Rea plan becomes center of debate

Deirdre Newman

WESTSIDE -- A plan by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to

place a health center at Rea Elementary School has raised the ire of

some residents who are concerned about whether the center will be a

positive, or disastrous, addition to their neighborhood.

The district has joined in a collaboration with the Children’s

Hospital of Orange County to address the health needs of students.

The center calls for a 4,800-square-foot building to replace the

current Healthy Start facility next to the school campus. It would

provide free medical care to children up to age 17.

The school board considered the center at its meeting on July 16

and voted 3-1 in favor, with Martha Flour abstaining because she is

on the CHOC Foundation for Children.

But rather than going ahead with the plan, they agreed to a

suggestion by Flour that since only five board members were present,

the issue be held off until the board’s Aug. 27 meeting.

The right place for aid

As planned, the center is expected to handle 9,000 doctors visits

annually by its third year. The district would lease the building to

CHOC for $12 a year, and the center would be funded by about a

million dollars from Proposition 10, the 1998 initiative that

collects money from the sale of tobacco products for early childhood

development programs across the state. It would serve Westside

children, regardless of their race, financial situation or legal

status, officials say, in order to meet the district and CHOC’s

belief that a child’s health is part and parcel of the ability to

learn.

“We don’t have [health care] as our primary mission, but we have

to do part as a partner to make sure kids are healthy,” said Supt.

Robert Barbot said. “Obviously the state realizes that or we wouldn’t

be doing immunizations and spinal checks. It’s a matter of degree. If

we put tires on our trucks, that doesn’t mean we’re in the tire

business.”

The district was one of the first to apply for Healthy Start

funding -- a state and federal program that offers screening

services, but does not provide sick care. It also maintains a nursing

staff, nutritionists and early intervention and prevention programs.

CHOC already works with the district to provide healthcare to

children in the neighborhood of Whittier Elementary School with a

mobile health clinic that visits twice a month.

According to district officials, the need for the center is acute.

Of 14,228 children under the age of 18, 2,700 are Medi-Cal eligible

and an estimated 2,100 are uninsured, district officials say.

For that reason, the Westside location is touted as “ideal” by

CHOC officials.

Not so perfect

But that opinion is not universal. A handful of vocal Westside

residents say the location is anything but ideal. They have launched

a litany of complaints against the center, foremost of which is their

charge that their opinions were not solicited during the planning

stage.

“I think a lot of people feel this just came up all of a sudden,

and we have not had a lot of involvement in it,” said Allan Mansoor,

who is planning a run City Council this fall and was in the middle of

a debate on the city’s Human Relations Committee about posts he made

to a now-defunct Web site devoted to Costa Mesa issues.

But opponents knew enough to show up at the board meeting and

harangue the trustees, transforming the normally civil proceedings

into a hostile environment by speaking out of turn and causing

President Judy Franco to note to the police presence in the

boardroom.

Some of their other complaints include worries about an increase

in traffic, fear that the clinic will serve non-district patients and

anxiety that the center will deteriorate their neighborhood.

“This is an absurd idea,” said Martin Mallard, a Westside resident

often noted for his contentious views on immigrants. “You should not

be doing this, especially not to the Westside, a high-crime area,

absolutely beleaguered with social and criminal problems.”

Another side to the argument

The clinic does have its supporters in the community, though.

Jean Forbath, a 41-year Costa Mesa resident, said the center fits

in perfectly with the neighborhood’s desire to improve itself.

“What better way than to provide adequate health care for all of

our children?” Forbath asked.

Eva Maria, who sits on the board of Save Our Youth, which is

dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and providing them with

guidance and assistance, said the constant focus on the Westside’s

flaws are misguided.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing people saying how bad the Westside

is,” Maria said. “It has a lot of good points. I hope the [center] is

approved because it will benefit the community.”

Reconsidering the issue in August will give the district time to

examine and respond to the residents’ concerns, Barbot said. The

board is considering the issue at this time in order to meet CHOC’s

goal of having the center open by June 2003.

David Brooks, the trustee who voted against the center, said he

was concerned about an increase in traffic and wanted to explore

other possible sites. He also said he would like the board to have

more time to examine the impacts on the neighborhood.

In response to concerns about the quality of life on the Westside,

Barbot said the district will not let the perceived climate of the

area influence its plans.

“It’s not our goal to be in conflict with the community, but where

conflicts exists, we just walked into it,” Barbot said. “We’re not

going to walk away from problems with kids just because someone may

not like it. We’re going to do both -- help our kids and help the

community.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.