Lurie Children's Public Policy Priorities & Positions

Kids cannot vote. Kids cannot call Congress or meet with legislators on issues affecting their health and well-being. They need strong organizations, institutions and people to do this for them. Children's hospitals, by virtue of their role in providing complex care and care exclusively for children, are significant partners in government in caring for children.

In 1994, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago established the Public Policy Committee of the Board to recommend institutional positions on legislation and regulation that enable the hospital to enhance the health and well-being of all children.

Review the topics below to learn more about our public policy priorities and positions.

• Access to Care for Children
• Adolescent HIV Infection
• Adolescent Substance Use
• Alcohol Use by Youth
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines
• Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME)
• Childhood Immunizations
• Childhood Obesity
• Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
• Early Intervention
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis
• Food Insecurity
• Fostering Youth Engagement
• Global Advocacy for Children
• Grassroots Advocacy
• Health Equity
• HIV Testing of Pregnant Women and Newborns
• Immigration and Children's Access to Health Care
• Lack of Stable Housing on Children
• Neonatal Levels of Care
• Opioid Crisis
• Opposition to Legalization of Marijuana for Non-Medical Purposes in Illinois 
  • Evidence-based Position Statement
• Pediatric Telehealth
• Prevention and Treatment of Pediatric Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• Professional Liability Reform
• Protection of Children and Families Attempting to Immigrate to the United States
• Structural Racism
• Tobacco Use by Youth
• Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youth
• Unintentional Injuries
• Violence Prevention