Above, from left: Ed Masterson, field representative to Assemblyman Cameron Smyth; Chris Saenz, Valencia Water Company; Jerold Graves, Valencia Water Company; Beverly Johnson, Valencia Water Company; Jackie Bick, field representative to Senator George Runner; Beverly Ramirez, SDFHC volunteer; and Balvina Ortiz, one of the SDFHC patients who received a turkey. RIGHT, clockwise: Arleen Hernandez, SDFHC outreach coordinator; SDFHC patients Sergio, Veronica and Vanessa Lopez, who received a turkey from Operation Gobble.

Santa Clarita, Calif., November 25, 2008 — Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Inc. (SDFHC) is one of six charitable organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley that received a turkey donation from Operation Gobble, a long-time program offered by Valencia Water Company.
    Ed Masterson, field representative for Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, and Jackie Bick, field representative for Senator George Runner, came to the turkey distribution on Tuesday, November 25 at the Vale Verde Health Center. SDFHC will distribute the 60 turkeys to patients based on need at the organization's three locations in Val Verde, Canyon Country and Newhall.
    "Patients anxiously await the turkeys every year," said Beverly Johnson, controller of Valencia Water Company. "We are happy that we can help the community in this way."
    Cheryl Laymon, SDFHC executive director, is also thrilled with the program. "It makes us feel so good that SDFHC is recognized in the community in this way. Some of our patients have nowhere else to turn to for health care services, and giving them a little helping hand during the holidays is such a nice and appreciated gesture," she said.
    Operation Gobble is a program initiated by private water utilities throughout California for the benefit of the community during the holidays. Valencia Water Company has participated in this program for more than 15 years.
     SDFHC operates three health centers in the Santa Clarita Valley — Canyon Country Health Center, Val Verde Health Center and Newhall Health Center — as well as outreach sites at College of the Canyons and California Institute of the Arts. SDFHC offers a full range of health care services — physicals, immunizations and vaccines, screenings and diagnostic tests, well baby care, and family planning — to those who may not seek health care elsewhere. Patients pay based on their income. This past year, SDFHC provided service for 8,000 patient visits.

    SDFHC was established in 1980 and named for long-time Val Verde resident and minister, the late Reverend Samuel Dixon. A not-for-profit community health center, SDFHC serves the greater Santa Clarita Valley, and is governed by a 16-member board of directors, all of whom are Santa Clarita residents. The mission of SDFHC is to enhance wellness by providing quality primary health care services and health education to unserved and underserved residents, with a special emphasis on serving the uninsured. Easily accessible services are available for the entire family in both English and Spanish. Medi-Cal, Blue Cross and Healthy Families are all accepted, and a sliding fee scale is offered, keeping health care affordable for all. Services are available at the Val Verde Health Center (661-257-4008), the Canyon Country Health Center (661-424-1220) and the Newhall Health Center (661-291-1777).
    SDFHC receives United Way funding and is supported by countless individuals as well as corporate sponsors who help make affordable health care possible. Tax-deductible contributions are welcome.