AHEAD OF PHASE 3, HARTFORD ANNOUNCES NEW HEALTH DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES
Published on October 01, 2020
HARTFORD, CONN (October 1, 2020) – This afternoon the City of Hartford new Health Department initiatives ahead of the State’s transition to Phase 3 of reopening next week. Over the last several months, Hartford’s Health and Human Services Department has won three separate grants totaling more than $1.4 million and has increased staffing through a partnership with the CDC Foundation worth more than $500,000 to significantly expand its capacity to contact trace, support community outreach and education, and increase flu vaccination rates. The initiatives supported this funding will be administered by the City in partnership with the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, the Hispanic Health Council, Hartford Communities That Care, and Family Life Education.
“As Connecticut loosens some restrictions in Phase 3, we need to strengthen our public health initiatives and we’ve aggressively pursued this funding to do exactly that,” said Mayor Luke Bronin. “We also need to be prepared to handle additional cases of coronavirus, and this significant addition of contact tracers, community health workers, and public education resources will help us as we try to continue the reopening process. Liany Arroyo and our Health Department began working months ago to secure this funding, and we now have it in place as we approach Phase 3. We are deeply grateful to the CDC Foundation, the CDC, and the Connecticut Health Foundation for their generous support, and we are also deeply grateful to the many community partners who are crucial to so much of the work we need to do in the months ahead.”
“The Town of East Hartford is grateful for this grant opportunity, especially in these uncertain times,” said Mayor Marcia Leclerc. “For East Hartford, this grant will enable access to community health workers to provide COVID-19 outreach and education in East Hartford, while offering assistance to residents who are experiencing challenges due to quarantine or isolation related to pandemic.”
“If we are serious about addressing health disparities during the pandemic and beyond, we need to bring significant new resources to bear, and these grants will help us do that,” said Liany Arroyo, Hartford’s Director of Health and Human Services. “We have all worked hard to limit transmission in Hartford, but as the reopening continues, we know we will need to do more to avoid broad community spread. We can not fall into a false sense of security or grow weary of the public health guidance. Coronavirus is still here, and we look forward to working with partners like the Hispanic Health Council, Hartford Communities That Care, and Family Life Education, among others, to keep our community as safe and healthy as possible going forward.”
“The West Hartford Bloomfield Health District is excited to collaborate with the City of Hartford on this project,” said Aimee Krauss, Director of Health for the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District. “Community Health Workers are essential as we continue the efforts to control and mitigate COVID-19 in our communities.”
“United Way, through our health collaborative, is proud to join the City of Hartford’s Health and Human Services Department in its effort to help make sure Hartford residents and their families get the flu vaccine this year,” said Paula S. Gilberto, President and CEO, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. “We look forward to partnering with community organizations and community leaders to help keep Hartford families safe.”
“Hartford Communities That Care is pleased to play a role in this opportunity to raise awareness of COVID-19, its impact and where to get help and supports if impacted,” said HCTC Executive Director Andrew Woods. “With our partners, we will continue increasing preparedness and routing residents toward these services because, as we know, this virus carries many uncertainties. We are not out of the woods yet.”
“The Hispanic Health Council deeply appreciates the opportunity to partner in this essential work,” said Leticia Marulanda, Interim CEO of the Hispanic Health Council. “Community health workers are trusted frontline workers who expand public health and clinical capacity and address social determinants of health right where vulnerable community members are. Community health workers will play a critically important role in this initiative, helping to reduce the inequities experienced by community members related to COVID infection risk and outcomes.”
Summary of new Hartford Health and Human Services Department initiatives ahead of Phase 3 reopening:
- CDC Foundation Grant, Surge Staffing, More than $500,000 directly towards hiring
The CDC Foundation is funding thirty additional staff members for Hartford’s Health and Human Services Department for a six-month period ending after March 2021. Twenty-six staff members have been hired so far, including fourteen contact tracers, four public health nurses, five community health workers, one epidemiologist, one data modeler, and one health education specialist.
- CDC Foundation Grant, Protecting Communities of Color During a Pandemic, $394,561
With funding from the CDC Foundation, the City of Hartford is releasing an RFP today on October 1, 2020 to solicit proposals from community organizations to increase access to testing and increase community outreach related to coronavirus education.
- CDC, Increasing Flu Vaccination Rates in Hartford, $198,000
The City of Hartford is partnering with the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and other organizations to increase the flu vaccination rate. The campaign will include community education on the flu vaccine as well as building partnerships to increase the number of opportunities to get the vaccine for residents.
- Connecticut Health Foundation, Additional Community Health Workers, $849,897
The Connecticut Health Foundation is funding twenty community health workers to support health departments in Hartford, East Hartford, and the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District. The community health workers will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate assistance to families. The assistance will connect families to basic needs, implement education events in the community, and increase access to coronavirus testing by conducting outreach to our most vulnerable neighborhoods and residents.