South OC Times

Last week, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) received the Champion of Healthcare Innovation Award for her leadership and ongoing support of patient-centered medical progress at the annual Health Innovations Expo hosted by the Healthcare Leadership Council and House Bipartisan Innovation Caucus.

The Healthcare Leadership Council is a coalition of healthcare leaders and organizations that develop policies, plans, and programs to make affordable and high-quality care accessible to all Americans.

“All Americans deserve to access quality health care and to be aware of options available, regardless of zip code or native language. Unfortunately, I have seen barriers in health care access firsthand as an immigrant whose second language is English and as a representative of a diverse district,” said Rep. Young Kim, co-chair of the Maternity Care Caucus. “In Congress, I have worked tirelessly to support commonsense policies that support patients, strengthen our healthcare workforce, and promote innovation and technologies so we can meet patients’ needs in the 21st century and beyond. I thank the Healthcare Leadership Council for the Champion in Healthcare Innovation Award, and I will continue to work to expand access to quality care for patients across the nation.”

“As America’s healthcare industry stakeholders continually innovate to improve the lives of patients and enhance each function within the delivery of care, legislation and regulations that support the changing landscape are essential. It is critical that today’s healthcare leaders work with Members of Congress to find solutions that guarantee access to quality care and coverage, enhance our readiness for public health crises, strengthen the healthcare workforce, advance health equity, and further develop an interoperable, secure healthcare system,” stated HLC President and CEO Maria Ghazal. “We are proud to honor Representative Kim for investing time and energy in understanding the complexities and challenges facing healthcare and how the private sector is pushing boundaries. Her commitment exemplifies synergy between public leadership and private sector innovation in advancing healthcare solutions.”

Rep. Kim has worked on innovative healthcare policies to improve outcomes and expand access by:

- Leading the Health Communications Access and Resources for Everyone (Health CARE) Act (H.R. 5762), a bipartisan bill creating a universal language access symbol indicating translation services availability;

- Helping introduce the Supporting Patient Education And Knowledge (SPEAK) Act (H.R. 6033), establishing best practices for addressing barriers faced by Americans with limited English proficiency in health information technology;

- Addressing nurse workforce shortages through introducing National Nursing Workforce Center Act (H.R. 2411);

- Improving stillbirth research via Stillbirth Health Improvement And Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R. 5012);

- Supporting maternal care in rural areas with Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act (H.R. 8383);

- Boosting screening/treatment outcomes for maternal mental health/substance use disorders;

- Supporting domestic violence victims through Family Violence Prevention And Services Improvement Act (H.R. 2604) alongside Violence Against Women Act (H.R. 1620);

- Leading efforts urging updates on National Maternal Mental Health Hotline effectiveness.