For Immediate Release

STATEWIDE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INITIATIVES RECEIVE MAJOR BOOST IN HEALTH CARE FUNDING

$7.5 Million in Grants Awarded in Eighteen California Counties; Coastal Counties of Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo to Receive $925,000 in Funding

Los Angeles, CA – Children’s health care providers received welcome news today with the announcement by The California Endowment that it was awarding $7.5 million in grants to local Children’s Health Initiatives (CHI) in eighteen counties across California, including nearly $1 million for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz. In all, the grants will provide sufficient funding to cover nearly 8,000 children across the state with health care coverage. However, local leaders stressed that a permanent, long-term policy solution is needed to sustain gains made in enrolling children into health insurance programs, and to provide health coverage to the more than 800,000 remaining uninsured children in California.

“Today, California takes another step toward covering all of its kids,” said Robert K. Ross, M.D., a pediatrician and President and CEO of The California Endowment. “The Endowment is proud to support counties across California who are doing their part to make sure all of their kids are receiving the health care coverage they desperately need and deserve”

The Children’s Health Initiatives in Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo have successfully been responsible for providing direct coverage to over 1,800 children through the local Healthy Kids program, which is intended for low income children not eligible for public health insurance programs. Through The Endowment’s grant, more than 800 children in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo will receive health care coverage.

“It has truly taken a community partnership of public and community based organizations to make Healthy Kids a reality in Santa Barbara County,” said Pat Wheatley, Executive Director First 5 Santa Barbara County. “We are very appreciative of the role The California Endowment has played in helping bring Healthy Kids insurance to so many children in our county.”

Today’s announcement ensures health coverage to 8,000 children statewide through their local CHI’s in Santa Clara, San Francisco, Riverside, San Mateo, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Kern, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. Since they began in 2001, Children’s Health Initiatives have provided direct coverage to more than 80,000 children in California, and have helped enroll an estimated 80,000 children eligible for either the state-run Medi-Cal or Healthy Families programs. Today, nearly 90% of children in California are insured through either a CHI, public or private health insurance programs.

“Children’s Health Initiatives across the state have narrowed the gap between those children with and those families without health care coverage,” said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. “But more than 800,000 children remain without any form of coverage and that is simply wrong. Today, we have an historic opportunity to achieve what was once unthinkable – health coverage for every child in California. Those of us in Sacramento must be committed to realizing this goal, which not only makes fiscal sense, but is simply the right thing to do.”

Each CHI enrolls children into Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs and also makes available a local Healthy Kids program intended for children ineligible for public programs. The Healthy Kids program provides comprehensive health care, including medical, dental, vision, prescriptions and mental health benefits for children from birth through age 18 in families with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level (400% in San Mateo County) who are ineligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. The programs require a modest premium and co-pays.

San Luis Obispo County Superintendent of Schools Julian Crocker notes that the Children's Health Initiative plans to work aggressively through Healthy Kids to also sign up children who are eligible for the state's Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs. “We know that when children can attend school regularly without health concerns, they are going to be more successful, and that's what makes this effort so exciting from an educational standpoint,” Crocker said.

“Our Healthy Kids collaboration has had a lot of successes,” notes Christina Cuevas, program director for the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. “We launched the program with One E-app, which simultaneously checks eligibility for, and enrolls children in, one of the three health care programs for which they are most appropriate. Our collaboration has also had a terrific record in generating private funding to support premiums from local individuals, corporations, and health care institutions. And it’s a good thing, too, since our outreach workers helped us to exceed our annual enrollment projections within the first six months of operation.”

Each Children’s Health Initiative is a public/private partnership of health care providers, business leaders, advocacy groups, foundations, city and county officials, public health leaders, and educators. A complete list of grant awards and a breakdown of recipient counties, in addition to recent studies on Children’s Health Initiatives can be downloaded in PDF format at www.covercaliforniaskids.org.

About The California Endowment
The California Endowment was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California. For more information, visit The Endowment’s Web site at www.calendow.org.