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Free Clinic Update
- 1. Craig Coffey FREE CLINIC UPDATE Flagler County shuts down free clinic's Hammock outreach Officials cite 'misunderstanding' regarding use of community center By Patrick Groves Correspondent Published: Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 5:30 a.m. BUNNELL — Flagler County government officials have shut down outreach efforts to aid uninsured residents of The Hammock who cannot travel to Bunnell. The initiative was the latest endeavor of the Flagler County Free Clinic to help those in-need. “It’s not a food bank location, it’s not a medical location, it’s a community center,” County Administrator Craig Coffey said this week. Coffey contacted officials with the Flagler County Free Clinic after learning of plans to provide a weekly presence by the organization at the Hammock Community Center on Mala Compra Road. Coffey said he and Dr. Stephen Bickel, president of the clinic's board of directors, agreed to cease further outreach at that location. The clinic is an autonomous nonprofit organization. “We thought the details had been worked out about these outreach clinics, but apparently not,” Bickel said in an email Wednesday. “We’re hopeful that something can be worked out so we can do these outreach clinics, but at this point in time things seem to be on hold.” Coffey said the “function” of a community center is to serve as a recreational facility and not as a place where residents can receive medical treatment on a weekly basis. Another off-site operation of the free clinic, the Hidden Trails Community Center in North Daytona, can continue signing up and seeing patients from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Saturday of each month, he said. Coffey recommended that clinic officials collaborate with churches in The Hammock to continue outreach efforts there. “I’m not sure we’re going to set up weekly or daily clinics anywhere else in the county,” Coffey said, referring to the Flagler County Free Clinic's primary location at 700 E. Moody Blvd in Bunnell. The goal of the outreach program is to provide care to uninsured people who do not have transportation to the Bunnell facility, said Terri Belleto, the clinic's executive director. “It doesn’t affect us directly but it affects the people we serve,” Belleto said. This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears above any article. Order a reprint of this article now. http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160227/NEWS/1... 1 of 3 2/27/16, 11:57 PM
- 2. In Flagler County, an estimated 5,677 people above the age of 18 do not have health insurance, according to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data. Coffey said the uninsured can find transportation if they seek it. “By and large, they find transportation,” he said. The county offers a bus service for those who qualify that could take people to free clinic appointments, he said. Flagler County Public Transportation requires individuals to schedule service a week prior to their appointments, according to the user’s manual available on the county website. There is a $4 fare for round-trip rides within the county and individuals may apply online or call the office and have an application faxed or mailed to their address. “(The process) is pretty straight forward for those who say they don’t have transportation,” Coffey said. County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin said the off-site outreach programs were the result of conversations he had with Bickel and Pastor Charles Silano of Grace Tabernacle Ministries. “It kind of got blown out of proportion,” McLaughlin said Wednesday. “What we’re trying to do is triage work.” Silano has been operating a food bank out of the Hammock Community Center each Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the past six months, Coffey said. Silano did not wish to comment when contacted by a reporter. The free clinic partnered with Silano to sign up patients and arrange doctor appointments in conjunction with his food bank operation, Bickel said. However, the clinic did not have authorization to use the facility in that manner, Coffey said. He had not spoken with McLaughlin, Bickel or Silano about the outreach plan prior to its launch, he said. “This is a little misunderstanding,” Coffey said. “They’re our partners and we’ve worked with them for years.” The county has supported the free clinic financially for the past three years, according to the approved annual budget. The county dispersed $12,000 between 2013-14 to help the clinic pay rent and $17,500 in 2014-15 for the same reason. For the 2015-16 fiscal year, the county increased funding to $55,000 for the expansion of clinic services, Coffey said. “In general, the county has been very supportive of our efforts to help the residents of this county who lack health insurance,” Bickel wrote. Lindsay Rew, spokeswoman for Florida Hospital Flagler, said hospital officials were not aware of the issue. The hospital offers free diagnostic services to patients of the clinic, such as laboratory work and imaging services. “As always, we look to support the free clinic’s efforts in any ways possible and also appreciate the county’s involvement in supporting health care efforts for the indigent,” she said in an email Wednesday. Bickel said he plans to work with the county to resolve the issue and arrive at a compromise. “Regarding plans for the future, we don’t have an alternative plan right now,” he wrote. “We’ll have further discussions with everyone involved and go from there.” http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160227/NEWS/1... 2 of 3 2/27/16, 11:57 PM
- 3. Coffey said he is open to discussion. “They want to work with us and we want to work with them,” he said of the free clinic. Copyright © 2016 News-JournalOnline.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only. http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160227/NEWS/1... 3 of 3 2/27/16, 11:57 PM