CHWC Hosts Legislative Northwest Rural Community Conversation

[TORRINGTON, CT] On Friday March 13th, Community Health & Wellness Center, in partnership with McCall Behavioral Health Network, Brooker Memorial, and a coalition of regional health and human service partners, hosted a Legislative Roundtable addressing the challenges facing the rural Northwest communities.

The meeting provided a comprehensive view of the barriers to care which affect the lives of people who struggle to stay well. An emphasis was placed on the fact that zip codes should not determine a person’s ability to receive health care.

Leading the conversation was Joanne Borduas, CEO at Community Health & Wellness Center, Maria Coutant-Skinner, President and CEO of McCall Behavioral Health Network, and Christina Emery, Executive Director at Brooker Memorial. Each provided an overview of their organizations, as well as a description of the operational challenges each faces, and their legislative priorities meant to ensure they remain a strong safety network in the communities they serve.

During the session, a range of topics were covered including Integrated Rural Care, Workforce Recruitment and Retention Strategies, Collective Community Impact, and Challenges to sustainability. Shawn Frick, CEO at Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHC/ACT) spoke about the 340b Drug pricing program and the impact the absence of this program would have on organizations, and the individuals who benefit from reduced drug prices. Deb Polun, the Chief Strategy Officer at CHC/ACT spoke to the issues on the state level that impact Connecticut including Medicaid reimbursement rates, and changes to federal guidelines and funding.  

“Our missions are founded on ensuring all people are treated regardless of insurance status.” Borduas said. “Healthcare is a right not a privilege and we should be focusing on prevention and access to quality care.”

In attendance were Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, State Senator Paul Honig, State Representative Maria Horn, State Representative Jillian Gilchrest, State Representative Jay Case, Dr. Mehul Dalal of the Department of Social Services, and a representative from Senator Richard Blumenthal’s office.

“It was important to hear from stakeholders in the rural health community who provide high-quality, reliable care and understand that the obstacles faced by providers and patients in rural areas are vastly different than those in urban areas,” said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. “Expanding access to mental health resources, supporting robust Medicaid reimbursement, and developing the rural healthcare workforce are all essential for delivering care to these communities, and federal policies can do more to support these outcomes.”

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the leadership in healthcare in the northwest corner that we do.” said State Representative Maria Horn. “These leaders not only dedicated, but profoundly skilled, both at relating to all kinds of people and to delivering the kind of healthcare that the people need, and to articulate in the needs to those of us sitting in the room who have to fight to do that. It’s a tremendous battle to watch the federal government spending billions of dollars a day on bombs, when healthcare programs are getting slashed. And we’re going to try to protect people as much as we can.”
 
About Community Health & Wellness Center
Community Health and Wellness Center (CHWC) is an award-winning 501(c )(3) not-for-profit organization and the only Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) in the northwest corner of Connecticut providing comprehensive services. CHWC delivers a range of integrated healthcare services including medical, behavioral health, chiropractic, and nutrition, as well as an in-house lab and pharmacy. Serving over 7,000 patients, CHWC operates health centers in Torrington, Winsted, and North Canaan, with School-Based Health Centers in all Torrington schools and three Region One Schools. Learn more: www.chwctorr.org
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