Belmont County Commission To Provide Funding for Wheeling Health Right | News, Sports, Jobs

photograph by: Robert A. DeFrank

Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann feedback throughout the resolution Wednesday to proceed funding Wheeling Health Right. He recommended different communities may also present funds for the company’s providers in Belmont County.

The Belmont County Board of Commissioners will proceed to supply yearly allocations to Wheeling Health Right. On Wednesday the board accepted an allocation of $25,000 to the company to supply healthcare providers and drugs for low-income uninsured Belmont County residents. The commissioners additionally voiced the hope that different communities that profit from these providers could be amenable to funding the company.

Due to financial and budgetary issues, the commissioners have curtailed allocations to nonprofits, however reconsidered in Wheeling Health Right’s case after Frank Papini of St. Clairsville and others identified the variety of Belmont County residents who profit from the company’s operations. Kathie Brown, govt director of Wheeling Health Right had mentioned an absence of funding may result in termination of providers in Belmont County. The company supplies free major healthcare and dental care to about 1,400 Belmont County residents.

However, lately the Health Right has suffered financially because the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted fundraising actions. Moreover, the United Way has additionally lower funding to the Health Right for treating Belmont County residents, from greater than $80,000 to about $40,000.

“This is a great place that provides basic health care for residents of the county,” Commissioner Josh Meyer mentioned.

Commissioner Jerry Echemann recommended different communities may also contribute.

“I’m very happy to pass this vote, it’s a worthwhile agency,” he mentioned. “If Health Right going forward is to rely more and more on governmental bodies for their funding, it ought not to be just Belmont County on this side of the river. If we can give $25,000 … then some of our larger communities might be able to help a little bit too, a few thousand or whatever they can come up with.”

Papini mentioned the county’s resolution was appreciated.

“That’s very exciting, we’re very pleased,” Brown mentioned afterward. “It’s wonderful news, I’m very grateful to the commissioners for choosing to continue to fund it so we can continue to provide quality health care to people from Belmont County.”

She added they hope to develop providers in Belmont County.

“We are probably going to physically provide some care in Belmont County,” Brown mentioned, noting a potential website could be introduced at a later date.

Brown hopes to make an announcement earlier than the tip of the 12 months.

She mirrored on the opportunity of added funding from the communities.

“I would certainly be accepting if anybody in the cities wanted to do that, but to actually try to do that? They’re small towns, there’s not a lot of money in their budgets so I would be concerned that I would put more time and effort to (asking for funds) that we might receive, but I certainly encourage any city or town that has available funds.”

Brown mentioned whereas many sufferers are from communities corresponding to Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Bridgeport and St. Clairsville, they’re additionally unfold out throughout Belmont County.

“That’s why the county funding is so important,” she mentioned.

Brown mentioned the company would proceed seeking out funding sources.

“We just keep shaking the bushes,” she mentioned. Brown additionally mentioned funding from native communities additionally makes these purposes extra more likely to be accepted. “We can always use additional, particularly community support. … United Way was the biggest hit that we took, and that’s a sign of the times, three years with the pandemic, it’s going to take them awhile to rebuild.”

Wheeling Health Right is situated at 61 twenty ninth St., Wheeling and will be reached at 304-233-9323.