Specter visits Community Health Net [Erie Times-News, Pa.]

Apr. 3--U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter stopped by Community Health Net on Friday to see how the downtown Erie medical clinic was spending its nearly $900,000 in federal stimulus money.

Community Health Net, 1202 State St., received $888,014 to build an in-house pharmacy, add five examination rooms and install an electronic medical record system at its dental clinic, 2922 State St.

"This is the type of benefit the stimulus money was supposed to provide," said Specter, who crossed party lines to support the stimulus bill and later became a Democrat. "This clinic stays open until 7 p.m. and sees people who otherwise would have to go to the emergency room for treatment."

Specter, who faces U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in the Democratic primary May 18, toured the clinic with Community Health Net officials during a daylong trip to Erie. He also met with local labor leaders and the Erie Times-News Editorial Board.

Community Health Net received the stimulus money in 2009 and quickly put it to use, said John Schultz, the clinic's executive director.

"We expect to have the pharmacy open by July 1," Schultz said. "Any Community Health Net patient can have their prescriptions filled here."

Getting prescriptions filled has been an issue at Community Health Net, which operates three clinics. Its physicians and dentists write about 750 scrips a day, but patients fill only 40 percent of them.

Part of the problem is transportation, Schultz said. Community Health Net is open to the public, but many of its patients are poor and don't have access to a car.

"We provide rides here and home, but not to pharmacies," Schultz said. "There's also a cultural issue and a language issue. About 20 percent of our patients speak a language other than English."

Community Health Net employs many bilingual employees and patients often come with a translator.

The five new examination rooms will increase the clinic's total to 30, enabling it to see more patients each day, Schultz said.

Construction on the rooms and installation of the electronic dental record system are expected to be completed in June.

Additional money for the projects was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Erie Community Foundation and LECOM School of Pharmacy.

"But this wouldn't have happened without the stimulus money," Schultz said.

Specter said that he doesn't regret voting for the stimulus bill, even though the negative response to his vote within the Republican Party encouraged him to switch party affiliations.

He also defended his vote in favor of health-care reform, calling it "historic."

People are beginning to understand the law's benefits, Specter said, including the extension of health-insurance coverage to children up to age 26, and preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions.

"I think when you look back a couple of decades from now, people will ask, 'Why in the world did it take us so long?'" Specter said.

DAVID BRUCE can be reached at 870-1736 or by e-mail.

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