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Insurance Reps Meet With San Bruno Blast Victims

SAN BRUNO (KCBS) -- Many victims of the San Bruno pipeline explosion and fire are still trying to piece together their lives.

A health insurance resource event held on Wednesday allowed survivors to meet one-on-one with industry representatives.

Representatives of eight insurance companies were on hand to help them replace insurance cards, health records and medication.

The county has also received a number of calls for mental health counseling.

"Some that we may be concerned with are individuals that have gone through other losses in their life, but they may not have gotten enough closure with, that this now can rekindle those earlier issues," said Dr. Gary Lawson with Health Net's Behavior Health Care Unit.

Lawson said a week or so after the event, some survivors are just beginning to come out of the shock stage. He stressed the importance of routine.

"Even if they are artificial kinds of routines. We're living in a hotel, we're going to go to breakfast. Then after that, we're going to dress for school," said Lawson. "So you want to rehearse these with children."

Health Net is offering free counseling to anyone affected by the San Bruno pipeline explosion, whether they are a member or not.

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