Based on the strength of the 2017 retail food market study and the results of the Invest Health–Hartford (IH-H) work in the NHPZ, the concept for the Healthy Hartford Hub (HHH) was developed by the IH-H team in collaboration with Hartford Community Loan Fund and the Office of former Mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin.
The HHH has two primary objectives:
- Improve access to high quality healthy and affordable foods for city residents, especially those in the NHPZ
- Improve health outcomes for city residents, especially those in the NHPZ
With predevelopment funding provided by Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in March, 2018, the HHH team began the initial phase of work to develop the Healthy Hartford Hub – a proposed mixed-use development located at the Main/Albany target area which will combine a full-service supermarket, a variety of health-promoting services, and a parking structure. A vacant, city-owned parcel will house the supermarket, while the adjacent, now vacant Sacred Heart church will house some or all of the HHH health-promoting services, which may include a pharmacy, health clinic, wellness studio, community teaching kitchen, and healthy café.
The HHH takes inspiration from other innovative supermarket-anchored health hubs designed to positively impact health outcomes of area residents. These include the Refresh Project in New Orleans and the Brockton Health Hub in Brockton, MA.