By Michael Howell
The County Commissioners on Monday, February 6, approved sending a letter to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services stating an interest in administering a federally funded Title X Program covering Ravalli County.
The County Health Department has run a low income clinic funded by federal Title X dollars for decades. About every seven years the state sends out a request for letters of intent from local government and other interested agencies or organizations wanting to use the funds based on a plan for providing services. That process got accelerated a bit by the commissioners’ dispute, earlier this year, over accepting the funding for the current fiscal year. The funding was approved by a narrow 3 to 2 margin with the discussion indicating that continued participation in the program might not be approved in the future.
Most of the commissioners expressed concern about one aspect of the program which allows the dispensation of birth control to minors without parental notification or approval.
Commission Chair Matt Kanenwisher is adamantly against accepting the funding because he believes that practice violates parents’ “inferred constitutional right” to make decisions for their children. Commissioner Ron Stoltz expressed the same concerns. Both voted against sending a letter of intent to the agency.
The other commissioners also expressed some concern about the issue.
“My concern continues,” said Commissioner Greg Chilcott, “that the state appears to be inserting itself between parents and their children.” He also complained that there was no means testing of minors who use the program.
“But many elements of the Title X Program are about other things,” he said. He said that the program serves more than minors, it also serves low income men and women, providing basic health care and preventive medicine to low income people across the board. He said not providing that kind of preventive care and counseling can end up costing the county a lot more money in the end.
“For me, that need and that cost outweigh my other concerns about the program,” said Chilcott.
Commissioners J. R. Iman and Suzy Foss echoed Chilcott’s reasoning.
Iman said, “There is a basic level of health care that needs to be funded.” He said another agency or group might take up the funds if the county doesn’t, but that would fracture the services. He said they should be centralized for efficiency and economy.
Commissioner Foss agreed, saying, “A huge segment of the population depends on this.” She said that as a woman she could definitely see the need for the services. She said in the scheme of things, considering the number of people served, that it was a program she could support.
Kanenwisher reiterated his stand and said the freedom of worship and the inferred constitutional rights of a parent are the two most important and closely held of his values.
“My answer is not no, it is never,” he said about the funding.
The public spoke mostly in favor of the funding.
The vote was 3 to 2 to send the letter of intent with Kanenwisher and Stoltz dissenting.