Trump administration cuts will have a radical impact on public health, mental health and dependence services in Connecticut

(Hartford, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont TODAY ANNOUNCED That Administration was notified this week by the Trump Administration through the US Department of Health and Human Services that it is Immodely Terminating A number of Grants estimated to total more than $ 150 million that Had been allocated for a Wide Range of Essential Public Health, Mental Health, and Addiction Services, Such Assease Outbreak Surveillance, Newborn Screenings, Childhood Immunizations, and Testing for Viruses and other pathogens.

The subsidies were widely engaged with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). The agencies analyze the impact of these cuts and, as more and more information will become available, the suppliers of the Connecticut expected this funding.

These cuts are part of more than $ 11.4 billion in public health subsidies that the Trump administration announced this week that it cancels states of the country. Congress has long acknowledged that public health begins at the level of the state and local and was assigned to these funds to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to epidemics of diseases and other public health emergencies.

“These sudden and unexpected reductions in our health system will have a devastating impact on our ability to combat diseases, protect the health of newborns, provide mental health treatment and drug addiction and protect people”, ” Governor Lamont said. “We should facilitate and cheaper for people to access critical health care, including mental health services. I urge the Trump administration to recognize that these cuts go beyond what is reasonable and reversed this reckless and impulsive decision. I will do everything I can to support the health and safety of Connecticut residents. ”

Some of the most difficult impacts will be felt by the Branch of DPH infectious diseases and the public health laboratory of the Connecticut State. Wednesday, dozens of projects and all the work carried out by sellers and consultants funded by these subsidies were ordered to stop. Subsidies are also eliminated which finance vaccination activities and approach health disparities. DPH is also forced to cancel 48 contracts with local health services and other vaccination service providers.

“It’s a dark day for public health”, ” DPH Manisha Juthani’s commissioner, MD, said. “These subsidies finance many of our main public health functions. Although we always assess the impact on our agency, we know that these cuts will seriously hamper our ability to respond to any future epidemic of infectious diseases, infantile immunization programs that we are financing must now end, and critical work that we have done to strengthen and increase our ability to protect the public health of Connecticut residents. These funds were used to modernize our systems, strengthen our workforce, educate the public, protect our children to prevent or alleviate damage to human life caused by future flambés of diseases.

The DMHAs, which oversee the behavioral health needs of Connecticut in the fields of mental health treatment and the prevention and treatment of drug addiction, warnings that cuts could have an impact on services related to housing and support for employment, regional suicide advice, reduction of misdeeds, perinatal screening, treatment at an early stage and Increased access to assisted medication treatment.

“That there is no doubt that this unforeseen and sudden cessation of these block subsidies will be immediately and therefore disruptive of the behavioral health system in Connecticut”, ” DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navarretta said. “These resources have been deployed by the DMHAs in a contemplative and rigorous way to help suppliers manage the COVVI-19 pandemic and its latent impacts based on a calendar which was clearly established and articulated by the Congress and the American Treasury. From now on, risky risk services and work supports are not ininformed. Reduction of harms, perinatal screening, treatments at an early stage and increased access to the treatment assisted by drugs. These programs as long as possible. »»

The financing reductions will also extend beyond DPH and DMHA. Funding is eliminated for the Family Bridge program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and provides up to three home visits to authorized nurses and community health workers to newborns to help the hospital’s transition.

The following table provides a preliminary analysis of the cuts and their impact on the services provided by DPH. An additional analysis of these cuts and their impact on other agencies are underway.