Bridgeport, CT – The City of Bridgeport’s Health & Social Services Department has been a recent recipient of the Connecticut State Department of Public Health for Local Heat and Air Quality Preparedness & Response Planning grant; counting Bridgeport as one of two cities in Connecticut who’ve received this grant. The grant’s primary use will be for implementation of six community groups within public housing areas underneath the Park City Communities leadership: one in each of the City’s zip codes. The initiative behind the usage of the grant is to address heat and air quality disparities within public housing areas that specifically affect Bridgeport’s elderly population. 

Mayor Ganim stated, “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the State Department of Public Health for their support in helping to address health challenges in our City. Like many urban settings, Bridgeport contends with a myriad of health disparities, often exacerbated by social determinants of health. With this grant, we aim to address health inequity and overall quality of life for our most vulnerable residents.” 

The grant will be used to fund one contracted position, the Heat and Air Quality Project Coordinator, in which this position will claim the responsibility of coordinating community meetings in each public housing community while completing research of methods used by other communities. With this, the Project Coordinator will also assume the responsibility of marketing and hosting the community focus groups within their respective public housing areas. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the City of Bridgeport Careers webpage to submit an application for the Heat and Air Quality Project Coordinator position.