Hartford HealthCare and St. Vincent de Paul Place celebrated their partnership Friday in Norwich, a collaboration through which Hartford HealthCare’s Neighborhood Health program has provided 974 patient care visits since 2022.

The visits covered urgent care, preventive screenings, immunizations, point-of-care testing and connections to primary and specialty care. Care managers also facilitated more than 500 referrals to community organizations for housing, food assistance, behavioral health services and other resources. The program also offers chronic disease monitoring and early detection services for breast, cervical and colon cancer.

To mark the occasion, Hartford HealthCare colleagues assembled donation bags and stocked shelves to support the individuals and families St. Vincent de Paul Place serves.

“St. Vincent de Paul has grown so much over the years and being here today and seeing the progress they have made with Hartford HealthCare is absolutely amazing,” said Congressman Joe Courtney, “Having a facility like this where food is medicine and having healthcare on top of that and removing barriers and connecting people to the resources they need is wonderful.”

State Sen. Cathy Osten and State Rep. Larry Pemberton also attended.

St. Vincent de Paul Place, a nonprofit affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich, has served the poor in the region since 1979. It operates a food pantry, dining room and advocacy programs. Rebecca Durham, acting president of Hartford HealthCare’s East Region, said: “St. Vincent de Paul Place has long been a trusted resource in the Norwich community. We are proud to stand alongside them in this work and look forward to building on this partnership to ensure even more residents have access to care and essential resources.”

Leaders from both organizations said the partnership continues to evolve to meet changing community needs and remains focused on expanding access to care, improving health outcomes and strengthening support services for vulnerable populations.