Data Illustrates Need to Expand Services
High rates of alcohol use, opioid overdoses, trauma, and suicide risk, as well as problems accessing behavioral health treatment, food insecurity, and unstable housing, are documented in a recently completed Community Needs Assessment (CNA) covering more than half the state.
Sponsored by nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider Community Health Resources (CHR), the CNA was conducted by Holleran, an independent research and consulting firm with more than 30 years of relevant experience in public health research. The CNA reflects findings from an in-depth analysis of local, state, and federal data as well as a Key Informant Survey completed by a wide range of stakeholders from across eastern and central CT, aligning with CHR’s footprint.
“The CNA underscores the importance of our work and illuminates areas that need more intensive support,” said Heather Gates, President and CEO of CHR. “We are seeing significant disparities in Hartford, in terms of mental wellbeing, food security, and housing, as well as profound mental health and substance use needs in Willimantic and more rural areas of eastern CT,” she said.
Gates is sharing findings from the CNA to bolster advocacy efforts to expand access to mental health and substance use services. “The report illustrates the importance of increasing outpatient Medicaid rates for behavioral health services so providers like CHR can grow and meet the needs of our communities,” she said, referencing a 2024 report from the state Department of Social Services (DSS) showing that CT lags comparable states by 50% for outpatient behavioral healthcare reimbursements.
“It’s clear that more needs to be done to improve the health and mental wellbeing of people of all ages,” she said, noting that the report also supports the establishment of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), a national model to improve and coordinate care for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
Here’s a summary of the top areas of concern documented in the CNA:
Accessing Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment
Data shows that individuals in central and eastern CT experience barriers to receiving timely behavioral health services. These include:
- 80% of respondents reported that the public doesn’t understand mental health and substance use problems and/or where to seek help.
- 66% of respondents reported that “insufficient” health insurance was the top barrier to receiving care.
- 3% of respondents said people in need use hospital ERs more than any other resource.
- 6% said there is a profound lack of bilingual behavioral healthcare providers.
- Data shows shortages of behavioral health professionals across central and eastern CT, as well as shortages of providers of color.
Adolescent and Adult Mental Health
- National data shows that adults in the City of Hartford have fewer good mental health days than the rest of the state.
- Windham County has a higher percentage of “disconnected” youth than the state average.
- Nearly 90% of respondents ranked “mental health and suicide risk” as the top issue of concern in the catchment area.
- National data shows that the City of Hartford and towns in North Central CT have the highest rates of major depressive episodes, serious mental illness, and suicidal ideation.
- Overall, depression rates have increased throughout CT since 2016, with the highest percentages among those with the lowest income.
Affordable Housing, Income, and other Social Determinants of Health/Supports
- Rental costs in central and eastern CT are nearly 20% higher than national averages.
- Poverty levels in the City of Hartford are significantly higher than state and national benchmarks.
- Problems accessing mental health and substance use services are linked with a lack of public transportation, language barriers, immigration status, and social stigma.
- Across central and eastern CT, the Food Environment Index is worse than the national benchmark, with the highest rates of food insecurity in the City of Hartford and Windham County.
- In both Hartford and East Hartford, nearly a quarter of all households are led by a single woman with children under age 18.
Substance Use
- Across central and eastern CT, the rates of alcohol and opioid use disorders are higher than state and national averages.
- North Central CT has the highest rates of alcohol use disorders and marijuana use.
- Windham County has the highest rates of binge drinking and smoking.
- The highest rates of overdose deaths are in the City of Hartford and Windham County.
- 9% of survey respondents ranked alcohol use as the highest need to address, followed by opioid use.
To read the full CNA, please visit www.chrhealth.org.
About CHR: With a broad range of services for children, families, and adults whose lives have been touched by mental illness, addiction, trauma, and homelessness, CHR is the state’s most comprehensive nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider. In addition, CHR was the first nonprofit in CT to meet all the rigorous federal criteria as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic and has repeatedly been named among the Top Workplaces in the state. Learn more at www.chrhealth.org.
February 2, 2026
For more information, contact mmcguire@chrhealth.org.