Staying informed about important legislative issues that affect the health and welfare of children and their families is part of every pediatrician's duty to our profession. Always remember that your input into the political process on behalf of our young patients does make a difference! Here are some important links to help you stay up-to-date.

State Resources

Virginia General Assembly
Official website of the Virginia legislature

• Use "Who's my legislator" to identify your representatives in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates
• Find out how to contact your legislators by mail, phone, fax, or email
• Track state legislation by bill number or using a key word
• Access the Virginia Code

AAP Committee on State Government Affairs (COSGA)
Excellent site maintained by the American Academy of Pediatrics

• Extensive information on state legislative issues across the country
• Model bills and state legislative reports
• Excellent array of state legislative links
• Links to online health care data

Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT Data Book
Important information about child health and well-being in America, including state-by-state data sheets.
Take a look!

Virginia Childhood Obesity Survey Report 2010
Current information about childhood obesity in Virginia

Our current State Representatives are:

Delegate David Toscano (57th District) Capitol Office (during Legislative Session) General Assembly Building (Room 818) P.O. Box 406 Richmond, VA 23218 Legislative Assistant: Sarah Buckley Phone (804) 698-1057 Fax (804) 786-6310 Constituent Viewpoint (800)-889-0229 deldtoscano@house.state.va.us District Office (after Legislative Session) 211 E. High Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 Phone (434) 220-1660 Fax (434) 220-1677 david@davidtoscano.com

State Senator Creigh Deeds (25th District) Capitol Office (during Legislative Session) Senate of Virginia (Room 430) P.O. Box 396 Richmond, VA 23218 Legislative Assistant: Tracy Eppard Phone (804) 698-7525 Fax (804) 698-7651 district25@senate.virginia.gov senatordeeds@embarqmail.com District Office (after Legislative Session) P.O. Box 5462 Charlottesville, VA 22905-5462 Phone (434) 296-5491 Fax (434) 296-5949 Physical Location: Citizens Commonwealth Center 300 Preston Avenue, Suite 310

Federal Resources

AAP Department of Federal Affairs
Log-in for AAP Members

• Up-to-date information on federal legislative issues pending in Washington, D.C.
• Sample letters to elected officials, how to contact your officials, and current issues and "talking points" to include in your communications
• Feature to identify your congressional representatives using your zip code
• Track the votes of your federal elected officials!
• FAAN (Federal Advocacy Action Network) of interested pediatricians who wish to respond to federal legislative issues as they progress through the legislative process (you can join up right on this site!); this is a quick and easy way to communicate your concerns for children's health and welfare to Washington

Library of Congress: Thomas

• Contact information and links to individual websites of your representatives
• Track federal legislation by bill number or key word
• Lots more, including an overview of the legislative process

Vote Smart: Identify your representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

Our current Representative and Senators for the State of Virginia are:

Representative Robert Hurt 1516 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone (202) 225-4711 Fax (202) 225-5681 Charlottesville District Office 686 Berkmar Circle Charlottesville, VA 22901 Phone (434) 973-9631 Fax (434) 973-9635

Senator Mark Warner B40C Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone (202) 224-2023 Fax (202) 224-6295

Senator Tim Kaine B40C Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone (202) 224-4024 Fax (202) 224-5432

Resources for Health Care Reform

Kaiser Family Foundation

• Making Health Care Work for American Families: Medicaid and Access to Care
• Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009: Fact Sheet
• Next Steps in Covering Uninsured Children: Findings from the Kaiser Survey of Children's Health Coverage
• Medicaid: A Primer

Georgetown Center for Children and Families

• Building on a Solid Foundation: Medicaid's Role in a Reformed Health Care System

Health Affairs

• Beyond Incrementalism? SCHIP and the Politics of Health Reform

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Maximizing Kid's Enrollment in Medicaid and SCHIP
• State of the States: Charting the Course: Preparing for the Future, Learning from the Past

Urban Institute

• Setting Income Thresholds in Medicaid/SCHIP: Which Children Should Be Eligible?

The Commonwealth Fund

• Can Patient-Centered Medical Homes Transform Health Care Delivery?
• The Path to a High Performance U.S. Health System: A 2020 Vision and Policies to Pave the Way

Election Time!

Voting is one of the most important ways that you can effectively promote children's health care issues.

• City of Charlottesville Voter Registration & Elections
• Albemarle County Voter Registration & Elections

More Useful Links

Healthy People 2010

Rural Healthy People 2010

Too Close to Turn Back: Covering America's Children
Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University
Very readable summary of the current state of children's health insurance coverage, the important role of Medicaid and SCHIP, and the need to continue supporting these programs.

CAHMI Data Resource Center
The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) provides national and state-level findings from its 2005/06 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). "Point and click" online access to NS-CSHCN data on over 100 child health indicators. Select and download findings for various population subgroups including household income level, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage. The NS-CSHCN is a national survey sponsored and designed by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and administered by the National Center for Health Statistics. The survey provides national and state-specific estimates for children with special health care needs, in combination with other information about their health, health care needs, and the quality of care CSHCN receive.