-- Daily Pilot staffHoag Hospital is one...

-- Daily Pilot staff

Hoag Hospital is one of 13 high-birthrate facilities in Orange County

that will benefit from a $2.25-million award in Proposition 10 funds this

year.

Hospital representatives gathered Thursday to accept the grant from the

Orange County Children and Families Commission, which approved four

“early action” programs this week.

Prop. 10, passed by California voters in 1998, raised the tax on tobacco

products to establish comprehensive early childhood development and

smoking prevention programs.

Hoag will receive about $150,000 this year for the first of these

programs, which will focus on ensuring follow-up care for all children

born at the hospital, said Hoag spokeswoman Debra Legan.

Hoag will use the money to pay for the hospital’s case managers and

social workers to follow up on every child born to make sure they receive

all the care they need during their first year of life.

“It’s surprising -- you would think most people follow up on

immunizations, but a lot don’t,” Legan said.

According to Orange County statistics, 143,000 parents didn’t get medical

checkups for their children last year, and 36% of the county’s children

went without immunizations.

The biggest reason for this, Legan said, is that people don’t have the

insurance or the cash to pay for the care. While free programs are

available, many people are unaware they exist, she said.