Connecticut’s first health center, Cornell Scott - Hill Health Center (CS-HHC) has been at the forefront of health equity and community care since its establishment in 1968. Initially known as Hill Health Center, it began as a pediatric clinic through a collaboration between the Yale School of Medicine and the Hill Parents Association, opening its first location in the former home of the Orange Street Bus Company garage. In 1970, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW), the health center added adult medical services; ophthalmology services were added in 1982, and it was only a matter of time before additional services were added and new sites opened to meet the needs of the community. Today, the health center network serves the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck Valley regions, reaching 55,000 people each year through 35 delivery sites including 21 School-Based Health Centers.
The organization has been known since 2009 as the Cornell Scott - Hill Center in honor and tribute to Cornell Scott, whose 40-year tenure leading Hill Health Center was marked by steady development of programs and sites in service to the New Haven area’s underserved communities. Scott championed high-quality, patient-centered care, bringing the health center’s vision to state and national prominence. Scotty, as he was called, was founder and first president of the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHCAC) and gained national recognition through his board leadership of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). Since 2012, CS-HHC has been led by CEO Michael Taylor, who had been mentored by Scott. Carrying forward the tradition of leadership, advocacy, and engagement at the national level, Taylor is also currently NACHC’s Board Chair-Elect.
Cornell Scott-Hill Center provides a full range of medical, routine and emergency dental, and behavioral health care services, offering comprehensive primary care for adults and children, as well as specialty medical care. In the decades since its founding, the health center has championed many innovations and new programs.
In 2020, CS-HHC launched the HeART of Healing initiative, utilizing art as a medium for promoting and enhancing health and wellbeing. This program commissions local artists to create pieces that are soothing, engaging, and that celebrate the local communities. These artworks are displayed across CS-HHC's locations and throughout the community, enhancing the healing environment.
The health center’s behavioral and mental health services are among the most comprehensive in Connecticut. In 2024, CS-HHC will celebrate the opening of a new 31,000 square-foot, 52-bed Recovery and Wellness Center (RWC) to address the behavioral health needs of the community in a stigma-free environment. This new service will extend the health center’s “community of caring,” offering intensive outpatient treatment and a short-term therapeutic living environment for substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders along with integrated medical and dental services. The RCW is strategically located next to the South Central Rehabilitation Center, facilitating seamless patient transitions from detoxification to comprehensive outpatient care at CS-HHC.
A nationally recognized innovator, as it celebrates 56 years of service Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center remains dedicated to its vision and mission, to “measurably improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve by providing excellent and compassionate care, accessible to all.”
