PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will consider a one-time donation to Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics to help the nonprofit provide health care to the uninsured.
Eric Lewis, Olympic Medical Center chief executive officer, pitched contribution of an unspecified amount at the county board work session Monday.
The organization known as VIMO would use the money to pay for clinic space in Port Angeles.
“We’ve given $40,000 and we’re encouraging other governmental organizations to potentially match that or give some amount of money,” Lewis said.
No commissioner objected to the county spending money to help VIMO pay for its new clinic at 819 Georgiana St.
The amount of the contribution was not discussed.
Lewis said he will ask every government in Port Angeles — the county, city and port — to consider a financial contribution to VIMO.
“We, the county, do have a mission to support veterans, particular indigent veterans,” said Jim McEntire, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners.
“I can see clearly the need, and I can see clear of my mind the justification for the county from its veterans mission and public health mission and mental health mission to support this in a fairly significant way.”
McEntire directed County Administrator Jim Jones to work with Lewis and other officials to “flesh this out a little further and bring it back to us.”
No date was set for a board vote.
OMC provides clinic space for both VIMO and the Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic in Sequim.
The rent is $1 per year.
“Both of these free clinics really provide a huge safety net for our residents in our community,” Lewis said.
While the Sequim clinic has ample space, the 750-square-foot old VIMO building at 909 E. Georgiana St., was inadequate, particularly for its dental service.
“There’s a dental crisis on the uninsured and low-income people,” Lewis said.
“I’m blessed that I have insurance through my work, but I tell you a lot of people don’t have dental. If you get dental pain and dental disease, it is awful.”
VIMO’s old clinic and seven other OMC-owned structures will be torn down to make room for a two-story, 40,000 square-foot, $18 million medical office building.
The new VIMO building has four exam rooms on its medical side and a four-chair dental clinic.
“This is a huge community asset,” Lewis said.
Lewis estimated that Clallam County has 6,000 to 7,000 uninsured residents.
That’s down from the 11,000 who were uninsured prior to the 2010 Affordable Care Act, he added.
To illustrate the problem of being uninsured, Lewis said one of his neighbors would not take a pneumonia-stricken baby to the hospital because of a lack of health insurance.
Lewis insisted, and the baby recovered after a four-day hospital stay.
“When you get really sick and you’re uninsured, it is lonely,” Lewis said.
“And VIMO and Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic have really stepped up.”
Gary Smith, executive director of Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics, said the clinic has kept about 400 patients out of OMC’s emergency room.
Many of its patients have significant health care problems because they have allowed their symptoms to worsen, Smith added.
“I see people every day — and yes a lot of them have full time jobs — but they’re making minimum wage,” Smith told the county board.
“Some of the people I see are working part time for minimum wage,” he said.
“They make a choice between buying food and buying insurance.
“And even though a lot of people have insurance, a lot of people have incredibly high deductibles.”
OMC provided $7.4 million worth of uncompensated care last year alone, Lewis said.
Its bad debt and charity peaked at $10 million in 2012, he added.
Lewis thanked the county board for its $200,000 contribution to the Peninsula Behavioral Health respite center in Port Angeles.
“It’s going to make a huge difference for people,” he said
As for VIMO, OMC officials hope to raise $80,000 for the new building, Lewis said.
“We are working with VIMO because we want them to have adequate space for dental, for uninsured and for people’s medical needs,” Lewis said.
For information on VIMO, click on www.vimoclinic.org.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
