The Cigna Group Foundation awards $250,000 to Hartford Hospital’s Food4Health to advance health equity and access
Hartford Hospital was awarded a generous $250,000 grant through The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund by The Cigna Group Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Cigna Group to expand access to its innovative Food4Health program and reduce health disparities among underserved populations in the Hartford region.
Food4Health is a prescription-based program for low-income patients experiencing food insecurity and at risk of diet-related illnesses. Participants visit the hospital’s Food4Health Clinic weekly to shop for nutritious foods and recipes at no cost and receive medical guidance on healthy eating and food preparation. The Clinic has served over 10,000 patient visits and distributed over 3 million pounds of food since 2022.
The Cigna Group Foundation’s investment will increase access and remove barriers to Food4Health participation by providing transportation assistance, shopping carts, and food delivery services to underserved patients. The program will also 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, The Cigna Group Foundation. “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.”
“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,” said Lynn B. Rossini, Interim Chief Philanthropy Officer, Hartford HealthCare, and Vice President of Philanthropy at Hartford Hospital. “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.”
About Hartford Hospital
Hartford Hospital, founded in 1854, is one of the largest teaching hospitals and tertiary care centers in New England. The hospital boasts 867 licensed beds, including its 114-bed mental health facility, the Institute of Living, which maintains an international reputation of excellence; a 59-bed, free-standing orthopedic hospital; and Jefferson House, a 104-bed long-term care facility. The hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) ranks among the busiest EDs in the country. It has a nearly 200-year history of training physicians on the latest techniques and technology.
Hartford Hospital is the flagship member of Hartford HealthCare, Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network. A system-wide institute model offers a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across the state, offering unparalleled expertise at the most affordable cost. The institutes include: Ayer Neuroscience, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Digestive Health, Heart & Vascular, Orthopedics, and Tallwood Urology & Kidney.
The hospital’s active medical staff includes more than 2,000 physicians and dentists. In 2025, the hospital had nearly 49,000 discharges and more than 111,000 Emergency Department visits. Hartford Hospital physicians performed over 39,300 surgeries plus another 32,443 specialty procedures in 48 operating rooms and delivered over 4,000 babies that year.
When hospitals can’t provide the advanced care, expertise and new treatment options their patients require, they turn to Hartford Hospital. In 2025, nearly 10,000 patients were transferred here from 98 different facilities.
Hartford Hospital was recognized among the best in the nation in 2026 for cardiac surgery by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons; received a 10th consecutive “A” grade, as well as Top Teaching Hospital recognition, from The Leapfrog Group, the nation’s leading independent watchdog for healthcare safety; and garnered accolades from US News & World Report, CMS, The Joint Commission, and many more.