Children’s Hospital health clinic discussion continues

Questions that should be asked (“Rea clinic decision postponed by

district,” Aug. 10):

1. How many nonprofit organizations already exist in Costa Mesa?

The number of those, which I believe is 200 or 300, should definitely

be pointed out in the meetings; where those organizations are,

whether they are in Eastside Costa Mesa, Westside Costa Mesa, or Mesa

Verde (yeah, right); the type of nonprofit service provided. All to

get a complete picture of what Costa Mesa already provides nonprofit

permits for.

2. Why is it that people who want to put their favorite charities

or nonprofits in Costa Mesa never live in the areas where they want

to put those organizations? The least of the requirements for a

permit should be that whoever suggested CHOC be placed at Rea

Elementary School, as an example, should live within 100 feet of the

location himself or herself. Let’s see how they like it then.

3. How is Hamilton Street, between Placentia and Pomona avenues

and Harbor Boulevard, going to handle the additional vehicle or foot

traffic?

The newspaper reported an estimated 9,000 visits a year to a CHOC

clinic at the Rea school site. If the clinic is open an average of

250 days a year, that is 30 visits a day. How many of those visits

include extra vehicles? We certainly know that 30 visits a day

probably equals 60 or more additional people a day. And unless

everyone is living with their heads in the sand -- which by the way

seems to be the likely scenario of anyone living outside this area

who wants to put yet another nonprofit here -- we all know that 9,000

visits is an underestimate. In the first place, that is more than

likely a deliberately low estimate. In the second place, that number

will increase exponentially fairly quickly.

S. WERNER

Costa Mesa

As Costa Mesa residents, we are dismayed by some of the comments

made by a few of our neighbors about the proposed Rea health center.

Some have expressed their opposition to the proposed center because

of their fear that its existence will draw low-income residents to

Westside Costa Mesa.

These fears seem unfounded. The Rea center will serve only

pediatric patients. The children that will benefit from the center’s

services already live in Westside Costa Mesa. The 2000 U.S. census

found 15,761 children ages 0 to 17 in the 92627 ZIP Code. The

children who reside in this area are here because their parents can

find affordable housing and jobs; they are not drawn by the

availability of social services, as some have suggested.

In fact, although the California Department of Health Services

estimates that almost 4,000 of the children on the Westside are

eligible for Medi-Cal low-cost insurance, there are presently no

pediatricians in the 92627 ZIP Code that accept Medi-Cal.

We applaud the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and Children’s

Hospital of Orange County’s efforts to improve this situation. All,

we think, would agree that healthy children are more successful in

school and in turn grow into citizens that are more successful.

BILL AND NANCY SOUZA

Costa Mesa

I am in support of bringing the experts in children’s medical

services -- CHOC -- here to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

to help our children in need. I am speaking for myself only, but in

my work as chairman of the board of Save Our Youth, which serves an

average of 100 Costa Mesa teenagers a night, I see the need for

medical services for our children who often do not receive it.

Many do not have medical insurance, and others have parents that

work late or far away or can’t afford to take off work to take them

to a clinic. What a wonderful opportunity to have such a professional

organization so close to our children that need it the most. I don’t

understand the controversy, when we have the opportunity to improve

the quality of life for our children.

CESAR CAPPELLINI

Newport Beach

What reasoning would support the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District’s proposal to build a free health care center at Rea

Elementary School?

Our immigration laws are indeed already being violated. Building a

CHOC health center would be one more step in providing additional

assistance for the masses of illegal immigrants who would be using

the center. They have already performed an illegal act by entering

our country without government approval. It would invite and

encourage more to do the same.

If the CHOC health center is built, I for one of the many other

like me would no longer make financial contributions to CHOC nor

would I support that organization in any way.

Maria Garcia wrote that she doesn’t blame Chris Steel for being

frustrated over what our intolerable system has done to our city

(“CHOC health center debate still lingers,” Aug. 7). I agree.

Doesn’t anybody know that illegal means against the law?

LOUISA T. ARNOLD

Costa Mesa