Careforce offers free health care, dental, vision services through Saturday at Cal Expo

Health screenings, dental care and glasses are among the free services offered today and tomorrow at Cal Expo.

Hundreds of people came to Cal Expo Friday to take advantage of the California CareForce clinic, which serves the uninsured and the underinsured. If you want to be served on Saturday, you need to come to Cal Expo and get a wristband at 4 p.m. TODAY (Friday). Veterans do not need to come the day before. For more information, visit the CareForce website.

Last year, CareForce served about 2,000 people during its two-day run at Cal Expo. But this year a funding shortfall threatened to scrap the event until Health Net stepped in with a $75,000 donation. Health Net is a subsidiary of Centene Corp., which is building a West Coast headquarters in North Natomas.

CareForce Executive Director Pamela Congdon said many of those served by CareForce have jobs and insurance, but may have large co-pays or lack dental and vision coverage.

“If they are going to pay for something, they’re going to pay for their kids’ soccer uniform before they get their tooth fixed,” Congdon said.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg toured the clinic Friday and thanked Health Net and the hundreds of health professionals who donated their services.

“It lifts the spirit, it really does, to see all these people in need and the community stepping up,” he said. “Thank you to Health Net and Centene.”

Mayor Steinberg with Ramiro Zuniga, MD, of Health Net and Pamela Congdon of CareForce