Community clinics threatened

Community clinic operators in the San Fernando Valley and countywide say they will be forced to turn away new patients, cut services and limit hours if state payments don't come through before the end of the summer. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The failure of state lawmakers to pass a budget means the California Department of Health Care Services had to halt Medi-Cal payments Thursday to thousands of clinics statewide.

Those in Los Angeles County lose an estimated $385 a minute at a time when more people are turning to smaller health facilities, according to the Community Clinic Association.

"We call this the perfect storm because there is rising demand (in clinic visits) and diminishing resources," said Kim Wyard, CEO for Northeast Valley Health Corp., a nonprofit that operates 10 licensed clinics throughout the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.