It’s a story Nikki King hears about on a daily basis.

People in financial straits must decide whether to buy groceries, pay rent or purchase prescriptions.

“A lot of people have to make those hard decisions,” said King, executive director of Health Care Access, whose clinic provides medical attention to uninsured Douglas County residents.

“People also have to decide if they should have a health issue checked out in the first place versus hoping it will go away,” she said. “That’s a gamble.”

Local health care providers are participating in the nationwide Cover the Uninsured Week, hoping to raise awareness about programs such as Health Care Access, 1920 Moodie Road.

In 2003, the federal government estimated nearly 300,000 Kansans, including 80,000 children, had no insurance.

“That’s a pretty drastic situation,” said Janelle Martin, director of the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Project.

Based on a 2003 survey by K-State Research & Extension, about 14 percent of adults in Douglas County had no health insurance. That was just shy of the national average of 15.6 percent during the same period, Martin said.

Health Care Access likely sees about a tenth of Douglas County residents who are uninsured, King said.

“We’re really fearful that those people who are not seeking care are getting sicker or are resorting to the emergency room (for routine health concerns), which can cost more,” she said.

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Most clients at Health Care Access are 20 to 40 years old, employed and have children, King said.

“Usually their jobs don’t provide benefits or they can’t afford the premium,” she said.

The clinic also serves the elderly.

To qualify for services at Health Care Access, people must:

• live in Douglas County;
• lack any type of health insurance or resource, such as veterans benefits, Medicaid and Medicare; and
• have a gross monthly income less than 150 percent of the poverty level, which is $2,418 .75 for a family of four.

Other groups participating in Cover the Uninsured Week include Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Douglas County Dental Clinic, Headquarters Counseling Center, Heartland Medical Clinic, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Visiting Nurses Assn. and Hospice Care in Douglas County.