Hartford, Conn. (WTIC Radio)-More than one-third of families struggling to afford diapers will be assisted through Diaper Connections, a program launched in association with the Diaper Bank of Connecticut, Connecticut Hospital Association and the Department of Housing.
The Department of Housing is providing $500,000 to fund and leverage additional resources.
Hospitals and community-based organizations will help distribute the diapers.
The Executive Director of the Diaper Bank of Connecticut, Janet Alfano, said 3.5 million diapers are distributed yearly, but that just scratches the surface as far as need.
"DBCT is proud to partner with the Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Hospitals, and the Department of Housing to ensure that more local residents and families can get diapers who need them," said Janet Alfano. "Recognizing the significant health impact that lack of access to diapers has on babies and their families, this is an important step to ensuring that all Connecticut residents have their basic health needs met."
“Clinics and hospitals are the perfect place to screen families for diaper insecurity so we can bridge the diaper need gap. This new statewide Diaper Connections program will serve all communities to immediately make a difference in the lives of families in real-time with diaper supplies. My favorite part of this program is its real-time action and real-time impact on the lives of mothers and their children under 3,” says co-chair of CHA’s Diaper Connections steering group Khadija Poitras-Rhea, LCSW, AVP, Population Health for UConn Health’s University Medical Group and UConn John Dempsey Hospital.