Income limits raised for Good Samaritan Clinic

NEW PORT RICHEY — A change in Florida law means more Pasco County residents who have no health insurance can receive care at Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Pasco. Part of the state’s “Live Healthy” Initiative, SB 7016, raises the income a person or family can have to qualify for charitable care from 200% to 300% of the federal poverty level. The change applies only to facilities that serve low-income people exclusively, such as Good Sam.

A single adult with a monthly gross income of up to $3,765 now qualifies for care; the dollar amount increases with the number of people in a family.

“If someone was turned down before because their income was too high, we want them to come back, take another look and see if they may qualify,” Mike Singer, the clinic’s executive director, told the Suncoast News. “They can go to our website and click on the clinic application for the new Household Monthly Income levels based on family size to see if they are now eligible.”

For most of the clinic’s clients, he said, “Their income is so low that it’s not an issue at all. But in the last year or two it did change a little bit, because the minimum wage is $12 an hour, but de facto in Pasco most people make at least $15 an hour. And that would have knocked them out before; a single person making $15 an hour would have been out of our scope. At $15 per hour for a full 40-hour week for a full 52-week year, a wage earner would gross $31,200 annually.”

Good Samaritan is a nonprofit, staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists and other medical professionals, that provides free health care, including free medication, to residents of Pasco County who meet the income guidelines and do not have other health insurance. Services include a general medical clinic for non-emergency treatment; a pulmonary clinic, an eye clinic, a dental clinic, a neurology clinic, a gastro-intestinal clinic, a cardiac clinic, a podiatry clinic and a sports medicine clinic. It also provides a clinic for quitting smoking and healthy living coaching for people with diabetes and prediabetes.

Aside from an annual Community Development Block Grant, which can be used only for brick-and-mortar purposes, the clinic receives no federal funding, and it relies heavily on donations and fundraisers. Its two biggest fundraisers are a Golf Classic held in the fall and the Annual Nurses Gala, which this year will be held May 4 at Kontos Event Center, St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey.

This will be the 18th year of the gala, held to honor nurses’ contributions to the health of Pasco County as well as to raise funds for the clinic. It introduces National Nurses Week, which this year is from May 6 to 12, and honors Nurses of the Year from local hospitals, health facilities, medical practices, home health organizations and, this year for the first time, Pasco County Schools. This year’s Cinco de Mayo-themed event will include dinner, music, specialty themed drinks and a silent auction.

Good Samaritan Health Clinic is located at 5334 Aspen St. in New Port Richey. The website is goodsamclinic.org, the phone number is 727-848-7789, and the email is info@goodsamclinic.org.