Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, on Friday announced House approval of $700,000 for critical health care programs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as part of the fiscal year 2010 Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Appropriations bill (House Resolution 3293).

The Labor, Health & Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act builds on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s investments to provide short-term relief to struggling American families by shoring up social safety net programs, and long-term solutions to help grow the economy and build the work force for the future.

At the request of Marian Medical Center, Capps secured $500,000 in federal funding to develop a neonatal intensive care unit at the center to enable mothers to safely deliver their babies.

“I’m so pleased that we have been able to secure federal support for this essential service to the Santa Maria community,” Capps said. “Establishing a neonatal intensive care unit at Marian Medical Center will help ensure that our moms can safely deliver their babies locally and that they won’t have to leave the community for care and treatment if their newborn is premature or high-risk. This will improve the quality of care and reduce costs associated with transporting babies and moms to other hospitals with these resources. This is a wonderful development for our community.”

At the request of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, Capps secured $200,000 in funding to support the One-Stop Health Care Enrollment Center.

“Ventura County’s One-Stop Health Care Enrollment Center provides a valuable service to our community, particularly in these challenging economic times when more people find themselves or their children without access to health insurance,” Capps said. “This center helps community members find the best health insurance program available for their needs and provides an important health care safety net.”

She added: “While I am very pleased at the funding in this bill for these important programs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, nothing is final until the House and Senate work out differences between their separate versions of the legislation and the bill is signed into law. I will continue to work to make sure South Coast priorities are taken care of in this legislation.”

— Emily Kryder is the communications director for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.