InterCommunity Health celebrated the expansion of its primary and behavioral health care facilities Monday. The expansion, which includes a new center on Coventry Street in Hartford, was made possible through a $1.8 million federal grant.
The funding allows InterCommunity Health to serve an additional 2,000 city residents, according to Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam.
Arulampalam expressed his gratitude for U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy who helped secure the grant.
“It is so great to have a champion up in D.C. fighting for us in these tough times, in times where all of us worry about the future of health care,” Arulampalam said.
Blumenthal and Murphy advocated at the federal level about reducing health disparities in communities by expanding health services.
Blumenthal, who attended the ribbon cutting on behalf of himself and Murphy, said the pair of Democrats worked together as a team to “demand” the federal government “face its responsibilities” regarding individual rights to health care.
“If you don't have your health, you have nothing,” Blumenthal said. “That's especially true of kids in their formative years, going to school, having to learn, really forming the kinds of essential skills and aptitudes and abilities that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
Kimberly Beauregard, president and CEO of InterCommunity Health, also expressed gratitude for the grant.
“It’s been about a year and a half in process, but without that financial we could never have done it. It’s been our agenda for a long, long time to get this where it is today,” Beauregard said.
The facility provides patients with a number of services including primary and behavioral health care and help for addiction recovery.
However, InterCommunity Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chad McDonald, said the organization offers unique services compared to other facilities.
“Another element that's unique is the amount of community support services that we offer to people that are struggling. You know, it takes more than just coming to a doctor's office or a therapist appointment to have good health care,” McDonald said.
McDonald cited their addiction recovery program as an example. After patients complete their inpatient program, they can go into sober housing and transition to outpatient care.
The organization also has 12 school-based health centers, McDonald said.
According to InterCommunity Health’s website, the school-based health centers help alleviate challenges for families by offering “immediate access to health care during the school day,” if the child is sick, needs a physical or has other needs. Center providers will also work closely with school nurses and the child’s pediatrician.
InterCommunity Health’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tyler Booth said they’re not quite done transforming their campus.
Currently, they are working with the city to ensure the building is visible to the public. Booth said if they receive additional funding, they would like to connect a sidewalk from the building to the bus stop to make their services more accessible to people in the community.
“The quality of care here is second to none. And if we both believe that the quality isn't good enough for our own family, it's not good enough for anyone's family,” Booth said.
