We can understand why some folks might question whether the proceeds of Polk County’s half-cent sales tax for indigent health care are being put to good use by helping Winter Haven Hospital establish a program to entice new doctors to the community.
The Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment, or PEACE, did so earlier this week.
The multi-denominational faith-based association went to the County Commission on Tuesday to argue that mental health needs for the poor — and not necessarily a new health clinic — might be a more pressing need. Just last October, for example, the group pointed out that 70 percent of people committed to Winter Haven Hospital for short-term mental health treatment under the state’s Baker Act failed to show for follow-up appointments. “How do you spend $3 million to $4 million on a building and call it indigent care?” Craig McIntosh, a member of the First United Methodist Church in Lakeland, asked the board during Tuesday’s session.
We don’t discount their position. Improving and expanding mental health services for those in Polk County who can least afford them is critical.
But we believe the board’s unanimous approval of $3.7 million — from an $85 million pot — for the hospital’s program was a wise move.
The decision stemmed from a recommendation made last August by the Citizens Health Oversight Committee, the panel that manages the health-tax trust fund. The committee approved the hospital’s request for funding to renovate a 12,000-square-foot facility on its campus that in July 2020, through a partnership with Florida State University’s medical school, will receive six soon-to-be primary-care doctors. Eventually, hospital administrators have said, up to 18 doctors could be training there.
It’s important to remember two things about this project.
First, as was pointed out Tuesday, Polk County faces a significant shortage of primary-care doctors. Polk has 50 such physicians for each 100,000 residents; the state average is 77. Viewing this from another angle, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimated Polk County features one primary care doctor for each 1,970 people; across the state, that ratio is 1 for every 1,380 residents. Clearly, the community needs a way to entice more new doctors.
Secondly, poor folks will benefit from this initiative. When this plan was discussed back in August, Assistant County Manager Lea Ann Thomas told the oversight committee that fewer doctors were taking Medicaid patients because the government’s reimbursement rate was declining. This program, being linked to Winter Haven Hospital instead of individual physicians, should help such patients find care.
For disappointed PEACE activists and others concerned about low-income Polk residents having adequate access to mental health care, the good news is that the tax, which voters renewed in 2016, will continue to pump revenue for all types of health care as the economy improves. And, per Commissioner John Hall’s comment the other day, the county is looking for a way to boost spending for mental health programs.
We encourage PEACE and others to keep helping the county identify such needs, especially for inmates departing the county jail.
But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Winter Haven Hospital’s program, while not guaranteed to do so, will improve the odds of attracting new doctors who can serve patients of all income levels.