The Connecticut Health Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in grants this quarter, including a recent $100,000 grant for the YWCA of New Britain to expand its community health worker training program into a six-credit course at Central Connecticut State University.
The goal of the new funding is to introduce career opportunities to high school students and build a local pipeline of frontline health workers.
The YWCA of New Britain aims to have the curriculum offered at Central Connecticut State University by 2025.
“Community health workers play a crucial role in addressing health disparities,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “As trusted members of the communities they serve, they help make sure people receive the wholistic care they need.”
This grant is among 30 awarded by the Connecticut Health Foundation this quarter, totaling $1,075,200. The other grant recipients were:
Connecticut Public Broadcasting in Hartford: $100,000 (2 years) – To support coverage of health disparities and health policy issues in Connecticut through a full-time health reporter for the next two years.
Health Equity Solutions in Hartford: $300,000 - To continue advocacy efforts to address disparities, such as by hosting events and trainings.
Keep the Promise Coalition in Middletown: $35,000 – To create a coalition of peer support specialists and the people they serve to address racial and ethnic inequities in the behavioral health system.
Christian Community Action in New Haven: $25,000 – To address the disparity of life expectancy for people of color living in certain ZIP codes in New Haven.
CT Community Nonprofit Alliance in Hartford: $17,000 – For training for non-profit staff who work directly with community members.
Journey Home in Hartford: $25,000 - To evaluate the effectiveness of a medical liaison working in a hospital setting to address issues related to homelessness and social determinants of health.
Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington: $48,200 - To conduct community and staff focus groups to help understand the barriers to collecting race, ethnicity and language data.
Hartford HealthCare: $50,000 – To conduct focus groups on the best ways to collect race, ethnicity, and language data and create training for staff members based on those findings.
Wheeler Clinic Inc. in Plainville: $50,000 – To purchase and set up kiosks that will be placed in Wheeler Clinic’s five health and wellness Centers. They will allow patients to input demographic information.
Also, the Connecticut Health Foundation gave grants to recipients of the Patricia Baker Awards for Health Equity Policy and Advocacy. These grants are intended to support grassroots organizations led by people of color and that focus on work that advances health equity.
This year’s grantees were:
- Black and Brown United in Action, New Haven: $20,000
- Black Infinity Collective, Hamden: $20,000
- Full Citizens Coalition, New Haven: $20,000
- Hartford Health Initiative, Hartford: $20,000
- Ledge Light Health District, New London: $20,000
- New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, New Britain: $20,000
- Nonprofit Accountability Group, Hartford: $20,000
- PowerUp CT, Manchester: $20,000
- PT Partners, Bridgeport $20,000
In addition, the Sanford Cloud Awards were awarded to advance health equity for people of color by investing in initiatives led by graduates of the foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows Program and Academy for Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership.
They were:
- Black Health Collective in New London: $10,000 – For a community engagement project to raise awareness about health inequities.
- Advocacy to Legacy in Windsor: $10,000 – To continue advocacy efforts for a “tobacco proximity law,” which aims to ban the sale of tobacco and cannabis products within a certain distance of schools.
- InterCommunity Inc. in East Hartford: $10,000 – To develop a health care career development program for students of color in East Hartford, Hartford and South Windsor.
Several organizations also received trusted messenger grants for sharing information about changes related to health care coverage.
There were:
- Community Action Agency of New Haven, New Haven: $15,000
- Connecticut Worker Center, Bridgeport: $15,000
- Cross Street Training & Academic Center, Middletown: $15,000
- CT Students for a Dream, Bridgeport: $15,000
- Make the Road CT, Hartford: $15,000
- Project Access of New Haven, New Haven: $15,000
- The New American Dream Foundation, Danbury: $10,000
- Urban Alliance, Hartford: $15,000
Created in 1999, the Connecticut Health Foundation is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving health outcomes for people of color. It has awarded more than $78 million to nonprofit organizations and public entities.
