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Filling a health care gap Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Jackson Elementary School kindergartner Juan Pablo Mendoza gets an ear exam from community health nurse Phyllis Wetzel at the Kids Health Connection office Tuesday. The program, which provides free health care to low-income children at Jackson and Washington elementary schools, is expanding next fall to include Oak Grove. A program that's making a difference in two Medford schools is about to expand By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune It was a typical Tuesday morning at the Kids Health Connection office in Medford's Jackson Elementary School: one ear infection, one pierced-earlobe infection, one big toe infection, two sore throats and a well-child check. But five years after its inception, patients and proponents of the program that provides free health care at two - and soon three - low-income schools say there's still nothing typical about the service. "It makes all the difference in the world for fixing immediate health care needs," said Karen Holt, newly hired administrative director for the program that has logged more than 8,000 visits since 1997. "Especially for the population that has no health care provider. This is it." Based at Jackson and Washington elementary schools in west Medford, the program last year reached nearly 900 children with services ranging from Tylenol and Band-Aids to diagnosis and referral for serious disorders. Dental care, mental health care, education and immunizations are also part of the effort that began as a joint venture with Providence Medford Medical Center, Asante Health System and the Medford School District and soon grew to include a $430,000 annual budget. Providence and Asante still provide most of the funding, with some help from grants. Now, the program is expanding again. Holt, a former top-level manager at Community Works of Medford, has been hired to manage the program and direct fund raising, formerly a contracted service. Next fall, a new center with a $252,000 budget is scheduled to open at Oak Grove Elementary School, bringing improvements already well-documented at other sites. "It's unbelievable," said Stephanie Johnson, principal at Washington Elementary School. "It's a small office area, but the rewards are enormous." In schools where 80 percent qualify for free- and reduced-rate lunches, where 40 percent have no health insurance, where more than 40 percent live below federal poverty levels and more than half are on public assistance, the program provides what's often the only link to adequate care. For Lidia Mendoza, a Medford mother of eight, the program means 6-year-old Juan Pablo checks out OK for kindergarten. His ears and eyes are fine, community health nurse Phyllis Wetzel said, but he could use a trip to the dental hygienist. "We even have a contract with a taxi service so they can get there," said Corina Gabriel, office manager at Jackson Elementary School. Overall, the program helps keep kids in school, said Tom Ettel, principal at Jackson. "For parents of kids who are sick a lot, we say, 'Come with us downstairs,' " he said. "For parents of kids with serious medical issues, this is really comforting." For more information about the Kids Health Connection, call 842-3770 or 842-3860. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.