Officials Warn Public Health Funding Cuts Will Exacerbate Disparities

by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT — A roundtable discussion on the impact of reductions in federal funding for public health generated plenty of examples Friday.

Connecticut has already seen nearly $150 million in federal public health grants terminated by the Trump administration, and the loss of the funding is already being felt across the state.

“Many of our local health departments had to lay people off,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner for the Department of Public Health. “They may have had epidemiologists, they may have had community health workers, they may have had nurses, they may have had people working on vaccine clinics. The list goes on and on.”

The discussion, hosted by the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, featured health experts and elected officials.

Juthani said the department received stop work orders for six grants on March 24

One area impacted by the funding cuts is the state’s laboratory information management system, she said. The department was in the final stages of building a system to speed up data sharing between the three major components of the state’s public health laboratory. 

An example of how that translates to everyday citizens is its impact on newborns. Currently, newborns receive over 60 genetic tests at birth to check for various health concerns. Those results are shared by fax, and the department had hoped to replace that antiquated process with an automated, computerized system. That work has stopped.

Juthani also said 43 DPH contracts to local health departments have been halted.

Joanne Borduas, CEO of Community Health and Wellness Center, which serves Torrington, Winsted and North Canaan, spoke about the impact of staffing losses for rural communities.

“It is not only an issue, it has reached the point of a crisis,” she said. “We cannot recruit providers. If we don’t have providers and staff, we cannot provide access in the most vulnerable parts of our state.”

Another program which ceased operation is the Family Bridge program, which provided services to families with new babies in the Bridgeport area, including home visits from nurses. 

Dr. Jeffrey Hines, chief diversity officer at UConn Health, said the loss of the long-term care for women who give birth, in particular Black women, created a slew of problems.

“We already know the crisis that we are in with Black maternal morbidity and mortality,” he said. “But I think if we go upstream and look at poor nutrition, if we look at hypertensive diseases among Black women, if we look at diabetic diseases, those disparities are going to significantly increase.”

New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond said her city had lost a $7 million grant to reduce lead poisoning and had also had funds cut that had been targeted to reduce deaths from drug overdoses.

“Whatever race and ethnicity you are, those that are living below the poverty level are going to be impacted and the disparities are going to continue to be exacerbated if we lose these funds,” she said.

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, co-chair of the Public Health Committee, called the loss of funding troubling, but said she wouldn’t lose hope in people recognizing the important role that government plays regarding public health, pa

She added, though, that eliminating racial disparities in health care was essentially an effort at diversity, equity and inclusion. And with DEI programs under fire, she said, “unfortunately, I do think we’re going to see increases in racial disparities during this time.”