New Britain to Join National Program to Improve Health
By Editor at May 26, 2024 | 6:15 pm | Print
The city of New Britain, CT has been selected by Reinvestment Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to take part in the new Invest Health initiative. Invest Health is aimed at transforming how leaders from mid-size American cities work together to help low-income communities thrive, with specific attention to community features that drive health such as access to safe and affordable housing, places to play and exercise, and quality jobs.
New Britain, CT was selected from more than 180 teams from 170 communities that applied to the initiative. Cities with populations between 50,000 and 400,000 were asked to form five-member teams including representatives from the public sector, community development, and an anchor institution, preferably academic or health-related. The New Britain, CT team comprises representatives from the City of New Britain, Central Connecticut State University, the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, the Community Health Center of New Britain, and YWCA New Britain. These core team members will employ strategies to address the root causes of health disparities in the city of New Britain involving the built environment by uniting current city initiatives with the health barriers outlined in Photovoice projects identified by local New Britain teens.
“We are so excited and thankful to the RWJF and Reinvestment Fund to be given the opportunity to take the vision which we have collectively crafted to improve the health of New Britain’s residents, and make it a reality,” stated Valerie Rodino, Community Wellness Director at YWCA New Britain who has been leading Photovoice projects for the last 3 years.
Mid-size American cities face some of the nation’s deepest challenges with entrenched poverty, poor health and a lack of investment. But they also offer fertile ground for strategies that improve health and have the potential to boost local economies. The program has the potential to fundamentally transform the way New Britain, CT improves opportunities to live healthy lives by addressing the drivers of health including jobs, housing, education, community safety and environmental conditions.
“With a long history in community development finance, we are excited to help create a pipeline to channel capital into low-income communities through public and private investments,” said Amanda High, Chief of Strategic Initiatives at Reinvestment Fund. “Our goal is to transform how cities approach tough challenges, share lessons learned and spur creative collaboration.”
Over the next 18 months, Invest Health teams will take part in a vibrant learning community, have access to highly skilled faculty advisors and coaches who will guide their efforts toward improved health, and receive a $60,000 grant. New Britain, CT will also engage a broader group of local stakeholders to encourage local knowledge sharing. Learning from the program will be synthesized and disseminated through the project website.
“Public officials, community developers, and many others have been working in low-income neighborhoods for years, but they haven’t always worked together,” said Donald Schwarz, MD, MPH, MBA, RWJF Vice President, Program. “Invest Health aims to align their work and help neighborhoods thrive by intentionally incorporating health into community development.”
New Britain’s projects will explore a broad range of ideas from developing the physical built environment to creating a Public Health Education learning ladder. Examples include: bridging the gap between at-risk high-school students and educational, internship, and employment opportunities in the field of health, connecting local residents to usable green space and fresh foods, and working to develop low-income, high density residential areas surrounding Fastrak transit stations in order to boost economic development, improve living conditions, and improve the health and safety of those living in the area. Project teams will travel to Philadelphia for a kick-off meeting on June 7th and will meet regularly to share lessons learned throughout the 18-month project. A full list of awardees and more information is available at www.investhealth.org.
