14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-Ft. Branch clinic struggles to find funds

Ft. Branch clinic struggles to find funds

By Liz Nichols - bio | email

FT. BRANCH, IN (WFIE)- The Tulip Tree Family Health Clinic has been seeing patients for more than 8 years now. It's a non-profit health care clinic that helps patients with the high costs of health care.

"All of our patients pay something, they just pay to the best of their ability to pay. It's based on a sliding fee scale, case by case basis, with their income," says Administrator Nina Nixon.

The clinic is funded through grants and private donations as well. Currently, the clinic is staffed with two part-time nurse practitioners. Lately, it's not enough according to Nixon. She says employers are cutting back on benefits, or even eliminating them completely. Tulip Tree offers an alternative solution and the phones are ringing off the hook. They've even got a waiting list of patients who couldn't get an appointment.

Nixon says they really need a full-time employee, a nurse practitioner who can be at the clinic five days a week, keeping it open longer and enabling them to treat more patients.

The problem is, it would cost between $150-$200,000 (salary, and added supplies) according to Nixon. That's money the county council doesn't have in the budget. County Councilman Tony Wolfe (R) says he's leery of starting a bail-out trend to other agencies who need funds.

"It's terrible to have to turn people down but we also have federal systems in place, state systems in place to take care of people who have these needs," Wolfe tells 14 News.

Nixon says she understands where the Council is coming from, but she's looking for a solution to their problem in order to fulfill the needs of the community.

She took 14 News on a tour of the clinic, which she says is fully-equipped, even for dental care, if they only had the money to hire medical and dental personnell.

She says about 86% of the patients they see, do not have insurance.

The clinic hours vary, but typically it's open 20 hours per week. Tulip Tree Clinic is located at 123 North McCreary Street in Fort Branch. Phone: 812-753-1039