Report by Paula Antolini, September 30, 2021, 6:21PM EDT
HARTFORD–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (D-Conn.-1), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-2), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.-3), Jim Himes (D-Conn.-4),and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-5) on Wednesday announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Connecticut more than $12.3 million to support major construction and renovation projects at health center sites across the state. This funding, included as part of the American Rescue Plan that was passed by Democrats in Congress earlier this year, will be awarded to sixteen of Connecticut’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) health centers throughout the state.
“COVID-19 has exposed deep inequities in our health care system, disproportionately impacting communities of color. This federal funding from the American Rescue Plan will help modernize Connecticut’s HRSA-funded health centers, which provide vital health care services to our most vulnerable. This is an important step towards advancing health equity, and we’re proud to have secured this funding to help Connecticut health centers better serve the community,” said the delegation.
Connecticut health centers receiving the grants include the Community Health Center of Middletown, Optimus Health Care in Bridgeport, and the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in New Haven. The full list of Connecticut health centers that have received federal funding can be found here [or below].
The funding will be available for Connecticut health centers’ COVID-19-related capital needs, including to construct new facilities, renovate and expand existing facilities to enhance their response to pandemic, and to purchase new state-of-the-art equipment, including telehealth technology, mobile medical vans, and freezers to store vaccines.
According to HHS, health centers that serve medically underserved and other vulnerable populations and communities, which are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and other health conditions, were targeted for the awards. By constructing new facilities or renovating and expanding existing facilities, these health centers will be able to ensure communities have more equitable access to high-quality primary health care. More than 91 percent of health center patients are individuals or families living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and nearly 63 percent are racial/ethnic minorities.
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