The Medical College of Georgia is going south of the border to find some of McDuffie County's uninsured children.
MCG is partnering with Taco Bell to enroll families in PeachCare for Kids, a state program offering free and low-cost health insurance. The effort -- which utilizes the restaurant's wireless internet service -- is part of the Covering Kids and Families Project, a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative.
MCG students will be at the Thomson Taco Bell Tuesday, Jan. 18, from 3-6 p.m. to enroll families.
"There are still some people out there that are not aware there are programs available to cover their kids," said Project Coordinator Robyn Freeh. "So they're struggling to pay the doctors' bills and having to choose between that and groceries and that and the car payment."
Ms. Freeh said the sign-up process takes about 15 minutes and the only information needed is annual income before taxes and social security numbers.
Currently, there are 566 kids in McDuffie County enrolled in the PeachCare program and officials aren't sure how many more are out there without insurance.
"That's the big question right now," said Ms. Freeh, adding it is hard to estimate the number of locally uninsured because they may have insurance one month and not have it another month.
For more information on the project, contact Ms. Freeh at 706-394-2392.
