RSVP today for CFFO’s First 2010 Women for Change Network Quarterly Happy Hour

Understanding Advocacy

with special guests Ed Waltz & Lucy Cox-Chapman from Spitfire Strategies

We read the surveys members completed and based on the overwhelming desire to learn more about our issue areas from panels of experts, we are inviting engaging panelists to each of our Women for Change Network quarterly happy hours.

For our first Happy Hour on Tuesday, March 30th, we have invited Spitfire Strategies, a national strategic communications firm from Washington DC, to talk with you about the advocacy work we do around children’s health.

Date: Tuesday, March 30th

Time: 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m.
Networking, wine and appetizers 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Program begins at 6:15 p.m.

Program:  Ed Walz, Spitfire Vice President, and Lucy Cox-Chapman will share best practices about the concise messaging they created to talk about children’s health and how to use this language to connect with different audiences. We will also provide a brief wrap up of the 2010 February legislative session, highlighting the recent policy victories CFFO helped win for kids. Don’t miss this unique opportunity.  You will leave this session as stronger advocates, feeling inspired and knowing how to talk about the issues that matter most to you.

Location: p:ear gallery located at 338 NW 6th Ave., Portland, OR 97209

Cost: Free for Women for Change members; $25 for nonmembers (If you become a member at the Happy Hour, your $25 donation goes towards your membership.) Click here for more information on membership benefits.
Please RSVP by Friday, March 26th by e-mailing (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or calling 503-236-9754.

The Women for Change Network is a diverse network of like-minded women committed to making Oregon a place where all children are healthy and safe and struggling families have the support they need to thrive. For more information about the Women for Change Network and how to become a member, click here.

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2010 Legislative Session Wrap Up from Children First

The 2010 special session has come to an end and CFFO had HUGE VICTORIES in this tough economy!

A special THANK YOU to those of you who wrote or called your legislators. Your emails to your legislators over the past few weeks were heard.

We must also remember that no victory is possible without strong leadership at the Capitol. Join us in sending a well deserved thank you to those who helped make this happen! Click HERE to send your legislator a Thank You.

Children First for Oregon 2010 State Legislative Session Wrap-up

For a more comprehensive review of our legislative accomplishments, click here

Keeping Children Healthy

Expanded Oregon Health Plan(OHP) coverage to former foster youth:

A bill to expand OHP coverage, HB3664 passed unanimously out of the House on Tuesday and passed Wednesday night with a 24-6 vote out of the Senate! Youth who age out of foster care at 18 will now continue to receive the same health coverage they had while in foster care, which means they can even keep their same medical and mental health providers!!

Special thanks to the Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC) and Juvenile Rights Project (JRP) for bringing compelling testimony to legislators all month. Also thank you to Representative Greenlick, and the House Health Care Committee for sponsoring HB3664 and to Representative Kotek, Representative Buckley the Department of Human Services and the Office of Healthy Kids for securing funding for this expansion.
Click HERE to see how your legislator voted on HB 3664.
Click HERE to send them a Thank You.

Bill to protect children from synthetic estrogens in children’s products voted down in the Senate:

The ban on Bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles failed to pass out of the Senate despite the more than 200 scientific studies linking very low doses of BPA to prostate and breast cancer, obesity, altered brain development, cardiac disease, diabetes, and early puberty. Advocates will continue to try and find ways to protect Oregon’s smallest citizens from this harmful product.

Strengthening Families:

Extended funding for Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) until 2011:

CFFO, child care providers, child care recipients, YOU and other advocates joined forces with legislators to ensure that 5500 children from 2,913 low-income families will continue to have quality child care so their parents can continue to work.

Special Thanks to House Speaker Dave Hunt and Representative Kotek for their strong support on this issue. Thanks also goes to the Senate Commerce and Workforce Development Committee and the House Sub-Committee on Workforce for highlighting this as jobs issue.

Paved way for expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit:

Legislators heard eloquent testimony from Oregonians who have been lifted out of poverty by EITC and they recognize that this tax credit is what low- income, working families need to make it in a tough economy. The informational hearings were a huge success and both advocates and legislators will be working hard over the coming months to have a strong proposal for the 2011 session.

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Low-income Oregonians have a chance for health care coverage

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) are spreading the word to low-income Oregonians that they have an opportunity for health care. The 2009 Legislature provided funding for coverage for an additional 35,000 low-income Oregon adults through the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). However, DHS estimates there are approximately 140,000 Oregonians whose incomes would qualify them for this coverage.

To ensure everyone qualified has an equal opportunity for the coverage, state health workers are trying to reach as many people as possible to let them know it is available. Anyone who contacts the state will be added to the Oregon Health Plan reservation list, which will be the source of monthly drawings for health care coverage. People who qualify, based on income status and other factors, will be able to join the Oregon Health Plan Standard insurance coverage.

To add your name to the list, go to http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/open or call 1-800-699-9075. You can also go to a local Department of Human Services office to request a reservation packet. Local county health departments, most hospitals and health care clinics also have reservation packets.

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America’s Children Still Need Health Reform

As Oregon celebrates our victories, we must not lose sight of our national reform efforts. We have proven what kind of success we can have when we come together as a state. Now we must come together as a country because America’s children are counting on us.

The recent election in Massachusetts hasn’t changed the fact that more than eight million children nationwide lack health coverage. And it doesn’t mean that we stop fighting for them.
Now is the crucial time. Without a House vote on the Senate-passed health bill, families will not see comprehensive health reform this year. Your voice can make the difference.

Tell your U.S. Representative to support health reform, because doing nothing is not an answer. Nor will piecemeal fixes later on change the game. Families face skyrocketing health costs and slashed budgets for state health services, even as unemployment remains high. Only the comprehensive approach of the health reform bill can fix the system for working families and vulnerable communities.

Call your representatives toll-free at 1-866-277-7617 and tell them:

Children and families need comprehensive health care reform NOW.

Find your representative here

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Measures 66 & 67 PASS with a sweeping majority!

In an historic election, Oregonians from all corners of the state voted to protect our most vulnerable citizens during their most difficult times. With the passage of ballot measures 66 & 67,we came together as a state. We decided maintaining vital services for working families was more important than providing tax breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations.

Thank you for helping ensure bright futures for Oregon kids and families. Together, we protected:

• Child welfare programs that keep kids safe
• Child care assistance that keep parents working
• Health care programs that keep children healthy and ready to learn…..

and so much more! We couldn’t have done it without you.

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Access to Health Care for Kids… Sign-Up Now

On August 4th, Oregon’s governor signed into law sweeping legislation that will provide health care coverage to 95 percent of Oregon’s uninsured children over the next two years.  This historic legislation not only means that Oregon’s kids will have the health care coverage they need to grow and thrive, but it also puts Oregon at the front of the line for federal health care dollars.  Oregon is leading the way in improving the quality and access to care for Oregonians through coverage that is good for family budgets and the state budget.

Apply today!
Click here to fill out an online application.
Or call 1-877-314-5678 to have an application mailed to you or for information.

The Healthy Kids plan is being rolled out in three phases, beginning now and continuing through January 2010.

TODAY - Children in families with income up to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) ($40,792.50 for a family of four) can enroll.

BEGINNING OCTOBER 2009 - Coverage will extend to children in families up to 200% FPL ($44,100 for a family of four).

BEGINNING JANUARY 2010 - Children in families between 200% and 300% FPL ($44,100 to 66,150 for a family of four) will be ableto enroll in coverage with premium assistance and children in families above 300% FPL will be able to buy into the program at full cost.

No matter where your family fits in, apply today! Early applications will help us enroll your children faster.

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2009 Legislature has adjourned—How did kids do?

The 2009 Legislative Session just adjourned. Although the economic crisis resulted in cuts to many important programs and services, the good news is that lawmakers had the same priority as the rest of us: protecting children and helping vulnerable Oregonians through this difficult time.

More Oregonians than ever before are struggling in this difficult economy and demand for services has hit record levels and will probably continue to grow. Cash assistance (TANF), food stamps and the Oregon Health Plan have all experienced double digit increases. Drastic cuts in health and human services at this time of increased need would only cost us more in the long run, so the legislature rose to the challenge and made sure Oregonians will get the help they need.

Lawmakers found every way possible to maximize state resources, leverage federal stimulus dollars and make sure wealthy individuals and large, profitable corporations will pay their fair share. This resulted in a number of crucial wins for Oregon kids!

Expanded health care coverage for 80,000 additional Oregon children. Families will now have the peace of mind knowing that childhood bumps and bruises won’t turn into life-long health problems, and medical emergencies won’t drive families into bankruptcy.

Stopped many deep budget cuts that would have devastated vulnerable children and their families. Although there are still many devastating cuts in human services, the legislature did not significantly reduce eligibility for Employment Related Day Care and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as originally discussed.

Protected and enhanced many aspects of the child welfare system that helps kids stay out of foster care or return home faster. Specifically services that address the reasons families come into the system, helping to keep families together whenever possible.

Please visit our website for more legislative accomplishments and specifics on children’s victories this session.

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