JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville’s Chief Health Officer is raising concerns about the future of Healthlink Jax, a pilot program that gives free health services to Jacksonville residents without insurance.

Dr. Sunil Joshi says if the city council’s finance committee’s budget cuts are approved in September, the program will go away, and thousands of residents could be at risk of losing access to medical care.

“Healthink Jax is a way for us to keep uninsured people out of the emergency room for relatively minor health related issues, because a lot of people who don't have health insurance also don't have a primary care doctor so they go to the emergency room as their source of primary care,” Joshi said.

The program uses telehealth to provide patients with initial screenings, f

See Full Page