The State Capitol Building in Hartford on June 4, 2025. Credit: Mia Palazzo / CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut residents who need help with mental health and behavioral health care have a new advocate in Hartford, following the establishment of the state Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced the office’s establishment Wednesday, though the General Assembly created it through 2023 legislation .
The new state office is 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, according to a statement from Lamont’s office. The office is within the Connecticut Insurance Department for administrative purposes.
Lamont appointed Howard Sovronsky to the position, and the legislature confirmed his appointment during its most recent session. He is currently serving in the role.
“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,” 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.
Lamont said Sovronsky had “a great depth of knowledge” on mental health services and that he is “passionate about increasing access to care.”
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.
Sovronsky 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 has various responsibilities, including::
- Assisting behavioral health care provider with receiving payments for claims submitted to health insurance carriers;
- 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;
The office has not yet established a website and contact methods. Those requiring its services can email behavioralhealthadvocate@ct.gov.