On Tuesday, August 7, Erin Gabel, District Representative for Senator Tom Torlakson visited our Concord clinic. Julie Jura, our Concord Center Director, and Margaret Madams, Regional Director for Community Services and Education, provided information to Erin about all of the health and education services we provide to our clients. Emily Zielske, Legislative Affairs Manager, also spoke with Erin about two important bills that will soon be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee that Senator Torlakson chairs. The first bill, The Sexual Health Education Accountability Act, AB 629 would create standards for community based organizations that provide state-funded sexuality education. Under this bill, such organizations would be required to teach medically accurate, effective, bias-free and age appropriate material to students.
The second bill discussed, AB 1328, promotes timely access to cost-effective preventive health care services for pregnant women and children in the Medi-Cal and the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) program. The bill would strike the six month residency requirement for pregnant women applying for AIM coverage, and ensure the implementation of an electronic Medi-Cal enrollment process for pregnant women. Both AB 629 and AB 1328 have passed the Assembly and are currently pending in the Senate.
Finally, Erin was given information about the extreme financial challenges our clinics are facing because of low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. Statewide Planned Parenthood affiliates are forced to turn away more than 10,000 patients a month because we don’t have the money to hire the clinic staff to meet our needs. It is absolutely crucial that the Governor and State Legislators include money for health care in the state budget.
Senator Torlakson’s district includes 6 of our clinics including: Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, Hilltop (Richmond), San Ramon and Walnut Creek. We are working with Senator Torlakson’s staff to find a time to visit one of these sites.
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