The Vita Health & Wellness Partnership is a network of local agencies working collectively to assist all who live throughout our community to be as healthy as possible. Our work ranges from expanding access to medical and mental health care to linking education with social services, to improving access to substance abuse prevention and treatment.
Applying the Social Determinants of Health, Vita Partnership members are encouraged to design and implement collaborative, community-based programs including housing, nutrition, education, healthcare, community, and jobs. Most members participate in monthly learning exchanges, program partnerships and specialty subcommittees that have built a robust, sustainable network in support of community health, in all forms.
The Vita Partnership has aligned around these Core Values:
- Strengthen relationships between, and maximize the impact of, partners’ collective efforts to improve health and wellness
- Focus on prevention, addressing the upstream or social determinant causes of health, applying members’ expertise to fill gaps in the social safety net
- Engage the broader community, including member and non-member organizations and the general population, leveraging resources and involving multiple interests to achieve goals
- Demonstrate the impact of our work through the collection, use and dissemination of qualitative and quantitative data
Beginning with a partnership of Charter Oak Communities and Stamford Hospital and swelling to over two dozen community providers, Vita has gained national recognition as reflected in the many independent case studies posted here. From its origins in 2010, our initial focus has been on turning Stamford’s West Side into a health-themed neighborhood with a volunteer-powered, urban farm at its heart. We’ve replaced distressed public housing projects with self-sustaining, mixed-income communities and assisted in the creation of a state-of-the-art medical center. We’ve revitalized parks and green space, launched yoga and farm-to-table cooking classes, and formed a merchants’ association that meets regularly with City planners to guide future improvements. Private investment has returned and many are rediscovering this unique community.
The difference is palpable. As the Vita Partnership expands to be a city-wide endeavor, the West Side has become a vibrant, safer neighborhood that welcomes a diverse population and thriving local business opportunities.