The health care safety net for many of you could be at risk, if funding for certain programs is slashed to the extent Virginia's Governor proposes.
New Horizons Healthcare is just one of many clinics that could see less money in 2013-2014.
December 19, 2011, Governor Bob McDonnell unveiled a budget that will slash net funding by 50% in 2013-2014.
That includes the funding provided by the state to community health centers, free clinics, and the Virginia Health Care Foundation, among others.
Insured or uninsured: When it comes to healthcare, thousands of people rely on safety net organizations for help.
Safety net agencies in Roanoke such as New Horizons Health Care and the Bradley Free Clinic may have to make some major adjustments.
The Medical Director for the Bradley Free Clinic Dr. Kevin Kelleher says they’ve lost state money every year for the past three years. "We went from one-hundred and nine-thousand dollars and now we're down to seventy-three thousand dollars this year and they're talking about cutting half of that."
New Horizons Healthcare could see major impacts to its low cost Medication Assistance Program.
Executive Director of New Horizons Healthcare Eileen Lepro says they’ll have to make adjustments if the proposed cuts pass. "We may have to go up on some of our fees which is always a challenge for patients who already have difficulty," explained Lepro.
The Bradley Free Clinic had more than 15-thousand patients last year.
