![]() The chemical is carcinogenic to animals, though scientists don’t know how it triggers illness. Health research on 1,4-dioxane in drinking water is sparse and dated, while voluntary guidelines for acceptable concentrations range widely.Even some elected officials, like Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine, were unaware. Though local governments knew the problem was serious, the discovery was never clearly revealed to the public, with disclosure limited to jargon and acronyms in annual water reports.Environmental Protection Agency ordered utilities nationwide to collect samples of the chemical for research purposes. The contamination of 1,4-dioxane in Lake Mary, Sanford and Seminole County drinking water was not discovered until 2013, when the U.S.The leak has been tied to a long-shuttered factory between Interstate 4 and Rinehart Road in Lake Mary, which was built in the late 1960s by General Dynamics but changed hands repeatedly over decades, manufacturing components for telephone systems.Those impacted in Seminole County cut across a large demographic swath including Sanford’s poorer Black neighborhoods, upscale communities like Heathrow, and Lake Mary’s big employment centers such as Chase Bank, Liberty Mutual, Verizon and AAA.“One can get into contact with one of our clinics, or contact one of the enrollment counselors. “Accessing the Gardner Health Services comes with options,” Montanez said. This organization also provides specialty behavioral programs, serves the unhoused population and provides aid to all regardless of legal status.Īccording to Director of Development Maribel Montanez, Gardner helps people without access to medical assistance, with a sliding scale fee based on how much a client makes. Santa Clara County and San Mateo County residents receive access to primary care, immunization, no- to low-cost pharmacy items, emergency and specialty care. Gardner Health Services helps low-income families by supplying them with the resources needed at a minimal cost. More information is available on the VASC website, such as resources and information about health and human services like bilingual translation, health coverage enrollment and benefit assistance. Our main goal is to offer a one-stop shop program, so that our community does not have to visit multiple different places for vital safety net services that the county is providing.” Occasionally, we’ve worked with our team to provide services at no cost. “We have a variety of different community-based organizations. “VASC is a government program, free of charge, that includes laboratory services, a pharmacy, dental and behavioral health clinics,” Ly said. The clinical staff helps with food and nutrition programs, and guides individuals through the Medi-Cal and Medicaid application process. VASC is a “one-stop shop,” said Senior Manager Liem Ly. The newly built Vietnamese American Service Center aims to serve San Jose’s Vietnamese residents with medical assistance. “Pre-pandemic, we supported the community in many different ways, one of them being through our diaper distribution program,” Alonso said. The Baby Gateway program enrolls newborns into Medi-Cal, offering parenting and health resources before being discharged from their hospital. Parent advocates assist foster parents in accessing timely medical and dental appointments. The foundation screens children and follows up with them to provide care where they need it. “We also have a program that identifies uninsured families, and assists them through the application process,” she said. ![]() Program Director Patricia Alonso said a variety of programs are offered for families such as 10 Steps to a Healthier You, as well as free pregnancy, dental, hearing and vision care. The Healthier Kids Foundation aims to eliminate health barriers affecting today’s youth. These organizations are focused on offering programs to those who stumble upon economic difficulties. The Healthier Kids Foundation, Gardner Health Services and the Vietnamese American Service Center are just a few organizations that strive to better the lives of children and adults. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.įor some San Jose residents, accessing proper medical care is a difficult challenge. Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. ![]()
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