Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) often require care by multiple pediatric subspecialists. Due to a shortage of these physicians, families can wait months for initial visits, and they may have to travel long distances to get to their appointments. These delays in care can cause significant hardships for parents and caregivers and can negatively affect health outcomes for CYSHCN.
To better understand the problem in California, our Foundation supported a team of researchers, in partnership with statewide family, provider, and hospital organizations, to survey pediatric subspecialists and families of CYSHCN about accessing health care in our state.
The resulting resources provide insight into the drivers of the shortage, the impacts on CYSHCN and their families, and policy implications for California and beyond.
Provider Perspectives
- FACT SHEET: California’s Children Need Access to Pediatric Subspecialists
- REPORT: Access to Pediatric Specialty Care in California: Results of the Children’s Specialty Care Coalition 2022 Member Survey
- LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING: Pediatric Subspecialty Physician Workforce: A Growing Crisis
Caregiver and Family Perspectives
- FACT SHEET: Access to Care in California: The CYSHCN Family Experience
- FACT SHEET: Travel Time and Family Preferences for In-Person Care
- SURVEY METHODS: Delays in Access to Pediatric Subspecialty Care in California
More From the Field
- Viewpoint: Where Are All the Pediatricians? (Journal of the American Medical Association, 7/3/24; requires free login to view full text)
- Opinion: Why Doctors Aren’t Going Into Pediatrics (The New York Times, 7/1/24; requires free login)
- California Kids Wait Months or Years for Specialty Care. Here’s What Would Help (California Health Report, 4/29/24)
- The Future Pediatric Subspecialty Physician Workforce: Meeting the Needs of Infants, Children, and Adolescent (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023)
Children’s Specialty Care Coalition
California Children’s Hospital Association
Practical Research Solutions (Tali Klima)
University of California San Francisco – Center for Excellence in Primary Care
Family Resource Centers Network of California
Learn more about our Program for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs.