Governor Lamont Announces Establishment of the Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont today announced the establishment of the Connecticut Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate, a new independent state office statutorily assigned to assist Connecticut residents with accessing mental health and behavioral health care resources, supporting behavioral health providers with receiving timely payments from health insurance carriers for services provided, and advocating for greater access behavioral health care and resources with the overarching goal of improving consumer outcomes.

Created by legislationapproved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Lamont, this independent office is within the Connecticut Insurance Department for administrative purposes only and is led by a behavioral health advocate who is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. After an exhaustive search, Governor Lamont appointed Howard Sovronsky to serve in this role. Sovronsky was confirmed by the legislature during the recently adjourned regular session and is now serving in the position.

"Access to mental health services is one of the most pressing needs of our time, and it needs to be treated just as we do for any other physical health situation," Governor Lamont said. "Over the last several years, I've partnered with the state legislature to enact some of the strongest mental health parity and coverage laws in the nation, and this new office will provide the residents of our state with an advocate to help break down the barriers that still stand in the way of true mental health equity. Howard Sovronsky has a great depth of knowledge on this issue, and he is passionate about increasing access to care. He is the exact kind of person we need in this advocacy position."

A licensed clinical social worker for more than 40 years, Sovronsky has served in leadership positions in local government, hospitals, and within Connecticut's nonprofit community mental health sector. Most recently, he served as chief behavioral health officer at Connecticut Children's in Hartford, where he helped lead the hospital's response to the emerging children's behavioral health crisis. He also served for several years as chief operating officer for Community Health Resources in Windsor, where he led operations of the behavioral health network.

Before moving to Connecticut in 2007, Sovronsky worked for two decades in government in Nassau County, Long Island, most notably as commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, in which he directed a comprehensive network of hospital and community mental health services for children, families, and adults. In addition, he oversaw a comprehensive system of care for individuals with developmental and intellectual challenges. Prior to that, he served as director of the Nassau County Division of Forensic Mental Health, in which he established the country's first correctional mental health clinic and led the country's largest court consultation service, and as director of community support services, in which he established a county-wide system of care for both children and adults recently discharged from a state psychiatric center.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College in New York, and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

"There could not be a more critical time than now to establish an independent voice to advance the needs of both behavioral health consumers and providers," Sovronsky said. "The momentum to address universal behavioral health needs creates a unique opportunity for change and improvement that this office is committed to achieve."

The Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate is statutorily responsible for:

• Assisting behavioral health care providers, who are licensed, certified or registered in the state, with receiving payments for claims submitted to health insurance carriers for services provided to covered patients;
• Assisting state residents with accessing behavioral health care and related resources;
• Providing information to the public, agencies, legislators and others regarding the problems and concerns of behavioral health care providers and patients and making recommendations for resolving such problems and concerns;
• Analyzing and monitoring the development and implementation of federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies relating to behavioral health care and recommending changes as necessary;
• Facilitating public comment by behavioral health care providers and patients on laws, regulations and policies, including, but not limited to, the policies and actions of health insurance carriers;
• Coordinating services with the Office of the Healthcare Advocate to assist individuals with obtaining access to and coverage for behavioral health care services;
• Ensuring that behavioral health care providers and patients have timely access to the services provided by the office;
• Establishing a toll-free number, or any other free calling option, to allow access to the services provided by the Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate; and
• Pursuing administrative remedies on behalf of and with the consent of any behavioral health care providers and patients.

As the office is in this initial launch period, it is in the process of establishing an official website and methods for residents to contact the office. For more urgent needs, the office can be contacted by submitting an email to [email protected].