CT healthful food program to expand with new grant. What it does and how

Hartford Courant – Wednesday, June 17, 2026
By Staff Report

A program that works to reduce health disparities among underserved populations in the Hartford region will be able to expand as a result of a new grant.

The expansion is possible because Hartford Hospital received a $250,000 grant through The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund by The Cigna Group Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of The Cigna Group go to the Food4Health program.

Food4Health is a “prescription-based program for low-income patients experiencing food insecurity and at risk of diet-related illnesses,” according to Hartford Healthcare.

Participants visit the hospital’s Food4Health Clinic to “shop” for nutritious foods and recipes at no cost and receive medical guidance on healthy eating and food preparation. Since, 2022, the clinic has served more than 10,000 patient visits and given out more than 3 million pounds of food, according to hospital officials.

Food4Health opened on May 4, 2022, and started a rooftop farm above two buildings of Hartford HealthCare.

The Cigna Group Foundation grant will increase “access and remove barriers to Food4Health participation by providing transportation assistance, shopping carts, and food delivery services to underserved patients,” according to hospital officials.

The program also be able to pilot two part-time community health workers “charged with guiding Food4Health patients through transportation support, healthy lifestyle changes, and access to healthcare.”

“Programs like Food4Health only work if people can access them,” said Ellie Polack, president of The Cigna Group Foundation, in a statement. “For many patients, transportation is a major barrier. As a company headquartered here in Connecticut, we’re proud to support programs like this in our own community, helping more people get the food and guidance they need to improve their health.”

Lynn B. Rossini, interim chief philanthropy officer at Hartford HealthCare, and vice president of philanthropy at Hartford Hospital, said, “Food4Health is changing what care can look like—bringing nutrition, clinical support, and guidance together in a way that truly meets patients where they are.”

“We’re grateful to The Cigna Group Foundation for this support, which allows us to reach more patients and build the kind of lasting change that our community needs,” Rossini said.

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