City Budget
Philadelphia's public health centers are poised to receive the bulk of a $3 million raise that the mayor has proposed for the health department.
By Kerry Grens, WHYY Health and Science Desk
WHYY News, March 31, 2008
Representatives from the Philadelphia Unemployment Project made their presence known at a City Council hearing about the city's health department. Holding signs that said "Support City Health Centers Now" and "Night Hours for Health Centers," the advocacy group seemed to get their wish.
The Commissioner of Health and Opportunity, Donald Schwarz told a supportive City Council that much of the $3 million budget increase will go to reducing the long wait times at health centers.
"We have as our hope that we will be able to reduce waiting times in the health centers to no longer than a month for a new appointment," said Schwarz.
"We know that in a few health centers, we have particularly long waits. We are targeting those health centers with budget dollars this year."
Schwarz cited Philadelphia Health Care Center #10 in Northeast Philadelphia which has wait times longer than the average 55 days.
He also pointed to a growing number of undocumented immigrants who often depend on the health centers as a strain on the system.
The budget increases will also go to increasing safety inspections, speeding up autopsy reports and boosting chronic disease prevention.
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