What is the Child Watch Visitation Program?

• Many employers do not provide comprehensive medical insurance.• There is a critical shortage of health care providers who accept Medicaidreimbursements, particularly in the specialty fields of pediatrics and obstetrics.• The above factors result in the emergency room being used as a source ofprimary health care, which is the most costly source of such care. Such care results insignificantly high charges, which low income persons generally cannot afford to pay.• A lack of access to primary health care causes delays In treatment which manytimes leads to even more costly intervention. In other words, minor conditions end upcosting much more when early care is not sought and obtained.• The emergency room cannot provide continuous care and keep appropriatelong-term care records, which is an integral part of primary health care.• The emergency room care is for acute care, and does not provide screening orprevention aspects of primary health care.Re obstetrical or prenatal care for low income women:• Low- income, pregnant women are often considered to be high risk, and areoften forced to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas or to Dallas to receive obstetricalservices..• Failure to receive early prenatal care increases the possibility that high riskconditions will not be monitored during the length of the pregnancy.• While local county health departments provide some prenatal care, the waitingtime to begin receiving care is long.• When many women receive late or no prenatal care, opportunities for earlyintervention and prevention are lost, resulting in higher rate of low birthweight babies.• A lack of access to primary health care for any member of the population whoseeks it causes a negative impact on the quality and continuity of care, its overall cost,and the health of the patient.5Source: The Health of AmeriCa's Children 1992, at ali Children's Defense Fund. WashingtOn, D.C.45