Ryan Ray
When the Legislature’s final budget hit the desk Tuesday afternoon, it included a line item containing $10 million to fund free and charitable clinics for underserved and uninsured Floridians.
About the same time, the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics issued a statement expressing their gratitude, along with a heartfelt request: please, Gov. Rick Scott, allow us to actually use that funding instead of sending it to the cutting room floor.
“By funding free and charitable clinics, the Florida House and Senate are directly helping low income, uninsured Floridians across the state get the access to quality healthcare services,” said Nicholas Duran, executive director of the FAFCC. “We are grateful to lawmakers, Florida’s Surgeon General, and look forward to Governor Scott’s approval.”
Last year the clinics and facilities represented by the groups received an appropriation of $9.5 million, but it did not meet the governor’s approval. They’re hoping to avoid a repeat in FY 2017.
The group says its 2014 appropriation of $4.5 million – which Scott enacted into law – helped them expand and provide $160 million in medical, dental, behavioral, and vision services.
