Foster Families In Limbo After Insurer Shakeup

Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, October 4, 2024…

• Thousands of foster children in the state are at risk of being moved from their homes. That’s after a major insurer for foster family agencies says it will no longer cover these organizations, starting this month. These agencies recruit and oversee foster parents, and without insurance, they can’t operate.
• California needs to do more to contain bird flu on dairy cattle ranches. That’s what one infectious disease expert says, as state health officials investigate the first two confirmed human cases of bird flu in the state.

What’s Next For Foster Families After An Insurance Shakeup Threatens To Upend Thousands?

Earlier this year, the Insurance Alliance of California (NIAC), which serves most foster family agencies in the state, announced it was sending out nonrenewal notices, letting plans expire starting in October. Without liability insurance, these foster family agencies cannot operate foster homes.

Aviva Family and Children’s Services is one of dozens of foster family agencies that contract with Los Angeles County to recruit, certify, and support foster parents — often for high-needs children. Aviva’s insurance expires November 1, which has left them with little time to try to find a solution for the 40 foster families and the children in their care. “The last thing that we need for these kids that have experienced trauma, that have experienced abuse, is for them to continue to get churned through the child welfare system and move from home to home to home,” said Amber Rivas, Aviva’s president and CEO.

Agencies have three options — try to find a new insurer, transfer the families to another agency that doesn’t have NIAC insurance or transfer them to the county. But there are challenges with each of these options. About 1,800 children are served through these agencies in the county, and up to 600 children could be affected within the next two months, according to county officials. But because of the insurance crisis, not all agencies are deciding to keep their doors open.

California Bird Flu: 2 Human Cases Confirmed In Central Valley

Two dairy workers in California were infected with bird flu, the 15th and 16th human cases detected this year in an ongoing outbreak affecting the nation’s dairy cows, health officials said Thursday.

The latest cases were found in workers who had contact with infected cattle in California’s Central Valley, where more than 50 herds have been affected since August. The workers developed eye redness, known as conjunctivitis, and had mild symptoms. On Friday, Tulare County heath officials confirmed the cases were in their county.

California health officials said the workers were employed at different farms, and there is no known link between the two cases, suggesting that they were infected through animal contact, not by people.