Commissioners Suzy Foss, Ron Stoltz and Jeff Burrows voted against us on Friday. They refused to accept our taxpayer dollars back from the federal government for our family planning services which provide us and our neighbors with cancer screenings, STD screenings, birth control, and pre-natal care to name a few. Lack of screening leads to disease. Lack of birth control leads to pregnancy or abortion.
Hundreds of people took off work for three long meetings last week to voice their support for Family Planning funds, which do not include abortion. Since two of them were Board of Health meetings, only Mr. Burrows was required to be there. Ms. Foss and Mr. Stoltz, who also voted against accepting the funds, missed 5+/- hours of testimony from the public, even though they were invited to attend and hear from their constituents.
The family planning office will be closed for good on September 30th, next week. Patients who have appointments on October 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. will have to scramble for an appointment. It takes a minimum of 6 weeks to get an appointment in Missoula, someplace that they can afford, not to mention time and transportation costs. Ms. Foss, Mr. Stoltz and Mr. Burrows voted to close down a clinic within 30 days without offering anything to replace it.
The money that you already paid to Washington on April 15 will be sent back to the state by our commissioners. Your rising insurance costs will be thanks to Ms. Foss who said that Marcus Daly Hospital will have to absorb the costs of the preventative care of the 400+ patients who need someplace to go.
Remember these votes.
They voted against you. Vote against them. Vote against Suzy Foss in 2014. Vote against Ron Stoltz in 2014. Vote against Jeff Burrows in 2014.
If you need cancer screening or family planning services, please call the commissioners at:
Ms. Foss: 375-6510
Mr. Stoltz: 375-6509
Mr. Burrows: 375-6503
375-6500 – Please also call this main mailbox so that your call will be noted in the public record.
Email: commissioners@rc.mt.gov which will also be put in the public record.
Sarah Roubik
Corvallis