HARTFORD, Conn. (April 16, 2025) – Access to nutritious and affordable food plays a critical role in people’s overall health. To address this, Saint Francis Hospital is testing a model that integrates community health workers (CHWs) into patients’ care teams within its Food as Medicine program, and funding from the Connecticut Health Foundation will support data collection and information gathering to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.
The Food as Medicine program aims to address the lack of access to healthy food and care coordination in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in Hartford, and the higher rates of chronic conditions and mortality associated with that lack of access. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension will be referred to the program, where they will receive nutrition education, behavioral interventions, and wrap-around social care. Dieticians, pharmacists, and CHWs will be part of their care teams.
Through this program, Saint Francis Hospital will pilot a more intensive use of CHW services by expanding their capacity to help patients manage their disease on their own. The workers are trained in chronic disease management and will be coaching patients on how to monitor, record, and manage their blood pressure. An extensive evaluation of this intervention will be completed, and the $50,000 grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation will be used to specifically evaluate the role of CHWs in improving health outcomes for participants, as well as health care cost savings.
“We know how valuable community health workers are in improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “This evaluation will help to show the impact of having community health workers be fully integrated into a primary care team that addresses patients’ needs in a holistic way. We hope the findings will help other organizations better understand how to incorporate community health workers into their care teams for improved health outcomes.”
“At Trinity Health of New England, we are redefining the role of community health workers to meet the evolving needs of our patients and communities,” said Carolyn Alessi, regional director of community health and well being and the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity at Trinity Health of New England, the parent company of Saint Francis Hospital. “By expanding their focus beyond social needs screenings to include chronic disease management and care coordination, we’re not only enhancing the value they bring to the health care team, but also advancing our commitment to whole-person care. This evaluation is a critical step in demonstrating the impact CHWs can have as trusted, high-value members of our clinical care teams.”
The Connecticut Health Foundation awarded six additional grants during the first quarter of this year, totaling $300,000. The grantees are:
Center for Children’s Advocacy, Hartford, $50,000
The Center for Children’s Advocacy will use this funding to advocate for changes to address barriers to community-based behavioral health services for low-income children of color. The center will advocate for increased Medicaid payment for treatment services; an infrastructure for data collection on race and ethnicity within the behavioral health system; and the development of a regulatory framework for autism clinics.
Health Information Alliance, West Hartford, $100,000
This funding will be used by Connie, the state’s health information exchange, to assess and improve the collection of race, ethnicity and language (REL) data by health care organizations across Connecticut. Connie serves as the only statewide repository for REL data and will implement a quality improvement platform to ensure the data being collected is compliant with the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy’s standards. Reliable REL data can help to identify and address disparities in care and outcomes.
PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
President’s discretionary grants are awarded to organizations and institutions that respond to the foundation’s overall mission or priority areas.
Black and Brown United in Action, New Haven, $25,000
Black and Brown United in Action will work to improve health care access, mental wellness, disability awareness, and other issues through community education and legislative advocacy. The organization’s work will include storytelling and facilitating discussions about these topics.
Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, Hartford, $25,000
This grant award will support the work of the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI) to establish an oral health advocacy coalition. COHI will convene health equity-focused advocacy organizations, dental provider groups, and community members most impacted by the existing inequities in oral health access to promote policy change that addresses those inequities.
Hispanic Health Council, Hartford, $25,000
The Hispanic Health Council will identify and address health care and cultural barriers to the migrant and seasonal farmworker community in Connecticut. This funding will be used to conduct community-based participatory research to gain a clearer understanding of the health needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve outcomes.
PowerUp CT, Manchester, $25,000
PowerUp CT will use this grant to support its EMPOWERU program, which serves children of color who face systemic barriers to health equity. This funding will be used to strengthen the program’s organizational capacity and infrastructure and to engage a consultant to provide guidance for long-term sustainability.
For more information, please contact Gaby Molina at gaby@cthealth.org or 860-724-1580 x 133.
About the Connecticut Health Foundation
The Connecticut Health Foundation is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving health outcomes for people of color. Since its creation in 1999, the foundation has awarded more than $80 million to nonprofit organizations and public entities to expand health equity, reduce health disparities, expand health coverage, and improve the health of all Connecticut residents.