Lompoc Valley Medical Center projects it will provide care to more than 120,000 patients this year, but according to the hospital, access to timely care could change if cuts are made to Medicaid funding, potentially putting the hospital at an annual loss of $21 million dollars.
"This funding is for us to get paid for the services that we are actually rendering," Dr. Elham Novin-Baharen said.
Although no official decisions have been made, a statement from LVMC says the Energy & Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, has proposed an $880 billion savings plan over the next 10 years.
"But the truth of the matter is, when we lose that funding, we're going to be looking at what areas we're going to have to cut," Dr. Novin-Baharen said.
Dr. Novin-Baharen tells me the first programs to see cuts would be OBGYN care, pediatrics, outpatient services and reductions in staffing.
"It’s going to affect everybody. There’s going to be longer wait times and shortages," Dr. Novin-Baharen said.
According to LVMC Chief Financial Officer Dustin Cheney, the hospital's current budget projects a profit of $6 million, but if funding is cut, they will have a net loss of $15.2 million.
Chief Executive Officer RN, MSN Yvette Cope says she will be going to Washington on behalf of the hospital in June but urges the community to reach out to local officials.
"Everybody uses their voice because this is not just about poor people, this is about everybody in the community," Cope says.
Proposed cuts still need to pass through the House and Senate before being enacted.
