On Friday May 8th, the Allen County Board of Health voted 6 to 1, with one member abstaining, to close its Child Health Clinic at the end of May (Source: "Health board decides to close children's clinic," The Lima News, May 9, 2008). Its clinic currently serves 575 chilrden.
Those supporting this decision cited two reasons for closing the clinic. One reason is the diminishing need for its safety net services. The Board reports that there is enough capacity between local physicians and the Allen County Health Partners, a federally qualified health center, to meet the needs of these children. According to Allen County Health Commissioner, David Rosebrock, "It's a little different situation out there, and the safety net we've been providing we don't feel is necessary any longer. That decision can be revisited if we find there are continuing problems."
The second reason is financial. The clinic had been using grant money from the Ohio Department of Health to help support the direct care it provided. However, changes in ODH rules now only allow the money to be used for non-direct care, such as social work visits. This change in grant rules requires the Health Board to find $100,000 in additional funds to run the clinic.
Board member Wilfred Ellis vehemently opposed the decision. Among his objections, Ellis stated, "when you have patients with social issues, who miss appointments because they have other situations, the time allotted to address these situations may not be able to be managed by practices. A lot of practices just don't have the time to do that."
