The Word on the Street

By LAURA WALDCHEN, Junior Technical Journalism Student

"People are more than willing to pay for their healthcare, they just simply can't pay $1,000 out of pocket each month for basic coverage," said Jennifer Morse, development director for Salud Family Healthcare. "Here at Salud we serve anyone in need of care, regardless of their ability to pay."

Salud Family Healthcare, a comprehensive care health clinic with 10 centers across Colorado, provided care to 67,000 people in 2005. They are a non-profit organization funded under the public health service act and run by a board to directors.

Their mission is to reduce the barriers and increase access to care, and all of their services reflect that focus. For instance, they offer culturally appropriate care to reduce barriers, and evening hours to increase access.

Morse said their target population is families at 200% of the poverty level, which is currently about $41,000 a year for a family of four.

"We make the assumption that you don't have the level of income to afford insurance, or your source of employment is not providing full benefits," Morse said.

After working with each patient to qualify them for as much government aid as possible, Salud looks at a sliding scale based on family size and family income to determine copay.

Salud's Fort Collins center is on target to serve about 11,00 patients this year, its largest number since opening.

"We provide care to people that wouldn't get it anywhere else," Morse said. "They come to us because they don't have any other option for healthcare."