Contra Costa County, Calif., Officials Take Steps To Bolster Children’s Health Programs After Reducing Budget

Contra Costa County officials on Sept. 9 introduced a proposal that would restore health programs for children under age five that were cut from the county budget last month, the Contra Costa Times reports. In August, the county Board of Supervisors cut programs for young children in an effort to cover a $6.5 million budget gap, the Times reports. The "Kids Plus" restructuring proposal would create a resource-sharing partnership between the county's Health Services Department and the county's Children and Families Commission, which is supported by the state's Proposition 10 cigarette tax. The initiative would provide a "seamless system of care" by establishing a "centralized registry" for young children. Children and their families would have access to several services, including immunization programs, mental health services, home visits for high-risk pregnant women and comprehensive prenatal care. At a Sept. 9 commission meeting, County Public Health Director Dr. Wendel Brunner asked the group for $5 million over two years to launch the Kids Plus project. Brunner said that the initiative could create a "comprehensive system not bound or restricted by the strict limits imposed by state and federal funds," the Times reports. The commission has sent the proposal to staff members and requested feedback be delivered at a future meeting (Felsenfeld, Contra Costa Times, 9/10).