Community Honorees Named for Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center 55th Anniversary Event

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, the first Community Health Center in Connecticut, will mark its 55^th anniversary by celebrating, along with the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Foundation, the impact of local community leaders and organizations in the New Haven region.

At a celebratory event to be held on Thursday, September 21 at 5 PM at the New Haven Lawn Club, CS-HHC and the CS-HHC Foundation will honor:

• The Hill Parents Association will receive the Community Enhancement Award
• Ece Tek, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, CS-HHC, will receive the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Innovation Award
• Cynthia Sparer, Executive Vice President and President of Ambulatory Care for Yale New Haven Health, and Executive Director, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, will receive the Partnership in Excellence Award
• State Rep. Toni E. Walker (D-New Haven) will receive the Equity Impact Award
• William W. Ginsberg, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, will receive the inaugural Cornell Scott Legacy of Leadership Award

Photo byCS-HHC

CS-HHC provides medical, behavioral health, dental, pediatric, women’s health and a range of additional specialty medical services. With more than 700 staff members who serve approximately 55,000 patients annually from 27 care sites and schools throughout the region, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center accommodated more than 360,000 patient visits during fiscal year 2022.

“We are thrilled to honor these outstanding members of our communities, and their passionate advocacy and accomplishment that are having a substantial impact on individuals, families and our region,” said Michael R. Taylor, CEO of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. “As we celebrate 55 years of health equity in action, it is a privilege to work with people and organizations that exemplify an unwavering commitment that has earned our respect and continues to inspire all of us, at Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, throughout the region, and beyond.”

“Our honorees have led a sustained charge for equity,” said LindyLee Gold, Board Chair of the CS-HHC Foundation. “It is fitting, in this 55th year, to expand our support of CS-HHC; the full array of premier health care services to our entire community is vital to our communal well-being.”

The award recipients reflect a commitment to community well-being and the public interest:

Hill Parents Association played in integral role in the establishment and development of the Hill Health Center, working with Cornell Scott and community leaders to forge a path forward at the launch of Connecticut’s first community health center.

Ece Tek, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health and Addiction Services at CS-HHC, is a board-certified addiction and geriatric psychiatrist who was trained at University of Maryland / Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency where she was a chief resident. She then completed Dartmouth Geriatric and Yale Addiction Psychiatry Fellowships, and has brought evidence-based practices into the public health environment with a holistic approach to the care of the patients.

Cynthia Sparer is Executive Vice President and President of Ambulatory Care for Yale New Haven Health, and Executive Director, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Sparer is responsible for Ambulatory strategy, program development and operations across the Health System, working in partnership with Yale Medicine, Northeast Medical Group, Service Lines, and the System’s Delivery Networks. She also leads Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and Women’s Health. She joined Yale New Haven in 2010.

Toni Edmonds Walker, a veteran legislator representing the 93^rd District in New Haven, is a seasoned social activist and advocate for youth, education, and human rights. Representative Walker serves as House Chair of the Appropriations Committee at the State Capitol. She is Vice Principal and Coordinator of Special Services and Grants at New Haven Adult Education.

William W. Ginsberg has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven since 2000, the culmination of a career devoted to community issues, as he has worked at the local and national levels in community economic development, community banking, and community philanthropy.

In recent months, CS-HHC has had a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of a new facility within the Dixwell Q House, and a “topping off” ceremony amidst construction of a Recovery and Wellness Center in New Haven.

“Those events were the latest incremental milestones for the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center and the Greater New Haven community,” said CS-HHC Board Chair Orlando Cordero. “In these facilities, the extraordinary professionals of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center will save lives and impact families and neighborhoods, in meaningful and enduring ways.”

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center has a 55-year history of health equity in action, serving New Haven neighborhoods throughout the city. CS-HHC also provides health care services to residents of the City of West Haven and towns in the Lower Naugatuck Valley - Ansonia, Seymour, Shelton, Naugatuck, and Oxford.

The Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Foundation was formed last year to support the work of CS-HHC. The mission of the Foundation is “to support Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in promoting the health and well-being of the communities it serves.”

More information about the 55th anniversary event is at www.cornellscott.org/55th-anniversary.

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