Hundreds turn out for free health checkup in Santa Rosa

<p>Hundreds of uninsured children received free checkups, immunizations, dental exams and health care information Sunday at Kaiser Permanente’s fourth annual Neighbors in Health day in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Kaiser officials braced for a possible onslaught of patients this year because of the economic downturn and cuts in government funding for health care. But just less than 400 children were seen, down from about 500 last year, Kaiser spokesman David Ebright said.</p><p>The event, sponsored by United Way, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County and The Press Democrat, drew uninsured families from at least as far away as San Jose.</p><p>Santa Rosa residents Olivia Gonzalez and her husband, Saul Bucio, brought in their four children, ages 4 to 11, with their school immunization records.</p><p>Kaiser pediatrician Dr. Ari Hauptman performed a basic physical examine on all four, checking eyes, ears, throats and growth rates.</p><p>Switching seamlessly between English and Spanish, Hauptman reassured the parents that their children were in good physical shape and referred them to the dental clinic and the immunization center a few doors down.</p><p>“They have four healthy kids, they just don’t have a medical home,” he said. “That’s one of the main questions we ask people, ‘Do you have a medical home?’<TH>”</p><p>That, he explained, means a regular doctor with whom they have a relationship and who guides their medical care.</p><p>Hauptman said for many of the families, vision care and dental health are lacking because even for the insured those services aren’t always covered.</p><p>“Why does one 8-year-old’s family have insurance and another one doesn’t? It’s not the kids’ fault the family doesn’t have insurance,” he said, hopeful that current federal efforts to restructure the health care system make such fairs unnecessary.</p><p>“I’m very grateful because we don’t have very much money and everything is provided free,” Bucio said after his children received a clean bill of health.</p><p>In past years, about 25 percent of the children seen were eligible to be covered by some form of insurance, Kaiser officials said.</p><p>An informational fair in Kaiser’s Old Redwood Highway parking lot connected families with community and government services that they may be eligible for but just didn’t know existed. Booths included information about healthy eating, active living and health-themed games.</p><p>About 500 volunteers staffed the Kaiser offices and shepherded families to their next checkup location.</p><p>Heather Cabrera of Santa Rosa waited in one of the offices for information about which immunizations her 5-year-old son will need before entering kindergarten. She brought all four of her children, ages 2 through 7.</p><p>She said she isn’t covered by Medi-Cal, and insurance from her job won’t kick in until next month.</p><p>“We haven’t been insured for over a year,” she said. “This is great. It’s awesome.</p><p>“Some people say you don’t thank doctors because they’re just doing their jobs. But for every single doctor, I’ve said, ‘Thank you, thank you.’<TH>”</p><p>She said the doctor who saw her son for asthma even gave her his card and said to call him in a couple weeks to emsure her son is improving.</p><p>Emmanuel Gonzalez and Susana Barba of San Jose heard about the fair on TV and rushed to Santa Rosa to ensure their daughter Ariana, 4, has the proper vaccinations for a school appointment today.</p><p>Although her parents were thankful the fair was available, Ariana wasn’t so enthused, wailing and sobbing with each of her four vaccinations. Even the bubble-blowing toy offered by a nurse afterward wasn’t much consolation.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 568-5312 or email at lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com</p>