By Wendy Lazarus The Children’s Partnership Michael Reisch Children Now
California’s most vulnerable children — those who are poor, homeless, those in foster care and detention, and children of migrant workers. Without immunizations and health screenings, children’s basic health needs will go undetected, compromising their readiness for school and making them vulnerable to life-long disabilities. Needless to say, eliminating immunizations for children is senseless public policy that threatens basic public health.
Even during a budget crisis, it is penny-wise and pound-foolish to take actions that would cause millions of California children to miss out on preventive health, dental and vision care. Preventive care protects children from unnecessary illnesses while saving state dollars. We cannot afford to revert back to a system where our children are forced to rely on emergency rooms for their care. Moreover, we cannot afford to forego the millions of dollars in Federal funds we would lose if any of these proposed cuts are enacted.
At times like these, we rely on our elected representatives to make difficult but smart choices, particularly those that further our wise investment in children. The question that remains for our leaders is this: Do we balance the budget deficit with a mix of increased revenues and smart reforms, or do we jeopardize our children’s health and well-being by simply cutting crucial programs without considering the consequences?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 26, 2003. Read the original PDF.