Salud Para La Gente doesn't turn anyone away. There is a sliding fee scale based on the patient's ability to pay. They also have a variety of payment plans and in many cases forgive up to 75 percent of a visit's cost, if not all of it. Like many other health care professionals working with the less advantaged, Salud Para La Gente Executive Director Arcadio Viveros looks worn out. Diego Rivera prints and a photo taken with Caesar Chavez clutter the walls of his office.
Tape peels off threadbare spots on the carpet.
The clinic is full of people waiting to be seen. According to Viveros, half of Salud's patients need that kind of assistance. A lot of our patients used to be on MediCal and Medicare, but since the Managed Care Act of 1997, some private doctors have gone into the business of accepting those patients. At the same time, doctors continue to send their patients without money or insurance to nonprofit clinics. To meet rising demands, Salud is raising funds to set up a clinic in north Monterey County to serve the Pajaro Valley.