April 2, 2015

Senator Ed Hernandez,
Chair, Senate Health Committee
State Capitol, Room 2191
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senator Hernandez:
On behalf of the Board of Directors, clients and staff of MOMS Orange County, I am writing to express our
serious concerns regarding the impact that SB 346 will have on existing partnerships between hospitals and
community benefit organizations like ours.
As you know, Californias community benefit law has been in place and working since 1994 and serves as a
model for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This unnecessary legislation, SB 346, conflicts with provisions of
the ACA and will increase costs for the states government and hospitals to comply with inconsistent federal
and state reporting requirements.
Currently, hospitals work collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to assess local health needs and
tailor services and investments to address each communitys specific needs. MOMS Orange County has
embraced this collaboration and is making great strides in ensuring that our most vulnerable populations have
the health care services they need.
We believe the partnerships between hospitals and community benefit organizations like ours are critical in
addressing local health needs. With community benefit support from St. Joseph Health and Hoag Hospital,
MOMS Orange County provides more than 3,800 low-income families each year with access to prenatal care,
health screenings, developmental screenings, health education and referral services through monthly home
visits and group classes. MOMS Orange County is a cost-effective program that fills critical gaps in the safety
net to provide services otherwise not available. SB 346 does nothing to strengthen successful community
benefit partnerships like ours and could lead to program cutbacks throughout California, impacting the diverse
and vulnerable populations we serve.
SB 346 is nearly identical to similar measures (AB 503 in 2014, AB 975 in 2013) that were debated and
overwhelmingly defeated in the Legislature. SB 346 and its predecessors represent a political solution for
which no problem exists. By eliminating the ability of hospitals to tailor programs to their specific
communitys needs, SB 346 would limit access to care, cause deep medical cuts and harm the partnership
between hospitals and community benefit groups. Without community benefit support, thousands of pregnant
women each year would lose access to prenatal care support services putting their babies in danger of poor
birth outcomes and delayed infant development which have severe long-term costs to our community.
Policy makers and health care providers must focus on expanding access to quality, affordable medical care, as
well as services like those provided by MOMS Orange County. SB 346 imposes vague, unrealistic and costly
mandates that will ultimately limit access not enhance it.
We respectfully urge you to consider the negative impact of SB 346 and help preserve vitally-needed services
like ours.
Sincerely,

Pamela Pimentel, RN
Chief Executive Officer
cc:

Senator Janet Nguyen, Assembly Member Tom Daly, Assembly Member Travis Allen

800.787.5858 or 714.972.2610 www.momsorangecounty.org fax: 714.972.2620

1128 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92703