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Hundreds turn out to ask board for healthcare funds
Hundreds of residents turned out at Monday night's public hearing to ask the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to fund healthcare and human services.
Most of those present at the budget hearing were affiliated with VOICE -- Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement -- but advocates also spoke on behalf of the ACTS and SERVE homeless shelters and Prince William Area Free Health Clinic.
Wearing yellow t-shirts, an overflow crowd supporting VOICE asked the supervisors to restore $125,000 to fund free dental health in Prince William.
County Executive Melissa Peacor explained on Tuesday that the state had cut the funds last year and the county had opted not to make up the difference.
VOICE advocates are hoping to convince supervisors to put the money back into their budget this year.
On Monday night, dozens of volunteers, organizers, clergy and patients spoke out about the importance of dental care and the problems faced by those with no dental insurance.
“Please believe me, I am in pain even as I am speaking to you now,” said one woman who suffers from chronic pain in her mouth.
Rose Sanchez said she lost her job with a construction company after the housing market crashed. She's already had two teeth pulled and has three more cavities that need to be dealt with.
“I would like to be able to have my teeth fixed before I lose them all,” she said.
While VOICE is trying to get the county to replace state funding, other groups are trying to avoid losing what county money they have.
Mike Wilson, a member of the ACTS board, pointed out that his nonprofit provides services for less money than the county could.
If ACTS takes the 15-percent budget hit proposed by county staffers, it would mean “1,200 bed days lost at a time when we are regretfully having to turn away 200 families per month,” he said.
Wilson argued that the subsequent increase in homelessness would end up costing the county more money in the long run for education, crime prevention and medical services.
The Prince William Area Free Clinic is also faced with a 15-percent budget cut.
Scott Farrell spoke out on behalf of the clinic, where he is a patient and a volunteer.
Farrell said he is a college graduate who had a good job until he lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after that, he said, his father became ill and so he quit his job and returned to Prince William to care for him.
Now, he said, his COBRA health insurance has run out, his father recently died and he has not yet been able to find another job.
The free clinic, he said, has provided him with the heart medication he needs to stay alive. In exchange for his medication, and in exchange, he signed on as a volunteer.
“For me, this is just a gap in time,” he said, asserting his confidence that he'll be back on his feet soon.
“People aren't looking for a handout,” he said. “They just need a hand.”
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