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“I think you’ll find that opportunity with the free clinic,” Jay assured her.
“I didn’t really think that there would be many lower-income people in a town like Serenity.”
Jay shrugged. “Sadly, there is poverty everywhere. It was why my parents started the clinic. They saw a need and moved to fill it.”
“Do you have a similar outlook as your parents?” Misha asked.
CHAPTER NINE
Misha wasn’t sure if Jay was going to answer her, but she was super curious. Of the family members associated with the clinic, he seemed the least invested in it.
“I totally support the clinic.” He didn’t say it with any sort of defensiveness, so at least he hadn’t taken offense to her question. “I just don’t have an upfront role to play in it the way the others do.”
“Do you track the expenses of the free clinic?” she asked.
A smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “I trackallexpenses. That’s my job.”
“I would like to be informed on what the costs for running the clinic would be.” Misha didn’t think finances should trump patient care, but a negative bottom line would affect all patients if the clinic had to cut services to save money.
“I can certainly go over those with you.”
“But you’re okay with me wanting to expand the non-money-making part of the clinic?”
Jay leaned forward, folding his arms in front of him on the desk. “The clinic isn’t about making our family rich. Of course, we need it to make enough money to cover expenses and have enough to set aside for new equipment as needed.”
Misha was glad to hear that. At her previous clinic, prior to her working there, the person in charge of the finances had been accused of embezzling funds. Thankfully, they’d been replaced by someone who had been very transparent, answering any questions that were put to them.
“I have a deep appreciation for clinics that are set up to help those who might not get health care otherwise,” Jay said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for a free clinic.”
“What do you mean?”
Jay shifted in his seat. “My birth mom met my adopted mom at a clinic in a low income area of Seattle. My mom—Cathy—worked there for a bit, and my mom volunteered, cleaning rooms in between patients and stuff like that. Somehow, they struck up a friendship and continued to keep in contact, even after Cathy and Dan returned to Serenity. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, Cathy was there for her.” Jaylen grimaced as he said her first name again. “Sorry, just trying to keep from getting them confused. Anyway, Cathy was instrumental in getting my mom medical help during that time.”
“I wondered how you ended up with the Halversons.”
Jay nodded. “All the legalities were done before my mom died. So I understand the importance of those types of clinics and the connections that are made there.”
“Do the same people come regularly to the one here?” Misha asked.
“That’s probably a question better asked of Aria and Janessa. But I would imagine so. Especially the ones with children.”
“And the gift packs? Have you always done those?”
“As long as I can remember. The packs have increased in contents recently, however,” Jay said. “That has been something of a project for Aria and Janessa.”
“And that’s factored into the budget?”
Jay didn’t answer right away, his brow furrowing. “Did someone tell you that I’m obsessed with the expenses of the clinic?”
“Uh… maybe?” Misha didn’t want to upset him, but she also needed to know if he was going to push back on things she might propose that would cost money.
“Of course,” he said with a nod. “They’re correct that I am focused on the expenses of the clinic. Maybe they see it as obsessed, but I view it as being diligent. I believe that it’s prudent to keep a close eye on expenses so that we’re not spending more money than we need to. Doing that means that when we need to spend money on unexpected things, it’s available.”
“So it’s not that you don’t want to spend money,” she said.
“No, it’s not that. It’s that I don’t want to spend money frivolously. So I ask people to source out things they want to spend money on to make sure we’re getting the best deal. And if someone can prove to me why they need to spend money on something beyond what we usually buy, I’m not going to shoot them down.”
“I can understand that.”
