Stalled Budget Prompts Clinic Closure, Lay Offs
The state budget stalemate has forced Delta Health Care to lay off 11 health care workers, close its Lodi family-planning clinic and reduce services at high school clinics in San Joaquin County, the Stockton Record reports.
Six of the employees temporarily laid off provide health education for about 1,000 high school students each month at Stockton Unified, Tracy Unified and San Joaquin County Office of Education schools.
Delta Health Care is struggling without Medi-Cal funding, Brent Williams, interim executive director, said, adding, "We have a line of credit, but it's tapped out."
Even if the budget is approved this week, it could take several weeks to return to normal, Williams said, noting that Delta Health Care will have to "wait until the money comes out of the state controller's office."
Williams said the laid off employees will have their jobs reinstated when state funding resumes.
Delta Health Care's federally funded Women, Infant and Children nutrition programs and BEST breast-feeding education, support and training program were not affected by the budget impasse, the Record reports. (Goldeen, Stockton Record, 8/21).