By WALT COOK
The Union Democrat
Several American Indian health clinics in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, operated by MACT, have been closed or reduced services due the state's budget logjam.
The outgoing message on the Tuolumne medical clinic's answering machine Monday summed up the problem: It notes many MACT employees have been furloughed pending passage of a budget.
A spending plan was finally approved by the Legislature early this morning, but was still awaiting the governor's signature — or veto.
The state's budget year began July 1.
Some MACT clinics — including the Tuolumne dental clinic and San Andreas Healing Center — have been temporarily closed. Others have scaled back operations.
The closed clinics' story is shared by many local social service agencies that rely on money from the state, including the Mountain Women's Resource Center, which provides counseling and housing for battered women, and the Area 12 Agency on Aging, which oversees a plethora of services for senior citizens in the Mother Lode.
Luckily for tribal members in Tuolumne County, they aren't out of options as the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians operates a dental center in Sonora, in addition to primary care centers in Tuolumne and Sonora. Also, primary care services provided at the Tuolume MACT clinic are available at a branch in Sonora, located at 13975 Mono Way.
Calls to the MACT Health Board, which oversees the clinic, were not returned by press time. The acronym "MACT," stands for Mariposa, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, the areas in which the board operates clinics.
Tribal members who live in the service area of each clinic are eligible to receive discounted health services, including dental and medical care.
The MACT Health Board is composed of representatives from the American Indian Council of Mariposa, Calaveras Band of Me-Wuk Indians, Chicken Ranch Rancheria, Ione Band of Mi-Wok Indians, Jackson Band of Mi-Wuk Indians and Sierra Native American Council.
MACT clinics can be found in various locations in the member counties.
Contact Walt Cook at wcook@ uniondemocrat.com or 588-4530.
