Experts from L.A. Care and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals, worked together to produce our first-ever Los Angeles County State of Children’s Health report. The report, made up of four policy briefs, identifies core issues impacting kids and teens and key recommendations to proactively address them.
The policy briefs stem from the Los Angeles County Children’s Health Disparities Roundtable, which was convened in November 2023. The roundtable was led by L.A. Care and CHLA, and with support from First 5 LA, HealthNet, and Molina.
The roundtable event brought together local leaders to discuss four rising challenges in children’s health, with a particular focus on engaging populations that have been historically under-resourced and who often receive services in fragmented care environments. Local leaders were divided into four working groups to wrestle with a particular challenge facing children and youth in L.A. County today:
- Vaccine Catch-up and Misinformation
- Building Resiliency
- Supporting Children and Youth Involved in the Child Welfare System
- Children with Complex Medical Needs Transitioning to Adulthood
Health Management Associates (HMA) facilitated the working groups, as well as the production of the resulting four policy briefs.
The policy briefs present recommendations specific to L.A. County, recognizing that work in the County has statewide implications and relevance. The workgroup planning and discussions were grounded in the evolving policy and service delivery landscape, particularly for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and the emerging new opportunities to support children and youth.
Recommendation Highlights
- Establishing new school-based programs to improve mental health services within educational settings
- Launching an effort to dispel vaccine myths to improve children’s health
- Addressing resource challenges that children and youth with complex chronic conditions and in social welfare system experience in Los Angeles County and beyond
Los Angeles County State of Children’s Health Report: Policy Briefs
Vaccine Catch-Up and Misinformation: How can we improve access to and the provision of immunizations to promote children’s health?
Children and Families’ Resiliency: How can we improve the systems of care to improve well-being and address children’s mental health needs?
Child Welfare: How can we improve the quality, appropriateness of supports, and ease of access to care to address the unique needs of children involved in the child welfare system?
Children and Youth with Complex Medical Needs Transition to Adulthood: How can we facilitate the continuation of critical support as children with complex medical needs age out of care eligibility?
Los Angeles County Children’s Health Disparities Roundtable
The Los Angeles County Children’s Health Disparities Roundtable was convened in November 2023 by L.A. Care and CHLA, and with support from First 5 LA, HealthNet, and Molina. The roundtable event brought together local leaders to discuss four rising challenges in children’s health, with a particular focus on engaging populations that have been historically under-resourced and who often receive services in fragmented care environments.
View the videos to hear viewpoints from participants.
