Methodist Healthcare San Antonio Women’s Health Services

Brought to you by Methodist Children’s Hospital of South Texas

If you are interested in developing any of these stories, please call Shirley Wills at 822-2378 or 365-4488(cell) or JoAnn King, 575-0171 or 325-3294 (cell).

July 5, 2006

METHODIST FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS TO HELP FAMILIES SIGN UP FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGAM (CHIP) ON THE FIRST FRIDAY
OF EACH MONTH BEGINNING JULY 7
Methodist Family Health Centers will be offering a sign-up day for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on the first Friday of the month for the rest of the year. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. staff at the centers will provide parents with information on the program and the documents needed to enroll. The first sign-up day is this Friday, July 7. Benefits offered by CHIP/Children’s Medicaid include a personal physician, free immunizations, access to discounted prescriptions and possible dental and vision coverage. Upcoming sign-up dates are August 4, September 1, October 6, November 3 and December 1.

For enrollment purposes, parents are asked to bring proof of each type of the family’s income (example: most recent paycheck stub); proof of immigrant status for any child that needs health insurance who was not born in the United States; proof of the amount paid for child care or for care of a disabled adult and social security numbers for each child.

Locations are Methodist Family Health Center-Las Palmas, 803 Castroville Road, #131; Methodist Family Health Center-E. Southcross, 2338 E. Southcross; and Methodist Family Health Center-S.W. Military, 137 S.W. Military Dr. For more information or to request an application, call the CHIP Help Line at 1-800-647-6558 or the Children’s Medicaid Help Line at 1-800-964-2777.

With advance notice media are invited to cover the first sign-up day this Friday. Chris Rodriguez, manager of the centers, will be available for interviews. Please call Shirley Wills at 822-2378 so that we may direct you to the center where Ms. Rodriguez will be available.

PARENTS CREDIT BUCKLE UP BABY CLASSES OFFERED BY METHODIST HEALTHCARE WITH PROTECTING THEIR CHILD DURING CAR CRASH
Leo and Eleanor Rodriguez credit the skills and support that they received through the “Buckle Up Baby” classes offered by Methodist Healthcare with keeping their child, Andrea, safe during a recent car crash. The Rodriguezes attended “Buckle Up Baby-What to Buy” and “Buckle Up Baby-How to Use It” last summer when Andrea was 2 _ weeks old. In May of this year, they turned to the program for help moving Andrea out of an infant carrier and into a convertible car seat.

Just two and one-half weeks after the last class, Eleanor and Andrea were involved in a rollover crash. While Eleanor had a few scrapes and bruises, Andrea, now 10 months old, escaped injury. “We don’t always hear about the lives that we impact, but the work that we do through our Buckle Up Baby classes saves lives and reduces injury to children,” said Jennifer Northway, B.S., C.H.E.S., injury prevention program manager for Methodist Healthcare.

The Buckle Up Baby program provides child passenger safety information and resources to families with children of all ages. Upcoming classes are “Buckle Up Baby-What to Buy” on July 8 and “Buckle Up Baby-How to Use It” on July 15. For more information on the classes or to register for them, phone the Methodist Healthcare HealthLine at 575-0355.

With advance notice the Rodriguezes and Northway are available for media interviews. Northway also can provide a demonstration on how to select and install a child safety seat.

If you are interested in doing a story, please phone Shirley Wills at 822-2378 or 365-4488(cell) or JoAnn King, 575-0171 or 325-3294 (cell). For media assistance during the weekend, please phone Methodist Hospital, 575-4000, and ask for the public relations representative on call.

For additional story ideas, visit our web site at www.SAHealth.com.