CHA and DPH Recognize Saint Francis Hospital with the 2023 Connecticut’s Hospital
Community Service Award
WALLINGFORD – The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) have awarded Saint Francis Hospital the 2023 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award in recognition of their Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). The annual award, presented jointly by CHA and DPH, recognizes a Connecticut hospital or healthcare system that has made an outstanding contribution to its community.
Saint Francis Hospital was presented with the prestigious award by DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani at the 2023 CHA Annual Meeting that took place on June 15, 2023 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.
“CHA is honored to be joined by DPH in presenting this award in recognition of the work done by Saint Francis Hospital’s HVIP in fostering partnerships and collaborations between hospital providers and community-based organizations to advance trauma-informed services for victims of violence,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA. “What stood out to the judges about this project was the collaborative approach to providing care and wrap-around services to treat the whole person and their family. Congratulations to Saint Francis Hospital and their dedicated team. Their work is saving lives every day.” “We are so proud that Saint Francis Hospital’s Violence Intervention Program has been recognized by Connecticut Hospital Association and the Department of Public Health, and we thank them both for this honor” said Thomas Burke, BPharm, MBA, President, Saint Francis Hospital. “We also express extreme gratitude to our outstanding community partners, who are integral to the success of the program. The incredible work done by the Hospital Violence Intervention team displays their dedication to providing transformative, healing care to our community. Being recognized for our ability to provide a caring, skilled, collaborative approach to each patient’s individual needs and the needs of their loved ones, no matter their circumstance, is a testament to our commitment to serving our patients with compassion, kindness, and professionalism.”
Saint Francis Hospital’s HVIP began in 2004 as a partnership with a local community-based organization to support wrap-around care for victims of violence to ensure social care needs are met when patients are discharged into the community
Saint Francis Hospital has since evolved the program to include stronger coordination of services and support by embedding an HVIP specialist within the emergency department, who is also certified as a Community Health Worker, to be the liaison between emergency department staff and families. With the inclusion of a dedicated staff member, Saint Francis has been able to address unconscious bias in care and help build greater trust between patients and their providers.
The program has expanded to include workforce-readiness opportunities, providing field experience in a hospital-based food pantry for youth who have been impacted by violence and want to be gainfully employed. This is a collaborative effort between the hospital and COMPASS Youth Collaborative’s Transitional Employment Program, which is designed to provide job readiness skills to high-risk youth in the City of Hartford.
In addition to working with COMPASS Youth Collaborative, the program partners with Hartford Communities That Care, a non-profit that implements culturally appropriate, high quality, and evidence- based crisis response, mental health, and supportive programs; and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center at Saint Francis Hospital, a hospital-based organization where children and adults who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence can get the support and treatment they need.
Learn more about the HVIP program by watching their award presentation video here.
Left to right: Thomas Burke, BPharm, MBA, President, Saint Francis Hospital; Ivan Sarmiento, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, Saint Francis Hospital; Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario, CEO, COMPASS Youth Collaborative; Carolyn Alessi, Regional Director Community Health and Well Being, Saint Francis Hospital; Jennifer Martin MD, FAAEM, Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Francis Hospital; David Shapiro, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Saint Francis Hospital
