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The Jackson County Health Department
in Jackson, Mich., may begin charging a fee for walk-in services at its STD
clinic. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners’ Human Services Committee was
expected to discuss this issue at its March 11 meeting. Director for Personal
and Preventative Health Services Mary Ricciardello noted that Jackson County
has not charged clinic users since 2003, when the Family Planning Clinic
closed. The board is proposing fees of $10 for county residents and $20 for
non-county residents.
For the past four years, the clinic
has averaged 1,805 clients per year, with a budgeted program revenue of
$76,994; however, the cost of running the clinic is $178,638. Jackson County is
one of a few Michigan counties providing these services for free. Thus, the
county has seen an increase in out-of-state and non-county residents using
their services, averaging approximately 10 clients a month from surrounding
counties and three per month from out-of-state clients.
The county averages $56 for females
and $36 for males for STD testing—for laboratory costs only. These costs do not
include nursing care costs. Ricciardello pointed out that nurses test, counsel,
and treat clients; prepare specimens; complete all necessary paperwork; perform
data entry for electronic medical records; inform clients of test results; and
notify partners of positive clients. Ricciardello explained that, since the
nursing services are not provided by physicians or nurse practitioners, the
county can only bill Medicaid for laboratory testing, and not bill for the many
other nurse-provided services. She noted that the clinic asks patients for
monetary donations, but rarely receives any. The Jackson County Health
Department offers chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, bacterial vaginosis, and
pregnancy and HIV testing.
The fee proposal would help balance
a small part of the costs and act as a deterrent to out-of state/county
residents. The full board of commissioners would need to vote on this proposal
for it to take effect. If approved at the April board meeting, the fees would
begin on May 1.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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