WEEKLY UPDATE: 10/01/26
The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) continues a new Hospital Spotlight Series* with a feature on Backus and Windham Hospitals’ Community Health Case Management Program. As the recipient of the 2026 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award, the team behind this program was honored at the 2026 CHA Annual Meeting. Watch the award recognition video here.
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.
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.
Backus and Windham Hospitals’ Community Health Case Management Program was selected to receive the 2026 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award. The 2027 CHA Annual Awards are now open for submissions through January 13, 2027. Click here to learn more.
*Connecticut hospitals and health systems are constantly developing and implementing innovative, collaborative approaches to care to meet the evolving needs of their patients and communities. Through the Hospital Spotlight Series, CHA will showcase initiatives that are transforming care delivery, advancing health equity, and elevating the world-class, high-quality care for which Connecticut is known. Each spotlight offers a closer look at one of the countless programs underway across the state.
