CHA and DPH Recognize Backus and Windham Hospitals’ Community Health Case Management Program With the 2026 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award
WALLINGFORD — The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) have awarded Backus and Windham Hospitals the 2026 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award in recognition of the Community Health Case Management Program.
The annual award, presented jointly by CHA and DPH, recognizes a Connecticut hospital or health system that has made an outstanding contribution to its community. Backus and Windham Hospitals were presented with the prestigious award by DPH Deputy Commissioner Lisa Morrissey at the 2026 CHA Annual Meeting, held on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Bristol Event Center in Bristol, Connecticut.
The Community Health Case Management Program, operated jointly by Hartford HealthCare’s Backus and Windham Hospitals in the health system’s East Region, is a community-based care coordination model that goes beyond traditional hospital boundaries by embedding a dedicated interdisciplinary team directly into the community. The program makes care more accessible by building a sustainable, high-impact bridge between hospital and community.
This outreach program serves highly vulnerable populations, including individuals experiencing homelessness, seniors at risk of institutionalization, and historically underserved individuals facing complex social and medical barriers. Working in nonclinical settings, such as shelters, warming centers, senior housing complexes, soup kitchens, and senior centers, the team provides free basic health screenings (blood pressure, A1c, cholesterol via CLIA certificate), intensive case management and chronic disease support, wound care and medication reconciliation, nutrition counseling, and linkage to housing, food, transportation, and behavioral health resources.
The Community Health Case Management Program is operated by a team of four, including a registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), community health worker (CHW), and a registered dietician (RD). Since the program was established in January 2023, the clinicians have facilitated more than 2,000 in-person community encounters, fostered more than 100 connections to community organizations, and submitted more than 400 referrals to healthcare services.
“I thank the team for their dedication, compassion, and unwavering belief that everybody should have the opportunity for health,” said Donna Handley, president, Backus and Windham Hospitals. “Every day they leave the hospital and go into all parts of our community, where they fill gaps in care. I am so proud of and grateful for the work they do.”
“CHA is honored to be joined by DPH in presenting this award in recognition of exceptional work to bring together healthcare providers, community health workers, and local partners to address social drivers of health and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA. “Through patience, kindness, empathy, and persistence, each Community Health Case Management team member has forged deeply trusting relationships with their clients, demonstrating the power of meeting patients where they are.”
Collaboration is central to the model. The team partners with local federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), action agencies, and community benefit organizations, and leverages Hartford HealthCare’s telehealth services.
Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award, jointly awarded by CHA and DPH since 1993, recognizes a Connecticut hospital or health system that has made an outstanding contribution to its community, particularly for a program or service targeted toward a particular segment of a hospital or health system’s community.
Learn more about the program by watching the award recognition video here.
