Consider Those Uninsured

I am writing this letter as Chairman of Centra Southside Community Hospital, and on behalf of our seventeen board members, representing the counties of Amelia, Appomattox, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward.

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Over 400,000 Virginia residents could potentially be denied the most basic American privilege- health insurance. These Virginians are our friends, neighbors and colleagues. As the new state fiscal year approaches in July, I urge our local representatives to consider the options. As the Chairman of the Centra Southside Community Hospital Board of Directors, I see firsthand how detrimental this would be to the health of our community. As a non-profit health system, Centra serves the community regardless of a patient’s insurance coverage or ability to pay.   Roughly 20,000 uninsured Virginians seek care from Centra, often waiting until their health situation is dire.  These patients are delaying care because routine healthcare and wellness is not an option for them.  Everyone deserves the opportunity to receive high quality health care at an affordable rate.

We must rally together to show the state government how important this issue really is. I urge you to contact your local and state representatives asking them to consider not only the financial costs, but also the human costs of potentially declining this funding.

Stephen C. Keith, Ed.D
Chairman, CSCH Board