Avangrid Foundation Joins Bridgeport Hospital’s Effort to Reduce Cancer Screening Disparities with $25,000 Grant

BRIDGEPORT, CT (February 2024) – The Bridgeport Hospital Foundation is proud to announce a $25,000 gift from the Avangrid Foundation, the philanthropic arm of United Illuminating and Southern Connecticut Gas’ parent company, Avangrid. This grant will advance cancer screening initiatives and reducing healthcare disparities. The grant will provide cervical cancer screenings for more than 300 patients this year.

Stephen M. Jakab, CFRE, Bridgeport Hospital Foundation President, said, "We are grateful to the Avangrid Foundation for this generous gift. It will advance our efforts to address cancer screening disparities in Bridgeport, particularly in cervical screenings. By providing additional resources to our Primary Care Center (PCC), we aim to not only to screen more patients but also to identify and treat patients in immediate need of care."

Bridgeport Hospital’s PCC serves as a critical health safety net for economically challenged and vulnerable individuals in the Bridgeport community. The hospital will measure impact of the grant by tracking cervical screenings received by PCC patients as well as changes in the number of advanced disease diagnoses and mortality rates.

Pablo Colón, Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation and Avangrid’s Director of Corporate Citizenship, emphasized the Foundation's commitment to community health, stating, "The Avangrid Foundation is honored to support the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation in their efforts to improve access to vital screenings. By addressing healthcare disparities together, we hope to contribute to saving lives and reducing the Internal Use incidence of severe illness in the community. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to creating a healthier and more equitable future for individuals and families in our region."

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org