Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and Palo Alto Medical Foundation Receive 2009 Champion for Children Award

Santa Cruz, Calif. — Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center (SMSC) and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) - Santa Cruz Division were presented the 2009 Healthy Kids "Champion for Children Award" yesterday in recognition of its $800,000 investment in children’s coverage programs and ongoing support since 2003.

County Supervisor John Leopold presented the award to Larry deGhetaldi, M.D., president of the Santa Cruz Division of PAMF. Ali Spickler, field representative for California Assembly Member Bill Monning also presented Dr. deGhetaldi with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of Assembly Member Monning.

Dr. deGhetaldi expressed his thanks to the community and said supporting Healthy Kids was a clear choice for SMSC and PAMF. "Healthy Kids improves the health of local children, reduces missed school days, helps parents be more productive at work, reduces cost and supports a more cost effective system of care," he said.

SMSC and PAMF have donated $575,000 to pay for Healthy Kids premiums since 2004 and $225,000 to subsidize the cost of premiums for low-income families for the Healthy Families program since 2003. PAMF and SMSC will continue to support Healthy Kids and Healthy Families in 2009.

Over the past five years, Healthy Kids has helped cover more than 12,000 individual Santa Cruz County children by launching its new Healthy Kids health plan, as well as by enrolling thousands of children into Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. According to a 2008 study by USC, between 2000 and 2005 Santa Cruz, along with 8 other California counties operating a Healthy Kids program, showed a 25% reduction in preventable hospitalizations per year. Thus 1,050 hospitalizations were prevented annually for asthma, bacterial pneumonia, gastroenteritis, etc, resulting in cost savings of over $7 million per year to the State.

The award was given during the Healthy Kids Coalition's annual celebration event. About 70 business and community leaders, elected officials, health care providers and children’s advocates celebrated the accomplishments of Healthy Kids at the Sesnon House in Aptos.

For more information, contact:

Mark Riley
PAMF Marketing
831 460-6034
rileym1@pamf.org