Health on the Go
Hartford Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Hartford Public Library’s Healthy Connections initiative bridges transportation, wellness, and access to care by transforming neighborhood libraries into hubs for health navigation. Through partnerships with CT Transit, Uber Health, Sudor Taino, the Flyy Movement, and local healthcare providers, HPL connects residents to fitness programs, mobile medical care, and transportation assistance—all in trusted, community-based spaces that residents already frequent. The result: equitable, accessible, and culturally relevant health and wellness opportunities for all Hartford residents.
Challenge/Opportunity
Hartford residents—especially low-income, immigrant, and BIPOC communities—face steep barriers to health and wellness, including unreliable transportation, limited access to preventive care, and few safe, affordable spaces for physical activity. Many residents struggle to access clinical services or participate in community wellness due to cost, language, or logistics. This innovation tackles these systemic barriers by co-locating health resources, transportation coordination, and physical activity programming directly within neighborhood library branches and nearby parks. By meeting people where they already gather, Hartford Public Library creates an accessible pathway to health equity and community well-being in areas most impacted by chronic health disparities.
Key Elements of Innovation
Healthy Connections integrates transportation access, health coordination, and physical activity through trusted library spaces.
• Key Partners: CT Transit, Uber Health, Sudor Taino, the Flyy Movement, CT Audubon Society, and local mobile medical units.
• Activities: Provide on-site care coordination, referrals, and telehealth privacy booths; connect residents with transportation for health visits; and host community-based fitness programs in parks including Keney, Pope, and Colt.
• Staffing: Library social worker and PT outreach staff coordinate referrals, transportation, and partnerships.
• Goals: Increase access to healthcare, reduce transportation barriers, and promote healthy movement in safe, familiar community settings.
By integrating care coordination and fitness into everyday library life, HPL redefines how urban libraries support health equity.
Achieved Outcomes
Success will be measured through both participation and outcomes.
• Access & Use: Number of residents using transportation services, telehealth booths, and mobile clinic referrals; number of participants in community fitness programs.
• Engagement: Growth in attendance at wellness programs; feedback from customers and partners on ease of access and cultural relevance.
• Impact: Increased physical activity levels, improved confidence navigating healthcare, and reduction in missed medical appointments due to transportation issues.
• Partnerships: Strengthened collaboration with CT Transit and health partners, and new cross-sector relationships between libraries, fitness organizations, and public health agencies.
• Feedback from participants underscores the program’s welcoming, stigma-free approach and its role in connecting residents to life-changing resources.
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