Bridgeport Hospital physicians lend support to state program to close wealth gap, improve health outcomes

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Manisha Gupta, MD, medical director of Bridgeport Hospital’s Primary Care Center, and Magna Dias, MD, the hospital’s chair of Pediatrics, joined Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden, State Senator Marilyn Moore and other government and community leaders at the offices of the Alliance for Community Empowerment in Bridgeport on Oct. 28 to help promote the CT Baby Bonds program. 

“The CT Baby Bonds program can not only narrow the wealth gap among our citizens, it can also increase graduation rates in our community, leading to increased financial stability and higher education rates,” Dr. Gupta said. “This will help address many social determinants of health gaps like housing, food and job insecurity, which can affect people’s health outcomes tremendously.”

“The CT Baby Bonds program is unique in that it supports those in need from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood,” Dr. Dias said. “It can help remove financial and social barriers to healthcare and make a real difference in the lives of children and parents in our community.”

CT Baby Bonds creates a trust for children born into poverty and covered by HUSKY, the state’s Medicaid program. In the year of their birth, funds are set aside in a trust. When a beneficiary is between the ages of 18 and 30 and completes a financial education requirement, the funds can be used for targeted eligible purposes that, supported by research, will help close the racial wealth gap. These purposes include: educational expenses, the purchase of a home in Connecticut, investing in a business in Connecticut, and contributing towards retirement savings.

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