Document text
53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 25, 2004 Zaira Lopez Ruis, 3, of White City, opens wide for Francine Buckner, a family nurse practitioner, at the Community Health Center�s White City clinic, while Zaira�s mother, Andrea Alanis Ruis, looks on. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Center gets $650,000 grant The federal money will allow the local clinics to provide health care for 3,500 new patients By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune The Community Health Center finally won the big grant it’s been chasing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the nonprofit clinic $650,000 — the largest grant in its 32-year history — to provide medical care for about 3,500 new patients, said director Peg Crowley. "It’s specifically for us to increase the number of people whom we serve as their regular source of medical care," Crowley said. The clinic serves low-income patients and people without health insurance at offices in Ashland, Medford and White City. Crowley noted that the clinic has been approved for funds from the federal Bureau of Primary Health Care in the past, but federal officials ran out of money before they could fund all the organizations that qualified. Advertisement "We’ve been trying to get this for three years," she said. "This time we’re in the line that’s going to be funded." The grant is part of a federal initiative to increase the number of clinics where tax dollars provide health care for low-income patients and those who lack health insurance. It’s one of 15 DHHS grants, totaling $4.47 million, that have been awarded in Oregon during 2004. Crowley said the funds will be released after Congress approves the 2005 budget. "We know there’s broad-based bipartisan support for these grants." Last year, clinic staff handled about 24,000 patient visits and served about 7,600 people. The grant will allow the clinic to expand its patient base by nearly 50 percent, to about 11,000 people. The influx of new federal money will not solve all of Southern Oregon’s health-care problems, however. Crowley said research indicates some 30,000 to 35,000 Jackson County residents have no health insurance, and an additional 25,000 to 30,000 people are underinsured. That means nearly one in three of the county’s 190,000 residents have no health insurance or minimal insurance that requires them to spend more than 10 percent of their income on medical expenses. The Community Health Center and its sister "safety-net clinic," La Clinica del Valle, accommodate only about 40 percent of the low-income population’s medical needs, said Dr. John Forsyth, president of the Health Center’s board of directors. Forsyth said many people who cannot afford medical care visit hospital emergency departments when their situation becomes intolerable. Hospitals are required by law to treat anyone who comes to the emergency department for care, regardless of their ability to pay. The costs of treating nonpaying patients are typically passed on in the form of higher health-insurance premiums, Crowley said. "Our goal is to get as many people as we can connected to a regular source of medical care other than the emergency room," Crowley said. Both Forsyth and Crowley said the Community Health Center will still need financial support from the community. Last year the clinic operated on a budget of $2.6 million, much of it in contributions. "It’s important for people to know we still need their help," Forsyth said. "We will still depend on the them for support." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers