POTTSVILLE -- The Schuylkill Alliance for Health Care Access has been helping people in Schuylkill County with medical bills for more than a decade, but now the non-profit organization needs the community's help.
The alliance helps about 900 people in Schuylkill County considered the "working poor," meaning they make too much for Medicaid insurance, but don't make enough to qualify for the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, they pay a small fee and are able to see participating doctors at a lower cost.
Recently the organization did not have the resources to come up with enough grant money.
At the start of this week, the alliance had barely enough money to run the organization for another three months.
"We have many clients who would not be able to afford insulin, blood pressure medication, or a whole host of services that prevent them from costly emergency room visits," said Shannon Brennan, a board member for the Schuylkill Alliance for Health Care Access.
The executive director of the alliance said it doesn't even have enough money to pay rent to the building they're currently staying in on Second Street in Pottsville. She hopes to get enough money in grants and donations to stay here or that a new place will offer their services for free.
"We're still in the process of trying to find some free rental space. If we could cut our overhead expenses down then we can certainly keep the organization going," said Brennan.
When businesses like the Greystone Restaurant in Pottsville and McCann School of Business heard about the alliance's financial woes, they responded.
"The Schuylkill Health Alliance is a very worthwhile entity and a very much needed entity in Schuylkill County," said Jerry Labooty from the Greystone Restaurant.
The Greystone will give some of it's proceeds from its annual Mardi Gras event on February 17 to the alliance.
But the owner said he know other businesses in Schuylkill County will want to help the non-profit too.
"We meet that challenge and we help all those in need," said Labooty.
The Schuylkill Alliance for Health Care Access hopes to raise enough money to operate at least through the end of the year.
