Urgent Policy Priorities for Children’s Health and Healthcare

Chair(s)

• 

  Glenn Flores, MD (he/him/his)

  Chair of Pediatrics, Senior Associate Dean of Child Health, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences, and Public Health Sciences George E. Batchelor Endowed Chair in Child Health Director, Batchelor Children’s Research Institute University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Physician-in-Chief Holtz Children’s Hospital, Jackson Health System Director, APA/NIDDK/PIDS/APS/ABP Research in Academic Pediatrics Initiative on Diversity (RAPID)
  University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
  Miami, Florida, United States

By a 71-17% margin, US voters overwhelmingly agree “children’s policy needs and concerns are often an afterthought or dismissed by policymakers,” regardless of voter age, race/ethnicity, or party identification (Democrats, 82%; Independents, 69%; Republicans, 60%). Indeed, by an 82-13% margin, voters believe “programs for children need greater attention and coordination across our federal, state, and local governments.” Nevertheless, although children account for 22% of America’s population, US spending on children comprised only 9.9% of total spending in the most recent fiscal year (FY), a 17% reduction vs. FY2021.
In this interactive plenary, three distinguished experts will address urgent priorities in child health policy. Bruce Lesley, MA, is President and CEO of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization working to make children the priority in federal policy and budget decisions by offering thorough, bipartisan, achievable solutions to ensure children's well-being.
Alex Ortega, PhD, is Dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. He is an expert on research and public advocacy focused on improving the health and well-being of Latino youth and families, especially those who are undocumented immigrants or otherwise disenfranchised.
Josh Green, MD, is Governor of Hawai’i and a family physician. He has been recognized for his leadership in healthcare, providing health insurance for every child in the state of Hawaii, passing “Lukeʻs Law,” furnishing insurance coverage for kids with autism, and spearheading the state’s COVID pandemic response, resulting in Hawaiʻi having the nation’s lowest COVID-19 fatality rate.

Presentations:

• 7:00am – 7:05am HST

  Introduction
  

  Speaker: Glenn Flores, MD (he/him/his) – University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
• 7:05am – 7:40am HST

  The State of Health and Healthcare for American's Children
  

  Speaker: Bruce D. Lesley, MA (he/him/his) – First Focus on Children
• 7:40am – 8:00am HST

  Equity in Healthcare Access, Utilization, and Experiences for Latino Children by Parental Citizenship and Household Language
  

  Speaker: Alex Ortega, Ph.D. – University of Hawaii at Manoa
• 8:00am – 8:20am HST

  Advancing Children's Health as a Physician-governor
  

  Speaker: Joshua Green, MD (he/him/his) – Governor's Office
• 8:20am – 8:30am HST

  Q & A
  

  Speaker: Glenn Flores, MD (he/him/his) – University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine