Medical help for Summit vets

New partnership gives families free care if they don't have insurance
By Cheryl Powell Beacon Journal medical writer

Published on Friday, Dec 19, 2008

A safety-net health clinic in Akron soon will be serving Summit County residents and their families who have served their country.

Starting Jan. 1, the Summit County Veterans Service Commission will offer vouchers for qualified veterans and their family members to get free medical and dental care at Akron Community Health Resources on South Arlington Street.

Under the deal, the service commission will pay Akron Community Health Resources the same discounted rate as the state-run Medicaid insurance program for the visits, said George Baker, the commission's executive director.

''This is for people who don't qualify for VA medical and have no other insurance in place,'' Baker said. ''The main thing is getting people into some source of medical treatment. A lot of people just don't do anything because they can't afford that $25 or $50 out of pocket, and then they just suffer with it.''

Most veterans are eligible to get medical services from the Veteran's Health Administration, Baker said. But their spouses and dependents don't qualify unless the veteran retired from the Armed Forces.

''The veteran's family is usually the one that suffers for lack of health care,'' Baker said.
County property taxes support the commission, which has a budget of about $1.3 million annually to provide this and other forms of financial assistance to veterans and their families, Baker said.

Baker estimates between 50,000 and 52,000 veterans live in Summit County.
The commission already provides vouchers for veterans and their families to get dental and vision care from participating providers in the county, Baker said.

The medical and dental vouchers for Akron Community Health Resources will be given out on a case-by-case basis after a review of families' financial situation and needs, he said.
The new partnership fits perfectly with Akron Community Health Resources' mission of serving the uninsured, underinsured and medically needy in the community, said John Sniezek, the health center's chief executive.

''When people get sick, rather than going to the ER setting, they can come here and receive quality care,'' Sniezek said. ''We're very much pro serving the medically needy and particularly the veterans. We want to provide a medical home for them if they don't have one for whatever the reasons may be.''

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.