Code Blue: Health Services For Children In Foster Care

Through the California Foster Children’s Health Project, more than 30 leaders in child welfare and health care met over a period of six months in 1997-98 to analyze issues and develop recommendations to improve health services for children in foster care. The Project was sponsored by the Institute for Research on Women and Families, an affiliate of the Center for California Studies. The Project was funded in part by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation and through support from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Kate Karpilow, Ph.D., now Executive Director of the California Center for Research on Women and Families (CCRWF) served as the Project Director. Terri Carbaugh was the Project Coordinator and Dr. Linda Burden served as the Project Consultant.

Code Blue: Health Services for Children in Foster Care summarizes the recommendations and action plan developed by the child welfare and health professionals. First printed in March 1998, the document was reprinted in December 1998, due to support from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Code Blue has been read widely by leaders at both the state and local levels. Of particular note, the report was used by advocates to develop legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, Chair of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee. While the Aroner legislation did not pass, agreement was reached to put $2.48 million of general fund dollars into the California Department of Social Services 1999/2000 budget to provide public health nursing expertise to meet the health care needs of children in foster care, a key recommendation in Code Blue. These state funds are matched by federal funds to provide a total of approximately $9.9 million to counties statewide.

Code Blue also inspired Andrew Bridge, formerly Executive Director of the Alliance for Children’s Rights in Los Angeles, to organize a partnership of hospitals and health care providers to provide both immediate and long-term health care for foster children. In June 2000, the Health Care Partnership for Children was serving over 600 children, through seven health care providers.

Recommended Citation:

Karpilow, Kate; Burden, Linda; and Carbaugh, Terri. Code Blue: Health Services for Children in Foster Care. Published by the Institute for Research on Women and Families, Center for California Studies, Sacramento, California. 1st Printing - March 1998, 2nd Printing - December 1998.

Thanks are extended to the Center for California Studies for their support in making Code Blue available on the CCRWF website. Thanks also to the statewide Task Force that contributed their time and thoughtful recommendations. A list of the Task Force members is included in Code Blue.

For more information on the California Foster Children’s Health Project, e-mail ccrwf@ccrwf.org or call the California Center for Research on Women and Families at (510) 559-2696