Community Health Clinic Servicing Working Poor Worthy of State Funding, Bee Says
It is "unfortunat[e]" that Gov. Gray Davis (D) may veto a $550,000 appropriation in the proposed state budget that would create a Sacramento community health clinic to offer "one-stop shopping" for the uninsured and prevent patients from requiring "more expensive" emergency room care, according to a Sacramento Bee editorial. The editorial notes that Davis has "vowed to veto some expenses that he did not previously endorse," and the allocation for the clinic, which would be run by the Mexican-American Alcoholism Program, "may be one of them." While funding for such clinics is in "short supply," the editorial says that they "strengthen the health safety net." In addition, the editorial points out that the clinic would offer an alternative to county-run facilities, where the "long wait in line ... may seem too demeaning." With "one in eight Sacramentans" lacking health coverage, the editorial concludes: "[I]n the end, health care's safety net is only as strong as the funding to support it and the quality of its care. This proposed health center in south Sacramento would be a welcome addition to [the] region's health care landscape, and deserves the governor's support" (Sacramento Bee, 7/10).
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