Kids Count Celebrates Advances in Children's Health

Providence, RI – More than 225 community leaders, elected officials, and health care advocates are expected to attend Monday's Celebration of Children’s Health Luncheon, according to Katherine Linwood Chu, spokeswoman for Rhode Island Kids Count.

The event provides a chance "to reflect on the progress that Rhode Island has made in achieving positive health outcomes for children — including the 10th anniversary of RIte Smiles, Rhode Island’s managed care dental insurance for low-income children," she said.

Looking at the numbers, she said, 97 percent of the state's children have health insurance, and those statistics make Rhode Island fifteenth best in the nation, fifth best in New England.

Chu cited a new national report (Children’s Health Coverage Rate Now at Historic High of 95 Percent recently released by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families). It "found that the number of Rhode Island children without health insurance fell significantly over a two-year period following the federal Affordable Care Act taking effect," she said.

"The report estimated that the number of uninsured children in Rhode Island declined from about 12,000 (5.4% of all children) in 2013 to about 7,000 (3.4% of all children) in 2015," she added.

Rhode Island leads the nation in many children’s health outcomes, such as childhood immunizations, infant mortality and preterm births.

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