Pennsylvania is going the right way in a bid to improve children’s health in York county

There is a slight increase in the number of uninsured children which may be due to policy changes. Gov. Tom Corbett had signed a legislation to extend the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program till 2015. He also eliminated the 6 month waiting period for subsidized health insurance. Some parents would forget to insure children which again left them without health insurance.
"We are just now starting to see positive effects from that (law)," said Englerth. York has done a lot to address gaps in health coverage, Englerth said. And in general, its coverage and patient access are "further ahead of the curve" than the rest of the state, she said. The health of low-income residents and city residents is not the best even now.
"It’s access, and it’s just the general environment in which they live," she said. The environment has high levels of stress, substance abuse, mental health issues and not enough physical activity with the right nutrition.
"In Pennsylvania, we struggle because we want to uphold children’s health, but we can’t leave adults in the family behind," said Englerth.
Englerth along with other stakeholders have formed the Maternal Child Work Group with the hope of addressing children’s health right from the stage of pregnancy of the mother. They aim to tackle issues like low birth weight and infant mortality. "I expect good things to happen as a result," said Barbara Kovacs – director of the York City Bureau of Health.
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Mollie Durkin, August 2014
Source-Medindia