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WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a first step toward expanding school-based health centers in Waterbury, the city is planning to use new federal funding to renovate St. Lucy’s Church as a one-stop clinic for local students.
“It’s valuable for students because they already have trusted adults that they have connections with, within the school setting,” said Aisling McGuckin, director of the Waterbury Public Health Department. “They have a network of teachers that are looking out for them, they have their school nurse that’s looking out for them … counselors, other members of the behavioral health team, and leadership all looking out for them and getting to know them over the course of the school year, and over the course of their career in school.”
The $5 million, part of the more than $35 million allocated to Connecticut in an appropriations package passed by the U.S. Senate last month, is the largest funding amount among the 38 total spending projects. However, it’s still $10 million less than what the health department originally applied for, said McGuckin, who completed the project’s application.
Though the church renovation isn’t school-based, McGuckin said it’s a starting point until the city can secure additional funds to build more school-based health centers or purchase mobile clinics.
“At this point, our priority is to focus on the first part of the project, the renovation of St. Lucy’s,” she said. “We think it’s an opportunity for us to get started with that work with these funds, but we’re going to continue to look for funds to supplement those.”
McGuckin added that the renovation allows for comprehensive health care services for several schools until more funds are secured to build clinics, calling the remodel a “one-stop-shop community health resource center, with dental care, medical care, behavioral health services so that a family that has to go for an appointment can get multiple things taken care of with one visit.”
Sen. Blumenthal, echoed McGuckin and said in a statement that, “This $5 million in federal funding will connect thousands of Waterbury students and their families with urgently needed medical, dental and mental health services.”
Sen. Chris Murphy also spoke to the push to make schools a primary location for health services.
“Kids spend the majority of their week in the classroom, and these mobile school-based health centers are an important tool to meet students where they are and make sure they get connected to medical, dental and behavioral health services,” he said.
This project also puts a spotlight on Waterbury, where Rep. Jahana Hayes, and former Republican State Sen. George Logan have been vying for the state’s most competitive congressional House seat this election cycle. Both candidates have shown their support for making schools a place where students can receive health care.
At a news conference last week, Hayes, along with U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., touted a federal bill focused on increasing funding and personnel for mental health services in public schools nationwide.
The bill, which was introduced at the end of January and has almost two dozen co-sponsors, would add $74 million for a total of $174 million for the services. While the amount of money that Connecticut would receive is unknown, DeLauro said high-risk school districts, like Waterbury, will take precedence.
Logan, who served as a state senator from 2017 to 2021, previously advocated for school-based health centers in Connecticut at a forum in 2017. He now touts the benefits he sees coming from these centers.
“School-based health clinics, when run properly, can provide opportunities for parents to access routine medical care for their children,” Logan said in a statement. “The ultimate goal should be healthy students, better grades and the best educational outcomes for our kids.”
This push for comprehensive health care in schools in the state is not new.
In 2022, a working group was tasked with expanding school-based health centers by selecting towns and schools in the state that would significantly benefit from the clinics. The group recommended 157 schools within 21 cities, with Waterbury having the most recommended sites, at 29. West Haven and Bridgeport followed with 24 schools.
For the current fiscal year, the state Legislature approved $11.5 million for school-based health centers. Connecticut originally allocated $11.5 million for fiscal year 2025, but Gov. Ned Lamont has recommended a $250,000 bump in the midterm budget report, for a total of nearly $11.8 million.
McGuckin said she’s grateful for the funds Waterbury has received and is hopeful it will secure more.
“It makes life easier for children, it makes life easier for parents,” she said. “But it’s also part of the vision for communities centering their lives around a school, which for school-aged children, we know that that’s the reality. The more services that we can offer through that school as a way to make it easier for families to get the services and medical care that they need, the more likely they are to utilize those services and avail of those benefits.”