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WIW`�. �_t i'�1iii�'". <br />h, <br />BOOK 88 PAGE 7�1 <br />Mr. LaPoint introduced the members of the Committee in <br />attendance today: Mr. Ken Kies, Mr. Patrick Leary and Ms. Jean <br />Kline. He emphasized that they would have liked to pack the <br />Chambers today, but the dilemma these people face is that when they <br />are not working, they do not get paid. <br />At this point, Mrs. Penny Currillo came to the podium and <br />introduced several of the families in attendance this morning. <br />Mr. LaPoint explained that their proposal is to provide <br />greater access to primary health care by adding evening and weekend <br />walk-in hours at the Fellsmere County Clinic because many people <br />cannot take advantage of the day -time hours because they must work <br />all day. <br />Mr. LaPoint introduced Mr. Kies who would assist in answering <br />any questions the Board may have, and Mr. Kies briefly related how <br />the quality and availability of health care is decreasing in <br />Florida, especially in rural areas where children are poorer and <br />less healthy. Currently in Fellsmere they only provide 27-30 hours <br />a week of health care between the VNA and the County Health Clinic. <br />Doctors are on staff only 8 hours a week. Efforts have been made, <br />but it simply is not enough. They are asking the County Commission <br />to help fund their proposal of an annual budget of $11,500, which <br />they feel is adequate. They wish to emphasize, however, that it is <br />a drop in the bucket compared to what the costs would be to treat <br />these people later on if they do not receive this primary care. <br />Mr. Kies briefly outlined the proposed health program and <br />advised that building a clinic and attracting a full-time doctor or <br />doctors is their end goal. Expansion of hours is an interim step. <br />Their end goal is to be self-sufficient, but they only can do that <br />by getting support now. They determined the need for evening and <br />weekend hours after conducting a survey with the community on when <br />the residents could get to the clinic. The survey showed that the <br />best times would be on Monday and Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. <br />and on Saturday between 1:00 and 5:00 P.M. <br />Commissioner Adams felt the Board needs to know that currently <br />there is a 2-1/2 to 4 week wait to get an appointment for treatment <br />and care and that after waiting that length of time, a lot of <br />people break their appointments either because they are better by <br />then or grew worse and had to go to the hospital. She emphasized <br />that there has been an increase in emergency room care at the <br />hospital for minor things like sore throats, etc., and the ultimate <br />goal of this group is to build a community clinic where treatment <br />and care is more readily available. Commissioner Adams noted that <br />Sun Ag has been a very big booster of this program and she didn't <br />know of any other firm in the county that has done more for their <br />4B <br />