Grant will aid eligible patients

Community Clinic patients affiliated with the county’s Medical

Services for Indigents program will be eligible for free diagnostics

services through a pilot program funded by South Coast Medical

Center.

Officials of the county, Community Clinic and South Coast Medical

Center announced on Tuesday the $25,000 hospital grant fills a gap in

the services provided by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

“The county through the health care agency has insurance programs

for the indigent, but we could not provide out-patient diagnostic

services,” said agency Director Julie Poulson. “The county was trying

to figure ways to serve this [indigent] community and keep them out

of the emergency rooms.”

Until this program, indigent patients had to go to the emergency

room for diagnostic services and pay for the services. Under the new

program, fees will be waived for patients referred to the hospital by

the clinic for such services as MRIs and CT scans.

Poulson credited Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Wilson with

initiating the project, but he gave the credit to the hospital.

“It’s my pleasure to be here to celebrate this pilot project,”

said Wilson, who serves on the hospital and hospital foundation

boards. “But I was just the messenger. The idea came from the

hospital.”

The program is believed to be the first of its kind initiated by a

county hospital.

No mention was made of plans to move the center from Laguna Beach.

“We are fortunate in this community to have concerned people,”

said Gary Irish hospital chief executive officer. “The community

clinic reflects that. We look forward to participating in an

organized, logical way to provide services for a selected

population.”

Laguna Beach Community Clinic was established in 1970 as a free

clinic and was licensed in 1985 as a community clinic. It now charges

patients on a sliding scale.

Medical Services for Indigents provides necessary medical care for

eligible county residents, ages 21 to 64, who have no other financial

resources for medical care. All 26 hospitals in the county with

emergency rooms have MSI contracts, according to a health care agency

report.

-- Barbara Diamond

Calvary Church hosting festival on Halloween

Calvary Evangelical Free Church will host a Halloween “Ball” at

Fellowship Hall.

There will be a Harvest Festival with refreshments, a square dance

exhibition and dancing.

The event for all ages will begin at 5 p.m. today. The exhibition

will begin at 6 p.m. Fellowship Hall is at 486 Legion St.

For more information, call (949) 494-6191.

American Legion hall hosting USO show

Laguna Beach American Legion Post 222 will host its sixth annual

USO show from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Veterans Memorial Community

Center, 384 Legion St.

There will be a live USO show performed by Pete Jacobs and the

Wartime Radio Revue.

The public is welcome. Those with military uniforms are encouraged

to wear them. There will be prizes for the best dressed, civilian and

military.

There will be hamburgers, hot dogs and soft. A $10 donation for

adults and $5 for children 12 and younger is requested.

Proceeds will be donated to American Legion-supported charities.

For more information, call (949) 376-6340. Reservations are

suggested.

Golf tournament fund-raiser on tap

The 11th annual SchoolPower Golf and Gourmet Classic fund-raiser

will take place Monday with tee time beginning at 10 a.m.

More than 200 golfers are expected to tee off for the classic at

the Cote de Caza Golf and Racquet Club for the event. Registration

fees and donations are likely to exceed the $100,000 goal with 80% of

the proceeds to go each Laguna school and the remaining will go

directly to the athletic department.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be catered.

Following the tournament a 4:30 p.m. is a cocktail reception and

silent auction. Registration fees for the event are $250 for golf and

dinner, $100 for cocktails and dinner only. For information, call

(949) 494-6811, e-mail schoolpower@jps.net or visit

www.lbschoolpower.com.

To get there from Laguna, take the Santa Ana Freeway south, exit

Oso Parkway. Proceed east on Oso Parkway about 5 miles. Turn Left on

Coto de Caza Dr. Turn right on Cantamar. Turn left on Vista del

Verde. Proceed to the Club at 25291 Vista del Verde.

Presidential candidate forums set

Who Do You Want for President in 2004?

Join a weekly discussion to voice your concerns, learn more about

issues and where the various presidential candidates stand on them.

Find out what you have in common with fellow citizens.

Meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays at the Neighborhood

Congregational Church, corner of St. Ann’s Drive and Glenneyre

Street.

For more information, call Peter at (949) 433-8891.

Two free flu clinics in Laguna Beach

South Coast Medical Center will sponsor two free flu vaccination

clinics in November. One at 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 8 at South Coast

Medical Center, 31872 Coast Highway, and one at 8 a.m. to noon

Monday, Nov. 10 at the Laguna Beach Senior Center, 384 Legion St.

South Coast Medical Center receives the vaccine serum from the

Orange County Health Care Agency and therefore follows the health

care agency’s guidelines for distribution of the vaccine.

The vaccine is for people at greatest risk for contacting the flu.

Immunizations are available for anyone 60 years or older, or any

adult or child with a serious medical condition.

For more information on these flu clinics, call (949) 499-1311

ext. 3553.

Women leaders to be honored

The American Assn. of University Women will hold its fifth

anniversary celebration of women leaders of Laguna Beach at 6:30 p.m.

on Nov. 10 at Tivoli Too, 777 Laguna Canyon Road.

This year’s honorees are Vivian Clekak, social justice; Dee

Challis-Davy, arts; Lola Gillebaard, quality of life advocacy; Nancy

Lawrence, diversity leadership; and Peggie Thomas and Pat Jamieson,

education leadership.

Clekak started Human Options in Laguna Beach in 1981, Challis-Davy

is director of the Pageant of the Masters, Gillebaard visits patients

in the hospitals, Lawrence started the Color It Orange program for

school children throughout the county and was a founder of the School

of Art and Design’s Designing Women. Thomas and Jamieson run the Help

A Child and Learning Club mentoring programs at El Morro Elementary

School.

The celebration social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. with Ed

Merrilees providing keyboard music and June Neptune, a 2001 honoree

and owner of Tivoli Too, providing champagne for all attendees.

For more information, call Carol Reynolds at (949) 497-0986 or

send a check for $35. to Katie Haven at 915 Hyde Court, Costa Mesa,

CA. 92626.

Luncheon to honor fire fighters

The Exchange Club of Laguna Beach and Century Exchange Club will

sponsor a lunch at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 13, at the Hotel Laguna, to honor

the Laguna Beach Fire Fighter and Reserve Fire Fighter of the Year.

The public is invited to attend and the cost of lunch is $20. For

more information, call (949) 499-8155.

Soroptimist wine fund-raiser set

Soroptimist International of Laguna Beach will host its fifth

annual event to support children in the arts. The Wine and Hors d’

oeuvres evening will be held at the Laguna Art Museum from 5:30 to 9

p.m. on Nov. 13. The cost is $35.

All proceeds will benefit the museum’s annual Imagination

Celebration, as well as the Museum’s Classroom Art Projects.

Throughout the evening docents will lead tours of the two newly

installed major ceramic exhibitions and also of the works of the

early Laguna painters.

Checks for $35 per person may be sent to SILB, PO Box 891, Laguna

Beach, CA 92652.

Antique Show and Sale set

The Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach will host an Antique Show and

Sale at the Woman’s Club on Nov. 15.

Local antique and collectible dealers will be on hand to sell

quality items. There will be an opportunity for the public to bring

in antiques for identification and for an informal appraisal of

value. All proceeds from this event will benefit the charitable

programs of the Woman’s Club.

The show and sale will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the club, 286

St. Ann’s Drive, at the corner of Glenneyre Street.

Those who would like to participate by selling their antiques and

collectibles may call the Woman’s Club at (949) 497-1200.

Sally’s Fund in

need of drivers

Sally’s Fund is looking for a drivers to transport seniors from

Laguna Beach to the daily senior lunch program at Legion Hall. The

job is 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday to Friday with possible

additional hours.

Empathy for the elderly, grocery shopping (list provided), light

lifting and a good DMV record are needed. Information: (949)

499-4100.

Meals-on-Wheels drivers are needed

Volunteer drivers and office workers are needed for the

Meals-on-Wheels program of South Coast Medical Center.

The drivers deliver meals to home-bound residents in Laguna Beach

and in a small portion of Laguna Niguel. Drivers are encouraged to

volunteer one day a month, more days if the driver is available, to

deliver meals between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through

Friday. A friendly attitude is all that they require.

The Meals-on-Wheels office is also looking for volunteers to help

coordinate the program. No experience is necessary, training is

provided.

For more information, call (949) 499-7236.

Meals-on-Wheels is a volunteer-staffed, nonprofit, community

service program sponsored by the Auxiliary of South Coast Medical

Center. The cost for Meals-on-Wheels recipients is $5 per day for two

meals.

Exchange Club to honor fire fighters

The Exchange Club of Laguna Beach and Century Exchange Club will

sponsor a lunch at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 13, at the Hotel Laguna, to honor

the Laguna Beach Fire Fighter and Reserve Fire Fighter of the Year.

The public is invited to attend and the cost of lunch is $20. For

more information, call (949) 499-8155.

Col. Quilter to talk on war experiences

Col. Charles Quilter, Marine Corps (retired), will speak about his

recent experiences as Senior Field Historian for Aviation for the

Third Marine Aircraft Wing in Kuwait and Iraq in Operation Iraqi

Freedom, at the Exchange Club of Laguna Beach luncheon meeting.

Quilter, a long-time Laguna Beach resident, served in the Marine

Corps for more than 43 years and received several service medals.

The meeting will start at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 20 at Hotel Laguna. The

public is invited. The cost is $20. For reservations or information,

call Sandi at (949) 494-6016.