Advocacy

As part of its mission, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is committed to advocating on behalf of and with our patients and families in the community and before governmental bodies to ensure that all children and their families have access to quality care. Advocacy includes educating the community and policy leaders on the health needs of children and expectant mothers, being involved in legislation that affects children's health and working with physicians as they advocate for their patients and families.

Some of the programs that LPCH is actively involved with include:

The LPCH Grassroots Advocacy Network joins the voices of physicians, health care professionals, patients and families with business leaders and community members to speak up for children and expectant mothers when public policy decisions are made. Our advocates write letters, make phone calls and share information to influence public policies.
Children's Regional Integrated Service System (CRISS) is a 14-county regional collaborative aimed at making the California Children’s Services (CCS) program for children with special health care needs more effective, efficient and family-centered. The membership includes local and state family support organizations, pediatric provider organizations and hospitals and county CCS programs in the region. Goals include increasing family-centered care provided through CCS, reducing inter-county differences in the way the CCS programs operate and improving the CCS claims process.
SAFE KIDS Coalition is comprised of representatives of public safety, children's health agencies, and other community organizations. Their goal is to reduce the number of unintentional injuries to children. Active campaigns include car seat safety and firearm safety and trigger locks. This group also educates policy makers on issues to enhance the safety of children. For more information, please call (650) 497-8163.
In addition, LPCH in collaboration with the Stanford School of Medicine designed and implemented an advocacy elective as part of the pediatric residency curriculum. Activities include understanding the legislative process, working in the community and designing public service projects. For more information, please call (650) 724-6352.