School Board Commits To Keeping Wildcat Clinic

With the help of the Trigg County Health Board, the Trigg County School District will be able to keep the Trigg County Wildcat Clinic fully staffed and open regular hours despite the possible 17-thousand dollar increase to run the clinic all year. Pennyrile Health Department Director, Allison Beshear says because the department is having to payback 30 percent of its Medicaid funding to the state, it could cost an additional 17-thousand dollars to run the clinic through the end of school. Trigg Health Board Chairman, Dr Scott Sutherland told the Trigg County Board of Education that the Health Board is fully committed to the clinic, which serves many students.

He adds the health board is willing to pay half the additional cost and he hoped the School Board would be too. Superintendent Travis Hamby says he is in support of the proposed cost increase, because of the benefits to students.

The school board voted unanimously to approve the additional costs up to 85-hundred dollars. Beshear says the exact additional cost will be determined in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, most likely in May or June, and that is when the school board and health board would have to pay. Sutherland and Beshear say they hope that the state will be able to settle with Kentucky Spirit before the additional funding has to be paid, but the chances are not looking good.