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Committee approves $500,000 council appropriation to expand JAX Care Connect referrals to primary care
Summary
Committee recorded approval of a $500,000 council strategic planning allocation to support JAX Care Connect and We Care's clinic network; presenters said the program has reduced unnecessary emergency-room returns and served tens of thousands of uninsured residents.
A committee approved a $500,000 council funding allocation to support JAX Care Connect, the coordinated referral system that links uninsured and under-resourced residents to primary and specialty care, presenters said.
The appropriation is a council budget enhancement; sponsors said the allocation was already approved in the council budget process and that bringing the funds to SPAR/We Care administration simply moves already approved money to program administration. "This was already in the strategic planning funding," the committee chair said.
Angela Strain, speaking for the Duval Safety Net Collaborative, told the committee the network served nearly 30,000 uninsured or under-resourced neighbors last year and recorded more than 114,000 primary-care visits, preventive and specialty services across its partner clinics. "The Duval safety net collaborative is one such group. This last year, we served almost 30,000 uninsured and under resourced neighbors," she said.
Ginny O'Donnell, director of JAX Care Connect, said one of the program's most important measures is emergency-room avoidance: about 60% of clients referred through JAX Care Connect have not returned to an ER for care that should be handled in a primary-care medical home. "We believe that it's in the patient's best interest to have the optimal health outcomes, but it also has the benefit of greatly reducing taxpayer dollars," O'Donnell said.
Councilman Boylan, who introduced the item as a council enhancement, said the funds will support We Care and the administration of JAX Care Connect. Committee members thanked the presenters and voted to approve the appropriation; the committee recorded a final vote of 7-0.
Committee members said they planned to continue working to secure recurring funding in future budgets because the program can produce taxpayer savings by reducing preventable emergency-room visits.
The committee approved the budget enhancement by voice vote and recorded the final committee tally as 7-0.
