A Sense of Duty : Health professionals have teamed up with Glendale schools and hospitals to provide free medical care to needy youngsters.

GLENDALE —  Alexandra Platz, a school nurse, was concerned. As she conducted a routine dental checkup at an elementary school last year, student after student opened his mouth to reveal gaping black cavities and rotting teeth.

“Sweetie, can you eat?” Platz asked, again and again.

“I eat on the other side,” was the child’s usual reply.

“Out of about 1,000 students, something like 300 were in pain, with large holes in their teeth, black teeth and teeth falling out,” Platz said. “But if their parents don’t have enough money for food and clothing and are worried about the rent, a cavity may not seem like a priority.”

Some children whose teeth are in particularly bad shape are derisively called jack-o’-lanterns by their classmates. And dental problems aren’t the only ailments that Platz sees. Students suffering from ear infections, respiratory illnesses, severe allergies, swollen tonsils and vision problems also parade through her office.

“A school nurse cannot practice medicine, and we cannot prescribe or dispense medication,” Platz said. “But we are often the only people the children can turn to. A large, large number of families just cannot afford to pay for care and do not have insurance.”

Platz has often wished that every dentist and doctor in the community would provide free care to one or two needy youngsters a year. “What a difference it would make for the children,” she said.

It now looks as though her wish may come true.

Dozens of doctors, dentists and parents, along with the Glendale Unified School District and the city’s three hospitals--Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Verdugo Hills Hospital--have teamed up to provide free medical and dental care to children who would otherwise go without.

Called Healthy Kids, the collaborative effort was launched Oct. 3 in five elementary schools--Cerritos, Edison, La Crescenta, Mann and Marshall. The program, funded by donations and grants from the participating hospitals, is expected to cover every uninsured elementary, middle and high school student in Glendale within four years.

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Most of the children served by Healthy Kids have at least one employed parent, according to Carrie Reynolds, executive director.

“This program is intended for kids who fall between the cracks--children of the working poor,” she said. “Their families may live above the federal poverty level, and they do not qualify for welfare or Medi-Cal, but they don’t get insurance through their work and cannot afford to pay for private insurance.”

Students may be referred to Healthy Kids by a teacher, principal or school nurse. With the parent’s consent, an appointment will be made with a participating physician or dentist.

“With all the doctors in this town, we should be able to serve the kids who are not getting served,” said Dr. Janet Cunningham, the program’s medical adviser. “It’s really tragic to see children going without basic health care. I remember people saying, ‘Doctors will never volunteer to do this kind of thing,’ but all we had to do was ask them.”

Lab tests and X-rays, if necessary, are donated by the three hospitals. PTA members and other parents provide transportation to families who need a ride to the doctor’s office.

“Parents drive their kids to soccer, to the Scouts, to music lessons--so what’s one more ride?” said volunteer driver Joylene Wagner, a Glendale mother of three. “It feels good to help, and it is good for my children to see that helping people is part of our job as human beings. The whole country is trying to wrestle with the need for medical care, and I am pleased that the Glendale community is addressing the need. There’s a great collaborative movement afoot.”

About 40 doctors and three dentists have joined Healthy Kids, according to Reynolds.

“That’s enough to start with,” she said, “but I am hoping to recruit more than 100 doctors and at least 50 dentists. My goal is to serve at least 300 kids between now and June 30.”

* Maryann Hammers writes regularly for The Times.

WHERE TO GO

What: Volunteers for Healthy Kids, which provides free dental and medical care for needy children.

Who: Physicians, dentists and other health care workers are needed, as well as volunteer drivers, translators and office workers.

Call: (818) 241-3111, Ext. 500.