In a strategic move to better serve its clients and residents, New Community Corporation is restructuring several departments and installing new leadership in key positions.
Six departments that encompass the areas of health, human services and social services now fall under the supervision of a new chief of health and human services. Arti Kakkar, formerly the executive director of the Family Service Bureau, officially took on her new role as Chief of Health and Human Services on Dec. 1, 2015. Kakkar, who started at FSB 13 years ago, now oversees the departments of Health and Social Services, the two early learning centers, FSB, Harmony House and Youth Services.
“Arti’s new role helps to better coordinate the services that New Community provides in the areas of health and human services. This move points back to NCC’s mission of providing services ‘under one roof’ and making sure that no one slips between the cracks,” CEO Richard Rohrman said.
Kakkar echoed Rohrman’s sentiments that the goal is to better serve clients and residents by making sure that NCC departments that naturally overlap in their services are functionally working together.
“We are trying to do the wraparound here so everything is under one roof,” Kakkar said.
Filling Kakkar’s former role at FSB is Dr. Sam Pirozzi, who officially joined New Community as the executive director of FSB on Dec. 1, 2015.
Pirozzi comes to NCC with more than 30 years of experience, both in clinical and private practice, with a specialty in substance abuse and mental health. Pirozzi expressed enthusiasm for the NCC executive team’s vision to coordinate the services of the network’s Health and Human Services departments, including both the FSB sites in Newark and Kearny, which Pirozzi will oversee.
“If you can treat the person in a holistic way,” he said, “they’re in much better hands.”
“Dr. Pirozzi has long been committed to serving those who need professional counseling, and therapy and has a great deal of experience working with men, women, youth and families. His background makes him an ideal fit for leading the Family Service Bureau, an NCC affiliate, in providing mental health and substance abuse outpatient services,” Rohrman said.
Prior to NCC, Pirozzi said he worked at a behavioral health and substance abuse center for women based in Morris County. He is also an adjunct faculty member at William Paterson University, where he teaches courses on counseling.
One of his goals is to reduce the stigma that still lingers around the topic of mental health, Pirozzi said. As part of that goal, he aims to attract more NCC employees to take advantage of FSB’s services and avail themselves of free offerings, such as the Employee Assistance Program.
