Greetings!
Maternal and Child Health Advocacy was incorporated in 1996. Our mission began long before when we worked as part of two other longstanding and groundbreaking organizations, Homeless Health Care LA and Children's Advocacy Institute, both social justice advocacy organizations. Homeless Health Care LA honed our direct service work to improve lives while taking individual cases to higher levels. Children's Advocacy Institute sharpened the skills we used to find the right arena and the best approach for policy change in everything from local social service instruction manuals to state regulations and laws.
Since then, we've assisted hundreds of thousands of low-income people with access to health care, food, housing, support for new families and guidance for new babies and we've trained thousands of others to do the same. MCHA’s staff and Board of Directors are committed to helping low- and moderate-income people get the support they need. Since our beginnings we have been client-based, strength-based, and supporting equal justice. We believe every person who reaches out to us deserves to be treated with dignity, empathy and respect.
This year, and now as part of our Mother's Day appeal, we'll be sending out snippets of our work over the years and how it has affected the lives of so many.
In 1996 - MCHA incorporated!
- President (Bill) Clinton’s Welfare Reform Section 1931(b) Medi-Cal created a category of coverage to ensure that welfare reform would not keep families from accessing Medicaid. So, if a family was sanctioned or not allowed cash aid due to restrictive new rules, they could still get the health coverage for which they would have been eligible.
- MCHA worked to mitigate any damage to clients from this new opportunity. We helped to implement good policy in California (EXAMPLE) and explained to applicants and to other organizations how 1931 (b) Medi-Cal would work. Our health coverage trainings took on even more importance in helping attendees "find their inner advocate"!!
Mother's Day is May 9; May 10 in many Latin American countries.
We appreciate your support and could not do this work without you!
