| |
NEWS RELEASES
Houston
(January 11, 2007) – Texas Children’s Hospital was one of only four
host sites in the state of Texas to recently participate in a
national series of Town Hall Meetings, and joined more than 35 other
participants across the country as part of the Campaign
for Children’s Health Care. The forum discussed the importance
of providing adequate health care coverage to the nation’s more than
nine million uninsured children as well as the pending Congressional
decision about whether to reauthorize the successful State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Those attending included former State Representative Patricia Gray
as well as key members of the Harris County Legislative Delegation.
Participants urged Congress to reauthorize and fully fund SCHIP, a
joint state-federal effort to provide health coverage for children
whose parents do not have insurance. Currently, SCHIP provides
health insurance for more than 4 million children across the
country.
“When we talk about the millions of uninsured children, we are
talking about the plight of our future,” said Rosie Valadez-Mcstay,
director of Government and Community Relations at Texas Children’s
Hospital. “We must continue to support programs that are working to
provide health care coverage for our kids.”
Uninsured children are 10 times more likely to
have an unmet health care need than insured children, according to
an August 2005 Covering Kids and Families report. SCHIP, enacted in
1997, is a crucial source of health insurance coverage for more than
4 million children annually.
In 2007, Congress will consider reauthorizing the SCHIP program for
the first time, providing a historic opportunity to secure
additional funding to enroll more eligible children. It also
provides an opportunity to discuss other ways to expand coverage for
children.
“Today’s Town Hall Meeting is an important part of local and
national efforts to ensure that we make a moral commitment to our
children here in Texas,” adds Valadez-Mcstay.
The Texas Children’s Hospital Town Hall Meeting was part of a
national series of more than 35 local Town Hall Meetings at
children’s and Catholic hospitals across the country. The regional
meetings were followed by a
National Town Hall Meeting on Children’s Health Coverage broadcast
live from George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Attendees at the Texas Children’s Hospital Town Hall also joined
millions of Americans demanding action on children’s health
insurance by signing a petition in support of access to health care
for all children.
The Campaign for Children’s Health Care is a national, diverse group
of organizations representing health care providers, educators,
parents and advocates. The Campaign is dedicated to making
high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage for all of
America's children a top national priority, and its members
recognize that SCHIP, along with Medicaid, helps achieve that goal
How you can help
You can make a difference for thousands of uninsured Texas
children! Urge Gov. Rick Perry and your other elected officials to
support funding and legislative changes for CHIP and the Children's
Medicaid program. Learn
more
|
|
