BARGAINS ABOUND AT FUND-RAISER : BOOK BUY BENEFITS SIMI FREE CLINIC.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer Toni Reed had a double incentive for stocking up on literature at the Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Free Clinic's used book sale Saturday. For one thing, her dollars would help support the clinic's health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract to the needy need·y adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. . Plus, she said, ``For 25 cents a book, how could you not buy books for that price?'' ``I'm here for both reasons,'' said Reed, a Simi Valley resident who bought a stack of hard-cover and paperback books at Saturday's fund-raiser. ``If it weren't for the clinic, many people probably wouldn't have medical care.'' Reed was among dozens of buyers who shuffled through more than 5,000 history, mystery, self-help, fiction and nonfiction non·fic·tion n. 1. Prose works other than fiction: I've read her novels but not her nonfiction. 2. The category of literature consisting of works of this kind. books - hardbacks cost 50 cents each and paperbacks went for 25 cents each. Large, wooden bookcases were also for sale - from $10 to $30. And a 1987 Mazda RX-7 - donated by a doctor to the clinic - was also for sale. The fund-raiser will continue today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2311C Tapo St., next to the former site of Book World in Simi Valley. About $900 was raised during the Free Clinic's first used book sale in November. All books sold Saturday were donated by Book World in Simi Valley, which closed in 1996. Since 1971, the working poor from across Ventura County have turned to the clinic for health care, legal assistance, and marriage and family counseling, said Chris Pilgreen, grants chairman for the Free Clinic board of directors. About half the people the clinic serves seek basic medical care, Pilgreen said. Others have received help with restraining orders restraining order: see injunction. , mammograms and prescriptions. Though most cannot afford health insurance, they do not qualify for MediCal because they do not receive welfare benefits. ``The clinic provides help for those who are uninsured or underinsured un·der·in·sure tr.v. un·der·in·sured, un·der·in·sur·ing, un·der·in·sures To insure under a policy that provides inadequate benefits: Be certain that you are not underinsured against catastrophic illness. ,'' Pilgreen said. ``It's for children, adults and families in need of services otherwise unavailable to them.'' What would happen if free clinics didn't exist? ``These people in need would just get sicker,'' Pilgreen said. ``And if they don't qualify for MediCare, they'd fall through the cracks.'' Roughly 5,221 people sought Simi Valley's Free Clinic services in 1994, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the most recent statistics available. About 40 professionals - doctors, nurses, lawyers - volunteered $400,000 worth of their time that year, statistics show. The program's operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales in 1996 were roughly $85,000, Pilgreen said. The Simi Valley Free Clinic runs entirely on donations, with 30 percent of its funding from the United Way. Most of the people who use the clinic are between 18 and 60 years old, and most from Simi Valley. The Free Clinic also serves people from Moorpark and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . A small percentage of clients are from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Fund-raisers and donations are crucial to the clinic's survival, said board member Jay Evans. ``Without them, the clinic would close,'' he said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Ran in Simi only--color) Readers browse through the titles for sale at a used book sale held Saturday to raise money for the Simi Valley Free Clinic. (2--Ran in Simi only--color) Leigh Scott and daughter Alexandria, 5, look through offerings Saturday at the Simi Valley Free Clinic book sale continuing today. Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News |
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