Calif. Gets Low Marks for Meeting Kids’ Special Needs

California ranks 46th among states in effective coordination of medical care for children with special health care needs and 50th for referrals to specialty care, according to an analysis by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. The report also found that more than 40% of the roughly one million children with special needs in California have difficulty finding physicians and scheduling appointments.

• "California Ranks Low in Providing Special-Needs Care to Children" (Gorman, "Booster Shots," Los Angeles Times, 1/17).