Sacramento Pediatrician and Assemblymember Moves AB 301 through Senate to Ensure Area Kids Receive Care for Serious Conditions
SACRAMENTO – Dr. Richard Pan (D-Natomas) was joined by Sacramento families and physicians at The Effort Oak Park Clinic today to highlight why it is important to continue the California Children’s Services (CCS) program, which ensures that children with serious and chronic health conditions have access to the specialized care they need. Dr. Pan’s AB 301, now moving through the State Senate, would prevent CCS from sunsetting at the end of 2011, extending the program to 2016.
“Building a healthier Sacramento starts with our children,” Dr. Pan said. “As a pediatrician in Sacramento for the last decade, I have seen children struggling with chronic, debilitating diseases find physicians and specialists who can focus on their particular needs because they are supported by California Children’s Services.”
Through an organized delivery system, CCS provides quality standards for providers that ensure critically sick children are referred to the appropriate pediatric-trained specialists and requires physicians, hospitals and other providers meet strict quality and volume standards in order to participate in the program. Without CCS support, many physicians caring for children with severe and uncommon conditions could find themselves unable to maintain their practices. While major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have patient loads that can support specialists for uncommon conditions, smaller cities like Sacramento could find themselves without enough specialists able to treat particular conditions.
Dr. Dennis Hart discussed how CCS helps families and patients he sees as part of his pediatric rehabilitation practice.
“CCS does not just provide needed access to specialty physicians, it provides care coordination between physicians that is not available in any other setting,” Dr. Hart said. “Without CCS these families would be forced to navigate a maze of services and facilities adding to their already stressed and over-burdened lives.”
“As a Councilmember for Oak Park and The Effort, I know firsthand the need to protect children that face serious and chronic diseases,” said Jay Schenirer, Sacramento City Councilmember. “I am happy that AB 301 will allow The Effort to continue coordinating programs under CCS.”
During the 1990s, as California began enrolling families into managed care, policymakers became concerned that children transferred out of CCS would fail to receive the same quality of care as they had through CCS. Therefore in 1994, a “carve-out” for CCS eligible conditions for children who are enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care was established in law. By extending the sunset date for the CCS carve-out, AB 301 will preserve a system of care that protects roughly 185,000 California children with conditions such as congenital heart disease, spina bifida, cancer, cleft palate, premature birth and other life-threatening conditions.
AB 301 is currently before the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Dr. Richard Pan is a father, pediatrician, educator, small business owner and first-term Assemblymember that lives in Natomas Park. He represents Natomas and portions of the City of Sacramento, along with Arden Arcade, Carmichael, the City of Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, the City of Folsom, Granite Bay, North Highlands, McClellan Park, Orangevale.
CONTACT: Brian O’Hara (916) 319-2005
Website of Assemblymember Richard Pan: www.asmdc.org/pan
