San Jose Mercury News
The Valley
March 12 , 2001

Picnic for children's health initiative
turns into celebration of success
By Jessie Mangaliman

Amy Dean slashed open packages of turkey hot dogs Sunday to kick off Santa Clara County's effort to insure every one of its children, but she knew she wouldn't have enough to feed everyone who showed up.

Event organizers thought they'd need hot dogs and children's games to lure families to be recruited for the program. But outreach for the first-of-its-kind effort has been so successful, the kickoff picnic turned into a celebration instead.

More than 2,000 people turned out for the gathering at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in East San Jose, including families who qualified for affordable health insurance for their children for the first time.

"This program is filling a very necessary need in the community. It's not about hand-outs. It's about uniting in the common hopes and aspirations of people," said Dean, president of the South Bay Labor Council, and one of many community leaders who helped organize Sunday's event.

The goal is to provide low-cost health insurance for Santa Clara's 71,000 uninsured children. Last week, program officials announced that in just two months, more than 5,000 uninsured children had been enrolled since the program started. That's more than eight times the number of children they expected in the program's first
six months, said Maritza Calvillo, co-chairwoman of People Acting in Community Together, a faith-based group that rallied family support for the program.

It is the first such program in the country to extend low-cost medical and dental insurance to children of needy families who don't qualify for other state and federal health insurance programs. Families that make two and a half times the federal income poverty level qualify. For example, a family of four with a household income of $43,000 a year is eligible.

The program will be administered under the Santa Clara Family Health Plan, the county medical Health Maintenance Organization.

Recently, San Francisco County took steps toward a similar plan, and state officials are looking to use Santa Clara County as a model for other California communities.

"Today is a miracle," Calvillo proclaimed Sunday. Calvillo invoked the memory of labor activist Cesar Chavez, who inspired farm-workers to strike for better wages and living conditions.

The Children's Health Initiative is in many ways a similar cause for human rights and justice, Calvillo said.

"We're well on our way and very proud," she said.

For a young mother such as Josefina Rodriguez, a 17-year-old high school senior from East San Jose, buying health insurance for her 17-month-old daughter Aylene Resendiz is out of the question. She still lives with her parents, working as a part-time flea market clerk, while finishing high school.

"This is the only way I can insure her," she said Sunday while waiting to sign up for the program. Hundreds of parents with children stood in line waiting for the same chance.

Mitch Jile and his son Taylor, 9, also of San Jose, stood holding all the necessary paperwork inside a plastic sandwich bag.

"When my kids got sick, I paid cash," Jile said.

Jile, 37, an auto mechanic, was disqualified from Medi-Cal eight months ago because his income inched above the threshold. He said he could not afford the $200 a month to insure Taylor and his other son, Brandon, 6.

Jile said he hoped to qualify under the new county program that would allow families to pay no more than $18 a month to insure their children.

"I am so proud of this community for working so hard to make this come true," said U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, Mayor Ron Gonzales, who initially opposed the idea of health insurance for children in the county, was on hand, too.

"We knew the need was there, and today confirms for us how great this need really is," Calvillo said.

If you're interested Call Children's Health Initiative at (888) 244-5222