1000 Lee Specialty Clinic patients who received discharge papers telling them to seek care elsewhere.

Our June Lefler spoke to one of those patients yesterday who says he's hoping to return to the clinic after today's funding announcement.

32 year old Zachary Sibley has been living on his own for a year and a half.

So then I moved out here and got my own place, and it's been great just for freedom and independence because I didn't think I could do it at first.

But my uncles and my cousin, my buddies were like, they should do it.

Like, you can.

Get in his own studio was the right choice.

And Zach says so was seeking primary care at the Lee's Specialty clinic nearly a decade ago.

And seeing it are all just and then looking at a psychiatrist, the dentist, ophthalmologist.

I call it a shopping center of doctors because they're all just there.

Zach has a form of muscular dystrophy.

It's like I can't walk because, like, my leg muscles are weak and my arms, like, can like that or do.

Strange.

So I can't lift up, like, heavy objects or anything.

All patients at the Lee clinic have some physical or intellectual disability.

That means the doctors and therapists there are accustomed to their unique needs.

We have, like, different challenges.

Most doctors are kind of like, treat you like a normal patient.

On this day, Zach called on the local public bus service to pick him up and take him to a dermatologist.

Not at the Lee clinic, though.

Zach relies on this essential transportation service.

It's still out of his control, and most doctors will only grant him a ten minute grace period if he's late.

But not at the Lee clinic.

Saul.

Sarah, who was my otey?

And she's probably the best therapist I've had, but, like, Sarah, like, went out of her way to, like, change the schedule.

Like, if my stepdad, who was driving me at the time, couldn't make it because he had a doctor's appointment for my mom or something that was going on because he was driving, she would rearrange your schedule to make sure I got in like, no matter what.

Pretty much.

The clinics helped Zach outfit his home to make it more accessible.

Like, she's really good at, like, helping me and going out of her way to do it.

And you might think any dentist could treat Zach.

His teeth aren't any different, but he says dentists often force him out of his wheelchair when he rather not.

Yeah.

I'm, I don't like being lifted.

I got, like, a fear of falling.

At the Lee clinic.

Every time I go in to make room for me to just pull my hair up and lean back and work with me.

Following today's funding announcement, Zach says he's confident the clinic will welcome him and 1000 other patients back that come next year.

If nothing changes, he expects another notice telling him to seek care elsewhere.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Jenn Lefler.

The Council on Developmental Disabilities told KETV it wants recurring funding codified into Kentucky law.

Governor Beshear said severe cuts were made to the special day clinic because many other state programs are legally required to continue.