• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Family Planning Clinic Reopening Delayed

Posted on: Friday, 5 May 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Dann Denny, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.

May 5--Twice delayed already, the opening of the new family planning clinic has been pushed back another month.

Health officials say the clinic at 338 S. Walnut St. will begin seeing patients in early June, roughly four months later than the original Feb. 1 target date set by the state agency supplying the funding.

"It's taken a little longer than expected to get all the salaried positions approved by the (Monroe) County Council," said Bob Schmidt, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department. "Now I can start the hiring process, which will take two to four weeks to complete."

In January, officials announced the new clinic would not open until March 1. In March, they said it would not happen until May 1. Now they're predicting early June.

If the doors do indeed open then, it will mean roughly 460 people -- mostly low-income women -- will have had to find family planning services elsewhere.

That estimate is based on the average of 115 people the clinic saw each month when it was operated by Bloomington Hospital, which ceased running the facility Feb. 1.

About 80 percent of the former clinic's clients were considered poor enough to receive their services free; and 12 percent were charged reduced rates according to a sliding fee scale based on their reported income.

Schmidt, whose department will operate the new clinic with a $208,000 grant from the Indiana Family Health Council, said he regretted the four-month break in services.

Echoing that sentiment was Gayla Winston, president of the Indiana Family Health Council.

"We apologize for the delay," she said. "We're concerned that it's taking this much time to get the new program up and running, but this is one of the complications that comes with a transition of providers."

During the past four months, said Winston, her agency has been referring people wanting to use the new Bloomington clinic to similar Title X family planning clinics in Bedford and Spencer -- both of which offer free or discounted services according to a sliding fee scale based on income.

Others have been able to receive free or discounted services at the hospital's Community Health Access Program clinic -- if they qualify.

Others have gone to First Health Care's women's walk-in health clinic, the IU Health Center's women's clinic, or Planned Parenthood's clinic in Bloomington.

Kelly E. McBride, director of training for Planned Parenthood of Indiana, said people who've contacted Planned Parenthood's clinic after failing to contact the county clinic have been provided with family planning supplies and exams.

"Even though the new clinic is late opening, people do not have to go without services," she said. "We are open evenings and weekends, and won't turn anyone away because they cannot pay."

Schmidt said he recently hired a nurse practitioner at a salary of $65,000 plus benefits.

He said he is now interviewing candidates for a licensed practical nurse position at a salary of $33,000 plus benefits, and will start advertising next week for a unit coordinator for $23,762 plus benefits.

"We're moving along," he said. "I'm optimistic that things are ready to really take off and fly during the next few weeks."

Schmidt said he's thinking about asking Monroe County residents to help give the clinic a new name.

"We'd like to give it a really unique name," he said. "Maybe something out of Greek mythology."

He said computers and phones are being hooked up this week; and exam tables, file cabinets, desks and medical instruments from the former family planning clinic on East Miller Drive are being moved into the new clinic.

"We are now accepting bids from contractors to do the necessary remodeling of the building's interior," he said. Those bids will be opened at the May 12 county commissioners meeting.

Once a contractor is approved, he said, workers will create three exam rooms and make the restroom ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.

"All the modifications should be completed in four to five days," he said.

-----

To see more of the Herald-Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.hoosiertimes.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Herald-Times

More News in this Category