-- 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.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.