Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced in a statement Thursday that the state will start using Medicaid funds to move people with “serious mental illness” from nursing homes to “appropriate” support facilities. “We know they can live successfully in the community with the right combination of treatments and supports,” she said in a statement. The federal government approved the state’s action yesterday, the statement said. Called the Home and Community-Based Services waiver, the program would provide support staff for the mentally ill patients who receive the Medicaid voucher.