WEEKLY UPDATE: 06/19/25
The 2025 Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) Annual Meeting took place on Tuesday, June 17, at the Bristol Event Center with the theme Celebrating Healing and Hope. CHA welcomed nearly 400 leaders and healthcare workers from Connecticut’s hospitals and health systems, state health officials, and community partners to honor this year’s award winners and hear from this year’s keynote speaker.
CHA Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick Charmel, president and chief executive officer, Griffin Health, addressed the gathering, remarking that hospitals’ and health systems’ shared mission is captured in the event’s theme.
“Healing and hope. These two words aren’t just poetic — they’re powerful. They are the foundation of what we do, and more importantly, why we do it. Hope and healing are ever present in hospitals across Connecticut. In the quiet reassurance of a nurse at a patient’s bedside. In the skilled hands of a surgeon. In the warmth of a caregiver holding a family member’s hand,” Charmel said.
Charmel commended the healthcare workers and clinical teams who demonstrate unshakeable dedication to supporting patients and families through their most joyous and challenging experiences.
CHA Board President Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA, also spoke about the opportunities to strengthen collaboration with community-based partners and collectively advocate for state policies that plan for our future. Jackson spoke about the importance of teamwork and how it is critical to advancing shared goals, not only within an organization but also together through CHA.
Annual Award Winners
The event also celebrated multiple award winners, as selected by judging panels, and recognized a cohort of exceptional healthcare workers with the 2025 Healthcare Heroes Award.
Bridgeport Hospital’s Family Bridge Program
CHA and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) awarded Bridgeport Hospital the 2025 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award in recognition of the Family Bridge Program. 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. Bridgeport Hospital was presented with the prestigious award by DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. Family Bridge is an innovative program administered by Bridgeport Hospital that offers home visits from universal nurses and community health workers (CHW) to all eligible new parents in the Greater Bridgeport area, promoting a healthier start for the whole family.
Click here for more information on the Family Bridge Program.
Click here to watch the recognition video.
CHA also awarded two teams the prestigious 2025 John D. Thompson Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Healthcare Through the Use of Data. CHA’s John D. Thompson Award was established in 1994 and honors the contributions made by John D. Thompson to healthcare administration and patient care quality during his career. Dr. Thompson was a professor at Yale’s Schools of Nursing, Medicine, and Public Health, known for his advocacy of using quantitative data in health policy formulation, and specifically his role in the development of DRGs for hospital reimbursement. The award recognizes excellence in patient care through the use of data, as demonstrated by the improvement of internal operations, procedures, and outcomes.
Hartford HealthCare’s St. Vincent’s Medical Center Initiative To Decrease In-Hospital Mortality Rates for PCI Patients
Hartford HealthCare’s St. Vincent’s Medical Center is recognized for its initiative to decrease in-hospital mortality rates for PCI patients, and Stamford Health is recognized for its Comprehensive Preoperative Optimization Program (POP).
Using national registry data to drive quality improvement that integrates evidence-based care and best practices, Hartford HealthCare’s St. Vincent’s Medical Center undertook a multi-specialty, multi-disciplinary, and system-wide approach to decrease percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) mortality, particularly in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attack, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and cardiogenic shock.
Click here to learn more information about the initiative.
Click here to watch the recognition video.
Stamford Health’s Comprehensive Preoperative Optimization Program (POP)
Stamford Health has optimized the safety of inpatient surgical procedures by implementing POP. Since its inception in 2017, the program has decreased overall postoperative morbidity by 73% and postoperative mortality by 57%. Same-day surgical cancellation rates were frequently above 10% in 2017 and are now less than 1%.
Click here to learn more information about the initiative.
Click here to watch the recognition video.
Healthcare Heroes
2025 CHA Healthcare Heroes
CHA is also proud to honor healthcare workers from hospitals across the state with the 2025 CHA Healthcare Heroes Award.
The Healthcare Heroes Award celebrates and recognizes the invaluable contributions of exceptional healthcare workers, both to their field and to the community at large. This year, the award was presented to an individual from each Connecticut hospital.
At the event, healthcare heroes who represent all types of care from every corner of Connecticut hospitals received a certificate and pin from CHA and a proclamation from the Office of Governor Ned Lamont.
Click here to read about this year’s healthcare heroes.
Keynote Speaker Rebecca Lobo
The keynote speaker for this year’s Annual Meeting was WNBA All-Star and championship-winning college basketball player Rebecca Lobo. Having previously served on Hartford Hospital’s Board of Directors, Lobo was introduced by Hartford HealthCare President and CEO Jeff Flaks. Lobo reflected on her mother RuthAnn’s breast cancer diagnosis in 1994 and the monumental part Connecticut hospitals played in her battle with the disease — a journey detailed in their co-authored book, “The Home Team: Of Mothers, Daughters, and American Champions.” Interwoven between humorous anecdotes of her children’s sports-induced visits to Connecticut hospitals, Lobo also mused on the evolving landscape of women’s sports and ongoing advocacy to advance gender equity. Lobo has been actively involved in the community with various philanthropic endeavors, including founding the RuthAnn and Rebecca Lobo Scholarship in Allied Health at UConn. She has also served on UConn’s Board of Trustees since 2004.
Lobo’s remarks were followed by a Q&A led by Meghan Culmo, longtime commentator for the UConn Women’s Basketball team, known as the “Voice of the Huskies,” who has been part of UConn Women’s Basketball for more than three decades — from player to assistant coach to analyst.
CHA gratefully acknowledges the generous Annual Meeting sponsorship of Platinum Sponsors Kaufman Hall and SKAE Power Solutions.
Click here for more information on CHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting.
