Ron Cole proudly tries on his new glasses (Paige Brettingen/Neon Tommy)
Ron Cole taps his fingers along the clear plastic case that rests in his lap, as though checking to make sure it?s still there.
Inside is something he?s never owned before: A pair of glasses in dazzling neon orange- his favorite color.
?It was? beautiful,? said Cole, his voice choking slightly as he talked about his visit with the ophthalmologist. He will now be able to read for the first time in two years.
?I knew something was wrong,? said Cole, who was also diagnosed with glaucoma at the clinic. ?It was so hard for me to read, but now I know I?m not impaired. It was just my vision.?
The 49-year-old was one of over 4,000 people seeking free medical treatment at the Care Harbor L.A. Clinic held in the L.A. Sports Arena this weekend. The four-day event welcomed anyone in need of medical help, especially the uninsured. Patients camped outside last Monday to secure one of the coveted 4,800 wristbands distributed?the highest number Care Harbor has ever given in its four years of hosting the clinic.
(More photos from the Care Harbor L.A. Clinic)
?There is such a high need,? said Care Harbor volunteer Carson Myers, who has travelled from Atlanta for the past three years to help register patients electronically at the arena.
?We get people all across the board. We had a family of five people who you would think was the normal suburb family and they don?t have health care. They don?t have money much less a $20 co-pay.??? Another volunteer, Larry Richetts, offered a similar observation.
?A number of people I talked to? they work. They work hard? And to go to the dentist for a cleaning when they?re making 12, 14 dollars an hour, that?s just going to eat them up,? he said.
That?s not far off from Cole?s situation. Balancing work in construction and as truck-driver, the insurance he receives through his union doesn?t cover vision care.
Another patient, Sharon Montano, 46, lost her dental benefits when Medi-Cal dropped dental coverage in 2009. Asked why she came to the clinic, she prods her mouth, pointing out the three gaping sections of gums where her teeth used to be.
?I want to cry at times,? she said, describing the medical frustrations she?s dealt with over the past few years. A widow with two children, she has L.A. Care insurance which covers Medi-Cal participants but only covers extractions.
?They want to charge me a lot of money, but I can?t afford it,? she said.
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Montano had been waiting five years for partials, but instead received ?Flippers?: temporary acrylic teeth being made in the arena.
Dental care is always one of the most in-demand services and this year proved no different, according to Myers.
?That?s really one of the crucial downfalls is that the community really needs dental care. Unfortunately dental procedures take a long time, so we can give them only one service when they?re here?medical, dental or vision,? Myers said.
From his post on the upper level of the arena, Richetts looked down at about 100 dental chairs and pop-up tents that serve as doctors? offices, covering every piece of the stadium?s 38,000 square-foot floor.
?Anybody who thinks we don?t need national health care?? His voice trails off as he slowly shakes his head.
?They should come here and look. Just look around.?
Whether the Affordable Care Act, or ?Obamacare,? will drastically reduce the number of people looking to Care Harbor for free medical help remains to be seen.
Though Richetts said nationwide health coverage is needed, he also acknowledged that it might not be the fix-all.
?Will it eliminate the problem [of people not having access to regular medical care?] Probably not,? he said.
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Myers said he wasn?t able to comment on how Obamacare may impact them, and instead remains focused on the current reality rather than future policy.
?We have to stop the trend eventually [of the clinic?s growing patient numbers], but we can?t just stop giving care,? said Myers.
Just as crucial as the care: the education coming with it.
?It?s important we refer patients to offer no cost or low cost clinics in the area,? Myers said. ?We want them to come back if they need to, but we want them to help themselves.?
That was one of the main tasks for nurses Nydia Fores and Rhea Rodelo.
After administering glucose blood tests, the duo rattled off advice to patients, giving them tailored suggestions for reducing risk of Diabetes.
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Fores and Rodelo discussed food strategies with each patient (soda was the first to get the boot) while also brainstorming activities to encourage more exercise.
?Many know they?re not doing what they should. And a lot of people want to know what they need to do,? Rodelo said. ?They?ve been really receptive.?
And grateful. That?s the word Myers uses to describe the patients he's encountered.
?When someone comes up to you and they start crying about how you helped them and that this was the highlight of their year, it makes it worthwhile for me to come out," he said.
For Ron Cole, who still clutches those prized orange spectacles as he exits the arena, the clinic has provided much more than free care.
?It?s a blessing,? he said. ?It?s like I can now take a new step in my life.?
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Find more Neon Tommy coverage on health care here.
Reach Managing Editor Paige Brettingen here. Follow her here.
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