Community health centers feel strain

“We have seen a lot of patients who are working, but their hours are cut back so bad. They had insurance, but now they don’t,” said Johnson, who works out of the Highlandtown clinic, one of seven locations of the nonprofit community health center that works to ensure everyone receives care.

Johnson sees 20 to 25 patients a day, spending about a half-hour to 45 minutes working through forms to determine eligibility under assistance programs.

Between September and October, health benefit advisers saw their caseloads jump 40 percent, a trend the staff expects to continue. As the economy falters, even the safety net is being stretched.

“It’s hard for everybody right now,” said Rosie Wilkerson, another health benefit adviser.

Community health centers, such as BMS, provide primary care to those who are uninsured and underinsured, which helps keep them out of the emergency rooms.

For patients such as Terri Rossback, 40, of Baltimore, who lost her job and health insurance about a year ago, the BMS services are critical.

Rossback continued to see her doctor there and had her payments adjusted. Now gynecological tests cost her about $14 and her Advair prescription is $15, a fraction of what she would have to pay out of pocket.

“They didn’t turn me away because I didn’t have insurance,” she said.

Fees are based on a sliding scale depending on the patient’s ability to pay. For example, a visit with a family doctor can run less than $10.

“We get what we can when they walk in the door, but our mission is to serve patients,” said Evelyn Perez, office manager at the Orleans Square location.

The health system receives a $1.7 million federal grant, which covers a fraction of the $30 million budget. The rest is covered through state funding, other grants and patient billing, officials said.

“The need grows and funding decreases,” said Kecia Wherry, BMS director of network development. “It makes our job that much more challenging.”

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