Special help for Heart of Florida?

Oct. 26--The Heart of Florida Health Center, suffering from current and future funding cuts, soon will reach out to the Marion County Hospital District for help.

Hospital District trustee Randy Klein, who also sits on Heart of Florida's board, told fellow trustees on Tuesday that the non-profit healthcare provider would be petitioning the district for money next month.

The Hospital District annually gives away about $2 million in grants for healthcare-related efforts. Heart of Florida could seek some of that grant money. But Klein wants his fellow trustees to consider creating something more durable: a recurring endowment for Heart of Florida.

He likened his request to "planting a seed." Klein said he hopes the district will consider how much Heart of Florida does for the community -- especially the poor and uninsured residents -- and how much its funding is being cut.

The trustees agreed to send their executive director to meet with Heart of Florida officials and review their financial situation, their organization, and their needs.

Heart of Florida's annual budget is about $7 million. It serves about 21,000 patients, most of whom are low-income and either have no health insurance or are on Medicaid. Two years ago, Heart of Florida saw its Medicaid ranks swell by 7,550 under Florida's new managed care plan for Medicaid.

Until about two years ago, Heart of Florida received about $1 million annually in "low-income pool money" from the federal government. But when Florida refused to a federal request to expand Medicaid, that funding was eliminated.

To make matters even worse:

+ The Florida Department of Health in Marion County has announced that it will eliminate its funding of Heart of Florida over the next five years.

When the local health department stopped providing primary care to its patients, it sent most of them to Heart of Florida. The health department annually gave Heart of Florida $1 million to help cover the care costs. But that amount will be cut 20 percent each year beginning next year for the next five years.

+ Klein said that Munroe Regional Medical Center's annual $400,000 gift to Heart of Florida is coming to an end.

The Marion County Hospital District leases Munroe Regional to Community Health Systems, which is based in Franklin, Tennessee. CHS paid the district more than $200 million to lease Munroe for 40 years. The district owns Munroe on behalf of the public. Trustees have pledged to annually dole out money earned from investing the CHS millions.

"There will always be a need for Heart of Florida," Klein told his fellow trustees on Tuesday.

Heart of Florida has six clinics. Typically, the federal government gives Heart of Florida additional money for each of its clinics, but since Heart of Florida took over operation of three that were already in existence, those three get no additional federal funding, he said.

Meanwhile, Heart of Florida expanded its level of service by providing adult and pediatric dental care, and also worked to open new clinics.

Klein said that Heart of Florida's revenues will be reduced about $600,000 next year alone. He didn't know yet how much of an endowment Heart of Florida would need.

Trustee Larry Strack said he worries that if the district gave Heart of Florida money, other area non-profits would want endowments of their own. The district invited Heart of Florida officials to meet with the district next month to give a more detailed explanation of its financial situation and how it would spend any money it might get from the district.

Reach Fred Hiers at fred.hiers@starbanner.com and 352-397-5914.

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