Community Care Alliance Honors Founders of Woonsocket Mental Health Center Building Dedicated in Honor of Edward & Corrine Nolan

A dedication ceremony was held on December 13th at Community Care Alliance’s administrative offices at 800 Clinton Street, Woonsocket, to honor the late Edward Nolan, PhD and Corrine Nolan, MSW, founders of a Woonsocket-based mental health center in 1966. The Northern Rhode Island Community Mental Health Clinic, as it was then known, was one of the first community-based mental health centers in Rhode Island serving people with chronic mental illness.

Chris Stephens, the former President/CEO of the mental health center noted, “Ed and Corrine Nolan and Board Chairs like Viola Berard, Harold Sadwin and Omer Sutherland were not only founders and leaders, they were powerful advocates for local, accessible, community based mental health services.” Stephens said these leaders helped the agency be seen as an essential ‘safety net’ for people who are at risk and least able to pay. “Community Care Alliance honors that legacy today through this building dedication and by continuing to offer an even broader range of services that strengthen families and help people in their recovery,” Stephens said.

Community Care Alliance President/CEO Ben Lessing noted, “As we move forward with Community Care Alliance, we thought it was important to reflect on the strong leaders who brought us to this point and celebrate and acknowledge their contributions. Without their vision we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Community Care Alliance was formed on July 1st 2014 with the merger of the mental health center, now known as NRI Community Services, and Family Resources Community Action. The agency has evolved into a comprehensive human service organization offering more than 50 programs to empower and support individuals and families experiencing economic insecurity, mental illness and addiction, housing instability and trauma-related concerns. The agency serves Woonsocket and other areas of Rhode Island as well as nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut. For more information about Community Care Alliance visit www.CommunityCareRI.org