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Applicant argues proposed Paramount outpatient center will fill behavioral-health gaps in Stamford area
Summary
Paramount's representatives told OHS the Stamford-area outpatient behavioral health center would provide an integrated continuum of care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance-use disorders, prioritize bilingual services, and serve Medicaid and uninsured patients; the record remains open for updated CHNA and provider lists.
Paramount's attorney and witnesses told the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy during a public hearing that the company's proposed outpatient behavioral-health center would address unmet local needs for integrated care.
"For individuals managing co-occurring disorders, the care system can feel more like an obstacle than a lifeline," said Cassandra Ruela, who spoke for the applicant, summarizing findings from the Region 1 2025 priority report and related Community Health Needs Assessment materials the applicant agreed to submit as a late file. Ruela said the center would initially serve people 18 and older and place a "preferential focus" on bilingual Spanish-speaking staff to match the catchment's needs.
The applicant described the center as an "integrated continuum of care" intended to let clinicians address mental health and substance-use needs simultaneously rather than referring patients across discrete programs. Ruela said the CON application lists master's-level clinicians, licensed therapists and social workers, peer recovery coaches and other staff roles intended to provide the combined services.
Attorney Jen Fosco argued the record shows public need. "We've determined clear public need based on the evidence in the record," she said, citing the OHS statewide health care facilities and services plan, letters of support from local providers, and federal SAMHSA data noting gaps in integrated care. Fosco said Paramount expects to serve Medicaid patients and to provide charity care through a program that reinvests 5% of revenue into scholarship assistance.
The applicant acknowledged some overlap with existing providers but said the level of integrated outpatient services proposed is not currently available in the primary service area covering Stamford and nearby towns such as Greenwich, Norwalk, Darien and New Canaan. Fosco pointed to readmission data and letters submitted in the CON record as evidence that enhanced outpatient capacity can reduce higher-cost inpatient admissions and emergency department visits.
The hearing record includes several quantitative estimates provided by the applicant: Fosco said about 11% of the expected patient population would be Medicaid enrollees and "9 or 10 percent" would be uninsured; the witness also cited a plan to reinvest 5% of revenue into charity scholarships. The applicant described those figures as drawn from the CON application and related market analyses.
The hearing did not include a formal decision; OHS staff asked for updated documents (the 2025 Stamford CHNA, readmission data for the Connecticut primary service area and an updated existing-provider list) to be added to the record. The hearing record will remain open while OHS reviews the late-file submissions.
The Office of Health Strategy has not yet ruled on the CON application; the agency will consider the materials submitted to determine whether the proposed center meets statutory and regulatory standards for certificate-of-need approval.
