PACT Advanced Practice Providers
Personalized, patient-centered care in a variety of settings
ABOUT US
PACT Primary Care Advanced Practice Partners
In Connecticut, advanced practice providers hold state licensure as advanced practice registered nurses or are nationally certified as nurse practitioners, and certified physician assistants. They undergo comprehensive education and training to diagnose and manage acute illnesses and chronic conditions. They are authorized to provide independent medical care and typically work in various settings including ambulatory, acute, and long-term care, serving as primary or specialized healthcare providers.
PACT Primary Care, a Hartford Healthcare partner, boasts over 50 advanced practice providers with expertise in caring for patients across various settings, including medical offices, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and home care settings. These skilled professionals work closely with physicians to ensure seamless transitions of care, enhancing continuity and reducing medical expenses while minimizing hospital readmissions. Emphasizing a patient-centered approach, they prioritize quality of life for patients in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across Connecticut.
PACT Primary Care’s advanced practice provider-physician team provides the following medical services :
- Wound care
- Medication management
- Face-to-face visits for home care services to be initiated or renewed
- Sick visits to treat the patient in his or her home
- Management of chronic health conditions
- Evaluation of condition stability and goals of care
- Palliative care evaluation
- Patient-centered discussion regarding advanced directives
- Home safety assessments
- Evaluation of acute changes in condition
- The transition of care between home, hospital, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and medical office settings
- Annual physicals
- Patient and family education
PACT Primary Care advanced practice providers-physician team can provide patients with the face-to-face medical attention needed for quality medical care, including chronic issues and urgent care, in the following settings:
Medical Offices
In the medical office setting, PACT Primary Care’s advanced practice providers provide high-quality, patient-centered care by managing acute and chronic medical conditions and focusing on the patient as a whole person. The advanced practice provider works with the primary care physician to manage the patient’s state of health and coordinates care to create a resource for the patient to refer back to as they transition through care.
Skilled Nursing Facilities
In skilled nursing facilities, advanced practice providers manage acute and chronic illness in collaboration with the healthcare team. The advanced clinical assessment and intervention provided by the advanced practice provider for sub-acute rehabilitation patients helps shorten the length of stay for these patients. Long-term patients benefit from individualized health assessments focused on maintaining daily living activities and quality of life. In addition, wound care certified advanced practice providers conduct wound rounds with a holistic approach. Advanced practice providers provide education to patients, families and staff on end-stage disease process and expected outcomes at end of life. Advanced practice providers play an extensive role in helping patients, their families and facility staff through transitions with palliative care services.
Assisted Living Facilities
Patients residing in assisted living facilities are at higher risk for frailty, weakness and having limited mobility, making these adults more vulnerable to falls, chronic disease and disability. The role of the advanced practice provider in the assisted living facility setting is to assist patients to maintain wellness, screen for risk factors that would indicate risk of decline and intervene to maintain patients at their highest level of functioning to maintain them in the assisted living facility setting as long as possible.
Home Care
Advanced practice providers help patients who are homebound and extend the Patient-Centered Medical Home model of care to the community. (This model is a formalized approach to organizing primary care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into what patients want and need.) And while these advanced practice providers frequently work with PACT Primary Care’s physicians to provide continuity of care, they can also collaborate with other physicians around Connecticut.
Wound care and other services
PACT Primary Care’s advanced practice providers are trained on the physiology of wound healing, factors that inhibit or enhance wound healing, wound assessment, measuring, prevention and etiology (determining the cause of a condition). These advanced practice providers can also manage pressure, vascular, arterial and diabetic ulcers and are trained in management, selection and utilization of topical therapy. Advanced practice providers can also educate patients and family members on wound care and utilizing standards of care.
PACT Primary Care’s full-time APP's are:
- Donna Montesi, DNP, MBA, APRN, FAANP – Executive Director
- Rebecca Herter, APRN – Clinical Manager
- Deborah Van Der Maelen, APRN – Clinical Manager
- Holly Penkacik, DNP, APRN – Clinical Manager: Primary Care at Home
- Allison Altenburger, APRN
- Lindsey Bertholet, APRN
- David Booth, APRN
- Marian Campbell-Gethers, PA
- Nicole Colline, APRN
- Liza Ferrante, APRN
- Melissa Francis, APRN
- Erin Hillis, PA
- Yongmei Jin, APRN
- Jennifer Lessig, APRN
- Kyle McCormick, APRN
- Liz Russo, APRN
- Stephanie Smerglinolo, APRN
- Patrick Welch, APRN
- Kate Baron, APRN
- Michelle Brassington, APRN
- Anne Cicale, APRN
- Danielle Cooper, APRN
- Melissa Dest, APRN
- Miguel Flores, APRN
- Xiuling Guo, APRN
- Daniel Huntley, APRN
- Minori Korn, APRN
- Darby Long, APRN
- Mary Ellaine Reyno, APRN
- Jennifer Ruby, APRN
- Brooke Samuelson, APRN
- Wentao Yang, APRN
PACT Primary Care’s part-time APP's are:
- Stephanie Borjas, APRN
- Estrellita Cunanan, APRN
- Maria Anna Go, DNP, APRN
- Laura Lavin, APRN
- Alison LoRusso, APRN
- Karen Conners, APRN
- Erin Landisio, APRN
- Sanjini Roy, APRN
- Liz Russo, APRN
- Aleshia Stahl, APRN
PACT Primary Care’s per diem APP's are:
- Meredith Edwards, APRN
PACT Primary Care’s home visit APP's are:
- Melissa Dest, APRN
- Melissa Francis, APRN
- Laura Lavin, APRN
- Holly Penkacik, DNP, APRN
- Miguel Flores, APRN
- Jacqueline Gilbert, APRN
- Jennifer Lessig, APRN
- Mary Ellaine Reyno, APRN
For more information on PACT Primary Care’s nurse practitioner services, contact Donna Montesi via E-mail: dmontesi@pactmd.com or call 203-932-6481 ext. 161.
Primary Care Offices in Your Neighborhood
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the services offered at a primary care practice?
- Routine physical examinations and wellness services
- Immunization services
- Elderly care encompassing general health and chronic condition management
- Treatment and rehabilitation for sports-related injuries
- Comprehensive women’s health services, including routine gynecological care, prenatal care, childbirth, and menopausal symptom management
- Management of common ailments such as colds, sore throats, fevers, and influenza
- First aid for minor injuries like cuts, sprains, strains, and insect bites
- Preventive and diagnostic screenings such as cholesterol checks, breast examinations, and prostate screenings
- Diabetes care and maintenance
- Management of chronic diseases like hypertension and arthritis
- Minor surgical procedures including suturing, biopsies, and excision of moles and skin lesions
- Psychological support services including individual, couples, and family therapy
How do you make an appointment?
We offer online appointment requests for new patients. We ask that new or existing patients request an appointment through the MyChartPLUS app or the website. Patients may also call the office to make an appointment. For a listing of our offices, please click here.
Are there TeleHealth appointments available?
To better serve our existing patients, we have extended our services to offer TeleHealth appointments. Virtual, TeleHealth appointments are done from the comfort and safety of your own home using your personal device’s camera/video function. Availability is dependent on your insurance plan.
Schedule an in-person or virtual TeleHealth appointment by calling your doctor’s office today.
Are you currently accepting new patients?
As one of the largest independent physician groups in Connecticut, it is our goal to make primary care highly accessible to our community. We have primary care doctors near you who accept new patients, some with same-day appointments available.
How do you switch primary care providers?
Switching doctors is a pivotal healthcare decision. To make the transition as easy as possible, read these tips. Before switching providers, we recommend checking that your new provider accepts your health insurance.
What insurance do you accept?
Please check with your provider’s office to confirm coverage under any plan.
- Aetna
- Anthem BCBS
- CHN PPO
- Cigna
- ConnectiCare
- Coventry
- Harvard Pilgrim
- Medicaid**
- Medicare
- MultiPlan
- Railroad Medicare
- Three Rivers Provider Network***
- TRICARE / Health Net
- UnitedHealthcare / Oxford
- WellCare
- U.S. Department of Labor
***not accepted by PACT Primary Care Hamden office.
What our patients are saying
I saw Diane Graham as my first primary doctor after aging out of my pediatrician’s office. She was wonderful and gave me awesome recommendations for little issues that I had that other doctors never bothered to give me! Finally, I am not anxious about doctor visits!
- Natalia B., Google Review
Dr. Lena Wu Rivas is by far the best Medical provider I have seen in my 61 years. She is always friendly, thoughtful, and puts our concerns first. I can not speak more highly of her. The staff is always helpful and my experience with other medical professionals in this office has always been above my level of standards.
—HealthGrades
I have been a patient of Dr. Lazarides for 10 years. He is professional, knowledgeable, caring and has a good sense of humor. Dr. Lazarides takes the time to listen to any of my complaints and works with me for the best solution for me, for my budget, and for my health. The staff at the office are fantastic and friendly. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr Lazarides.
—HealthGrades
For the first time in 30+ years I feel like I have found a doctor who actually listened to my concerns. She went line by line through my medical history and my family history. Dr Eris is kind and straight forward. She was very thorough in every aspect of my exam and ran lots of bloodwork to cover all concerns I had. Her team is just as wonderful as she is. From scheduling to follow up and referrals; Dr Eris’ team made the whole process very smooth.
—HealthGrades
Dr. Trainor is an excellent practitioner. She is highly skilled and compassionate professional who consistently goes above and beyond. Her deep expertise, combined with her warm and approachable demeanor, makes her a standout in her field. Thank you!!
HealthGrades
I went for my routine physical 5 years ago with Dr. Christa Wittmann. She did not like my GI discomfort and immediately sent me for imaging. She found stage one ovarian cancer (very rare to catch it this early) I went onto successfully fighting this most aggressive form of cancer (serious) She took that time to listen to me and how I felt – I did not suspect anything – she did!
—HealthGrades
