The Children and Families Commission of Stanislaus County on Tuesday gave the Health Services Agency a multimillion-dollar grant to provide health care to uninsured children.

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to accept $1.3 million for the first nine months of the Child Health Access Program, starting Tuesday.

County health officials hope the program will decrease the number of uninsured people crowding emergency rooms by providing care for people who aren't eligible for other programs. They also hope it will help qualifying families enroll in government insurance, such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.

The county will receive $2.5 million for the first year, $3.2 million for the second year and $3.6 million for the third year. The commission's money is generated by the extra tobacco tax.

Children up to 5 years of age and pregnant mothers will be eligible.

The program is not an insurance plan. Participants will be eligible for care provided through county clinics in Ceres, Empire, Hughson, Turlock and Modesto.

In Stanislaus County, about 53,000 people are uninsured. Of those, about 16,000 are 18 or younger.

The program will target families at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level -- about $45,000 for a family of three -- who do not qualify for government health programs.

Agency officials plan to serve for 90 days families who qualify for other insurance programs. During that period they plan to help the families enroll in programs such as Medi-Cal or Healthy Families.

County officials estimate there are about 10,000 children younger than 18 who are eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families but have not applied.

The Child Health Access Program would add three full-time positions to help families enroll in insurance programs.

Supervisor Paul Caruso was concerned that families would want to stay on the program and not apply for some of the government programs.

The county has made numerous efforts to get families to enroll in low-income insurance plans, he said.

"Over the years, we've tried and tried and tried, and now we have this pot of money, and we're still trying," Caruso said. "Somewhere, we need to have a little responsibility."

John Walker, public health officer for Stanislaus County, is working on a task force to help cut some obstacles families face applying for government health assistance, such as 28-page applications and 90-day waiting periods for Medi-Cal.

Other supervisors didn't see a way to get around the problem, other than to keep pursuing people.

Some families are afraid to divulge information because they are undocumented, Supervisor Pat Paul said. And despite the county's efforts to get the word out about programs, many families do not know they can qualify for help, she said.

"The alternative is to have these families fill the emergency rooms," Paul said. "I think we need to take a look and be creative now. The money is available, and we need to use it."

Bee staff writer Alejandra Navarro can be reached at 578-2339 or anavarro@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of the Modesto Bee.