SANGER, CA –Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) today, released a statement after her series “Serving SD14 on ACES” with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, regarding Governor Newsom’s signature on her bill, Senate Bill 428—the ACEs Equity Act last week:

“Trauma takes form in many ways for a child,” said Senator Hurtado. “We must make every effort to prevent and detect Adverse Childhood Experiences. By expanding access to screenings, we are making sure every child has a shot at lifelong health and opportunities.  Every child deserves a safe, stable, nurturing environment and relationships.”

“There couldn’t be a more important time to enact this legislation,” said California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris. “While the COVID-19 pandemic itself is not one of the traditional ACE criteria, it has been unique in creating the two main ingredients for development of the toxic stress response by one, acting as a major stressor while two, simultaneously cutting off access to many of the usual sources of buffering care necessary to help children, youth, and adults regulate their stress responses.”

“CMA applauds the Governor for signing SB 428 and reinforcing California’s commitment to improving access to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screenings, by mandating coverage of ACEs screenings by commercial health plans," said Peter N. Bretan, Jr., M.D, President, California Medical Association. "By increasing access to ACEs screenings, we take a pivotal step forward in improving the quality of care for Californians across the state by ensuring they're met with trauma-informed care, thus improving their quality of life henceforth."

Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, discrimination, violence and other adverse experiences that have been linked to various long-term health problems, mental disorders and premature death.

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) reimburses physicians who take specific DHCS training and provide ACEs screenings to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. There is no current requirement for commercial payers to cover these services. The expansion established in SB 428 provides access to screening benefits to all Californians. Since January of 2020, Medi-Cal providers have screened more than a half a million patients for ACEs.
 

This legislative session, Senator Hurtado authored Senate Bill 108—the Human Right to Food Act, that declared it to be a state policy that all people have access to sufficient, healthy food. With this declaration, the bill would have required California’s governmental agencies to consider the human right to food as they create, amend or adopt regulations. Senate Bill 108 would have also required reporting on the current and future status of food, food production and food assistance.   

Senator Hurtado also authored Senate Bill 464, the Comida Para Todos (Food for All Act.) This bill will provide greater food security to low-income immigrant workers by expanding eligibility for state funded nutrition benefits to anyone ineligible for CalFresh due solely to their immigration status.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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