Proposed Health District Consolidation Prompts Opposition
NEWINGTON - The Central Connecticut Health District (CCHD) is continuing its own discussions regarding the possible consolidation of its four member town offices, but the state Department of Public Health’s own proposal-for the regionalization of local health services-has prompted concerns from districts and municipalities alike.

       Despite attending a meeting with DPH Commissioner Raul Pino a couple of weeks ago, local officials from area towns said that details as to what is specifically being proposed are not clear at this time, but the general consensus was that municipalities could see increased health costs as services are stretched over a wider population base.

       The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) sent a letter to Pino on December 14, echoing local concerns regarding cost impact and called on the Commissioner to pull back on any proposal to regionalize.

       â€"The costs are much higher than current expenditures, which will have a negative impact in very tight fiscal times,” read the letter, which was signed by CRCOG Chair Chip Beckett and CRCOG Executive Director Lye Wray. â€"Additionally, the proposed governance structure diminishes the role of municipal officials, which will disconnect the proposed districts from elected leadership.”

       But the DPH contends that health districts serving larger volumes of people-100,000 or more-see an uptick in â€"efficiency” while being more likely to tackle health disparities and engage in preventative outreach initiatives.

       While DPH spokesperson Maura Downes admitted that the proposal is in its â€"preliminary stage”, she shared-via email-the research the Department has been using to make its case for larger, more centralized districts. She did not provide any specific cost projections.

       â€"We will be continuing to meet with local health directors, municipal elected officials, and other stakeholders to hear and address their concerns and to explain this proposal and the benefits it would hold for efficiently and cost-effectively improving the quality and continuity of local public health services and addressing health disparities in Connecticut,” Downes wrote in the email.

       The DPH’s research points to the regionalization of health districts in Ohio, where, according to the American Journal of Public Health, per capita health expenditures were reportedly reduced by 16 percent.

       A consolidated district can come with savings, as well as increased â€"efficiencies” when it serves a population of 100,000 or more, according to DPH-cited Health Services Research reports from 2009.

       But the current service model, for many districts-the state currently has 20-is far from broken, Wray and Beckett wrote in their letter.

       â€"Current public health districts raise and use their funds to address issues specific to their residents, rather than trying to minimize per capita costs,” the letter read. â€"CRCOG municipalities are satisfied with their health districts and believe most, if not all within CROCOG deliver excellent service.”

       Downes also cited a 2010 Governor’s Council for Local Public Health Regionalization report that included the results of a 2008 federal performance standards assessment evaluating the state’s activity level in regard to health monitoring, diagnosis, and education, community partnerships, and patient to service facilitation-among other areas. Connecticut’s average score for all categories was 46 out of 100-with marks ranging from 37 to 68-according to the report.

       â€"CRCOG realizes that there may concerns regarding delivery of services of some health departments and health districts, but the board strongly feels that these should be dealt with on an individual, case by case basis,” CRCOG wrote.

       Larger, full-time local health service entities would be better equipped to capture federal grant money as well, the Department says.

      

      

      
STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA   |  Dec 30 2016  |  COMMENTS?