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HEALTHCARE HEROES | 2026 AWARDS HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 B7 Every day, our team of 1,000 professionals, like Ally Scaramozza, LCSW, Senior Integrated Healthcare Clinician, change lives and offer hope for a better, healthier tomorrow to everyone we serve. We are proud to honor Ally as a 2026 Healthcare Hero for her dedication providing addiction recovery and behavioral health treatment in New Britain! Congratulations, Ally! WheelerHealth.org/healthcareheroes Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. As chief clinical officer over- seeing 12 long-term care facilities in three states, I addressed the challenge of disparate processes by standardizing clinical practices, strengthening leadership commu- nication and using quality data to drive improvements. ese efforts enhanced regulator y readiness, improved resident outcomes and ensured consistent, high-quality care across all facilities. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? My next major goal is retirement after a long and rewarding career in nursing and healthcare leadership. Before then, my focus is on leaving a strong legacy of building a cohesive clinical team, strengthening clinical programs and ensuring a smooth transition that supports continued high-quality resident care. Winner Category | Nurse Allison Breault Chief Clinical Officer iCare Health Network A llison Breault (RN, MS) has spent the last 34 years in lead- ership positions within acute care, home healthcare, hospice and most recently long-term care. As chief clinical officer, Breault is responsible for clinical and regula- tor y oversight of 12 long-term care facilities in Connecticut, Massachu- setts and Vermont. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? My most significant contribu- tion has been creating a culture of excellence, accountability and resident safety by building and leading a high-performing regional clinical team. rough the devel- opment of strong strategic part- nerships with operations, human resources, finance and legal, I ensured that clinical expertise was consistently integrated into executive decision-making and organizational strateg y. I was also able to implement a data-driven approach to identif ying process issues to drive sustainable solutions. ese efforts created a management team committed to delivering exceptional, person-cen- tered care while maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulator y compliance. Winner Category | Mental Healthcare Provider of the Year Ally Scaramozza Senior Integrated Healthcare Clinician Wheeler Health A lly Scaramozza is a senior clinician at W heeler Health's New Britain Family Health & Wellness Center. She provides substance use and mental health treatment in individual and group settings and helps develop integrated approaches to care that address patients' behavioral health, recover y and overall well-being. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? Over the past year, I have worked to learn and implement new evidence- based treatment approaches for patients facing trauma, anxiety, depres- sion and substance use challenges. Most notably, Accelerated Resolution erapy, which helps patients process traumatic memories and can provide meaningful relief from symptoms. I've seen patients experience improvement quickly, helping them move forward in treatment and recover y. In a demanding community health setting, I also make it a priority to seek out new resources, support my colleagues and continually improve how we care for the people who depend on us. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. It's increasingly difficult to keep up with additional insurance requirements for intensive outpa- tient programs. We've developed and also offer a new, individualized approach and now feel that we can better support our patients' needs and concerns, while they still benefit from the strongest parts that the group dynamic brings. What's your next major goal? My next goal is to deepen my clinical skills so I can better support patients with increasingly complex behavioral health and substance use needs. I also want to help develop approaches that make high-quality behavioral healthcare easier to access and more responsive to the needs of our local communities. Winner Category | Mental Healthcare Provider of the Year Demesis Negron-Figueroa Clinic Supervisor Root Center for Advanced Recovery D emesis Negron-Figueroa is a clinic supervisor at Root Center for Advanced Recovery. She oversees clinical operations, leads multi- disciplinary teams, provides clinical supervision to interns and works to improve quality of care, documentation compliance and patient outcomes while supporting individuals on their recovery journey with compassion and evidence-based care. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? I believe a Healthcare Hero creates lasting change that improves both patient care and the teams delivering it. As clinic supervisor, I oversee clinical services for approximately 500 patients in our medi- cation-assisted treatment program. In my role, I lead quality-improvement initiatives that significantly increased documentation compliance, strength- ened staff accountability and streamlined clinical workflows. I expanded support for our pregnancy program, mentored clinicians and collaborated across disci- plines to reduce barriers to care. My focus is building systems that allow compassionate, evidence-based treatment to reach every patient while fostering a culture of excellence, team- work and continuous improvement. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. One of my biggest challenges was improving documentation compliance while maintaining excellent patient care. By coaching staff, strengthening account- ability and creating sustainable work- flows, our team significantly improved performance without losing sight of what matters most — our patients. What's your next major goal? My next goal is to continue developing strong clinical leaders while expanding innovative programs that improve access to treatment, patient engagement and long-term recovery outcomes. I want to help build systems that support both patients and the professionals who care for them.