SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka) will be honored by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District IX (California) during their 2nd annual legislative reception in the Capitol this evening. 

“I am honored to be recognized by this important women’s health organization in the ongoing effort to improve health care for Californians,” said Portantino, the author of two pieces of legislation supported by ACOG.  “The approach I tried to take with my legislation is to keep California at the forefront in the latest advancements in treatment and screening techniques to benefit not just women, but everyone.”

Last year, Portantino authored and successfully passed AB 34 which requires the Department of Public Health to create the California Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program.  Under the legislation, the Department is required to establish umbilical cord blood collection points throughout that state with a particular emphasis on serving communities of color, who have been historically underserved by private umbilical cord blood programs.  Blood retrieved from the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells.  Like bone marrow, cord blood can be used to treat various genetic disorders that affect the blood and immune system, leukemia and certain cancers, and other inherited disorders.  According to the National Marrow Donor Program, there are 35,000 people who could benefit from marrow or cord blood transplants each year, many of whom die as a result of being unable to find suitable matches.

This year, the Assemblymember authored AB 2234, which would require health insurance plans to cover breast cancer screenings for women who fall into certain risk categories such as having an immediate family member with cancer.  California’s current insurance coverage mandate, established twenty years ago, is a one-size-fits-all solution that only requires women to be eligible for screening after the age of 35, irrespective of widely accepted scientific risk factors that demonstrate some women are at greater risk of developing breast cancer.  Despite advancements in treatment and diagnoses, nearly 20,000 California women succumb to breast cancer every year.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a nationwide organization with over 50,000 members, 5,000 of which are practicing in California.  ACOG is not only a national leader in advocating for women’s health issues, but also sets the bar for standard of care for all obstetricians and gynecologists.