First 5 Commission in San Diego Denies Grant Request To Fund ‘Children-Friendly’ Urgent Care Facility
The First 5 Commission of San Diego County on Friday denied Palomar Pomerado Health's request for a $6.5 million grant that would have been used to create "children-friendly" urgent care satellite health centers in Rancho Penasquitos and Ramona, according to a Palomar Pomerado official, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/6).
First 5 commissions administer funds raised by a 1998 ballot measure to increase taxes on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack to finance health care and other benefit programs for children younger than age six. The organization distributes money to other organizations that provide the services. The measure generates about $600 million annually for children's programs (California Healthline, 12/15/04).
Palomar Pomerado in the fall applied for a grant from the countywide pool of $30 million earmarked for capital investments and $3 million in equipment.
The San Diego First 5 commission's board of directors was scheduled to officially announce the grant denial on Monday.
Brad Wiscons, director of grant services for Palomar Pomerado, said "We were going to create a playground area and make them pediatric-centered urgent care centers. We probably won't have the emphasis on kids now." Wiscons, referring to a $496 million bond measure approved by county voters in November 2004, added "The bond money can't do everything in the world."
About $15 million of the bond money is set aside for four satellite facilities in Rancho Penasquitos, Ramona, San Marcos and Valley Center (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/6).