A challenge that presents to many behav- ioral health providers is managing client care and documentation time. I created and continue to create clinical documentation templates to decrease time in documenta- tion by streamlining what is required, so the most time can be spent on client care. What's your next major goal? My ongoing goal is to continue to improve patient care, improve access to care and support staff growth with skill, knowledge and competence. How are you involved in the community? In addition to continuing to practice individual therapy as well as community crisis work, I am an active member of the CT certification board, which ensures competence for substance use profes- sionals. From supporting certification as well as investigating ethics complaints, I continue to value quality care from all helping professionals. Winner Category | Mental Health Care Provider of the Year Melissa Santos Division Head of Pediatric Psychology Connecticut Children's M elissa Santos is the division chief of pediatric psychology at Connecticut Children's, the director of the Scientific Center for Child Health Excellence in Research and Innovative Outcomes for the Connecticut Children's Research Institute and an asso- ciate professor of pediatrics at the UConn School of Medicine. In her roles, she leads a team of psychol- ogists while providing mental health services to children with chronic health conditions and advancing a funded line of community engaged research. What have been your significant contribu- tions to your organization in the past year? Health care is constantly evolving with exciting new innovations, breakthroughs and technologies. However, what always remains is that not every child or family reaps the benefits of these successes. Over the past year, I have worked on initiatives in hopes of reducing that gap. I implemented training to allow individ- uals to understand ways they approach the world, patients, families and each other. I also worked to create a structure to allow children and families to be involved in the scientific process to ensure that research is meaningful, relevant and reaches those it means to benefit. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. Working in health care, we spend a lot of time talking about the mental health of the patients and families we serve. However, healthcare worker mental health is often met by challenges of stigma or needing to be the invincible hero. I am proud of the work we have done to normalize conversations about healthcare worker mental health and the programs we have put in place to make access to mental health services and support readily accessible. Honored to protect Healthcare Heroes. Thank you for your unwavering dedication, strength, and hope you bring to our communities each day. As you care for patients across Connecticut, we care for you. Integris Group goes beyond standard coverage with tailored support and resources that empower you to practice with confidence. Together, we strengthen care for you and for every patient you serve. Scan to Request a Quote or Visit www.integrisgrp.com/healthcare-hero. We are Stronger Together. integrisgrp.com 800.228.0287 Congratulations to the 2025 Healthcare Heroes How are you involved in the community? I seek to involve the community in all the work that I do and use my privilege to amplify voices that may go unheard. Attending community events and gatherings is such an honor. It is only through involve- ment with the community that we can ever truly revolutionize children's mental health.

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