In December 2012, Healthier Kids Foundation launched Santa Clara County’s Baby Gateway Project. The program is modeled after the highly successful Baby Gateway Program in Santa Cruz County.
Baby Gateway Program expands health coverage to newborns, enables them to secure a medical home, reduces emergency department use for infants, and ensures parents are given the appropriate resources to create a safe and healthy environment for their children. This program is a partnership between FIRST 5, Santa Clara County, Healthier Kids Foundation, Medi-Cal managed care health plans, Santa Clara County Social Services Agency, local hospitals, and pediatricians.
It has established three primary goals:
- To increase access to health coverage and a medical home for Medi-Cal-eligible newborns.
- To decrease avoidable emergency department use for children under the age of one.
- To support Medi-Cal parents in creating a safe, healthy, and loving home in which to raise their child.
To date, the Baby Gateway Program has assisted over 20,000 babies in enrolling in Medi-Cal. The program also connects families to several other community resources, such as diapers and feminine hygiene products, 10 Steps Healthy Lifestyles classes, oral health education classes, breast/chest feeding resources, food, and many others.
