Thread: VA: Clinic Discontinues Services To Illegal Aliens

Clinic Discontinues Services To Illegal Aliens
By Greg L | 20 June 2008 | Illegal Aliens, Virginia Politics | 32 Comments

Hburgnews.com is reporting that the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic has announced that it wil cease providing medical services to illegal aliens, something that health clinics in Northern Virginia refuse to do. The clinic, which is 95% taxpayer supported, had up until recently using those taxpayer dollars to provide healthcare services to illegal aliens, which account for an estimated 10% of their patient population according to clinic staff. This should spark some discussions within other publicly-supported health clinics in the Commonwealth about the advisability of providing support to illegal aliens, a practice which may violate state and federal law.

Executive Director Rich Sider says that the board decided to limit participation in the free clinic based on feedback from some volunteers and other medical providers who were concerned about the amount of resources going to people who aren’t here legally. Sider also says that drug companies which donate pharmaceuticals require a Social Security number from recipients. Sider says they do not have resources to determine whether documents presented are valid or not, but that new patients without documentation will not receive services after their initial eligibility screening.

Will taxpayer-supported health clinics in Northern Virginia follow suit? That’s not very likely, at least until the rationale behind this decision in Harrisonburg is more fully presented. When that happens, it would provide a great opportunity for citizens to bring this issue to the attention of their local elected officials and start asking for some changes to be made. There’s no sane or legal reason why taxpayers should be compelled to provide funding used to support the unlawful presence of illegal aliens in Virginia.

UPDATE: Apparently part of the reason this decision was made was that the clinic did not have adequate resources to meet community demand, so while illegal aliens were obtaining taxpayer-subsidized medical care, American citizens were on a waiting list for the same services.
http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2008/06/2 ... #more-2500

They wait until the well is so low the bucket hits bottom, then they stop the illegal invaders

estimated 10% of their patient population according to clinic staff.

a purposely low estimate made for PCness, I'm sure.

UPDATE: Apparently part of the reason this decision was made was that the clinic did not have adequate resources to meet community demand, so while illegal aliens were obtaining taxpayer-subsidized medical care, American citizens were on a waiting list for the same services.

Gee you think!!! This is what's happening all across this country, not just this clinic in Virginia. This is part of the reason our health care system in this country is in shambles.

Positive support and thanks can be expressed to:

Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic
25 West Water Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Telephone: (540) 433-5431

There is an "Email form" on their Home Page. I found the site by entering "Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic" into AOL Search. Their listed email address leads to a series of "Free Clinic" sites.

Some here may think there is no need for expressing positive feedback to these public agencies for doing what we think they always should have been doing. However, please remember that a great deal of money from special interest groups and many court decisions have placed such agencies in a very difficult position in an area where the law itself is often so unclear. Trying to comply with U.S. immigration law now often evokes a discrimination lawsuit, for example. That is the reality they must deal with.

Nice work, Texas2step. Some supportive e-mails on their fiscally responsible decision in using TAXPAYER dollars from ALIPAC'ers will be good. I'm sure the illegal alien anarchists are already protesting their decision.

I think this frustrates people so because so much of this the illegals could pay for themselves if they wanted to. You don't send billions back home while you dump the rest on the taxpayers here. Granted, maybe not all, but enough to where it may not have bankrupted the system. I haven't heard of any even making partial payments, or on a payment plan.....like they were told it's all free here and have no clue it's not FREE! I've seen them drift from food pantry to food pantry in communities they don't even live in and if they donate anything......it's only to the hispanics as if other people aren't in need as well. So now when others are in need, there's nothing there. Abuse it and you loose it and it's been abused horribly.

Great Idea "Texas2Step" will do!!

The problem is in part due to sponsorship that current guestworker programs demand. The employer is now allowed to sidestep this which would normally put the medical cost in his hands rather than the taxpayer by employing illegal entrants while the fed turns their heads.