WEEKLY UPDATE: 04/03/25
On Thursday, March 27, Governor Ned Lamont convened state officials, lawmakers, and healthcare leaders at the UConn John Dempsey Hospital campus to react to the federal termination of more than $150 million in grants allocated for essential public and behavioral health services in Connecticut. The cuts are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) cancellation of more than $11.4 billion in public health grants nationwide.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 23 states in suing HHS over its decision to terminate the federal funds that support various health projects across the country. The lawsuit asks the federal court in Rhode Island to block the mass grant cessations and reinstate the funds immediately.
The Lamont administration states that Connecticut stands to lose about $175 million that fund initiatives and resources provided by the Connecticut Departments of Public Health (DPH) Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), including disease outbreak surveillance, newborn screenings, childhood immunizations, testing for viruses and other pathogens, perinatal behavioral health screenings, regional suicide advisory boards, and more.
Some of the hardest impacts will be felt by DPH’s Infectious Disease Branch and the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory, according to the Lamont administration. Dozens of projects and all work involving vendors and consultants funded by these grants were ordered to stop. DPH says it was also forced to cancel 48 contracts with local health departments and other providers for immunization services.
Funding is also being eliminated for the Family Bridge Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and provides up to three at-home visits from registered nurses and community health workers for families of newborns to help with the transition from hospital to home.
Days after reclaiming millions in public health aid for Connecticut, the Trump administration also froze roughly $14 million in funds earmarked for academic and other education programs in Connecticut schools, including $9 million overseen by the state Department of Education and $5 million already awarded to about 20 K-12 districts.
The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) is monitoring these developments and is in contact with DPH to assess the impact of these cuts and the state’s response.
