Florida: Cutbacks Will Affect Some HIV/AIDS Patients

Florida Department of Health is cutting $8 million and eliminating 80 positions at the Palm Beach County Health Department. Next month, the county will close a clinic on Garden Road in Riviera Beach that has provided HIV/AIDS, STD and TB services for the last five years.

Health Department Director Dr. Alina Alonso said the county will work to ensure that patients at the Riviera Beach Clinic can access treatment and will not experience disruptions in care. HIV/AIDS services will be offered at locations in West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Lantana, and Belle Glade. TB treatment will be available at Delray Beach and Belle Glade. STD services will be available at all clinic locations, said Alonso.

Plans call for a new clinic to open in Riviera Beach next month. Officials say the county-owned space at 851 Ave. P will be less expensive to operate than the leased facility on Garden Road.

While staff positions were cut across the department, most employees were able to transition to other jobs. The agency also stopped hiring for most of the affected positions, Alonso said.

But Michael Amberg, a psychotherapist with the county health department, remains concerned about patient care. "When we've moved in the past, we've lost patients," he noted. "They may be away and return, and it's not the easiest thing to ask: 'Where's the AIDS/HIV clinic?'"

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