Citing decreases in health realignment revenues and its effect
on staffing, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved
the Health
&
amp; Human Services Agency proposed reduction of immunization
clinics from once a week to once a month.
The change is expected to save the department $16,000 annually,
according to the staff report. The reduction will limit the number
of customers the department serves
– cutting down the clients from 900 to 468.
Citing decreases in health realignment revenues and its effect on staffing, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved the Health & Human Services Agency proposed reduction of immunization clinics from once a week to once a month.
The change is expected to save the department $16,000 annually, according to the staff report. The reduction will limit the number of customers the department serves – cutting down the clients from 900 to 468.
“It’s a bitter pill we are going to have to swallow,” Supervisor Reb Monaco said. “We are doing the best we can, but the day of the free lunch is gone.”
Health and Human Services Agency Director Kathy Flores explained that because of the elimination of five and half full-time positions, the county doesn’t have enough staff to do the weekly clinics and its federally mandated communicable disease surveillance and monitoring.
“We have limited staffing resources,” Flores said. “We need to shift a lot of our nursing there – it cannot be delegated to other staff.”
The monthly immunizations will be more efficient than when it was weekly because more nurses can be present, Flores said.
“All of our nursing staff will be available,” she said.
Flores hopes that the restructuring will also deter those who have health insurance and can go elsewhere, allowing the insurance-less to get immunizations, she said.
“We want to address the population that can’t go somewhere else,” she said. “We are trying to eliminate those that have insurance.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho realized the change was necessary.
“It’s pretty much the sign of the times – this isn’t going to be the last time,” he said. “The day of the freebies is over.”
Flores said that the department would schedule more clinics if the funding becomes available. A free clinic is scheduled for November.
“Immunization is a service needed by the community but not at the expense of CD control.”
