When Kids Are Sick, Parents Must Navigate California Health Care Systems
In Bakersfield, a family works to get treatment for a 5-year-old with cancer, while Children’s Hospital of Orange County helps critically ill patients to stay in touch with their siblings. Nationally, HPV vaccine requirements are an issue for wary parents.
The Bakersfield Californian:
Bakersfield Couple Battles Daughter's Cancer — And Insurance Company
The Segundos have chosen an aggressive course of treatment that is nearly as dangerous as the rare form of medulloblastoma diagnosed last spring in the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Abigail...Earlier this month, [Julie Segundo's] strength was tested yet again. At the 11th hour — just days before a ramped-up treatment regimen was scheduled to begin — the parents received word from Health Net, their insurance carrier, that it had decided it will not cover the course of treatment chosen by the Segundos and their daughter’s doctors, a treatment plan that began last May. (Mayer, 8/20)
Orange County Register:
CHOC Honors Brothers And Sisters Of Critically Ill Children
Children’s Hospital of Orange County celebrated “Super Sib Day” on Saturday, recognizing the family heroes who perhaps too often go unsung: the brothers and sisters of critically sick children. The event was co-sponsored by Allie’s Helping Hands, an Orange County nonprofit that supports the siblings of CHOC patients. (Winslow, 8/20)
ABC News:
Parents Want 'Opt-Out' Option For HPV Vaccine, Study Finds
The HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus, vaccine has continued to be seen as controversial. Despite years of recommendations and support from leading medical institutions, parents remain wary about requiring children to receive an HPV vaccination for school admissions, according to a new study. While just 21 percent of parents thought laws requiring the vaccine for school were a "good idea," that number rose significantly -- to 57 percent -- if there was an "opt-out" provision offered, according to the study published today in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. (Chevinsky, 8/19)