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The CUHCC--pronounced “cook”--was built in the 1960s as part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty. The clinic’s mission is to serve the thousands of uninsured, under-insured, unemployed and under-served people in Minneapolis.

Closing CUHCC might not sound that surprising; another community health center, La Clénica en Lake, closed in July. Its 5,000 members, mostly Latinos, were left to fend for themselves.

“I want to reassure people that the clinic is not closing,” said Colleen McDonald, CUHCC’s Director of Development and Public Relations. “There was some misinformation going on, but we have been here for 40 years and plan to stay here for another 40 years.”

As one of 11 community clinics in Minneapolis, CUHCC provides quality medical, dental and mental health care to under-served patients, including immigrants living in the Phillip’s Neighborhood surrounding the clinic and those from the Cedar-Riverside area.

About 70 percent of the 9,241 patients that CUHCC granted care to last year were people of color, immigrants, or refugees. The community health care center serves them in seven different languages: Hmong, Vietnamese, Somali, Oromo, Amharic, Spanish and English. Several interpreters are available to facilitate communication with non-English-speaking patients.

CUHCC is also a partner with the U of M. “Since 1966, we have had a public partnership with the University of Minnesota,” McDonald said. “The University has supported the clinic financially because they value CUHCC’s role as a health safety net and a training site in community-based care for health professional students.”

The U of M used to sponsor the community clinic with up to $1.5 million a year. However, this is not a sufficient amount for CUHCC, which currently has 80 percent of its patients living 100 percent below the federal poverty guidelines; amounting to $20,000 for a family of four.

Aside from the on-site services, CUHCC offers out-of-site assistance to patients who sometimes have mobility problems. These services can be found in eight satellite facilities in Minneapolis, including the ClÆnica Hispana using portable equipment for Latinos.

“Some of our patients pay on a sliding fee scale while most of them are covered by government health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid,” McDonald said.

“But some of our services are uncompensated, like when we help patients suffering with diabetes find adequate food for the diet they are prescribed. We care about our patients and provide services that nobody pays us for.”

Because of this situatio, CUHCC is going through a budget deficit and has a $2.5 million debt. McDonald says the U of M told them that they can no longer compensate the clinic’s shortfalls, thus jeopardizing the very existence of the community health care center.

CUHCC is a Federally Qualified Health Center (a designation given to non-profit or public health care organizations serving predominantly uninsured or medically under-served populations). As such, its governing board is comprised of 50 members, with a majority of those members being patients. This is a requirement for federal funding, so members of the community control their own health care system.

After the significant financial crunch caused by the U of M, the board approved a new budget that includes transitioning satellite sites and reducing some staff. “This was a very difficult decision to make because people who work here are committed to serving the community,” said McDonald. “They are not here for big money.”

CUHCC then laid off 20 FTEs; full-time employees, providing 2,080 hours of service a year. Among them, seven wanted to resign anyway and their positions will not be refilled. The layoff notices went out on November 1.

In addition, CUHCC plans to do some fundraising and to decrease administration costs. This past Sept. 11, the clinic adopted a new billing system called EHS. The software, made especially for community clinics, helps process bills electronically, eliminating the dependence on larger institutions to help them.

Statewide statistics conceal the realities of Minnesota’s pockets of poverty and health disparities. McDonald is calling upon any volunteers to join with the numerous students and attorneys who donate 6,000 hours of service to annually help those in need. For details, visit www.umn.edu/cuhcc/home.html.