Connecticut Health Foundation Grants Extending Impact Statewide

With a $50,000 grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation, Griffin Hospital in Derby will work with clinicians, community-based organizations, and patients to develop a model for delivering maternal health care that addresses inequities and focuses on leading causes of severe complications and death during and after pregnancy, the Foundation has announced.

The model will focus on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and mental health, according to officials. It will include support during pregnancy and one-year postpartum, and will include strategies to increase access to care; screening for risk factors and referrals to services; team-based care that includes doulas and community health workers; and strategies to incorporate evidence-based approaches into routine care.

This project builds on work by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center to develop a maternal mortality reduction initiative. The development of the model will include listening sessions and will be informed by a community advisory group, with community engagement focused on Ansonia and Waterbury, officials explained.

The Connecticut Health Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan organization focused on improving health outcomes for people of color and assuring that all Connecticut residents have access to affordable and high-quality care. Their work includes grantmaking, policy advocacy, research, convening, and leadership development.

Foundation officials not that the United States has significantly higher rates of maternal mortality than similar countries, as well as severe racial disparities in outcomes. Nationally, Black women are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and in Connecticut, Black women are twice as likely to experience life-threatening complications related to pregnancy.

“There has been a tremendous focus on health disparities in maternal mortality in Connecticut and nationwide. It’s time to take action,” said Patrick Charmel, president and CEO of Griffin Hospital and its parent organization, Griffin Health. “In developing this model, we are taking a comprehensive view of the underlying causes of maternal complications and the steps that can be taken to reduce or eliminate complications. Our goal is to ensure that all women who are pregnant or postpartum get the right care and support at the right time following a model of evidence-based interventions that can be incorporated into routine practice, especially for underserved socially vulnerable populations.”

The Connecticut Health Foundation has been investing in efforts to develop and test new ways to deliver maternal health care, including a grant to Hartford Hospital in 2024 to work with community-based doulas to rewrite hospital policies and train hospital staff to make doulas an integral part of patients’ care teams.

Next month, the foundation plans to publish a blueprint for maternal health equity in Connecticut, aimed at guiding future grantmaking and policy efforts.

“We appreciate Griffin Hospital’s commitment to advancing maternal health equity by working with community members to find ways to improve care in ways that are effective, research-based, and sustainable,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “Most maternal deaths and severe complications are preventable. It will take all of us working together to ensure that everyone in our state can have a healthy pregnancy, birth, and start to parenthood, and we look forward to working with those committed to achieving this goal.”

The grant to Griffin Hospital is one of 29 grants totaling $742,000 that the Connecticut Health Foundation Awarded in recent months. They are:

Connecticut Citizen Research Group, Hartford: $50,000 - This funding will support Connecticut Citizen Research Group in its work to protect Medicaid, which is known as HUSKY in Connecticut and covers more than 900,000 state residents. The federal reconciliation law enacted in July requires many changes to Medicaid that could lead state residents to lose coverage or face more challenges getting the care they need. Connecticut Citizen Research Group will work with other organizations in the state to identify ways to minimize harm to state residents and their access to health care.

Connecticut Students For A Dream, Bridgeport: $65,000 - This grant will support Connecticut Students for a Dream’s work to organize young people in Danbury, New Haven, and Hartford, with training and leadership skill development. The trainings include building people’s understanding of Connecticut’s health care system and helping them share their experiences with health care. This work is part of the HUSKY 4 Immigrants campaign, which focuses on ensuring that all state residents have access to health care, regardless of age or immigration status.

Hartford Deportation Defense, Hartford: $65,000 - This funding will support Hartford Deportation Defense’s work to support efforts to ensure that all state residents have access to health care coverage, regardless of age and immigration status. The organization is working with young people to develop their capacity to organize, inform others, and serve as leaders.

Make the Road CT, Bridgeport: $65,000 - This grant will support Make the Road Connecticut’s efforts to ensure that residents can access health care coverage regardless of age and immigration status. Its activities include education for community members on understanding health care coverage eligibility and how to navigate the health care system, working with residents to share their stories about the impact of a lack of access to coverage, and supporting immigrant families facing threats to their safety and well-being.

Trusted Messenger Grants

Pointing out that “information is critical for people’s health, and often, the messenger is as important as the message itself, Connecticut Health Foundation officials emphasize that “ messages are far more effective when they are delivered by trusted sources.” The foundation has awarded grants to “trusted messenger” organizations since 2020, and most recently awarded trusted messenger grants to organizations sharing information about changes related to health care coverage. They are:

Connecticut Students For A Dream, Bridgeport: $20,000
Family Centers, Greenwich: $20,000
Generations Family Health Center, Willimantic: $20,000
Haitian Hub Resource Center, New London: $20,000
Hartford Parent University, Hartford: $20,000
Immigration and Refugee Integration Services, New Haven: $20,000
Madre Latina Organization, Waterbury: $20,000
Make the Road CT, Bridgeport: $20,000
New Opportunities, Inc., Waterbury: $20,000
Project Access of New Haven, New Haven: $20,000
Urban Alliance, East Hartford: $20,000

Grants Related to Current Federal Actions

In addition, the foundation has awarded grants to organizations “for work to address challenges related to the changing federal landscape.” Recipient organizations are: