Above the multi-colored bench, where a group of fidgeting tweens sit waiting for their names to be called, there is a notice. Across a crowded toddler play area, where parents sit, there is a heated discussion among some of them. “May 5th is the last day to request medical histories,” one mother says. A baby cries and another mother says, “I can’t find a pediatrician that’s in the area, the closest is the hospital.” Amongst the chatter of where the best nail salons are, and where she got those jeans on sale, a small gathering of gossiping mothers discuss their impending problem; “Where can we take our kids when this place closes?”
In an era of trillion-dollar tax cuts at the federal level, and proposals to spend hundreds of millions of state and local dollars for glittering new sports stadiums, it’s disturbing to hear that New York City’s budget, which only makes up some of a clinic’s income, cannot accommodate a small, yet busy pediatrics clinic. “Although it may seem like its only one clinic, its a statewide issue,” said Dr. Hufana-Cruz . Several small clinics are closing because the New York state budget won’t allow them to remain open. Many clinics are subsidized, meaning they are, in part, paid by the government simply because they accept a wider range of insurance.
“What about the kids in Long Island City?” asks Angie Gonzalez, the head administrative nurse of the Sunnyside Pediatrics Clinic. “The clinic is a midpoint between many neighborhoods, and, besides convenience, we make it easier for people, just by being more personal.” There are many children in the neighborhood who rely on the staff in this clinic, with a patient list extending well past 300 children.
Surely fault cannot be placed completely on federal budget cuts; however, there seems to be no one who can stop this neighborhood mainstay from being replaced. Though busy, the clinic receives little funding, and has been receiving less as the years go by. To compound the lack of funding, there have been delinquent payments on behalf of the insurance companies.er. Usually, these delays last from days to months, and they are the result of the the bureaucratic method in which papers are processed and moved from desk to desk.
“People aren’t just little sheets of paper,” said Gonzalez, “There are kids here that I’ve known since we opened.”
The Sunnyside Pediatrics Clinic opened in late September of 1996 and since then the staff has treated and seen their patients hundreds of thousands of times. It stands next to a supermarket and over time, the clinic has become dilapidated. The awning outside, originally royal blue emblazoned with stark white lettering, is now worn and yellowing. “The majority of our financial problems started in 2005, when Medicaid changed its coverage list, medications changed and co-payments weren’t as frequent or accurate,” Cruz-Hufana said. “We’ve been getting co-payments even later now, some families can barely afford to pay a $40 co-payment for most of the asthma medications we prescribe.”
Over 300 patients will be out of luck and will need to find another pediatrician. Many patients will need a doctor that specializes in asthma. A majority of the patients have insurance provided by Medicaid, up to 80 percent. Although the community is outraged by the closing, barring a formal complaint to the community board and several pleas to council members, little has been done. A protest is out of the question as most parents work, and are unable to actually unite. “I work two jobs. Whatever time I have, I spend with my son,” said Kathy Chacon, adding, “as far as I know there are a lot of single parents, and we can’t just call out of work to protest.”
Although the patients have been given alternatives by both Medicaid and the clinic, the choices they’ve been given do not seem adequate. “My alternative is all the way in Brooklyn– that’s ridiculous,” one mother said. Many of the patients were referred to other clinics in the area. The closest one is the asthma/pediatrics clinic in Elmhurst Hospital, a hospital that is a distance away. Many parents have called Medicaid to ask for a better alternative, and all have been referred to Elmhurst Hospital. There has yet to be any other suggestion other than the hospital.
Though there have been several pleas to the community board and to the councilman, Eric Gioia, there has been little action on their behalf. When asked for a quote, a worker at the community board said, “although the clinic is necessary to the community, it is in the best financial interest of the community that another business takes over.” There is very little political support for the clinic to remain open; however there has been talk about another clinic opening outside of Sunnyside, which politicians hope will take up the role of the clinic.
“The only people who lose here are the patients,” Gonzalez said. “The doctors who left, they have other practices, the nurses, we all have something on the side and can always find another place to work.” Gonzalez has found a few alternative for the clients, clinics which accept most Medicaid coverage plans. But, she said, so far most of the patients are not as lucky.
Insurance companies are one of the bigger problems in the entire ordeal. While not directly to blame, insurance companies have been delinquent in payment to the clinic. “I hate calling for a confirmation,” Cruz-Hufana said “it’s a long time holding, just so they could put you on hold to access someone’s insurance account.” Although they are able to cover prescriptions almost instantly, simply because they credit pharmacy and pharmaceutical company quickly, they can’t do the same for the clinics. “Apart from its shortcomings health insurance companies are too messy, they lose paperwork and just don’t get it right” said Gonzalez.
Although the clinic is due to close by May 25th, many parents are still scrambling to get to a clinic that will be covered by their insurance. Though some of the patients have had success in finding something other than the clinic, others have had to fill out forms to switch insurance coverage, all to simply find a clinic. Though picketing is impossible, as many of the parents have trouble coming together, and the community board simply shrugs at the dismay of these families, saying that the community would benefit economically from a new business. In any case, it’s a losing cause for many of the patients involved, their last choice may be their only one: they may just have to miss out on work to bring their children to a hospital.
This is really sad. Now most clinics are really picky about insurances and don’t want to cover the total costs of some medications. During these hard times, clinics are needed most.