CT PAID LEAVE AUTHORITY PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS TO PROVIDE PATIENTS WITH INFORMATION ON INCOME REPLACEMENT

August 4th Begins National Health Center Week

Hartford CT — August 4th begins National Health Center Week and today the CT Paid Leave Authority reminded Connecticut workers and their families that Connecticut’s community health centers provide important access to care for the over 420 thousand patients who seek their help. There are seventeen Community Health Centers across the state with various access locations including schools and clinics. Most health center patients are low income, with approximately 60% of patients being 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,” said Erin Choquette, CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority. “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.”

Community Health Centers provide care that is integrated. If a worker is visiting their primary care physician and mentions that they are struggling with anxiety, they can refer that patient to a mental health physician immediately. In addition to providing care, as nonprofit organizations, 51 percent of a community health center’s board members must be patients receiving care. This empowers the community to help decide how and where care is going to be provided in their community.

“Connecticut was really on the forefront, as you know, in creating this paid leave program,” said Deb Polun, Chief Strategy officer at the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut known as (CHC/ACT). “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 are going to pay rent this month.”

To apply for CT Paid Leave benefits online, workers will first need to create an account with CT.gov. This will provide the applicant with a single identity and will take approximately 10 minutes. The applicant can then submit their claim online. Claims may also be filed by phone by calling (877) 499–8606. Hours of operation for a live representative are 8 AM to 8 PM ET, Monday through Friday.

To learn more about Community Health Centers, please listen to this podcast where we discuss Community Health Centers with Deb Polun.

For more information about CT Paid Leave and how to apply, please visit www.ctpaidleave.org.