The Vita Health & Wellness Initiative began with a partnership of Charter Oak Communities and Stamford Health; over the years it has expanded to include more than a dozen community providers committed to assisting all who live in Stamford be as healthy as possible. The work ranges from expanding access to medical and mental health care, to linking education with social services, and improving substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
From its origins in 2010, Vita’s initial focus was turning Stamford’s West Side into a health-themed neighborhood. With distressed public housing projects replaced with self-sustaining, mixed-income communities and the creation of a volunteer-powered, urban farm steps away from Stamford Health’s redeveloped campus, the difference in the neighborhood is palpable. As private investment returned and the transformation to safe streets began, many have been discovering this unique community.
The core values of the Vita partnership include strengthening relationships to improve health and wellness; focusing on prevention; engaging the broader community and demonstrating the impact of the work through collection, use and dissemination of qualitative and quantitative data, including the Stamford Health Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to guide our work.
Vita Partnership Members are Encouraged to Design and Implement Collaborative, Community-Based Programs that Address Housing, Nutrition, Education, Healthcare, Community and Employment.
Vita programs include:
- Two-Generation Educational programming in cooperation with Family Centers and the Children’s Learning Center of Fairfield County and Stamford Public Schools: Parents as Co-Educators, Bridge to Kindergarten and New Connections.
- Fairgate farm-based programs, Fairgate Farms educational programs focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyles; hunger-relief; food in schools and participation in the Stamford Food Collaborative.
- Affordable Housing and Community Revitalization: mixed-income communities; service enriched housing; COVID-19 Eviction Prevention; West Side NRZ and Merchant’s Association.
- Community Health Improvement: SH Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP); High Risk COVID-19 Task Force; collaboration with clinical partners.
Vita has gained national recognition as reflected in many independent case studies. For more information, visit the Vita Health and Wellness website.