On Saturday morning, the Staywell Community Health Center in Waterbury opened its door to uninsured kids for free dental work.
“We started about 18 years ago,” said StayWell Health Care President and CEO Don Thompson. “It stopped during COVID and we decided to start it again and see how it goes.”
Six local dentists and several volunteers provided free cleanings, x-rays, fillings, sealants and more.
This is a precarious time for community healthcare centers that depend on reimbursements from the federal government. NBC Connecticut’s Mike Hydeck spoke with Sabrina Trocchi, the CEO of Wheeler Health.
Community health centers across Connecticut are feeling the instability a couple of weeks after the Trump administration announced a freeze on all federal funding, even as the order remains on hold in the courts.
Community health centers across Connecticut are experiencing disruptions in payment and communications as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders that froze federal funds, in addition to guidance from his administration, according a letter from the state’s congressional delegation that was delivered to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday.
There is still a lot of uncertainty around programs and services that are backed by federal grants. From city departments to federally-qualified health centers, people are trying to work with what they have and in some cases, aren’t sure if more money is on the way.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney met with United Community and Family Services Healthcare employees and board members Thursday to discuss how the rescinded funding freeze could impact UCFS and other federally qualified health centers.
The leaders of two Danbury area nonprofits expressed relief that President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded a memo that temporarily froze federal funding to agencies like theirs across the country, but both also said they were worried that crucial funding that they rely on could be cut off.
The school district and the Norwalk Community Health Center celebrated the opening of a third hub, this one open to students’ and their families, in what the superintendent called a “safe haven.”
Connecticut’s Community Health Centers are the medical, dental, and behavioral health home to over 440,000 people and play a critical role in the state’s health care strategy. As a safety net provider, nearly 60% of our patients are covered by the state’s HUSKY (Medicaid) program. While acting as the patient’s medical home, these centers keep patients from developing more serious conditions with higher costs.
A study published by the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) in early January found the state of Connecticut is failing to adequately fund these facilities and the under-funding is putting patients at risk.
Two community health centers in Connecticut are receiving a total of $740,000 in additional federal funding to expand the operation hours of various health services. The goal of the extra hours is to provide more opportunities for patients to access health care that doesn’t interfere with daily life schedules.
