Paul S. Vivano, Children's Hospital Los Angeles CEO Elected Chairman of California Children's Hospital Association

LOS ANGELES – Affirming his ongoing commitment to protect children's health and the role of children's hospitals in medical care, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) President and CEO Paul S. Viviano has been elected chair of the California Children's Hospital Association (CCHA) Board of Trustees.

Viviano, who has been a member of the CCHA board since 2015, began his new role in January.

"Paul Viviano will be a tremendous boon to CCHA in his new role," said Ann-Louise Kuhns, CCHA president and CEO. "He brings an incredible level of energy and passion to protecting children's health, an impressive depth of knowledge of health care delivery systems and a steadfast commitment to the mission that all children have access to the best care. Paul's track record of leadership and advocacy speaks for itself—he has lent his voice locally and nationally on these important subjects and inspired lawmakers to support children's health care."

Viviano, who has three decades of experience leading academic medical centers, for-profit health care organizations and nonprofit community hospitals, embraces the CCHA mission that every child should have access to high quality, cost-effective primary, preventive and specialty health care services. Included in his vision:

• Every child should have access to experts in pediatric care regardless of family income.
• Our nation must look at child health as a necessary priority, distinct from adult health.
• Research pays off best when implemented early – we must prioritize biomedical research for kids.

"California's freestanding children's hospitals and their community partners are the backbone of our state's pediatric care, treating everyone from infants to adolescents," Viviano says. "Every day, our hospital's physicians, surgeons, researchers, educators and support staff create healthier futures for kids across the state. It is imperative that the public, and our state and federal lawmakers, help our children's hospitals continue to provide the highest quality and safest patient care."

CCHA has been advocating on behalf of California's eight freestanding pediatric hospitals and their patient families for more than 20 years. CCHA works with state and national policy makers to address issues impacting the hospitals' ability to provide the best care possible to California kids, especially those with special and complex medical conditions. CCHA's goals for the upcoming year include:

• Passage of the California Children's Hospital Bond Act of 2018, which would enable a much-needed $1.5 billion investment in pediatric hospital infrastructure across the state to improve quality of care, expand access to new and effective treatments for children, and build capacity to train the next generation of pediatricians.
• Protecting the tremendous gains California has made in expanding health care coverage for children. About 97 percent of children living in California have some form of health insurance, and state-federal partnerships like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) must be protected to safeguard these gains.
• Monitoring pending changes to the California Children's Services Program – which sets treatment standards and provides health care coverage to children with serious health care conditions, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease – as it is incorporated into Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) managed care plans in select California counties.
• Improving access to appropriate pediatric behavioral health services for children who are in crisis.

Viviano, a California native, joined CHLA in 2015, after serving as CEO of UC San Diego Health System and associate vice chancellor of UC San Diego Health Sciences. He also has served as chair and CEO of Alliance HealthCare Services, president and CEO of USC University Hospital and USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, and has held numerous hospital leadership positions at health care institutions and associations across Southern California. He joined CCHA in 2015.

Viviano's term as board chair runs through 2019.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been ranked the top children's hospital in California and sixth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. CHLA is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932. For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our child health blog (CHLA.org/blog) and our research blog (ResearCHLABlog.org).

About California Children's Hospital Association

CCHA advocates on behalf of California's eight free-standing, not-for-profit hospitals to advance the well-being of children, promote access to high quality pediatric health care, and ensure the long-term viability of children's hospitals. Find us at CCHA.org.

For Media Inquiries Only, Please Contact: 
Lorenzo Benet, Director of Media Relations 
323-361-4823| lbenet@chla.usc.edu