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Los Angeles Times Editorial (March 17, 2004)
“Good call for parents. First 4 LA Connect, a call-in line and website for county parents, has operated for about a year. It offers help and referrals to pregnant women and parents of children up to age 5.

KCAL-TV, Los Angeles, CA (April 14, 2004)
“Los Angeles County has an estimated 400,000 uninsured youngsters. First 5 LA’s call line has given a few of them a leg-up because healthier kids do better in school and become more productive adults.”

“Raising a child is one of the most challenging things anyone can do. But there is help now…thanks to a new, toll-free helpline called First 5 LA Connect.”

KABC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (August 13, 2003)
“On Wednesday, we told you about a new service called First 5 LA Connect that helps parents get free health insurance for their kids. Because so many parents responded, we wanted to give out that phone number again….”

Long Beach Press Telegram (May 30, 2003)
“Parenting in Los Angeles just got a little easier. That’s the message the First 5 LA Commission began touting Thursday, as it unveiled the first free helpline (First 5 LA Connect) for pregnant women and mothers of young children. Actor/director Rob Reiner, who chairs the statewide First 5 Commission, which was the brainchild of Proposition 10 (that created funding for the commission, applauded the effort. “Here’s a case where they actually invented the wheel, “ Reiner said, adding that there are no other services like it in the nation.

Studio City Sun (August 26, 2004)
“Dr. Salimpour, a practicing pediatrician and patient advocate, has an acute awareness of the health and social issues families face. It is his goal “to arm parents with as much information as possible, so kids don’t fall through the cracks”. Because 65% of First 5 LA Connect callers lack health insurance, Dr. Salimpour spreads the word about eligibility and low cost programs. “Parents need to understand that health insurance is a right, whether you have been in this country five years or five minutes,” said Dr. Salimpour. Translators are available for every language imaginable.”

Telemundo Web Site (September 2004)
“One of every five children in Los Angeles County does not have medical health insurance. But after a call to First 5 LA Connect to register your child in the medical insurance program, things can change. After registering, you will soon receive cards for the dentist, medical doctor and optometrist closest to you who will be able to help you.”

Valley Magazine (October 2004)
“First 5 LA Connect is the brainchild of Dr. Pejman Salimpour, who founded the helpline through his non-profit organization, NexCare Collaborative. His goal was to develop a program that would meet NexCare’s goal of ‘bringing the next generation of children and families to the next generation of care.’"

San Fernando Valley Business Journal (December 6, 2004)
“Next up for NexCare is a debut of a reading program for young children and their parents. It’s just a sampling of the many programs offered at NexCare, which has a toll-free line where seekers can find information about various healthcare services available to them.”

Warner Center News (October 7, 2004)
“NexCare information and referral professionals link callers directly to thousands of high quality, Los Angeles-area support agencies that offer free or low-cost parenting support services. As advocates for pregnant mothers, babies and young children, First 5 LA Connect specialists help parents navigate the complex network of these organizations and secure the help they need, when they need it.”

HOY (August 4, 2004)
“The Reading Connection is a program from First 5 LA Connect, designed to promote reading from a very young age. This program will provide information regarding the benefits of reading and will provide free books in English, Spanish or bi-lingual. You may contact First 5 LA Connect to request the books and also to request information regarding medical insurance for your child”

Valley Vantage (November 14, 2004)
“As the chief architect of the landmark telephone helpline and Web site service which are the signature services of First 5 LA, Dr. Salimpour has called upon the expertise of the leading health and social service agencies in the U.S. Dr. Salimpour’s experience and expertise make him uniquely qualified to lead the implementation of First 5 LA Connect.”

Los Angeles WAVE (August 26, 2004)
”Dr. Pejman Salimpour, a pediatrician in Los Angeles for more than 15 years and the creator of First 5 LA Connect (a telephone helpline that enrolls children in free or low-cost health insurance programs) said that many parents do not understand the importance of vaccines and that is why they refuse or forget to get their children immunized. “If you talk to grandparents or great grandparents, many of their children died of these diseases. But today we don’t hear about them, which makes parents think they are a thing of the past…that they don’t exist,” Salimpour said.”

Additional NexCare Collaborative / First 5 LA Connect stories, exposure and/or interviews with Dr. Salimpour have recently appeared in these media outlets:

RADIO:
  •   KFWB-AM
  •   K-EARTH AM
  •   KNX-AM
  •   KFI-AM
  •   KBLA-AM
  •   KALI-AM

TELEVISION:
  •    KCBS-TV (CBS)
  •   KCET-TV (PBS)
  •   KTLA-TV (Tribune Co)
  •   KCAL-TV (CBS
  •   KNBC-TV (NBC)
  •   KVEA-TV (Telemundo 52)
  •   KWHY-TV (Telemundo 22)
  •   KAZA-TV (Azteca 54)

PUBLICATIONS:
  •   Los Angeles Times
  •   Los Angeles Daily News
  •   Los Angeles Family Magazine
  •   Los Angeles Sentinel
  •   HOY
  •   Valley Scene
  •   L.A. Parent
  •   San Fernando Sun
  •   Whittier Daily News
  •   Santa Monica Mirror
  •   Lynwood Press
  •   Las Virgenes News

. . . and many others