The statistics are staggering. Fifteen
percent of California’s 9.4 million
children are without health insurance.
One in three 6- to 17-year-olds is overweight.
About 58 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds do not
attend preschool. Sixty percent of second to
11th graders do not meet state goals for
math and reading proficiency. Thirty percent
of children live in an economically struggling
family, able to pay for only the most basic
needs. And a child dies in California before
his or her first birthday every three hours.
These statistics released by the Children
Now and Children’s Defense Fund — both
dedicated to assuring all children thrive —
raise multiple concerns for California
employers. Without quick resolution to these
issues, businesses will lack a well educated,
healthy work force needed to compete in
tomorrow’s marketplace. And California will
be forced to cover higher costs of remedial
health services, according to the Children
Now report released last year.
Smart Business turned to Barry
Arbuckle, Ph.D., president and CEO of
MemorialCare Medical Centers and chair
of the California Hospital Association
(CHA), for answers to these challenges. In
addition, Dr. Arbuckle is the father of four
children; and his early background and
studies are in child psychology.
Just how serious is the situation?
There’s no question California faces a crisis
in the health of our kids. Here’s one example.
A recent report by the UCLA Center for
Health Policy Research showed California’s
children missing 1.9 million days of school
due to asthma symptoms. Lack of adequate
health insurance blocks access and timely
medical care for children with asthma, causing them to suffer far more than they should.
Asthma is one of several chronic health
problems for kids. The California Center for
Public Health Advocacy reports that 28 of
every 100 schoolchildren in California are
overweight. And physicians are identifying
heart disease in grade-schoolers.
There’s more: 27 percent of California’s
2-year-olds are not fully immunized, even
though it is an effective preventive measure,
protecting against diseases such as polio,
diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
What is the future impact?
Looking at childhood obesity, researchers
note that 75 percent of overweight children
are expected to become overweight adults,
translating into additional cases of asthma,
diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other
chronic illness. Obesity in California costs
the state an estimated $28 billion in direct
medical expenses and lost productivity.
What are the causes?
Our MemorialCare Medical Centers’ pediatricians and child specialists identify many
culprits. Diets of high-calorie foods, fast
foods, baked goods and vending machine
snacks are easier to access but deadly to your
child’s health. While legislation and local
action ban sales of soft drinks in many public
schools, other offerings are often too high in
fat or juices in vending machines that replace
soft drinks too high in sugar. Inactivity is
another culprit — the lack of exercise or any
physical activity among children and teens.
Just because California grows lots of fruits
and vegetables does not mean they are part
of our children’s diet. Another study showed
that teenage girls who devote much time to
the Internet, get too little sleep or regularly
drink alcohol are more likely to put on excess
weight, with hours on the Internet taking
time away from physical activity.
Are there legislative solutions?
With 6.8 million Californians uninsured and
an additional 6.5 million underinsured, we
need state health care reform now. Employers should contact elected officials and push
for solutions to ensure children and adults
have access to quality health services.
Employers should also press for further legislation that promotes healthy foods in
school cafeterias and vending machines,
expands exercise and physical activity programs, and ensures comprehensive school
nurse services with programs that address
children with chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma and obesity as well as required
health education courses.
What else can employers do to help?
Offer your work force information and
support materials on how to ensure children
embrace healthy lifestyles and access timely
health care. Consider ‘adopting’ a school and
encouraging workers to learn more about
school nutrition and activity programs, advocating for healthier services. Contact local
hospitals for help in education and prevention of childhood diseases. MemorialCare
Medical Centers’ outreach programs address
these issues and can help you access diagnostic and treatment services. Our Miller
Children’s Hospital in Long Beach — the
state’s largest children’s hospital and one of
only eight certified children’s hospitals in
California — is a leader in offering programs
to prevent and combat disease in children
and is eager to make a difference in the lives
of California’s children.
BARRY ARBUCKLE, Ph.D., is president and CEO of MemorialCare Medical Centers (www.memorialcare.org) and chair of the California
Hospital Association, which represents more than 450 hospitals statewide. Reach him at [email protected] or (562) 933-9708.
MemorialCare Medical Centers include Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente, Orange Coast Memorial
Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s
Hospital in Long Beach.
