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Swine Flu Outbreak Proves Value of Community
Health Centers
Ventura, CA - Concerns over the potential of the Swine Flu outbreak spreading have led to a flood of patients continuing to pour into Clinicas del Camino Real, the community-clinic network in Ventura County. "There's no doubt but that Clinicas is the health care safety net in Ventura County which is why we are fighting so hard to ensure that all of our programs are maintained. On the one hand, we're fighting to prevent the spread of Swine Flu while on the other, we're fighting to stop cuts to Medi-Cal programs that threaten other vital health programs," said Juarez. At the Oxnard clinic location on Meta, a mobile health triage team pulled up in a full-equipped specially-modified RV that is one of several designed for Clinicas' community outreach. An overflow crowd of patients was systematically examined for any symptoms of Swine Flu and some were scheduled for follow-up visits. "Our staff...doctors, nurses, clinicians...everyone has been swamped from the moment our doors opened Monday morning and the lines of patients keeps coming non-stop," says Roberto Juarez, CEO, Clinicas del Camino Real, one of the state's largest community health clinic networks. "We already serve more than 42,000 patients throughout Ventura County totaling more than a quarter-of-a-million visits annually, but this Swine Flu outbreak has meant an enormous spike in families and individuals flooding into our clinics," adds Juarez. Clinicas del Camino Real will lose an estimated $8-million in funding for Medi-Cal "Optional Programs" July 1, 2009. The programs include: Adult Dental, Mental Health, Optometry, Podiatry and Chiropractic. "To the people who need these services, there's nothing optional about them. We need the community to speak up and tell the politicians to stop the cuts." |
