Patient Numbers Up at Sacramento County Clinics But Funds Drop

Sacramento County clinics are working to treat an increasing number of patients as state and county funding drops off, the Sacramento Bee reports.

In total, Sacramento County has cut $6.1 million from its Primary Health Services budget and reduced its full-time staffing by 54 positions, 42 of which were in clinics.

During the summer, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors reduced the hours of operation for three neighborhood clinics.

At least 50,000 county residents are enrolled in the Medical Indigent Service Program, a state-mandated safety net effort for low-income, uninsured residents.

Unemployment on the Rise

The county's rising unemployment rate complicates the funding cuts for health clinics, largely because statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that the number of people without health insurance increases as the unemployment rate rises.

In September, unemployment in the area was 7.4%, up two percentage points from a year before, the Bee reports (Calvan, Sacramento Bee, 10/26).

Broadcast Coverage

On Monday, Capital Public Radio's "KXJZ News" highlighted the health care positions of Sacramento mayoral candidates Kevin Johnson and Heather Fargo (Weiss, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio," 10/27).