As PEP went to press, DC 37 and a health care coalition were making progress in the fight to save 27 HHC clinics slated to close May 15 in low-income communities that need them most.

But there was good news for the Sydenham clinic as the City Council agreed to keep it open by providing funds to met rising rent bills.

The union urged Gov. George E. Pataki and officials of the State Dept. of Health to abort the plan of the Health and Hospitals Corp. to shut the clinics. DOH quickly delayed the closings by directing HHC to come up with a better alternative care plan for the thousands who would be affected.

The target clinics are in housing projects and public schools. The Bronx would lose 10 clinics, Manhattan, five, Queens, eight, Brooklyn, three, and Staten Island, one.

“We explained that HHC has no plan to compensate for lost services. If these clinics close and patients are sent to emergency rooms for treatment, medical costs will spike,” said Michael Keogh, an associate director in the DC 37 Political Action and Legislation Dept.

DC 37, health care professionals and community activists argue that these clinics are overcrowded and under-funded. Their services should be expanded, not discontinued.

The clinics at PS 7 and PS 86 in Queens, both slated to close, have the largest number of ChildHealth Plus enrollees in the city. Current staffing standards dictate that even the smallest clinic, get just one part-time doctor who sees up to 600 patients.

“The state’s demands are forcing HHC to rethink the matter,” Mr. Keogh said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”