Health

Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Aetna Foundation’s New Awards Shine the “Spotlight” on Programs That Are Improving Community Health

HARTFORD, CT -- The Aetna Foundation today announced 10 community health programs nationwide, and including one program in Connecticut, that are receiving their newly-launched “Spotlight Award.” The award is part of the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge (the Challenge), an initiative launched in 2016 that supports 50 small-to-midsize cities and counties that are implementing innovative solutions to pressing public health issues in their communities. Along with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Aetna Foundation selected these 50 programs because of their ability to tackle social determinants of health (SDoH) that frequently lead to chronic health issues.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Awards Over $2.3M to More Than 900 Organizations in 2017

WELLESLEY, MA -- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation today announced that it awarded more than $2.3 million in grants to more than 900 nonprofit organizations in over 300 communities in  Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire in 2017. Since its inception in 1980, the Foundation has granted more than $145 million in funds throughout the four states.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Bridgeport Launches "Call to Action" On Opioid Addiction

BRIDGEPORT, CT -- Recovering addicts, treatment providers, politicians and others joined together Tuesday to launch a “call to action” about the public health scourge of opioid addiction. The initiative “BPTIamU,” announced in a press conference at Mayor Joe Ganim’s conference room, will include a video series and social media campaign highlighting real stories of people in recovery, resources and access to treatment, and symptoms of overdose. Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority announced Tuesday a one-year $250,000 grant to United Way of Connecticut. A news release said the grant will “provide funding for improved access to information and resources for opioid treatment and addiction services available in Connecticut ...

Read @ Connecticut Post >>
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Family-Farm Program Expands

NEW HAVEN, CT -- New Haven Farms will expand its incubator farm program this growing season to include locations in the Fair Haven and Hill neighborhoods, bringing an additional 25 families to the project. The program is partially funded by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. “The incubator gardener program grew out of requests from our participants in the farm-based wellness program that they wanted to be more knowledgeable and to have the opportunity to grow their own food after having ...

Read @ Yale Daily News >>
Saturday, January 20, 2018
PERSPECTIVE: Access to Healthy Foods: How Far Are You Willing to Go?

HARTFORD, CT -- Blog post by by Garth Graham, M.D., MPH, is a leading authority on social determinants of health. President of the Aetna Foundation since 2013 and Vice President of Community Health for Aetna, Inc., Dr. Graham is a former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Obama and Bush administrations where he also ran the Office of Minority Health.

For the first time in the history of the United States, today’s youth are expected to have a shorter life-span than their parents. With medical, scientific and technological advances, this notion seems dumbfounding. But when we step away from the science and technology and take a deeper look at our communities, you can find the root causes. Access to healthy food, public safety and environmental factors are all driving forces behind this decline in longevity. These social determinants of health are becoming increasingly influential to our health . . .

Read @ Connecticut by the Numbers >>
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Southbury Expanding Opioid Programs for Seniors

SOUTHBURY, CT -- The Pomperaug District Department of Health, which covers Southbury, Woodbury and Oxford, will use a $23,000 grant from the Connecticut Community Foundation to run programs for older adults who use prescription pain medications. The new program, called Senior Health Opiate Awareness and Response (SHOAR), will add senior-specific presentations to existing opioid prevention initiatives and new Chronic Pain Self-Management Programs for senior communities in the three towns.

Read @ News-Times >>

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