Guest editorial: Of all times, clinics need funding now
By Nancy West
Other Views
Tennesseans need to take their eyes off of the national debate on health-care reform and look at what is happening in our state and local communities. Implementation of any nationwide solution is years away, but our local needs are now.
In 2005, the state was forced to cut TennCare to avoid bankrupting the plan. Thousands of people, many of whom were chronically ill with multiple health problems, turned to nonprofit clinics that serve the poor and uninsured. Thankfully, our General Assembly appropriated safety net funds to help these clinics cover some of the costs of caring for these newly uninsured patients. Today, that supplemental funding is in danger of being eliminated because of state budget cuts.
Nashville is blessed with multiple safety-net clinics, ranging from federally funded Community Health Centers to faith-based nonprofits like Siloam Family Health Center. This loss of funding would be a severe blow ??? especially during a time when more families are without benefits due to layoffs, unemployment and rising health-care costs.
Clinic targets health, hope
At Siloam, the number of uninsured people seeking affordable health care has grown more than 50 percent in the past 18 months. Other clinics have seen similar increases. To complicate the situation, the state expects additional TennCare cuts. Other options for affordable health care such as CoverTN and CoverKids both closed enrollment Nov. 30.
Recently, the three local federally qualified health centers shared $3 million in federal stimulus funds to help meet the needs of the growing uninsured population. However, for faith-based clinics like Siloam, no stimulus or bailout money is coming. We receive no federal funds to supplement the comprehensive health care we provide for thousands of low-income, uninsured families, so the loss of these state funds to care for Middle Tennesseans would have a huge impact on Siloam.
Siloam began its own health-care reform in 1991, when volunteers applied biblical principles to give health, healing and hope to the uninsured. Our health care treats the whole person, meeting patients' emotional and spiritual as well as physical needs. Our mission ??? to share the love of Christ by serving those in need ??? goes beyond curing disease. Wholeness and healing require relationship; at Siloam, we allow time for our physicians and nurses to listen. We stand committed to delivering compassionate care with love, mercy and dignity.
Our model of care isn't traditional, but it works. We see lasting, life-changing results in the lives of our patients. Physical pain is relieved. Emotional wounds give way to hope. Spiritual burdens are lifted. People are healthier, better able to care for themselves and their families, and our community is stronger.
Siloam and others are trying to increase our capacities to care for the uninsured, but elimination of safety-net funding could result in cuts in staffing and services and fewer available appointments for the uninsured. Today, we will turn away 15-20 uninsured people, people hoping to become our patients. If we lose state funds, how many more will we turn away? How many will other safety-net clinics turn away?
When sick people don't have access to care, they often become sicker and use expensive emergency services. That should concern not only the uninsured but our community and our state as a whole.
