Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has been supporting SmokeFree Wisconsin since the beginning. A big thanks to Children’s Hospital employees and our community advocates for helping get this law passed! We know a smoke free Wisconsin makes a positive difference for our kids.

And our advocacy efforts continue to make a difference! Governor Scott Walker issued the following statement on the upcoming anniversary of the state’s smoking ban. “Although I did not support the original smoking ban, after listening to people across the state, it is clear to me that it works. Therefore I will not support a repeal.”

In addition, results of a recent survey conducted on behalf of Smokefree Wisconsin, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association prove that Wisconsin’s smoke-free law is a big hit with Wisconsin voters!

The results of the survey proved Wisconsin’s smoke-free law is a big hit. Voters are deeply concerned about secondhand smoke, and they report that the smoke-free law has led to a more enjoyable, healthier experience when going out to restaurants and bars. The bottom line is that a wide, bi-partisan coalition of voters endorses the current law and opposes efforts to weaken the law.

Visit the Children’s Advocacy Network to see the survey results.

~ Michelle Mettner, vice president, Government Relations, Children’s Hospital and Health System

For example, a recent proposed change in President Obama’s budget calls for the elimination of federal funding for Children’s

Thirty-six lab coats hang outside Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to raise awareness of the impact of proposed funding cuts to resident training programs on health care for children.

Graduate Medical Education. This cut is alarming because it has a real impact on Wisconsin and the health of our children. The funding provides children’s hospitals with much-needed dollars for physician education. In Wisconsin, 60 percent of residents from Children’s Hospital’s training programs choose to stay here when they complete their residency training. Some may practice in primary care by joining a pediatric practice and others choose to train further. All of them help our children.

So, you may ask, how does the elimination of federal funding for this program impact our children? It means we’ll have fewer doctors who specialize in the care of children to take care of our kids.

Please consider contacting your federal elected officials. It truly can have a great deal of impact and only takes a few minutes. In fact, it takes less than 10 individual letters to get an elected official’s attention on a particular issue. To learn more about the funding cuts, visit nachri.net.

Are you interested in learning more about Children’s Hospital advocacy efforts and the work we are doing with elected officials? Sign up to receive updates from Children’s Advocacy Network.

~ Michelle Mettner, vice president, Government Relations, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

While this might seem like a dramatic example, this could have been a reality for many Americans. State Medicaid budgets throughout the country are struggling and without adequate funding, states are forced to make cuts to essential programs including funding for health care providers who serve kids covered by Medicaid.

These are challenging fiscal times. Fortunately, last week federal lawmakers took action and voted to extend enhanced Medicaid matching funds (FMAP). The extension, which runs through June 2011, provides critical funding for the Medicaid budget, which is crucial for hospitals such as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. More than 50 percent of the children receiving care at Children’s Hospital and its clinics rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. The hospital cares for all kids in need, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. That is part of what makes us special, but it also is a challenge to maintain when Medicaid budgets are strained. Even with these enhanced dollars from the federal government, our costs for providing care are only partially paid.

Our Medicaid budget remains fragile, but there is no question that without these additional federal dollars, we would be at larger risk

Children’s Hospital and its advocates actively lobbied our federal delegation for support of this important provision. We can give a sigh of relief that they listened and helped bring critical funds back home to Wisconsin.

Do you want to learn how to be an advocate for children’s health care? Visit Children’s Advocacy Network.

-Michelle Mettner, vice president, Government Relations at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Assembly Bill 725 will require all schools in Wisconsin to offer enrolled high school students instruction in lifesaving skills.

In situations when an emergency happens, time is of the essence. Many lives can be saved because people at the scene of a cardiac emergency have the necessary tools to recognize and respond appropriately.

Cardiovascular diseases remain Wisconsin’s No. 1 killer, yet many lives can be saved if simple lifesaving procedures are initiated by lay rescuers. By providing simple instruction in the high school setting, our young adults will have an increased comfort level and the necessary tools to help save a life.

The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross also are working hard to promote this important legislation.

Please urge your legislators to support AB725 by e-mailing them today through our Children’s Advocacy Network.

You can help with just a click of the button and a short message to your state senator and representative. Why not take a moment to help?

-Michelle Mettner, vice president, Government Relations and Advocacy, Children’s Hospital and Health System

Learn more about Children’s Hospital and Health System at chw.org.

It’s a funny image, because this could never happen. Children – from the youngest to the oldest – don’t get opportunities to speak up on issues that impact their lives. Think of the numerous laws that impact children – abuse, neglect, reimbursement or disability, to name just a few. Yet who do we rely on to make sure those affected are heard?

Advocacy efforts rely on the strength and action of volunteers who care about kids and want to make a difference. Children are not able to represent themselves on issues that directly impact their care. Children’s Hospital and Health System created Wisconsin’s Children’s Advocacy Network, or C.A.N., to help give children a voice. C.A.N. gives the people who want to advocate for children – grandparents, community members, employees, donors – the tools needed to advocate on behalf of children.

We’re excited about connecting you with the key issues that matter to kids by keeping you updated and showing you ways to contact your legislator.

Did you know?

• It takes less than 10 individual letters to get an elected official’s attention on a particular issue.
• State legislators say it takes only a handful of phone calls to get their attention.
• On average, you need only five to eight legislators backing your issue to pass a bill out of a committee or defeat it.

Think of the difference a single phone call or letter really can make!

Join C.A.N. today at chw.org/CAN.

-Michelle Mettner, vice president of Government Relations

Learn more about Children’s Hospital and Health System at chw.org.

This is a first step to tougher laws against drunk driving. While we are excited about tougher restrictions, we know there still is a lot of work to be done as this piece of legislation does little to deal with the main issue of first time offenders. Too many children and families are impacted each year – through injury and even death – to let this behavior continue.

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin worked with the UW Health-led All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education (AWARE) coalition to help pass this important legislation. The coalition was created a year ago and has more than 55 statewide members. It supports improving the health and safety of Wisconsin residents in the fight against alcohol abuse.

In Wisconsin, more than two-thirds of serious and fatal accidents caused by alcohol happen by drivers who have never been convicted. Tougher laws will help those who drink think before they pick up the keys.

The details on Senate Bill 66:

• A fourth offense now is a felony if it occurs within five years of a previous offense.
• Ignition locks are required for all repeat drunken drivers and for first-time offenders with blood-alcohol levels of 0.15 percent or greater.
• First-offense drunken driving is a misdemeanor if a child younger than 16 is in the vehicle.
• Judges have the option of offering reduced jail time to offenders who complete alcohol or drug treatment.
• A provision that previously allowed lighter penalties for those with a blood-alcohol level between 0.08 and 0.10 percent is eliminated.
• Fines for OWI are increased to fund the legislation.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on issues important to Children’s Hospital and Health System, please e-mail Jennifer Mance at jmance@chw.org to sign up for our advocacy mailing list.

Last night just after 10 p.m., the State Assembly voted 61-38 to concur with the 25-8 vote earlier in the day by the State Senate to pass a statewide smoking ban to go into effect July 5, 2010. More than 40 amendments were offered to attempt to water down the reach of the statewide ban.  All of the amendments failed. It now goes to the Governor for his signature.

Congratulations and thank you to the many people at Children’s Hospital and Health System who worked in support of this legislation year after year, and so many of you who took the time this week to call your legislators.  Your voices were heard!

–Michelle Mettner, vice president of Government Relations, Children’s Hospital and Health System

Like most legislative compromises, this proposal does not give either side of the debate everything they want.  The Tavern League wanted an outright exemption for bars; the health care advocates wanted a more immediate effective date.

Children’s has partnered with the American Cancer Society, Smokefree Wisconsin and other health care advocates supporting the statewide smoking ban and we have actively lobbied for its passage.  For many years, people from all parts of the System have actively supported this legislation because of its health care impact on kids, including dozens of pediatric residents who have traveled to Madison to lobby their legislators to support it.

The enactment of this legislation is long overdue, and while the deal is not perfect, in our political climate, it is a very good compromise that will bring Wisconsin in line with our neighbor states — Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa — who already have enacted smoke-free legislation.  No longer can we be called the ashtray of the Midwest.  In fact, we will join twenty-five states and Washington DC which have banned smoking from private-sector work places, restaurants and taverns.

This morning, the Senate Health Committee voted 5-2 (bi-partisan) and Assembly Health Committee voted 11-2 (bi-partisan) in support of the compromise.  It is anticipated each house will vote on the bill this coming Wednesday, May 13th.

Take a moment to call or email your State Senator and State Representative and urge them to support the statewide smoking ban (SB 181 and AB 253).  You can go to the following Web site and enter your address to link you to your legislator’s contact information and e-mail address: http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

The campaign Speak Now for Kids in Health Reform asks advocates to register online as champions for children’s health, express their priorities for children in health reform and upload testimonials about experiences with children’s health care coverage, delivery, quality and costs. Gathered data is then broken out by state, Congressional district and rolled up nationally to share advocates’ opinions.

The Government Relations team here at Children’s works with legislators every day to advocate for children on important health care issues. Current issues to raise at the forefront of the federal health care reform debate are quite simply that all children should have affordable and accessible health coverage, no matter where they live. Children are not just little adults. Their coverage should reflect their unique health and development needs. Most of the adult guidelines for conditions like obesity, asthma, and those that require physical therapy are inappropriate for a toddler or a child with a disability. One size does not fit all.

Adults and seniors do an excellent job advocating and having their voices heard on public policy that impacts them. For this reason, health care policy often solely addresses adult needs with the expectation that children’s health care needs will fit the same mold.  We are uniquely positioned to give voice to the health care policy needs of children and remind our elected officials that policy reform must specifically address the health and social needs of children.

Please take three minutes to go to www.SpeakNowforKids.org and tell Congress that children’s health care is important to you. Whether it is access to care, coverage for all children, cost of insurance or co-pays or the quality of pediatric care – reach out and share your opinions. Then tell a friend and ask them to do the same.

Watch for more information on children’s advocacy from Children’s Hospital, including the mobilization of our own Children’s Hospital Advocacy Team, CHAT for Children, coming this summer!

–Michelle Mettner, vice president of Government Relations