Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003152247
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
During the day, Noftsinger, executive director of the Medical Clinic of the New River Valley, spends her time examining budgets and paper work. But on Tuesday nights an examination table is pulled out of a corner and doctors and nurses do their jobs.
The clinic makes do with what space and resources it has, Noftsinger said. But in the coming months as more than 1,300 workers lose their jobs and medical benefits, the space and supplies at this and other free-care facilities may not be enough.
Doctors see about 22 patients here each Tuesday night. And, by 5:30 p.m., Noftsinger's office and two other rooms are converted into clinics.
Officials expect the patient load to increased soon, and Noftsinger said the layoffs at the AT&T plant in Fairlawn and other New River Valley industries probably will force the clinic to be open two nights a week.
`There's no question this is going to have an impact on the free clinic and demand for services," Noftsinger said. "Economic development people are all working hard to bring new industries to the area, but that'll take some time. In the interim, we expect to see a growing number of people without access to health care."
Ann King and her husband, Bill, have three children. Both work at AT&T and will lose their jobs over the next year when the plant closes.
"I hope the future will hold a job with benefits," Ann King said. "But if it doesn't, I wouldn't be too proud" to use free-care clinics.
When the new industries come in, chances are they may be small operations that won't provide the extensive medical benefits usually associated with large plants, Noftsinger said.
Pulaski County Administrator Joe Morgan said that while larger, Fortune 500 companies are expected to have the better benefit packages, some smaller companies also are providing good benefits for their employees.
Regardless, Noftsinger said an extra free clinic night probably will be added in the next one to 1 1/2 years. "We're at capacity now and the need is not lessening," she said.
Local health departments also are expecting an increase in patients.
"We've seen in the past when this situation occurred that there was an increase in the WIC [Women, Infants, Children] clinic," said Dr. Margaret Robinson, public health director for the NRV Health District. "We've also seen an increase in our well-clinics and maternity clinics."
During the 1987-88 fiscal year, when Lee Co. and Burlington Industries laid off about 800 workers, Robinson said the number of maternity clinic services increased by almost 100. There also was an increase of patients using the immunization clinic.
"I don't know if it was due to the factory closings," Robinson said from her Radford office. "There was not a remarkable change in other clinic services."
But the layoffs at AT&T and other plants probably will create an increase in clinic patients. "It's going to stretch our resources quite a bit," Robinson said. "We'll try to accommodate them all."
Robinson said the health departments focus on checkups, nutrition and other preventive care. "We're not in the business of helping the sick."
Pulaski and Radford will probably see the largest increase in patients, Robinson said. She could not estimate the number.
All social service areas will be affected, she said.
by CNB