Your Stories: Liberty Bank Foundation Renews Support for “It Starts Here” Program at Saint Francis
August 4, 2025Categories: Awards and Recognition
For the third year in a row, Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded Saint Francis Hospital a $5,000 grant for the “It Starts Here” health care career pathway program for underrepresented youth. The program aims to engage and empower youth from greater Hartford by offering immersive, hands-on experiences and up-close exposure to an array of health care careers, including clinical and hospital leadership roles.
Liberty Bank Foundation awarded Saint Francis a $5,000 grant for the "It Starts Here" program in support of youth in greater Hartford.
“It Starts Here” helps students envision and pursue futures in health care while also allowing Saint Francis to connect with youth in the community and cultivate a pipeline of talented health care professionals reflective of its patient population. Underserved communities face systemic barriers to health care access, mistrust of medical establishments, and underrepresentation in medicine, all of which contribute to health disparities.
The “It Starts Here” program launched in January 2024, welcoming students from Bloomfield High School for a half day on-site at the hospital and expanded to include quarterly panel events at Northwest Catholic High School. In April, 14 bright young students from Bloomfield High visited Saint Francis to gain firsthand insight into the many careers and the compassionate care that defines the hospital.
Liberty Bank Foundation’s new grant will support “It Starts Here” during the 2025-26 school year by providing student transportation to Saint Francis, program materials, meals, and costs associated with hands-on instruction of STOP THE BLEED® and Let’s Not Meet By Accident, provided by the hospital’s Trauma and Injury Prevention Team.
Submitted by Whitney Hubbs Dionne, Senior Philanthropy Officer, Saint Francis Hospital.
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