CONNECTICUT, USA — National Health Center Week began on Sunday, and on Wednesday, the CT Paid Leave Authority posted a reminder geared toward Connecticut workers and their families.
The important message is that the state’s community health care centers offer pivotal resources to more than 420,000 patients who seek their help.
The CT Paid Leave Program provides eligible workers with income replacement and the chance to take care of personal and family health needs without losing income.
In Wednesday’s release, the authority reminded residents that there are 17 Community Health Centers in Connecticut with various access locations such as schools and clinics. According to the CT Paid Leave Authority, most health center patients are low income; approximately 60% of them are insured through Medicaid.
“Community Health Centers are an essential part of Connecticut’s healthcare delivery system and, as such, they are on the frontlines of patient care,” CT Paid Leave Authority CEO Erin Choquette said in the release. “We are so pleased to be working with CHC/ACT to provide information about our paid leave program to workers and their families who come through the centers.”
The release emphasized that Community Health Centers provide care that is integrated. If a worker visits their primary care physician and said they are having difficulties with anxiety, the medical professional can refer the patient to a mental health physician immediately.
Beyond providing care, as nonprofit organizations, 51% of a community health center’s board members must be patients receiving care, according to the authority.
“This empowers the community to help decide how and where care is going to be provided in their community,” the release said.
Deb Polun, chief strategy officer at the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, said in the release that Connecticut was on the forefront of creating the paid leave program.
“We want to make sure people know about it because it will help them take care of themselves and also take care of their family members without worrying about how they’re going to pay the electric bill or how they’re going to pay rent this month,” Polun said in the release.
Workers must create an account with CT.gov to apply for CT Paid Leave benefits online. The process will provide applicants with a single identity and will take around 10 minutes. The applicant can then submit their claim online, the release said.
Claims can also be filed over the phone by calling 877-499-8606. Hours of operation for live representatives are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
To learn more about Community Centers, one can listen to a podcast featuring Polun.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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