GLENDALE : Needy Students to Get Free Health Care

Going to school with a toothache because their families can’t afford a dentist may become a thing of the past for children with a new program being put together by Glendale health professionals and school district officials.

Healthy Kids is a nonprofit program sponsored by three local hospitals, calling themselves the Glendale Hospital Coalition, and the school district. It will provide medical, dental and mental health services to children from low-income families who are not adequately covered by insurance.

Though the program is only in its infancy, organizers say they expect to soon begin treating eligible students at five elementary schools.

“The program will improve the quality of life for many children in Glendale by providing medical services that were previously inaccessible,” said Carrie Reynolds, the program’s executive director.

Initially, the Healthy Kids program will be available only to students at Cerritos, Edison, La Crescenta, Mann and Marshall elementary schools.

The campuses were selected because they serve students from some of the city’s lowest-income neighborhoods, officials said.

If the pilot program is a success in its first year, organizers plan to expand it to some of the 12 other elementary schools in the district, depending on the availability of funds, Reynolds said.

The program has already enlisted a number of physicians, dentists and mental health professionals who have volunteered to provide free services to children identified with acute or chronic problems.

School teachers and principals who identify students with these problems will send them to the school nurse, who will determine whether the child should be referred to a doctor.

Cerritos Principal Kim Bishop said her school, located in southern Glendale, has “a significant number of families that are not receiving dental care or have unmet health needs” and will undoubtedly benefit once the program is fully operational.

“We’re already starting to make referrals,” Bishop said. “If kids come to school and their teeth are hurting, or they have other health problems on their mind, they’re not going to learn.”

The program will be overseen by a board of directors with representatives from Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Memorial Hospital, Verdugo Hills Hospital, the school district, the city and local business people.

Its offices will be located at the district headquarters. For more information, call (818) 241-3111.