CYBERTEL BOOSTS CARING PROGRAM, AIDING KIDS IN NEED OF HEALTH CARE

For the second year in a row, CyberTel Cellular is helping through its support of the Caring Program for Children to provide health care for uninsured children in Missouri.

The company is making a donation to the program of $200 for every St. Louis Cardinal's win. CyberTel this year already has pledged more than $8,000 toward the campaign.

Jay Knudtson, CyberTel's manager for the Southeast Missouri area, said the Caring Program is a worthy charity.

"We are proud to be a sponsor of the Caring Program for Children and to support the communities in Southeast Missouri," Knudtson said.

Lee Michelson, executive director for the Caring Program for Children, said: "We are very grateful to the employees of CyberTel for their corporate support of our program.

"Without their help and that of our other sponsors, we would not be able to provide this much-needed service," he added.

The Caring Program serves children, ages newborn to 19, by providing free primary and preventive health care.

In 1993, more than 4,000 children will receive care through the program. Knudtson said about 1,200 of the children live in Southeast Missouri.

"Basically, 30 percent of the pledges and contributions to the Caring Program will impact kids in the Southeast Missouri region," he said.

The program is targeted to children of the working poor: those children whose parents aren't covered by health insurance on the job but who make too much money to qualify for government-based medical care and aren't able to afford medical insurance.

These children who "fall through the cracks" generally don't receive immunizations and see a doctor only in the most serious of emergencies. About 20 percent of children in Missouri more than 300,000 aren't covered under a health insurance plan.

In an effort to patch up at least a few of the cracks, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri formed the Caring Program for Children in 1987. The charitable, not-for-profit, tax-exempt foundation is designed to provide access to basic, preventive health care for children.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield provides ongoing administrative services for the Caring Program, which means every dollar donated goes to the Caring Program, Michelson said.

Monthly sponsorship of a Caring Program child is $19 per month, and yearly coverage is $228.

More than 6,000 Missouri children have been served by the Caring Program in St. Louis and the 84 Missouri counties in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield coverage area. The program expects to pay about $400,000 in claims in 1992.

The program emphasizes primary, preventive and emergency health care for as many children as possible.

In September 1987, the Caring Program met with Missouri Department of Family Services representatives, who agreed to help the foundation screen possible members for eligibility.

Minimum income levels were decided on as the basis for eligibility. Children are enrolled on a first come, first served basis.

Members receive a card that entitles them to a list of health care benefits at no charge as long as the medical service is provided by an authorized physician or hospital. The provider then bills the Caring Program for services rendered.

The Caring Program has gained overwhelming support from the medical community. Currently, 79 hospitals and more than 1,100 physicians participate, agreeing to payments amounting to a percentage of normal costs for hospital claims and a fee schedule for physician services.

Major funding comes from Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees, foundations and corporations, churches and civic organizations and special events.

Michelson said the Caring Program's mission is crucial in today's society.

"No investment in our future is more important than an investment in our children," he said. "We're convinced that the Caring Program is the right thing to do."

In addition to the donation made for each Cardinal win, a special limited edition Caring Program T-shirt featuring Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre of the Cardinals is available at the CyberTel store at 500 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The T-shirt costs $15 and all proceeds will be used to provide health care to needy children.

CyberTel is a division of the Chicago-based Ameritech Corp. and has been providing cellular and paging services to Southeast Missouri since 1991.