And just about everybody knows it….

Voices for Children in Nebraska testified in support of protecting prenatal care at the hearing for Legislative Bill 1110 last week in front of the Health and Human Services Committee.  LB 1110 will restore access to prenatal care for babies of low-income mothers, protecting a long-standing policy of prioritizing the health of  soon-to-be Nebraska babies. See Voices for Children in Nebraska’s Testimony here: http://www.voicesforchildren.com/pdf/Legislative/2010/LB_1110_Testimony.pdf

Voices for Children in Nebraska was joined by an impressive array of child advocates, all supporting access to prenatal care.

Proponents at the LB 1110 hearing included:*

Alegent Health

Bryan LGH Health System

Building Bright Futures and the Nebraska Children’s Healthcare Alliance

Building Bright Futures Early Childhood Services

Creighton University and Creighton University Medical Center

Dr. Richard Raymond, former NMA President and former Chief Medical Officer in Nebraska

Senator Lowen Kruse

March of Dimes – Nebraska Chapter

Mexican American Commission

Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest

Nebraska Catholic Conference

Nebraska Children’s Home Society

Nebraska Dietetic Association

Nebraska Hospital Association

Nebraska Medical Association (NMA)

Nebraska Right to Life

One World Community Health Center and the Nebraska Federally Qualified Health Centers

Public Health Association of Nebraska

State Auditor Mike Foley

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Voices for Children in Nebraska

*This is not an exhaustive list of all supporters of prenatal care – nor is it the official list of all supporters at the hearing, only those captured in my notes.  Many individuals/organizations may have submitted written testimony or indicated support in other ways.  If I left anyone out, it is unintentional.  Please let me know.

Notable Opponents:

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CEO Kerry Winterer and Governor Heineman opposed protecting prenatal care for unborn children in Nebraska, which would overturn a long-standing policy of prioritizing prenatal care for all low-income children that has been in place in Nebraska for at least 20 years.  A letter signed by Mr. Winterer and Governor Dave Heineman indicated their opposition, saying “The key issue to be resolved is whether illegal immigrants should be receiving taxpayer-funded benefits…After a careful and thoughtful review of the various aspects of this issue, we are opposed to illegal immigrants receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.”  You can see the letter here: http://www.voicesforchildren.com/pdf/Legislative/2010/Governor_Heineman_Letter_to_HHS_2.25.10.pdf

Voices for Children in Nebraska respectfully disagrees with Mr. Winterer and Governor Heineman -  the key issue to be resolved is whether soon-to-be Nebraska babies should be given every opportunity to be born healthy. These babies will be American citizens upon birth, and they are part of Nebraska’s future.

If you want to be associated with this great group of prenatal care supporters above, check out Voices for Children in Nebraska’s website that is dedicated to helping you take action to protect prenatal care, www.voicesforchildren.com/babiesbornhealthy.htm.

Tiffany Seibert
Policy Coordinator
Voices for Children in Nebraska
tseibert@voicesforchildren.com
(402) 597-3100

This entry was posted on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 6:39 pm and is filed under Common Sense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.