Scott veto of money to free clinics decried as another blow to poor, uninsured Floridians
CLEARWATER — As patients streamed into the Clearwater Free Clinic with a range of medical concerns Tuesday, clinic administrators were contemplating an altogether different problem: the sudden appearance of a $100,000 hole in their $950,000 operating budget.
Cutting staff is not an option, executive director Jeannie Shapiro said. Neither is cutting programs.
"We're going to have to find (more) funding," Shapiro said.
Clinics like the one in Clearwater are reeling this week after Gov. Rick Scott unexpectedly vetoed $9.5 million for the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics from the state budget. The money would have been distributed to the state's 100 clinics in the form of grants.
http://www.placead.tampabay.com/news/health/scott-veto-of-money-to-free-clinics-decried-as-another-blow-to-poor/2235557
If anyone has the ability, please look at giving a small donation to the Clearwater Free Clinic. I have donated to the clinic personally, through my business, and volunteered my time. They serve a very disadvantaged area of Clearwater and are a last resort for many. I cannot tell you how many times I have toured the building, met with paid staff and volunteers, and looked into their finances. This isn't the first hit they have taken in the last years. They saw a dramatic decrease after the passage of the ACA. That is not a knock on the ACA. It is something that was seen after it's passage all over the country. Some local hospitals really kicked in to help. They found it is better to have the people treated there than wait for them to show up in their emergency room. It is actually a really good relationship.
http://www.clearwaterfreeclinic.org/
Thank you for reading.
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