First 5 Tulare County Commission To Allocate $3.2 Million for Child Health Care Programs

The First 5 Tulare County Children and Families Commission, which distributes revenue from Proposition 10, the 1998 state ballot measure that levied a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes, has announced plans to allocate $3.2 million for medical, dental, vision and mental health care programs for children, the Fresno Bee reports. The seven-member commission, established to help expectant parents and children from birth to age five, will examine the shortage of pediatric specialists in the county, a universal health care proposal and other issues, First 5 Executive Director Debbie Wise said. "First 5 Tulare County's goal is to improve the lives of children. Health care should be a basic right to all children, and we will do what we can to make that a reality," First 5 Chair and county Supervisor Connie Conway said. The child health care programs will begin later this year, the Bee reports (Vigran, Fresno Bee, 2/7).