Driggs school-based health center approved as CHC site; board asked to extend contract through June 2027
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Summary
The health department reported that Driggs was approved as a Health Resources & Services Administration community health center site and asked the board to add one year to its existing contractor agreement to align with state funding, with renovations funded by two grants ($30,000 and $10,000) and local contributions.
The Waterbury health department told the Board of Education that the Driggs school-based health center has been approved by the Health Resources & Services Administration as a site of Community Health Centers, Inc., and that the contractor is now working through state licensure steps.
"We learned that the school based health center at Driggs was approved by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a site of community health centers incorporated," Ashley McLaughlin said. McLaughlin said the department is seeking a one-year extension of the existing contract with the contractor (CHC) to match state funding, moving the contract end date to June 2027.
McLaughlin described recently completed renovations supported by two rounds of grant funding ($30,000 and $10,000) plus local contributions (labor estimated about $8,000) and showed photos of the converted spaces, which now include a medical exam room, behavioral health room, dental suite and laboratory area. She said the Driggs site began as a mobile dental clinic in 2023 and that expanding services to include behavioral and medical care aims to boost enrollment.
Board members asked about enrollment and access. McLaughlin said students citywide can enroll (online QR code or in-person at the site with parent consent when required), that information is available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Albanian and Brazilian Portuguese), and that the contractor is not currently filling additional hours beyond the school day because appointment volumes so far do not justify added shifts.
McLaughlin said the city provides about $250,000 per year to the contractor but that operating all three full-service centers would likely cost closer to $2,000,000. The extension request is contingent on continued state funding; staff said they will return with updated enrollment figures and any proposed changes to hours if volumes support them.
If the board approves the contract extension, the department said it would then go out to competitive bidding after the extended term.
