SAN DIEGO: Public, Private Benefactors Rescue Organization That Helps The Uninsured
A San Diego program that provides assistance to the uninsured "has narrowly avoided extinction," thanks to $65,000 in funding from private and public sources. Last month, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Reach Out project had exhausted its grant support and was facing closure ( see CHL 9/21). That led a La Jolla business owner and Kaiser Permanente to donate $10,000 each to the program. In addition, the San Diego County health department awarded Reach Out a $45,000 contract to continue its operations. Reach Out's Dorothy Brinkman said "'This is really buying us 10 months to a year' to find ongoing funding." She noted that "some local and statewide foundation have expressed preliminary interest in possibly funding" her group's activities. Vicki Mizel, San Diego County Medical Services administrator, "said her staff will help Reach Out improve its fund-raising methods to find long-term support." Diane Strum, community services director for Kaiser Permanente, said the HMO "may continue to include Reach Out in future years if the project finds enough other funding to survive." Reach Out helps uninsured area residents obtain "heavily discounted" coverage (Duerksen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/9).
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