Children's Health Initiative making an impact in Napa

By PAT STANLEY, Register Staff Writer

The doctor is in for hundreds of children who families previously were unable to afford healthcare.

Parents of children at McPherson, Carneros and Pueblo Vista elementary schools, where Napa's Children's Health Initiative was launched, have been quick to sign up for affordable medical, vision and dental health insurance.

Cristina Abarca, whose 13-year-old son Diego suffers from acute hearing loss, said the recently launched program has opened doors. Abarca moved to Napa from Mexico just six months ago.

"I was lost. I didn't know what to do and it was very hard for me," she said through interpreter Martha Lopez, who works closely with the health program at McPherson Elementary School. "Diego is finally getting the help he needs."

CHI's Napa County president, Connie Battisti, estimates there are nearly 4,000 uninsured children in Napa County. About 70 percent of those children are eligible for programs such as Medical or Healthy Families. The balance, she said, can now be enrolled in Napa's new Healthy Kids program.

"There's no wrong door for families," she said.

Battisti championed the effort to provide healthcare for as many local children as possible, drawing support from the county, the Napa Valley Vintners and others. The program, launched in 2005, is now funded for three years.

Lucila Saldivar said the new program will help her diabetic son. "I don't have money for medicine," she said.

"It's very supportive and friendly," added Blanca Padilla, who has two boys and a girl. "They don't discriminate."

Cecilia Castaneda, who moved here from Mexico less than a year ago, said she had found it was "impossible to figure how to take (her two daughters) to a doctor." She found herself in a strange land, but CHI has helped keep her girls healthy.

School nurse Nyda Delageane embraced the program. "A healthy child learns much better," she said.

Delageane is working with parents so they can better understand the importance of preventative health care. Good health, she said, is painted with a broad brush. "It includes an awareness of such things as emotional issues, peer pressure or anxiety, sports physicals, dental health, and eating disorders. Sleeping is important, too," she said. "All of those factors will impact a child's participation in school."

Battisti noted there is a state-wide effort to ensure every child is insured and has access to healthcare. A ballot to accomplish this is expected in November. Last year, the governor vetoed legislation that would have created such a statewide child healthcare.

Battisti estimated about 800,000 California children do not have health insurance, and said that is a serious healthcare problem. "That creates issues around quality of life and a child's ability to learn," she said. "The community itself is impacted if we don't have good healthcare and access to such care."

"This takes an enormous burden off parents," said Lisa Toller of Napa's NewLevel Group, a professional management company working hand-in-hand with CHI.

In the beginning...

CHI's new executive director, Mark Diel, said more than 180 children were enrolled during the pilot phase of the organization's effort, which targeted students enrolled at McPherson, Pueblo Vista and Carneros schools. The initial phase is in collaboration with the Napa Valley Unified School District, and will wind down at the end of March.

Next, Diel said, CHI will move Upvalley, where Calistoga children will be enrolled with the help of Calistoga Family Resource Center.

The program is offered for children under 19. To qualify, a family must earn between zero and 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is $58,050.

According to CHI, children without healthcare insurance are four times more likely to delay seeking care, five times more likely to use an emergency room as a regular source of care, six times less likely to fill a prescription due to its cost, and 10 times less likely to have a regular healthcare provider.

All this, said Diel, translates into added expense for the general public.

CHI also said regular access to primary care decreases the expense of emergency room treatment and thus lowers costs for employers and taxpayers. It also slows the spread of disease. Parents miss fewer days of work.

Children with health insurance perform better and miss less school, according to CHI.

An April 2005 study commissioned by the California Endowment revealed Napa County would receive an additional estimated annual state and federal revenue of nearly $1.9 million a year if all uninsured children were enrolled for healthcare.

Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd explained those funds are in the form of federal and state aid and are available through Medical and Healthy Families.

CHI is funded with public and private sources, including grants and donations. Major funders include the Napa Valley Vintners, First Five Napa County, the County of Napa, California Endowment, and Queen of the Valley Hospital.

"That's another example of how Napa County rises to the challenges by taking the best of its private sector and working with the public sector ... to benefit our citizens," Dodd said.

Looking to the future

"We now have three years of funding, but we need funding for the long term," Diel said.

CHI hopes to reach 700 children by the end of its third year.

"These are our kids. Society is responsible for these children," he said. "We need to make sure that they are covered."

Diel earned a master's degree in public health from the University of Hawaii. Before assuming the Napa job in February, he worked with child health programs for the Yolo County Health Department. Diel, 34, has also worked with a health insurance nonprofit agency in the Los Angeles.

"I've always been interested in the health of our children," he said. "This position seemed like a natural for me."

Diel said under CHI, families pay $4 to $15 per month per child, with a cap of $45 a month for families with three or more children. He said if they can't afford the low premiums, other funding will be provided.

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