INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — One year after the School Board of Indian River County decided that more information was needed before it joined a growing faction of governmental and private companies by offering an affordable health and wellness clinic as an option to going to a private doctor, the School District is no closer to providing the program.
In fact, it could be years before a clinic for employees and retirees is offered again.
The School Board voted 2-2 on Tuesday on a matter that would allow the Tennessee-based group CareHere provide the health and wellness clinic. The clinic would not charge employees and retirees co-pays and would offer about 160 different brands of generic drugs free of charge to employees.
Advocates of the measure said that the clinic would save the district – taxpayers – money over time because it would stave off rising health care costs in the future.
The tie vote was not enough to allow the proposal to see fruition. The fifth School Board seat, vacated by Jeff Pegler, has yet to be filled by Gov. Rick Scott.
Board members Karen Disney-Brombach and Matt McCain voted against the measure.
School Board Chairwoman Carol Johnson predicted before the vote that if three votes were not cast in favor of the giving the three-year contract to CareHere, that the matter would likely not become a reality for many years because of politics.
Next year, three seats on the School Board will be up for grabs in the election.
“It’s a tough political bullet to bite,” said Johnson.
Still, Johnson was solidly in favor of the clinic.
“I’m completely convinced that we have to have this,” Johnson said.
So were others.
“Please vote for this,” said Jorge Lugo, a teacher and representative of the union. “Help the employees of this district. “…We are not asking for much, we are asking for an opportunity.”
Lugo is an applicant for the open School Board seat.
Disney-Brombach, who for the past year seemed to have been an advocate for the health and wellness clinic, made the about-face move Tuesday when she voted against the measure.
Disney-Brombach said that a year ago, she and others who make decisions were basically getting a refresher course on the notion of providing the service and that now it was time to open up the entire bid process once again. Last year, CareHere ranked highest of all other providers that submitted bids to the district.
Then the vote was taken. Thereby defeating the measure.
Lugo, who is a member of a district organization that deals with health insurance matters, said he would do his best to try and get the District to open up the bid process again.
“I’m going to try everything I can,” he said.
