Improving Access to Care

 
Patients from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital’s neighboring communities are broadly diverse in health status and socioeconomic standing. Packard Children’s outreach programs serve the entire community by ensuring that care is accessible to those who need it, regardless of their medical condition, location, or ability to pay.
 
 
 

Our Programs and Partners in Improving Access to Health Care

Commitment to Medi-Cal and Government Programs

Packard Children’s Hospital and clinics' largest community benefit investment is to provide pediatric and obstetric services to children and expectant women covered by Medi-Cal, out-of-state Medicaid, and other government programs; including County-sponsored programs.  Packard Children’s also operates special-care centers for California Children’s Service(CCS) in 19 different pediatric specialties from cardiology to oncology.
 

Children’s Health Insurance Commitment

Providing a health care safety net to all children is a fundamental part of Packard Children’s commitment to the community.  We have been supportive of the Children’s Health Initiatives in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties since their inception.  These programs expand health coverage to children who do not qualify for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families programs through the creation of locally-funded Healthy Kids programs.  Please visit the Health Plan of San Mateo or Santa Clara Family Health Plan for more information. 
 

Ravenswood Family Health Care Center Partnership

Packard Children’s Hospital’s partnership with Ravenswood Family Health Center (RFHC) has been recognized nationally as a model for hospital-community clinic partnerships.  In 2012, Packard Children's provided both human and financial resources to assist RFHC with providing excellent care to the children and expectant mothers in the East Palo Alto community. 

 

Mobile Adolescent Health Services (Teen Van)

Since 1996, the multidisciplinary staff of the Mobile Adolescent Health Services program have been providing expert, custom-designed care for high-risk youth aged 12-24 who rely exclusively on the Teen Van to provide a network of services and the health knowledge that they urgently need.
 

Putting Health Care Back into the Schools Initiative

In collaboration with the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, San Jose Unified School District, and the School Health Clinics of Santa Clara County, this initiative is funding four, full-time school nurses in two elementary and two middle schools in San Jose Unified School District.  The goals of this demonstration project are to improve access to primary care and preventative services, health education for children ages 8 - 13, and establish a medical home for students who do not have one.
 

Care-A-Van for Kids

The Care-A-Van for Kids program makes life-saving health services accessible to low-income families who lack reliable means of transportation.   This is a free service for children living outside a 25-mile radius from Packard Children's.
 
More information about our other community benefits and outreach priority areas and programs, 2012 Community Benefits Report with financial valuation, and 2013 Plan for Community Services can be found here.