Benton County committee votes to support HIV clinic, adds $34,000 allocation to budget
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
BENTONVILLE - The Benton County Finance Committee voted during its meeting Tuesday to add a $ 34, 000 allocation to the Washington County HIV Clinic to the county's 2009 annual budget.
Those funds would supply the clinic with enough money to hire an administrator for one year. Justice of the Peace Beverly Williams, who visited the shelter on the county's behalf, said during that year, the clinic will form a committee tasked with finding alternative sources of funding, including examining the possibility of seeking 501 (c ) 3 nonprofit status for the clinic.
Williams told the committee that Benton County has an interest in the clinic because of the number of Benton County residents using it. Benton County residents make up 37 percent of the clinic's patients.
"They have patients there from every district in Benton County," Williams said. "They have 10 from Bella Vista, if you can believe that."
She said the clinic's preventative efforts also make it worthwhile.
"If a woman is pregnant and she has HIV, they immediately send this woman and put her on medicine, and that baby is protected," she said.
Between six and 12 pregnant women go to the clinic each year, Williams said.
She said the clinic is exploring the possibility of becoming a 501 (c ) 3 nonprofit or creating a support organization - a friends of the clinic nonprofit - among other options. Without nonprofit status, the clinic's grant funds are largely limited to startup money.
The committee voted 4-2 to include the allocation on the 2009 budget, with Justices Debra Hobbs and Marge Wolf voting against it.
Wolf, however, said she was also voting for the allocation.
"I'm going to vote for it because the court wants to support this, but I don't think we should be giving money, as wonderful as this organization is, to a group that can't support themselves," she said.
Only the opposition vote officially counted.
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