Connecticut Health Foundation

06/05/2026

In this week's health news roundup:

Efforts are underway in Connecticut to train more doulas. Doulas provide physical and emotional support before, during, and after childbirth. For mothers experiencing postpartum depression, doulas can offer a personal connection.

Read this story and others below.

June 5, 2026 | Health News Roundup: Stories about doulas helping address postpartum depression; Black midwives suing Southern states; the stories of people sued over medical debt in Connecticut; medical neglect in ICE detention; and young people turning to AI chatbots for mental health help.

06/02/2026

Today we had the opportunity to celebrate our advocacy partners!

Thank you to everyone who attended our spring advocacy convening. There is a lot of work ahead but we are fortunate there is such a dedicated group of people who is ready for that work.

05/29/2026

A great story from this week's roundup:

Lives saved by sociologist’s fix for skin tone bias

The Monk Skin Tone scale is an improved color scale that reflects a more complete range of human skin tones. There have been several examples of this tool saving lives in hospitals around the world.

Learn more below.

May 29, 2026 | Health News Roundup: Stories about why fewer children are signed up for Medicaid; why a federal rural health fund may not help reopen hospitals in health care deserts; a life-saving tool to address skin tone bias; moms' mental health declining; and a local male nurse on why he decided...

05/22/2026

In this week's health news roundup:

Advocates warn that cuts to Medicaid could destabilize family caretaking services that keep millions of elderly and disabled Americans alive and overwhelm a system that’s already strained, with too few workers and long waiting lists for services.

Read this story and others below.

May 22, 2026 | Health News Roundup: Stories about fewer people signed up for Affordable Care Act health coverage; Medicaid cuts will force family caretakers to make tough choices; SNAP cuts hit Black communities hard; a significant change to a package of maternal health bills; and changes coming to....

05/19/2026

Each month, we compile advocacy resources focused on what is happening in health policy at the state and federal level.

This month's resources are about work reporting requirements in Medicaid, which Connecticut will have to implement by January 1.

Learn more below.

May 19, 2026 | Blog Post: This month’s advocacy update focuses on work reporting requirements in Medicaid, which Connecticut will have to implement by Jan. 1 under HR 1, the federal law passed last year. State officials are doing a lot now to get ready – while awaiting federal guidance. There’...

05/12/2026

CT Health is saddened to learn of the passing of Crystal Emery, a longtime grantee and advocate for health equity.

We are grateful for her partnership and the important work she did to bring attention to health disparities in Connecticut.

Our deepest condolences to her loved ones.

Activist, filmmaker overcame decades of debilitating illness to highlight public health challenges, successes.

05/05/2026

The United Way of Connecticut and CT Department of Social Services will provide important updates on changes to SNAP and Medicaid for providers supporting clients.

Register here: https://ctunitedway-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oicA2Q8vRqCX8o0u2pQzlA #/registration

Details on this informational webinar below. ⬇️

Are you a provider supporting clients around SNAP and Medicaid? If so, please join us ONE WEEK FROM TODAY for important updates from the CT Department of Social Services. Register now at: bit.ly/4taN819

04/29/2026

The Commonwealth Fund's 2026 State Health Disparities Report is out now.

Connecticut ranks among the top states nationally for overall performance across racial and ethnic groups.

But compared to other New England states, Connecticut has more severe racial and ethnic health disparities.

Black residents face significantly worse health care outcomes, access, and quality, while white residents experienced the best outcomes.

This report is a reminder that there is still work to do to close these gaps.

See Connecticut's summary below and the full report here: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2026/apr/commonwealth-fund-2026-state-health-disparities-report

04/28/2026

We're proud to sponsor this community event centered around maternal health!

04/28/2026

The Connecticut Health Foundation and our president and CEO Tiffany Donelson are featured in Grantmakers In Health's Grantmaker Profile.

It's a great overview of the foundation's mission and our grantmaking.

Thank you to GIH for the feature!

“This is a challenging time for those of us who are focused on health equity. There is much that we can do as philanthropy to help our communities withstand the current challenges. As new Medicaid requirements take effect, for example, philanthropy can play a wide range of roles, including serving...