Erie County Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz today commented on Chemung County's opening of a new county healthcare clinic designed to serve Medicaid patients and reduce expenses by directing Medicaid clients into preventative care, and away from emergency care in hospitals. This action comes at the same time that Erie County Executive Christopher Collins refuses to continue the same services in Erie County's existing clinics.

On March 2, 2010, Chemung County Executive Thomas Santulli held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Priority Community Healthcare Center in an existing county building in Elmira. The purpose of the new clinic, as stated by Santulli, is to manage the health care of Chemung County Medicaid recipients and reduce the use of hospital emergency rooms for basic health care needs. Following the opening of the clinic, Santulli also travelled to Albany to testify before the State Senate Republican Task Force on Medicaid Fraud and promote the clinic as a model for other counties to control costs.

Poloncarz said, "I commend County Executive Santulli for his forward thinking and believe this is exactly the type of initiative Erie County should be pursuing to reduce the huge burden Medicaid is presently having on the backs of Erie County taxpayers. Instead, Erie County is closing clinics and sending patients we previously cared for to private sector entities that do not have an incentive to reduce the cost of Medicaid. In fact, the incentive is opposite: the private sector entities make more money through the filing of additional claims each time a Medicaid recipient uses the facility."

Erie County spends more than $210 million annually on its county-share of Medicaid and related State-mandated medical obligations.

Poloncarz further noted, "On January 27, 2010, my office released an analysis to the Erie County Legislature that concluded that contrary to the claims of the Collins Administration, sufficient funds exist in the County's 2010 Adopted Budget to retain healthcare professionals to provide clinical services at the County's Jesse E. Nash Health Care Center and Dr. Matt Gajewski Human Services Center. Despite this funding, the Collins Administration has declined to maintain clinical services for the poor and needy, including many Medicaid recipients. As a result, I believe the County is likely to end up paying more for these patients through their visits to hospital emergency rooms for routine issues rather than caring for those Medicaid patients now at the County clinics."

"County Executive Collins refuses to acknowledge what his Republican colleague in Chemung County clearly understands – that maintaining these clinics will save the taxpayers much more in the long run through preventative care than paying the Medicaid costs associated with their visits to hospital emergency rooms and other private sector clinics," added Poloncarz.

He concluded, "I call on the County Executive to follow the Legislature's directive and hire the healthcare professionals to staff the County clinics, which will alleviate the Medicaid burden on our taxpayers."