Low-income health clinics facing financial troubles

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

The Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine clinic is seeking donations.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A budget shortfall is forcing medical programs that help low-income people in Polk County to accept fewer patients.

The sales-tax funded Polk Healthcare Plan is running a $15-million deficit. The plan is borrowing money from the county to cover the deficit, which means most of the sales-tax revenue that comes in next year will go toward loan repayment instead of patient care and clinic operations.

The lack of money means the program is drastically reducing the number of uninsured people it can help. Those who cannot get help through the program are flocking to free clinics, like Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine.

More Information

"Right now, we are pressed to work those new patients in," said clinic CEO Bobby Yates. "In fact, we can't. We're closed to new patients until October."

Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine is also impacted by the Polk Healthcare Plan's deficit. The clinic was supposed to receive $120,000 from the program this year to put towards dental services. All of that money was cut, and so now the clinic is seeking donations and grants so it can continue to provide dental services to low-income people.

Officials with the all-volunteer clinic said the clinic doesn't have the resources to help everyone in need. Health officials said they worry that as more uninsured people are turned away from places like this, those people will either seek help in hospital emergency rooms or just go without.