Choices

​CHOICES was originally created by the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and supported by residents of Alachua County via a voter-approved local referendum in August, 2004.  The enabling state legislation, Florida Statute Chapter 212, allows counties to levy a special sales tax to fund health care needs. A one-quarter (0.25) per cent special sales tax was levied by Alachua County for a 7-year period.  Sales tax revenue collections began in January of 2005 and ended in December, 2011.

With the "sunset" of this special sales tax, the remaining proceeds were subsequently used to create a CHOICES Trust Fund.  Trust proceeds were anticipated to generate available income to help meet targeted health care needs in our community for an approximate 10-year period.  This included the creation of a competitive health services grant award program also referred to as "CHOICES" and administered by the Department of Community Support Services.

The CHOICES Grant Award Program is designed to assist uninsured residents by providing grant funding in the amount of $465,000 annually to health care providers in Alachua County, so as to help ensure the stable provision of quality health care services to eligible County citizens.  Funding is currently designated by the BoCC to address community health care needs in the areas of medical services, oral and dental health, and behaviorial health.