Success Stories

This page features extraordinary Connecticut people doing amazing things, often with very few resources, to improve the health of their families, their workplaces, their communities or the state.

HAVEN

HAVEN is a Saturday morning free primary care clinic providing care to residents of the Fairhaven neighborhood in New Haven. HAVEN was conceived by and is staffed by students from Yale’s medical, public health, physician assistant and nursing schools and is held at the Fair Haven Community Health Center. The clinic provides an array of primary care services, including prescriptions, patient education, medical interpretation and social services, to uninsured adult Fairhaven residents free of charge. Patients get help accessing any care or services that can’t be provided on-site, as well as application assistance for public programs and hospital free care. HAVEN started in 2004 as a response to the growing need for services for uninsured community residents. As of May 2007, the average medical debt of HAVEN patients was $10,498, while the average annual income was $10, 274. The clinic is supported through donations and grants; no government funds are used. Ellen Andrews

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North East CT Dental Van

Community leaders have long recognized the significant unmet need for dental services among the large low-income population of Connecticut's rural northeast corner. As in many rural areas, a lack of transportation resources further complicated the problem. In a remarkable spirit of cooperation, four community organizations are collaborating on a project to acquire and operate a dental van for the area. Day Kimball, the area's community hospital, accessed state funding to purchase the van; Generations Family Health Center, the local federally qualified health center, will provide staff; the Northeast Connecticut Council of Governments, through the transit district, will garage and maintain the van; and the Northeast District Department of Health will provide scheduling and educational support for the program. The van is expected to begin operation in the fall of 2001. For more information, contact Pat Beckanhaupt, Director, NE District Dept. of Health (860) 774-7350.

Project MotherCare, Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven

In 1989, it was reported that New Haven had the highest infant mortality rates in the nation, despite the world-class medical care available in the city. The problem was getting at-risk pregnant women to that care. In response, the Hospital of St. Raphael created the Project MotherCare van to bring medical care to the neighborhoods where it is needed, on a regular schedule. The van's bi-lingual staff provides prenatal care, pediatric services, primary care for men and women, immunizations, screening of blood samples, nutrition and psychosocial counseling. The van also conducts outreach and linkage to community services such as WIC, HUSKY, and schools. Patients are seen on a walk-in basis without regard to ability to pay. No one is turned away. The van provides over 3,000 patient visits and over 10,000 services each year. Project MotherCare is entirely supported by the Hospital of St. Raphael. For more information, contact Dr. Wilfred Reguero, (203) 789-3661.

Silver's Pharmacy, West Haven

Scott Silver heard stories of uninsured people accessing care from St. Raphaels' MotherCare van (see above) at their stops in West Haven but unable to afford to fill the prescriptions they received there. As the owner of a West Haven pharmacy, he was in a position to do something about it. He quietly instituted a policy - any West Haven resident without health insurance will pay only a token co-payment for prescriptions received at the MotherCare van. He also provides over-the-counter medications with referrals from the van and other West Haven social service agencies. Medications are dispensed discretely, without stigma. Silver's Pharmacy fully funds the losses. No government bureaucracy is involved. Silver's Pharmacy is located at 519 Campbell Avenue in West Haven.

SHOUT - Student Health Outreach of New Haven-Yale

Responding to the large number of uninsured children in New Haven contrasted with very low enrollment in Connecticut's HUSKY health coverage program for uninsured children, a group of Yale students decided to do something about it. Approximately 20 students work within New Haven communities to educate families about the importance of preventive care, about the HUSKY program and help them navigate the complex and time-consuming application process. SHOUT has permanent offices in four New Haven locations. SHOUT also works with the Hospital of St. Raphael to identify uninsured children who enter the emergency room and assist them with the process of applying for HUSKY. During the 2001/2002 school year, SHOUT will link with the New Haven Public Schools to identify and contact potentially eligible families through the school lunch program. SHOUT workers are paid through Yale's work-study program; operating expenses are funded by the City of New Haven and a generous grant from the Casey Foundation. SHOUT receives no state funding. For more information about SHOUT, contact Irene Liu, Executive Director, at (203) 675-7715.

HUSKY Outreach Jann Dyson

Connecticut's northeast corner is a collection of quiet, tightly-knit, rural towns with significant social and health care needs, among them high numbers of uninsured residents. To encourage enrollment in HUSKY, CT's program of health insurance for uninsured children and their families, Generations Family Health Center, the region's community health center hired Jann Dyson, to conduct HUSKY outreach. Jann has lived in CT's northeast corner all her life and is a trusted member of the community. Jann's approach to outreach was quiet but determined, appropriate to the Northeast Corner. Her enthusiasm for the job and affection for the families she met is immediately apparent. As she said, "I feel that I was meant for this job." As one example, she met with a single father, a self-employed farmer, who was reluctant to sign his kids up for what he characterized as a "welfare" program; after several visits, Jann convinced the father this was the right thing for his family and got the family enrolled. She visited schools, shelters, food pantries, community events and other places that she was familiar with. She contacted every doctor's office and school nurse in the area. She followed up with numerous referrals. She arranged for radio and print ads, appear on talk radio, and held a very successful summer fair for HUSKY. She arranged for an initiative with the Town of Putnam for a special HUSKY initiative entitled, "Take a Look at Covering Your Kids", including coupons for free ice cream cones for applicants. An important attraction was her connection to the health center's presumptive eligibility option, which allows immediate coverage for children. This is critically important because families tend to seek out care when a child is sick -- being able to offer instant coverage is a great relief to parents. Before Jann began work, HUSKY enrollment in the Northeast Corner was level; however after 10 months enrollment is up by 13% in Jann's ten towns. The project was funded with a very modest sum through the State Office of Rural Health from federal funds; no state funding was involved. Unfortunately, funding for Jann's project ended as of August 2001. She commented, "I am really going to miss the families." For more information, call Jann at (860) 774-7501.

Holiday Inn - North Haven

Recognizing that many of their employees are unable to afford the company sponsored health plan for their families, with a weekly premium of $146, managers at the Holiday Inn in North Haven recently sponsored an outreach luncheon for employees describing the HUSKY plan. They contacted the state and were provided with a Husky outreach representative and a Spanish interpreter as well as posters in both English and Spanish to post advertising the event. Those who attended the luncheon provided by the hotel received benefit and enrollment information about the HUSKY plan. The hotel will follow up this effort with HUSKY flyers distributed in employee paychecks.

If you know a person, organization or business who should be featured on this page, please let us know at info@cthealthpolicy.org