Physicians, health care professionals, children's advocates and educators gathered Tuesday night in Center City to engage in a citywide forum that addressed election issues related to children's health care.
The forum -- entitled "Where do the Presidential Candidates Stand on Children's Health?" -- featured keynote speaker Marc Steinberg, a health policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization Families USA, as well as three other panelists.
"We think there are a lot of really important issues in this campaign," Steinberg said. "Both candidates have talked about health care issues, and both have health coverage plans. Therefore, it is very important that people know what they are."
In his speech, Steinberg compared the health care and insurance plans of President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and analyzed the implications of both.
Following his address, panel members discussed various issues pertaining to children's health care, including the gravity of children's health insurance concerns and opportunities for advocacy.
Panelist and organizer Alisa Simon geared her speech toward encouraging political involvement through both petitioning lawmakers and voting.
"I talk to people all the time who want to vote and think it is important to vote, but they don't know who to vote for," said Simon, who is a director with event co-host Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth and a member of an advocacy project at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We want to present information about what candidates really mean when they say they care about children's health, so that they can make informed decisions when they go to vote Nov. 2."
The panelists all work for CHOP and included General Pediatrics professor Susmita Pati, second-year Pediatrics resident Evan Fieldston and Simon.
Attendees said the panel clarified confusion about the differences between the candidates' health care platforms.
"It helped you to understand the president's view of health care, which can be confusing, especially with all the commercials on TV and stuff," said Shirley Huang, a fellow at CHOP.
Organizer Kristen Feemster, a resident in Pediatrics at CHOP and member of the Community Pediatrics and Advocacy Program, said it marks the first citywide event that the program has hosted.
"We really wanted to explore the children's health policy platforms of the candidates," she said. "We wanted an event that would bring together training programs in the city."
