Hartford, CONN. (Jan. 8, 2026)- The Connecticut Health Foundation has named Jennifer Muggeo to its board of directors. Muggeo is the director of health for the Ledge Light Health District, the local health department for East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Lyme, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Stonington, and Waterford.
In her role, Muggeo works with a team of public health professionals to promote the health and safety of the communities that make up southeastern Connecticut.
Muggeo oversees and designs public health programs and interventions to improve community health and address inequities. Under her leadership, the health department has worked to identify and address systemic barriers to health and recognized racism as a public health issue.
She has held a leadership position with the Ledge Light Health District since 2007. Muggeo is a member of the foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows Program class of 2011.
Muggeo is a graduate of State University of New York at Albany and earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
“Working in partnership to build health equity through both systems change and effective programmatic interventions has been a north star for me since my participation in the Connecticut Health Foundation Health Leadership Fellows Program more than a decade ago, so it is a great honor to join the board of the foundation,” Muggeo said. “The Connecticut Health Foundation’s commitment to health equity is more important than ever and I am excited to be part of the effort in this new role.”
“Jennifer is an exciting addition to our board of directors, as she works closely with communities and approaches her work through a health equity lens,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “Her expertise in public health is valuable to our work and her dedication to improving health outcomes is critical in a constantly changing landscape.”
In addition to welcoming Muggeo to the board, the foundation awarded 35 grants in recent months totaling $1,200,000. They are:
Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Hartford: $150,000 (three years)
This funding will support coverage of health policy and health disparities in Connecticut by a full-time health reporter. This reporting will be shared across platforms with a focus on ensuring information reaches communities of color and at-risk populations.
The Connecticut Health Foundation provides grants to media organizations because news reporting on health care provides insights, informs debates, and ensures that critical topics reach broad audiences. The funding is awarded with an understanding that the journalism will be independent, and the grant will play no role in editorial decisions about health coverage.
Strategy and defense fund
The foundation awarded grants to organizations for work to address challenges related to the changing federal landscape. The organizations are:
- Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, New London: $20,000
- Connecticut Students for a Dream, Bridgeport: $20,000
- Hispanic Health Council, Hartford: $20,000
- HUSKY 4 Immigrants, Bridgeport: $20,000
- Ledge Light Health District, New London: $20,000
- Connecticut Association for Community Action, Middletown: $20,000
Health equity anchor organizations
These organizations are longstanding partners of the foundation, and are trusted messengers to the communities they serve. These grantees conduct outreach, address community needs, and engage in advocacy work about health equity issues. These grants support messaging, outreach, and advocacy related to health equity.
- Building One Community, Stamford: $50,000
- Christian Community Action, New Haven: $50,000
- Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program, Bridgeport: $50,000
- Ministerial Health Fellowship, Middletown: $50,000
- The New American Dream Foundation, Danbury: $50,000
Advocacy efforts to further extend HUSKY coverage
Health coverage is an important part of achieving good health outcomes. Efforts to extend HUSKY coverage to people in Connecticut regardless of immigration status have been led by the HUSKY 4 Immigrants coalition. To support coalition efforts, the foundation awarded grants to organizations that are committed to engaging in advocacy work focused on coverage extension.
- Comunidades Sin Fronteras, Norwalk: $20,000
- Connecticut Worker Center, Bridgeport: $20,000
- United Action Connecticut, Plainville, $10,000
Community health worker public health project
To demonstrate the value of community health workers (CHWs) in a public health setting, two local health departments have employed CHWs who serve as generalists, with the flexibility to support community members in many ways. This is the second year of the project, which is intended to collect data on the impact of CHWs in these models on health outcomes and the return on investment for CHWs in this capacity.
- City of Norwalk, Norwalk: $100,000
- Ledge Light Health District, New London: $100,000
Advocacy for sustainable funding for community health workers
These grants will support advocacy efforts to ensure the effective implementation of Medicaid payment for community health workers (CHWs), a workforce that is instrumental in improving health outcomes.
- Health Equity Solutions, Hartford: $50,000
- Connecticut Association for Community Action, Middletown: $35,000
- Southwestern AHEC Inc., Shelton: $50,000
- Community Health Center Association of Connecticut Inc., Cheshire: $35,000
Patricia Baker awards for health equity policy and advocacy
These grants, named for the foundation’s founding president and CEO, are intended to support grassroots organizations that are led by people of color and focus on work that advances health equity. This year’s grantees are:
- PT Partners, Bridgeport: $30,000
- CT People’s Survival Programs, New Britain: $30,000
- Ledge Light Health District (Black Health Collective), New London: $30,000
- Nonprofit Accountability Group, Hartford $30,000
- Full Citizens Coalition, New Haven: $30,000
- Hartford Health Initiative, Hartford: $30,000
Emergency food aid
In response to a disruption in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November, the foundation awarded grants to these organizations to assist families in need of emergency funds to purchase groceries. These grantees provided direct relief to those impacted by the uncertainty surrounding delays and future changes to SNAP benefits.
- Building One Community, Stamford: $10,000
- Christian Community Action, New Haven: $10,000
- Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program, Bridgeport: $10,000
- Ministerial Health Fellowship, Middletown, $10,000
- The New American Dream Foundation, Danbury, $10,000
- Ledge Light Health District, New London, $10,000
- New Opportunities Inc., Waterbury, $10,000
- Urban Alliance, Hartford, $10,000
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 $82 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.