WATERBURY – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) announced $1.2 million in federal funding for community health centers in Danbury and Plainville to expand mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse disorder services. The funding, awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will support critical services at Connecticut Institute for Communities in Danbury and Wheeler Clinic Inc. in Plainville.
“Community health centers address the most urgent community needs, especially mental health and substance abuse services,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Through critical investments like this, more people in Danbury, Plainville and surrounding towns will be able to seek the care they need right where they live. I am grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for its commitment to expanding and improving access to care in Connecticut and across the country.”
According to a 2022 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 21 percent of adults in Connecticut reported experiencing mental illness in the past year, and 5 percent reported experiencing serious mental illness. However, because 10 percent of adults with mental illness are uninsured, according to Mental Health America, their health care needs are often unaddressed.
Federally Qualified Health Centers and other local health facilities are crucial to addressing mental health and substance abuse issues for those impacted. But today, most health centers are only able to meet about 27% of the demand for mental health services and 6% of the substance use disorder treatment demand among their patients, according to HRSA. The grants awarded today will help clinics expand their services and increase their patient count.