Hundreds of children got free physical exams, dental checkups and vaccinations Sunday in Modesto at a "Neighbors in Health" event.

The one-day program for the uninsured was offered by Kaiser Permanente at its Bangs Avenue medical clinic. Billed as a health fair, it also featured entertainment, food and information booths.

Sixteen doctors, six dentists, several pharmacists and scores of volunteers pitched in Sunday. At the end of the day, 1,520 medical "visits" had been recorded, said Kristen B. Spracher-Birtwhistle, a Kaiser Permanente administrator.

There are an estimated 15,000 uninsured children in Stanislaus County, said Dr. John Walker, public health officer for the county. Many are children of working parents who don't have health insurance through their jobs and who earn too much to qualify for the state's Medi-Cal or Healthy Families programs, Spracher-Birtwhistle said.

"Our insurance got terminated," said a woman who gave her first name as Nancy. Her husband's company was purchased by a new owner who didn't offer health benefits for workers' dependents, she said.

She was with her 8-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, who needed vaccinations to start school.

A woman named Ronda, and her husband, had brought four sons, ages 1 to 5. "This helps," she said. All her boys need preschool physicals for day care.

This is the first year Kaiser Permanente has held a health fair in Modesto, Spracher-Birtwhistle said. Next year, she said, the fair may offer free medical visits for adults, as well.

Bee staff writer Blair Craddock can be reached at 578-2385 or bcraddock@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of The Modesto Bee.