Indigent Fear for Their Health as Looming Budget Cutbacks Threaten Means for Care

Poor people are plentiful in the 2000 block of West Walnut Street.

Those who are homeless come to Center Park to spend the night. And those who are sick come to a nearby building that says “Community Clinic of Orange County.”

On Tuesday, some of the poor at the clinic said they fear what will happen to them as a result of looming state and county budget cutbacks. The Indigent Medical Services program faces a serious slash. IMS is the safety net for the so-called “working poor,” people not eligible for MediCal but who don’t make enough to pay medical bills.

Obdulia Acosta, 36, of Santa Ana is one such person. As she left the clinic Tuesday afternoon, her eyes widened in fear when she heard people talking about possible reductions in medical aid to the poor.

“Not long ago my son had an accident at school. He was taken to a hospital and they sent us a bill for $75 and one for $95, and we are not able to pay,” she said. “So I know how expensive medical care is. We can’t afford it. We rely on this clinic. I hope it is not true that they’re cutting benefits.”

Reyna Gutierrez, 36, of Santa Ana said she had a special reason to be fearful of losing medical care. A doctor inside the clinic had just confirmed that she is pregnant, she said. It will be her fourth child. She relies on the clinic for prenatal care.

“I’m worried,” she said, speaking softly in Spanish. “I’ve been coming here since 1986. This program helps a lot of people. I hope they don’t take the program away.”

The poor who use IMS at the Santa Ana clinic, and at numerous other hospitals and clinics in Orange County, are all legal residents of the United States. They cannot get IMS eligibility cards unless they prove they are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, medical officials noted.

Health officials say that prompt medical checkups of new immigrants are critical to everyone’s health. Tests can find communicable diseases and care can be given to prevent their spread. And immunization shots help keep the new immigrants healthy and self-supporting, the doctors point out.

One family of new, legal immigrants came to the Community Clinic of Orange County on Tuesday. They said they were able to be there for medical checkups because of the IMS aid.

The Ly family--father, mother and three young-adult daughters--arrived in Orange County only two weeks ago after a long journey from their native Vietnam.

“Our home was near Saigon,” said the oldest daughter, Diem Ly, 22, speaking in fluent English. “We now live in Fullerton. We came here today for medical checkups.” She said she hopes the IMS program cuts do not affect her family as it struggles to become self-supporting.

As the Vietnamese family left the clinic, a solitary man hobbled toward the entrance. Stratford Leonard, 40, of Santa Ana said his leg had gone bad. He was at the clinic for relief from the pain.

Leonard was philosophical about what would happen to him, and hundreds like him, if IMS cutbacks this year make it impossible for him to get care.

“I guess I’d have to go the home remedy route,” he said. “I guess I’d have to try Ace bandages and things like that.” Then, thinking a minute, Leonard added: “Of course I couldn’t operate on myself.”