Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

20 Hartford Business Journal • December 11, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Community Health Center's cutting-edge care model reaches beyond CT By Christopher Hoffman Special to the Hartford Business Journal M ark Masselli knew some- thing had to be done. Work- ing at a crisis intervention center in Middletown in the early 1970s, he kept see- ing individuals and families whose only ac- cess to health care was the emergency room. So Masselli and a group of like-minded activists banded together to open a free clinic offering dental care in a second- floor walkup center on College Street. He remembers the place as having a distinct late-1960s-early-1970s vibe, with beaded curtains separating the rooms. "You could have been in San Francisco," he quipped. Forty-five years later, Community Health Care Inc., the health center Masselli and his fellow activists created, provides medical as well as dental services to 100,000 people a year at 14 primary and 200 secondary loca- tions scattered throughout the state. The not-for-profit has expanded far be- yond Connecticut's borders, helping create cutting-edge programs from Rhode Island to Hawaii through its research institute. Long gone is the second-floor walkup, re- placed by a 50,000-square-foot building on Main Street in Middletown's north end. Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce President Larry McHugh praised Com- munity Health Care and Masselli for their "unbelievable leadership." In addition to the plethora of services it provides the commu- nity and the state, the organization's head- quarters has transformed Middletown's traditionally neglected north end, he said. "We're very proud of them," McHugh said. "We're happy they've grown in Middletown and more happy they've made the commit- ment to stay in Middletown. Mark Masselli has never forgotten his roots." Those roots run deep. Masselli grew up in Middletown, the son of a Wesleyan Univer- sity chemistry professor, and graduated in 1969 from the city's Xavier High School. Caught up in the spirit of the 1960s, he began working for an anti-poverty orga- nization at 19. It was then that his lifelong commitment to providing the disadvan- taged with health care germinated. "The healthcare system has ignored people of color, the poor, immigrants, women, and can't we do something better?" Masselli said. At first, the area's medical establish- ment resisted the fledgling clinic, Masselli recalled. While it was able to recruit a local dentist to donate care, not one of the city's doctors would do so. Local physicians even tried unsuccessfully to shut down the clinic, filing a complaint with the state that its doors weren't wide enough, he recalled. The clinic eventually found a physician from New York City willing to provide free care, Masselli said. Over time, the center was able to begin hiring doctors, and its reputation blossomed, attracting several former chief pediatric residents at the Yale Medical School of Medicine, he said. Today, Community Health employs about 1,000 people statewide, Masselli said. Community Health's budget has grown to $100 million a year, but only about 15 per- cent comes from federal and state grants, Masselli said. The group didn't begin ac- cepting direct government assistance until the early 1990s, he said. The group has used entrepreneurship to help itself grow. About 15 years ago, Com- munity Health's leaders decided to create an outside organization to foster research and innovation, forming the Weitzman Institute, Masselli said. The Institute has expanded Community Health's reach nationwide through pioneering programs such as the Community eConsult Network, which eases access to specialized care for poorer patients — a major problem in community health care. The service allows primary care providers to send patient information electronically to specialists for prompt consultations, to determine if a patient office visit is necessary, Masselli said. The service has proven to reduce the num - ber of patient office visits by resolving issues through an e-consult, saving patients money. The Community eConsult Network has been expanded to 24 specialties, Masselli said. The organization has fostered the model na- tionwide, helping create 50 similar programs in other states, with another 50 in the pipeline, Masselli said. Other innovations coming out of the In- stitute and organization include a residency program for medical assistants and videos that educate medical professionals in manage- ment of chronic diseases like diabetes. Both ideas have caught on elsewhere, and Com- munity Health now has contracts with similar organizations in 26 states, Masselli said. Community Health, Masselli said, has never lost touch with its founding principal of serving the less fortunate, a commitment re- flected in the makeup of its governing board, he said. Patients occupy half the seats, he said. "We view them as our leaders and men- tors," Masselli said. HEALTH CARE HEROES AWARDS "We're happy they've grown in Middletown and more happy they've made the commitment to stay in Middletown. Mark Masselli has never forgotten his roots." Larry McHugh , President, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Category: Corporate Achievement — Innovation Community Health Center Address: 675 Main St., Middletown Top Executive: Mark Masselli, Founder Community Health Center founder Mark Masselli (top photo left) has helped build the not-for- profit into an organization that now services 100,000 patients annually. Other CHC employees and caregivers are also pictured.

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