Jul 23, 2026 · 29 min · 10 segments
Right now, the Moses/Weitzman Health System is focused on transforming primary care delivery nationally for the people who need it most. But it all started over 50 years ago with Community Health…
Mark MasselliHost
John HickenlooperGuestMatthias WinnikusGuest
As we retrace the start of the community health center movement, we also wanted to observe the origins of the health center.
I'm going to take you back to July 26, 1976, during the country's bicentennial year.
We find three young men banded together to purchase and subsequently renovate the building that would become the first home of our community health center right here in Middletown, Connecticut.
As you all know, CHC is a statewide force in the care of the underserved population and is now part of the Moses Weitzman Health System with programs in all 50 states.
We also should remember that that moment, that summer of 1976 when we closed and obviously frantic working for the month up before that to make sure all our ducks were in a row, that was a moment where the country, you know, it was...
Remember, they brought great ships, these tall ships from the previous century into New York Harbor that were just so breathtaking.
And there was such a sense of possibility that our democracy really could solve some of these problems of why all people can't have health care.
And I think In one sense, I feel like when I was raking apples for my grandfather when I was a little kid and you'd rake all day and he'd say, look how much we got done.
And then he'd point to all the tree, all the apples still on the ground and he'd say, look how much there is to do.
I think it's important now that we look back and say, holy smokes, look at where we are now.
But you can look around and say, hey, we still got some serious hard work to do.
Today, I'm flying solo as your host, and I'm delighted to be joined by two of my oldest friends and my partners in starting the Health Center while they were students at Wesleyan University.
Matt Vinicus, who you may remember from a show we did, has been a decades-long leader in healthcare for people in need across the United States.
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As we retrace the start of the community health center movement, we also wanted to observe the origins of the health center.
I'm going to take you back to July 26, 1976, during the country's bicentennial year.
We find three young men banded together to purchase and subsequently renovate the building that would become the first home of our community health center right here in Middletown, Connecticut.
As you all know, CHC is a statewide force in the care of the underserved population and is now part of the Moses Weitzman Health System with programs in all 50 states.
We also should remember that that moment, that summer of 1976 when we closed and obviously frantic working for the month up before that to make sure all our ducks were in a row, that was a moment where the country, you know, it was...
Remember, they brought great ships, these tall ships from the previous century into New York Harbor that were just so breathtaking.
And there was such a sense of possibility that our democracy really could solve some of these problems of why all people can't have health care.
And I think In one sense, I feel like when I was raking apples for my grandfather when I was a little kid and you'd rake all day and he'd say, look how much we got done.
And then he'd point to all the tree, all the apples still on the ground and he'd say, look how much there is to do.
I think it's important now that we look back and say, holy smokes, look at where we are now.
But you can look around and say, hey, we still got some serious hard work to do.
Today, I'm flying solo as your host, and I'm delighted to be joined by two of my oldest friends and my partners in starting the Health Center while they were students at Wesleyan University.
Matt Vinicus, who you may remember from a show we did, has been a decades-long leader in healthcare for people in need across the United States.
