PORT ANGELES — The head of Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics said the clinic is in need of more local financial support if it is to help more uninsured Clallam County residents.
Larry Little, the executive director of the organization, said he was trying to get that point across during presentations to the City Council and the three Clallam County commissioners earlier this week.
Little told the council Tuesday and commissioners Monday that grant funding is drying up for the 8-year-old organization.
But he didn’t specifically ask for more funding. Little said he was there to make the city and county aware that the clinic will need more local funding to keep it running and help it expand.
He said he doesn’t expect a budget shortfall this year.
Little said VIMO will provide about 3,200 medical and mental health visits this year to people without insurance.
The organization runs on a budget of about $240,000 and can’t help many more people without more local funding, whether from donations, fundraisers or public entities, he said.
He said VIMO can provide a year’s worth of visits to an individual for $240.
“What do we do as a community if VIMO goes away?” Little asked during his county presentation.
“I guess the other option that we have is to let these uninsured people suffer. There is no other alternative. The doc’s offices are full.
“We’re doing what we can to raise the money locally through fundraising activities,” he told the commissioners. “If we want to be able to provide care for these individuals, we need more local support.”
A fundraising dinner will be held Sept. 31. Donations to the organization can be made through its website, www.vimoclinic.org.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
