Courtney Announces New Access Point designation and funding for UCFS of Norwich

NORWICH, CT—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) announced a multi-year federal grant of nearly $1.2 million to United Community and Family Services (UCFS) of Norwich, a non-profit health center providing a variety of health and human services needs to local residents. The funding comes as a result of UCFS's federal designation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration as a New Access Point, which identifies health centers in underserved communities to increase access to comprehensive, culturally competent, and high-quality primary health care delivery sites.

"This new designation for UCFS is the result of a long, hard-fought battle to win well-deserved recognition for the excellent care that they provide for military families and veterans, seniors, Husky recipients, expecting moms and other members of the Norwich community," Courtney said. "As a New Access Point, UCFS will now qualify for significant additional federal funding to support and grow health services for the thousands of local families who rely on the health center each year. I am pleased that our collective efforts to demonstrate the need for services, plan for the future care of patients in our district, and raise the profile of UCFS in Washington have yielded this excellent result."

"This has been a long time coming. The New Access Point brings additional resources that Northern New London County and the communities we serve need and deserve. Congressman Courtney has been supporting our efforts to become an FQHC Grantee for 8 years. We are very grateful for his many hours of advocacy, meetings and technical assistance, that have brought us here today," said Chuck Seeman, President and CEO of UCFS.

UCFS has previously applied for the New Access Point (NAP) designation three times since 2011. The designation enables UCFS to access federal funding, tort protections, and other benefits. Congressman Courtney led Connecticut delegation letters to HRSA in support of UCFS's NAP application each year since 2011, and advocated directly to HRSA officials on multiple occasions. This designation and grant came as a result of HRSA funding made available through the Affordable Care Act.