EVERETT, Wash. -- Thousands of parents in Washington state can't afford to take their sick children to the doctor. And uninsured children go weeks or even months without getting critical attention.

But a program called Apple Health for Kids provides a way for such families to get help. Families seeking insurance for their children can simply fill out a form to see whether they qualify for state help.

Chelsea Martinez can't predict when her 2-year-old son, Robbie, will get sick. But at one point she knew she couldn't afford to take him to the doctor if he did.

Robbie had to be hospitalized with respiratory problems when he was a baby. Now he has scar tissue on his lungs and even a simple cold is dangerous. The fragile boy used to be one of 75,000 kids in Washington who don't have health insurance.

"I would have had to just wait it out until he wasn't sick anymore," Martinez said. "Because I can't afford to live on my own. I work a part-time job."

But now Martinez doesn't have to worry about handling it all on her own.

Apple Health for Kids is a state initiative to enroll uninsured children in state sponsored health coverage. It provides Robbie with the medication and care he needs.

"Health insurance is such a profound thing for a kid. Means the difference between getting immunizations, preventative health care, well child exams. Healthy kids grow up to be healthy adults," said Jim Stevenson, state Medicaid spokesperson.

State health officials hoping to reach as many kids in need as they could made their first stop at the Everett Aquasox game on Thursday night. They plan to make a number of stops across the state in the next month.