Our Community

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital designs community benefit programs based on formal study and first-hand knowledge of the communities we serve. Our location in Palo Alto, California, places us at the crossroads of several communities diverse in culture, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. We’ve taken great care to accurately understand the personal, economical, logistical and medical needs of those we serve.

• A Statistical Picture
• Recognizing and Assessing Community Needs

A Statistical Picture

San Mateo and Santa Clara counties make up the hospital’s primary service area. According to 2005 California Department of Finance demographic data:

• There were 609,591 children under age 18 years in the two counties, with the vast majority, 443,170, living in Santa Clara County.
  
  
• In San Mateo County, approximately 8.8 percent of children under age 18 live in poverty and 25 percent of K-12 children live in families with income at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. 
  
  
• In Santa Clara County, approximately 6.8 percent of children under age 18 live in poverty and 29.4 percent of K-12 children live in families whose incomes are at or below 185 percent of poverty.
  
  
• Children living in poverty are less likely to have health care insurance or a "medical home."

Based upon the 2005 Maternal, Child and Adolescent Needs in San Mateo and Santa Clara County (PDF) study, the following are key observations:

• There are wide disparities for most health indicators among racial and ethnic groups, and between low- and high-income children and expectant mothers.
  
  
• The health status and experience of low-income and ethnically-diverse families are quite different and typically less favorable than for white children and expectant mothers in both counties. 
  
  
• Access issues are important for all individuals, but particularly for low-income families and racial minorities.  Financial and/or cultural barriers frequently hinder timely preventive care.
  
  
• The difficult-to-navigate health-care system presents even greater barriers.

A landmark study analyzed data from the 2003 California Physical Fitness test administered to fifth through ninth grade public school students.  The resulting report, An Epidemic: Overweight and Unfit Children in California Assembly Districts (PDF), produced by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, shows that:

• Nearly 40 percent of public school children tested throughout the state are not fit.  Across all Assembly districts, 26.5 percent of children were overweight.
  
  
• In San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, the "best" Assembly District (21, including the more affluent areas of Los Gatos, Menlo Park and Palo Alto), scored 18.9 percent overweight and 28.3 percent unfit.  The "worst" Assembly District for overweight, 35 percent, was A.D. 28 (south San Jose, Gilroy, Hollister and Salinas).  This is one of the highest scores in California.  In California, the "worst" score for children being unfit was A.D. 23 (east and central San Jose), with 40.8 percent of children testing as unfit.

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Recognizing and Assessing Community Needs

Active involvement with numerous coalitions in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties keeps Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital working directly with individuals whose personal needs go beyond community statistics. Our exhaustive data and reports are continually enhanced through participation in many community initiatives to improve health status.

Formal needs assessment reports include:

• Packard Children’s participation in the triennial, state-mandated needs assessment that studies the general health status of the community
  
  
• Silicon Valley Children’s Report produced by Kids in Common
  
  
• San Mateo County Children’s Report produced by the Peninsula Partnership for Children, Youth and Families

In addition to these formal efforts, Packard Children’s sponsors and participates in numerous focus group activities and meetings with several human service agency representatives. The hospital depends on these diverse partnerships to inform and sharpen our picture of the needs of the people living in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
 
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