This story was reported and written by Radio IQ.
Virginia’s free clinics have long served some of the Commonwealth’s most needy, and the number of patients hasn’t decreased. After getting some additional funds from the state legislature last year, they’re back in the hopes of making up millions they say they need to stay afloat.
“The volume went up and the funding did not,” said Karen Legato with Health Brigade, a free clinic located in downtown Richmond.
She was highlighting the demand for services her clinic provides as the Virginia legislature mulls additional funding.
Rufus Phillips is with the Virginia Association of Free & Charitable Clinics. He said the services his organizations provide have grown in part because of Medicaid unwinding as COVID relief measures expired. The year-long unwinding saw an estimated 360,000 Virginians, including children, lose coverage as of last summer. And then there’s inflation.
“It’s been very tough for people to be able to cover their bills and of, unfortunately, healthcare is one of the things that's sacrificed,” Phillips told Radio IQ.
So far, he's enlisted the help of Delegate Rodney Willet and Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg. Both Henrico-area Democrats have matching budget requests of $4 million that they hope will make up for last year’s funding shortfall.
“There’s so many Virginians that aren’t getting healthcare coverage and the free clinics are their only option right now," Willet told Radio IQ. "So, they’re seeing huge spikes in their numbers, and it's across the state, not just one or two clinics, so we’re going to try and get them some extra help.”
Phillips warns that even if last year’s funding gap is closed, that only brings the state’s clinics of last resort back to funding levels last seen in 2016.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
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