As the President and CEO of the Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington, my goal is to work with our dedicated staff to help our patients get and stay healthy and live high-quality lives. Our health center operates three sites in northwest Connecticut, as well as school-based health centers throughout our region and a mobile van. We deliver primary care close to where people are.

But we face challenges, as do other community health centers in Connecticut. We struggle to recruit and retain health care providers, sometimes causing patients to experience long wait times for an appointment. Families juggling work, childcare, and transportation challenges face even greater barriers, leading to missed preventive care, worsening chronic conditions, and increasing unnecessary trips to the emergency room. These gaps are not isolated; they reflect the ongoing issues our community health centers and other health providers face each day as we aim to keep care accessible.

This is why Connecticut must seize the opportunity created by the new Rural Health Transformation Grant (RHTG) program and bolster Community Health Centers.

This summer, Congress passed this historic $50 billion federal investment as part of HR 1, to help health systems prepare for the sweeping changes to Medicaid coming in 2027. The goal is to prepare rural providers for the loss of coverage expected when millions of Americans are eventually removed from Medicaid rolls. Under the RHTG, each of the 50 states, including Connecticut, is poised to receive at least $100 million per year for five years through this program. If deployed wisely, these funds could strengthen all 17 of our community health centers – a smart investment in the health of all Connecticut residents.

Together Connecticut’s community health centers provide care for 452,000 residents, including more than 262,000 HUSKY patients. While only parts of northwestern and northeastern Connecticut are technically defined as “rural,” the federal law and the RHTG application process specify that all community health centers qualify as rural providers under this grant. This recognition reflects the reality that Connecticut’s 17 community health centers serve underserved and low-income populations, regardless of geographic designation.

Connecticut’s community health centers are essential because they provide quality care close to the patient, reduce pressure on hospitals, increase access to primary and preventive care, and provide critical health services. As a result, they are a significant provider in the state’s Medicaid program, serving almost 30% of Connecticut’s one million Medicaid patients.

Connecticut’s Department of Social Services (DSS) is developing the state’s application for the RHTG funds. We urge the department to ensure that all of Connecticut’s community health centers are fully included in the state’s funding strategy. We recommend that Connecticut direct RHTG resources toward two critical areas: strengthening the health care workforce and investing in telehealth and health technology.

Workforce initiatives are critical to address the persistent barriers rural residents face in accessing care. A shortage of primary care providers, combined with significant travel distances and limited public transportation, make it difficult for rural residents to achieve optimal health.

To combat this, we recommend expanding proven workforce models such as the Teaching Health Center program. Connecticut’s only teaching health center, located in Danbury, has successfully retained primary care providers in the state, with 84% of graduates continuing to serve in primary care and underserved settings. We recommend creating at least one more teaching health center in Connecticut. We also recommend implementing structured transition-to-practice programs for new providers like APRNs and physician assistants, creating health career pipelines for high school students, and strengthening financial incentives like student loan repayment and tax relief. These efforts are essential to recruit and retain a sustainable healthcare workforce in rural areas and across Connecticut.

Equally important are investments in telehealth and health technology, which offer cost-effective solutions to expand access and improve outcomes.

For example, telehealth visits improve convenience, privacy, and continuity of care, while reducing barriers such as travel time and provider shortages. E-consults are an existing model that allow primary care providers to access specialist expertise without requiring their patients to wait for in-person specialist visits, saving the state millions and delivering care faster. But the state currently does not allow community health centers to receive reimbursement for e-Consults.

Remote patient monitoring supports patients with chronic conditions like heart failure, asthma, and high-risk pregnancies, enhancing self-management and communication. To maximize innovations like telehealth, e-consults, and remote monitoring, Community Health & Wellness and other community health centers require upgraded broadband infrastructure and tech equipment for both providers and patients. With the RHTG funds, Connecticut has a critical opportunity to modernize its rural health infrastructure. Community health centers stand ready to lead the way.

As the state prepares its application for this unprecedented federal investment, Connecticut has a vital opportunity to strengthen the backbone of its rural health infrastructure by directing RHTG funds where they will have the greatest impact, into the workforce and technology that power community health centers.

Health centers have a long and proven track record of delivering high-quality, cost-effective care to those who need it most. Additional investment in workforce and technology will ensure that these essential providers are equipped to meet the growing needs of their communities.

We urge the Department of Social Services to fully include all community health centers in its RHTG strategy and to seize this moment to build a more resilient, accessible system that reduces barriers to care and optimizes the health and wellness of all of Connecticut’s residents.

Joanne Borduas is President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington