Foundation Awards Over $889,000 to Nonprofits to Improve Health in Connecticut
HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) awarded Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE), a one year $75,000 grant to build upon their current efforts of integrating primary care services into their reproductive health care program at their Hartford North End center.
“Planned Parenthood of Southern New England is a strong pillar of the safety net,
particularly for young adults in underserved communities around CT. Their primary care integration model provides comprehensive support services ranging from insurance enrollment to connection to primary and specialty care to an often overlooked and hard to reach population” said Tiffany Donelson, VP of Program at CT Health.
As part of this integration effort, PPSNE also aspires to receive National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) verification as a patient-centered medical home
(PCMH) and to participate fully in the state’s Medicaid shared savings program. They will be moving forward with these objectives through their alignment and support from the State Innovation Model (SIM). PPSNE’s North End site is a part of the SIM Advanced Medical Home (AMH) Vanguard program, and was given Advanced Network status by SIM to move them closer to becoming a PCMH. Because of this alignment, SIM will provide technical assistance and guidance as PPSNE prepares and applies for PCMH designation.
“If we are successful in this integrated approach to primary and reproductive health, underserved young adults will have increased access to quality, community-based primary care services which will reduce racial and ethnic disparities and drastically improve the health outcomes of residents living in the North End,” advocated Judy Tabar, President & CEO of PPSNE.
Other grants awarded
Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers CASBHC (North Haven, statewide reach) was awarded a one year $92,250 grant for the first year of their quality initiative project. CASBHC will aid five organizations with the collection, reporting and tracking of newly set national performance measures.
Community Health Center, Inc. (Middletown, statewide reach) was awarded a one year $30,000 grant to build on their Trauma and Diabetes Integrated Care Model (TraDiCaM) — a new model of care designed to better integrate medical and behavioral health services for patients with diabetes and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The foundation funded CHCI in 2015 to begin this project and this additional funding will help expand the model to more patients, as well as support the collection of data and analytics.
Connecticut News Project/CT Mirror (Hartford) was awarded a $75,000 grant over one year to support their award-winning healthcare reporting. CT Health has supported The Mirror since its inception in 2010 to help fill a gap in health reporting and investigative journalism in the changing news landscape.
Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (Hartford) was awarded $50,000 over 18 months to produce in-depth reporting through its Health Enrollment Access Reporting Initiative on stories and hour-long talk shows that examine the issue of racial and ethnic health disparities from a variety of perspectives.
Health Equity Solutions (Hartford) was awarded a one year $300,000 grant to continue to build the organization and to focus on their first policy agenda targeting issues ranging from certification for community health workers (CHWs) to the collection and reporting of race, ethnicity and language data.
Innovation Network was awarded $90,808 over 21 months to deliver a customized evaluation to assess and support the new Academy of Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership (AHEAL) program. The evaluation findings will provide CT Health with reliable, actionable data about the implementation and outcomes of the AHEAL program.
Yale New Haven Health, Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation (CORE) was awarded $74,964 over 6 months to research and evaluate the ability of healthcare organizations to implement the health equity measures of the State Innovation Model (SIM).
YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford (Hartford) was awarded $36,298 over 18 months to support the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program (Y-DPP). The program is designed to address the health care needs (and inherent disparities) for the region’s most vulnerable residents.
President’s Discretionary Grants
Community Partners in Action, Inc. (Hartford) was awarded $10,000 to support their Prison Arts Program Health and Behavior Education Initiative that provides health education, information and access to prisoners and their families through the arts.
Health Disparities Institute, University of Connecticut (Farmington, statewide reach) was awarded $25,000 to continue their Health Insurance Advance strategy that focuses on reducing health inequities by eliminating obstacles to care in inherent in our complex health insurance and delivery system.
Hartford Communities that Care (Hartford) was awarded $10,000 to support the Black Male Health and Wellness Group (Trauma, Health and Healing) project. This will serve as a pilot for a racial and gender based program geared toward the social, emotional, behavioral and trauma needs of young African-American males.
CT Citizens Research Group/Medicaid Strategy Group (Hartford) was awarded $20,000 to build and strengthen its organizational capacity, and to develop a robust, strategic campaign designed to protect, defend and potentially expand Medicaid coverage over the next several years.
About the Connecticut Health Foundation
The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving lives by changing health systems. Since it was established in 1999, the foundation has supported innovative grantmaking, public policy research technical assistance and convening to achieve its mission – to improve the health of the people of Connecticut. Over the past 17 years, CT Health has awarded grants totaling close to $59 million in 45 cities and towns throughout the state.
In 2013, CT Health announced a five-year strategic plan that made expanding health equity the foundation’s central focus. For CT Health, health equity means helping more people gain access to better care, especially people of color and underserved populations. Better care includes physical, mental, and oral health.
For more information about the foundation, please visit www.cthealth.org or contact Liz Kellner at liz@cthealth.org or 860.724.1580, ext. 13.
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