[Note: The following interview with Nancy Wohlforth, member of the National Executive Committee of the AFL-CIO, is reprinted here from ILC International Newsletter No. 34 (April 29, 2011.) The interview was conducted on April 16, 2011, by Daniel Gluckstein, co-coordinator of the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC). Sister Wohlforth is also a member of the newly formed Coordinating Committee of the ILC. She will a participant in the ILC's Annual Conference in Geneva on June 4-5. This year's ILC Conference in Defense of the ILO Conventions and the Independence of the Trade Unions is being held on the occasion of the 100th Annual Assembly of the International Labor Organization -- Editors]
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Two recessions, a couple of market crashes, and stubbornly high unemployment are all wreaking havoc on America's middle class.
In the accompanying interview, The Daily Ticker's Aaron Task discusses the state of the middle class with Sherle Schwenninger, director of economic growth and American strategy programs at the New America Foundation. Schwenninger's recent report "The American Middle Class Under Stress" has some stunning facts that highlight the struggles the average American is having getting a decent-paying job and keeping up with rising cost of living.
Here are just some of the sobering facts:
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Survivors of Cyclone Giri, which left more than a quarter of a million people homeless when it struck western Burma's Arakan State coast last October, say that many are still struggling with problems related to shelter, livelihood and employment six months after the disaster.
The Santa Rosa Community Clinic (SRCC) officially opened in 2001, but with the award of a federal grant, the clinic has merged with Escambia Community Clinics (ECC) and expanded the local Stewart Street clinic.
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On March 1, 2009, SRCC and ECC merged into one health care organization as a result of federal funding for Santa Rosa.
Under the current administration’s stimulus recovery package, ECC, as the parent organization, was awarded $1.3 million over two years to merge SRCC with ECC and increase access to care.
The merger added primary care providers to serve Santa Rosa citizens who have Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, and who are under- or uninsured.
According to Site Director Dana Smith, the clinic can see Medicaid patients who have difficulty getting access to care.
“Services will be provided to uninsured patients on a discounted sliding fee scale based on family income and family size,” says Smith.
Smith says the sliding fees range from $5 to 100% of the total bill.
The grant allowed for the renovation of the SRCC site and added approximately 4,200 square feet of clinic space.
Smith says the clinic owes its existence to the founder of ECC, Dr. E.W. Sutton, who is still with the organization after nine years of operation.
“SRCC opened in February of 2001 and in 2008, 84% of patients served were below or at 200% of the federal poverty guidelines,” says Smith.
She also says that the clinic is seeing an increase in middle class patients who formerly had insurance and have no insurance at this time due to loss of work or inability to pay premiums.
“Every day I have someone come in saying a month ago I had insurance and I have never not had insurance and I don’t know what to do.”
“From March 1 through June, we have had 1911 visits. Out of those, 983 are new patients and of the 1911 visits, 1187 of them are uninsured. That is huge,” says Smith.
“In March we saw 341 patients and in June we saw 588. So you can see we are just growing—busting at the seams.”
Smith says no one is turned away due to inability to pay.
“We endeavor to provide respect for each person regardless of their ability to pay for services.”
She says she is pleased with the new organization and excited about filling the health needs of the community.
“We are committed to assuring access to care for the medically needy, under-insured, uninsured, and under-served populations of Santa Rosa County and even the surrounding areas. We are not limited to Santa Rosa residents. Because of the federal funding, we can serve more people from out of the immediate area.”
Previously, SRCC was staffed solely by Dr. Ron Maddux, however with the grant, three additional providers have been added: Dr. Melissa Pocta, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Charlene Echols; and Physician Assistant Mike Busby.
Support staff includes nurses, registration clerks, a social worker, and a caseworker.
Services provided include: primary health care for ages 6 months to adult; prescription assistance, based on eligibility; school, work, and sports physicals; women’s health care, including pap smears and breast exams by a female provider; lab testing and support; X-ray testing; smoking cessation classes; diabetes and asthma case management; and other social services.
Santa Rosa Community Clinic is funded in part by local sponsors such as Santa Rosa Medical Center, The United Way of Santa Rosa County, Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners, Baptist Health Care, Sacred Heart Health System, and West Florida Healthcare.
EnlargeJeffrey Phelps/APU.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, hears from a constituent during a "listening session" Tuesday at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis. Ryan's plan to fundamentally restructure Medicare and cut social safety net programs has proved to be a tough sell to many Republican voters the last few weeks. Deatil From NRP - Please Click
April 30, 2011
At age 78, Milton Jones feel like he's earned his Medicare benefits.
"I imagine so," he says. "I paid taxes all my life."
Today, Jones is retired. He volunteers and calls bingo once a week at his local community center. But for 30 years, he worked in Pittsburgh's steel mills.
