Most Chester County Children Doing Well, Challenges Exist in Access to Insurance and Obesity
WEST CHESTER, PA (February 5th, 2013) – PCCY’s latest report “The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Chester County” finds that while 95% of Chester County children have insurance, approximately 6,000 children are uninsured.
Some good news from the report:
- Chester County had the largest drop in infant mortality in the region
- Few Chester County babies are born with low birth weights, yet disparities exist
The report also identified some troubling trends:
- While 95% of Chester County children have coverage, more than 6,000 children are uninsured, the only county in southeastern Pennsylvania that saw a rise in the number of uninsured children
- Similar to all counties in the region, nearly one in three Chester County children are obese or overweight.
- Only 9% of children under 6 were screened for lead
“Research proves healthy children are more likely to grow up to become healthy, successful adults. Better childhood health is linked to improved educational attainment, better employment opportunities and higher income in adulthood,” according to a study from the Robert Wood Foundation.
“We need to do a better job of insuring children and making kids healthier,” said Estelle Richman, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, former Philadelphia Commissioner on Public Health and PCCY Board Member. “The healthier our kids are, the more successful they will be later on in life.”
One barrier to care that prevents children in Chester and the other surrounding counties from obtaining health insurance is their immigration status. Every child in Pennsylvania is eligible for Medical Assistance or CHIP except children who are undocumented. With an estimated 1,152 undocumented children in the County, these children may not be able to access reliable health care services.
“Children should not be denied care because of their parent’s decision to come to the U.S. illegally,” said Michelle Legaspi Sánchez, Director of Program Evaluation and Reporting for the Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County (MCHC). “Pennsylvania would be wise to join other states who have removed this barrier so more Chester County children can have access to quality health care.”
In Chester County there are 23,242 children- nearly one in three, who are overweight or obese. The number of children who became overweight or obese rose 28% over the last five years. PCCY’s report shows disparities persisted between children of different races, ethnicities, insurance statuses and incomes.
“Chester County has seen a sharp rise in the number of children from low-income families, which in turn have led to a rise in obesity rates,” said Jeanne Casner, Director of the Chester County Health Department. ““We are working to address this trend through our County services and programs, and with the help of many agencies and health-related organizations throughout the County, we will continue to focus on providing better access to affordable healthy meals and educating parents and children on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”
Problems with childhood obesity and access to care are not just unique to Chester County. Combined, there are nearly 20,000 children in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties who are uninsured. More than a quarter of those kids (5,692) are undocumented and can not enroll in CHIP or Medical Assistance. Likewise, more than 114,000 children in the suburban counties are overweight or obese. Among those children, disparities persist between children of different ethnicities and insurance statuses.
Fortunately, Chester County leaders have established a plan to improve the health of its citizens called “RoadMAPP to Health.”
“Chester County’s RoadMAPP has already improved health care in our county,” said Ryan Costello, Chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners. “PCCY’s report points to areas where we need to increasingly focus our effort and that’s what we intend to do.”
To improve overall child health in Chester County, PCCY recommends that officials:
- Launch a county-wide campaign to get every eligible child health insurance
- Push the Commonwealth to remove the barrier to health coverage faced by undocumented children
- Encourage the State Department of Public Welfare to increase the quality of provider networks where necessary and improve efforts to reduce the incidence of obesity among the children served by the Medicaid Managed Care companies
- Improve county reporting on children without dental insurance and the number of children diagnosed and receiving treatment for behavioral health conditions
- Identify new funds to test and remediate homes and eliminate childhood lead poisoning
PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Chester County,” is the latest in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. PCCY’s previous reports on education and family economic security can be viewed at www.childrenfirstpa.org/bottomlinecountyreports
The full report “The Bottom Line is Children: Children’s Health Status in Chester County” can be viewed online at www.childrenfirstpa.org/userfiles/file/BottomLineCountyReports/Chester/Health/PCCYBLHealthChesterCo2014.pdf