Clinic seeks answers over rejected funding requests

CALEXICO — Calexico Wellness Clinic officials are raising increasing concerns about recent decisions by the Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District board to deny a series of the clinic’s grant requests.

The latest denial came Wednesday, when a supportive board member’s motion to approve the clinic’s $97,000 grant proposal failed to elicit the second motion that would’ve allowed for a board vote.

The pre-empted vote prompted Calexico Wellness Clinic Chief Executive Officer Blanca Morales to pointedly ask the board for an explanation of its actions.

“It got hectic (Wednesday),” Morales said on Thursday. “I am taking it very personal.”

Wednesday’s meeting marked the third time the recently established non-profit medical clinic has requested grant funding from the HMHD board in recent months.

The repeated denials have forced the clinic to expend more of its own resources as well as seek donations to cover operational and equipment costs, Morales said.

On Wednesday, the district’s counsel had suggested Morales speak in private with recently hired HMHD Director Tomas Virgen in order to address concerns that both the clinic and the district may have about the grant requests.

Prior to Wednesday’s regular meeting, Morales had sent a letter addressed to Virgen accusing the board of having violated open meetings law after it had removed the resolution concerning the clinic’s $97,000 grant proposal from the Sept. 18 open session agenda to closed session during its regular meeting.

That same Oct. 24 letter was also emailed by Morales to various elected city and county officials.

More recently, the clinic submitted a public records request to HMHD that seeks records that it perceives could shed light on the board’s recent actions, said HMHD attorney Eduardo Rivera.

“It seems they are offended by the action of the board,” Rivera said Thursday. “I’m afraid (Morales) feels it’s something personal.”

Although the district’s core mission is to promote and fund health and well-being initiatives in the city of Calexico, its board retains the discretion to approve funding requests based on the merits of the proposals, Rivera said.

“The board doesn’t fund every proposal that comes before it,” he said.

In July, the district board had balked at approving a $390,000 grant proposal from the clinic that would have funded the majority of the clinic’s anticipated operating expenses for the first year.

The wellness clinic’s recent $97,000 grant proposal sought funds to administer immunizations, as well as medical equipment.

Some board members had openly expressed concerns during Wednesday’s meeting the clinic’s proposed costs for acquiring and administering the vaccinations were too high.

Morales said she had attempted to maintain her professionalism throughout the meeting, and has continuously expressed a willingness to work with the board to address its concerns about the clinic’s grant proposals.

“What amount is going to make them comfortable to be able to collaborate with our clinic,” she said Thursday.

The clinic was established in June to help provide additional medical services and resources in a region that is notably limited on such services, Morales said.

Since opening, the Calexico Wellness Clinic has collaborated with other health services providers that have been charitable enough to provide their services for free, but going forward such an arrangement is hardly feasible for all parties involved, Morales said.

“I have to reach out for donations,” Morales said.