The current turmoil in the federal government’s expenses is not just bureaucratic headache in Washington – its effects have felt more than the country’s capital. For people in rural areas, holidays Health care has already been affected. And deductions in the proposed federal funding can have even more effect. The reason for this is that many rural community relies on federal funds to keep hospitals and clinic gates open.
In the last fall, Bobby Nicolades was on a one -week bus that travels from the Christmas Valley via La Pine, Oregon, Outback. One of the regular riders is the bus. Nicoleudes said, “These are just like a family.” “This is a huge group of people.”
Nicholidis was traveling 130 miles away to get a blood draw at the La Pine Community Health Center. Average, rural patients travel twice for health care. The bus driver Debbie Warren said it was part of rural life.
“The doctor’s appointment is far away, but peace and tranquility. You can see the deer game.
This weekly bus service relies on government funds. It is only one of the many health services that can disappear from federal deductions. The Rural Community Health Clinic is also feeling threatened.
A clinic that relies on federal funding is the Asher Community Health Center in Fusil, Oregon. Fusil is a town of less than 500 people, located in the high desert. It is so far that the census bureau does not classify it as rural, but also “Frontierland”.
Asher Community Health is the only provider in the area, serving 1,200 patients a year. CEO Teresa Hunt said funds are necessary.
“Without a federal money to be a federal qualified health center, there is no way we will be here,” Hunt said.
If the clinic loses funds and shut down, its patients will have to drive more than three hours while the mountain will be driving. Hunt said, “It will be disastrous for the people living here.
Federally qualified health centers are an important part of rural health care, especially for low -income people.
“We are designed to take care of the people,” said Bolton, CEO of Evo Health, we are a basic care protection net for a community. ” Eva is a community health clinic in Rural Douglas County, Oregon. It serves about 18,000 patients a year with federal funding.
Last month, Bolton began to worry that he might not have access to a federal service area competition grant, which was already promised to the clinic. He tried to withdraw the rest of the balance.
Apparently, he was not the only. Health Resources and Services Administration’s federal portal crashed.
“Think about like running on a bank. Bolton said everyone is trying to remove the system and overload the system. “We are all thinking about the same thing. Let’s go ahead.
Baltton finally managed to withdraw $ 3 million in financing grant.
She represents about 8 % of the Grant Eva Health Annual Budget. Meanwhile, Bolton Medicide is even more upset about the potential deductions, which covers more than half of Evova’s patients. “We are like ER for the care of external patients. Bolton said,” We will not change people on the basis of their ability to pay. “
At the national level, About 47 47 % of children in rural areas use medicid or children’s health insurance program.
Republican -backed Congress budget resolution proposes $ 880 billion Health service decreases for more than 10 years, including Medicide.
Kerry Kocacharan Mac Clean, Chief Policy Officer National Rural Health Association He said that the already strapped rural clinic would feel deeply in these proposed deductions.
“These are the facilities that literally have zero -day cash to work.“
Rural health careers are already trying to get federal employees on the phone, Kotran McK Klein said. He said that the department may put pressure in federal staff clinics like Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Services. And in the countryside, the community health clinic will have to take a silica.
“These costs have to go somewhere. And often they move to other parts of our health care system, which, in turn, increase the costs of the entire board, which is like a never -ending spiral.
This may mean that the uncertainty of federal funding is at risk of being completely out of existence in rural health care facilities.
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