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Thousands line up for upcoming free medical clinic
A patient receives complimentary dental care at last year's Care Harbor clinic.
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José Martinez/OnCentral
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Thousands of people lined up today outside Los Angeles Sports Arena to get a wristband for an upcoming free medical clinic.
This is the third year in a row that the non-profit group Care Harbor will put on the clinic. For four days, it'll provide free medical services to uninsured and underserved people in L.A. County.
More than 650 medical staff have donated their time and will be on hand each day to provide services. Organizers estimate it’ll help around 1,200 patients each day.
"There's going to be optometrists there, mammograms are going to happen. So there's going to be a lot going on. And this year they have some preventative care nurses, so they are going to be providing care for people with newly diagnosed chronic conditions,” said Samantha Loyola of Care Harbor.
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This year’s event also coincides with the roll out of Covered California - the state’s insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. Representatives will be on hand to help folks sign up for private insurance or Medi-Cal.
The clinic will run from October 31 to November 3 at the Sports Arena from 7a.m to 5p.m. Only people who have wristbands will have access to the services.
“Each person receives one wristband and each wristband grants admission to one person only. Wristbands for children or patients who can’t go on their own will be given to the parent or the caregiver, but the person must accompany the patient to the clinic-- and only patients will receive services," said Loyola.
Care Harbor will distribute wristbands until 4 p.m. Monday.
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