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Children's health in Los Angeles

Los Angeles offers first-rate paediatric medicine, provided you are properly insured and stay within your plan's network. Here is how the system works, where to go in an emergency with a child, and where to find a French-speaking practitioner, based on the public lists of the consulate and French-language media.

Verified on 30 October 2026

How the system works

There is no universal social security: everything goes through private insurance, almost always the employer's. California adds a coverage mandate and public coverage for children of low-income families.

Good to know

  • Since 2020, every California resident must be insured, along with their spouse and children, every month of the year, or pay a penalty on the state tax return; the employer's plan, taken out on hiring, meets this requirement. Source
  • The premium is only part of the cost: add the annual deductible, a copay at each visit and an annual out-of-pocket maximum. HMO plans require a primary doctor and a closed network; PPOs let you see a specialist directly, at higher cost out of network. Source
  • Children under 19 can get Medi-Cal, California's public insurance, regardless of immigration status, if they meet the household income criteria. Source
  • The French State covers no medical costs abroad, neither hospitalisation nor repatriation; the Caisse des Français de l'étranger (CFE) offers voluntary membership that can be combined with local insurance. Source
  • For non-life-threatening issues (fever, ear infection, small cut), urgent care clinics see you without an appointment in the evening and at weekends, for far less than a hospital emergency visit.

Addresses

  • Covered California

    California's public health insurance marketplace, useful if the employer does not cover the family or between two jobs.

    Website Source

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Finding a paediatrician and registering your child

The paediatrician follows the child until adolescence. Choose one in your plan's network, then book a first visit with the French health record.

Good to know

  • The American Academy of Pediatrics well-child schedule has a visit at 3-5 days, then at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30 months, and every year from age 3; these visits are usually covered without a copay. Source
  • Check that the practice is in-network before the first appointment, then bring the insurance card, the child's passport and the French health record, whose vaccines the paediatrician will transfer.
  • In California, the paper vaccination record is the yellow card (immunization record): keep it safe and bring it to every vaccination appointment. Source
  • Every California school, public or private, checks vaccines at first admission (TK to 12th grade) and on entry to 7th grade: without an up-to-date record, the child cannot be admitted. Source
  • If your insurance does not yet cover the family, the county refers you to free or low-cost paediatricians and clinics via the Public Health InfoLine, on 1-833-540-0473. Source

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Paediatric emergencies

911 for anything life-threatening. For the rest, choose on arrival the paediatric emergency department closest to home and school, and check it is in your plan's network.

Good to know

  • 911 is the single emergency number (police, fire, ambulance). The consulate's list recommends always carrying your insurance card and blood group. Source
  • For a suspected ingestion (medicine, household product, plant), California Poison Control answers 24/7 on 1-800-222-1222, free of charge, with interpreters in over 200 languages; if the child is unconscious or struggling to breathe, call 911. Source
  • Los Angeles County approves some emergency departments for children (EDAP, Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics): trained staff, suitable equipment and medicines. 911 takes children to them. Source
  • Ambulances and emergency departments are billed, often heavily even with insurance: for a fever or ear infection, urgent care or your insurer's nurse line will do; for a fracture, breathing difficulty or dehydration, go to a paediatric emergency department.

Addresses

  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)

    Emergency

    4650 Sunset Boulevard, East Hollywood, CA 90027

    The reference hospital: 24/7 emergency department staffed by paediatric emergency physicians, and a Level I paediatric trauma centre. Close to Los Feliz and Silver Lake.

    Website Source

  • UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital et Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

    Emergency

    757 Westwood Plaza, Westwood, CA 90095

    24/7 emergency department, Level I trauma centre and paediatric critical care centre; the children's hospital entrance is next to the emergency entrance. The closest to the Lycée Français.

    Website Source

  • UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center

    Emergency

    1250 16th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

    Its Nethercutt Emergency Center is Santa Monica's only emergency department approved for paediatric care.

    Website Source

  • Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center

    Emergency

    18321 Clark Street, Tarzana, CA 91356

    County-approved EDAP emergency department, with paediatricians on site 24/7: the San Fernando Valley reference, near LILA's West Valley campus.

    Website Source

  • Huntington Hospital

    Hospital

    100 West California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105

    The main hospital for Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, with an emergency department and trauma centre; handy for families at LILA's Pasadena campus.

    Website Source

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French-speaking doctors and practitioners

The French consulate general in Los Angeles publishes a list of French-speaking doctors in Southern California, updated in August 2026. It is provided for information only, without engaging the administration's responsibility, and the choice of doctor is free. It includes no paediatrician: for children, look for an in-network paediatrician (hospital directories let you filter by language spoken). We complete it with the health directories of French District and French Morning.

Good to know

  • The consulate's list for Los Angeles County includes a GP, a dentist, a surgeon, a psychologist, a psychotherapist and a sexologist; a separate list covers Colorado. Source
  • Before booking, ask whether the practitioner is in your plan's network: out of network, much of the visit may be billed to you, even with good coverage. Source
  • French District publishes a directory of French doctors in Los Angeles and San Diego, and French Morning a directory of French-speaking professionals across the US; practitioners list themselves. Source

Addresses

  • Dr Maurice Levy

    General practitioner

    Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles (South Beverly Drive)

    General practitioner.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Lorène Catala Boisvert

    Dentist

    Santa Monica (Santa Monica Boulevard)

    Dentist, BioSmile Center.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN, DE, ES

    Website Source

  • Dr Namir Katkhouda

    Pasadena (91106)

    Surgeon.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN, DE, AR

    Source

  • Elodie Allais

    Psychologist

    Burbank

    Psychologist.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Hélène Schmitt

    Psychologist

    West LA (Sawtelle Boulevard)

    Bilingual psychotherapist, couples therapy and support for expats.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Rafaele Désiré Brooks, Ortho Oasis

    Dentist

    West LA / Century City (Santa Monica Boulevard)

    Orthodontist trained in Paris, orthodontics for children and adults.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Claudine Petelot, Cabinet Magenta

    Psychologist

    Beverly Hills (Wilshire et La Cienega)

    French-speaking psychologist and psychoanalyst.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Lucie Zozor

    Marina del Rey

    French state-qualified dietitian.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

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Pregnancy and maternity

Pregnancy is followed by an in-network obstetrician (OB-GYN), who delivers at one or two specific hospitals: choosing the doctor often means choosing the maternity unit. California protects new parents' jobs better than federal law.

Good to know

  • Check that the obstetrician, the hospital and the paediatrician who will see the baby are in your plan's network, and that the maternity unit has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) if the pregnancy is high-risk.
  • Leave: in companies with at least 5 employees, California law guarantees up to 4 months of pregnancy disability leave, then up to 12 weeks to bond with the child within a year of birth, with job protection. Source
  • The state's Paid Family Leave pays up to 8 weeks of benefits within 12 months to bond with a newborn, for mothers and fathers alike; it replaces part of the salary but does not by itself protect the job. Source
  • Registering the birth: a child born in the US is American. For French civil status, declare the birth at the Los Angeles consulate within 30 days (one parent is enough if married), or later request the free transcription of the US certificate by post. Source

Addresses

  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

    Maternity

    8700 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048

    The Westside's major hospital, with maternity, neonatal intensive care and a children's hospital (Guerin Children's).

    Website Source

  • UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, The BirthPlace

    Maternity

    1250 16th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

    Around 1,500 births a year and a 16-bed neonatal intensive care unit.

    Website Source

  • Providence Saint John's Health Center

    Maternity

    2121 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90404

    Santa Monica maternity unit with postnatal follow-up and classes for parents-to-be.

    Website Source

  • Huntington Hospital

    Maternity

    100 West California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105

    Pasadena's maternity unit, with an obstetric emergency department and neonatal intensive care.

    Website Source

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Pharmacies and medicines

Pharmacies are inside drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) and supermarkets. Many common medicines are over the counter, but not under the names you know.

Good to know

  • Equivalents: paracetamol is called acetaminophen (Tylenol, Children's Tylenol syrup), ibuprofen is sold as Advil or Motrin; children's syrups are dosed by weight and their strength varies between boxes, keep the syringe provided.
  • A French prescription is not honoured: have long-term treatments (asthma, allergies, the pill) rewritten by the local paediatrician or doctor in the first weeks, bringing the French leaflets.
  • The price of a prescription medicine depends on your plan (lower copay for generics); also ask for the price without insurance, sometimes lower, and compare between chains.
  • At night, look for a 24-hour pharmacy on the chain's website; for a dosing error or ingestion, poison control answers 24/7 on 1-800-222-1222. Source
  • Pharmacists vaccinate older children and adults (flu, boosters) in most drugstores, often at no cost with insurance; for little ones, it is the paediatrician or a county clinic. Source

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Vaccines

California is strict: no up-to-date vaccines, no school or nursery, and only medical exemptions are allowed. The US schedule adds a few vaccines to the French one.

Good to know

  • The CDC schedule has hepatitis B at birth, rotavirus, DTaP, Hib, pneumococcal and polio in the first year, MMR, varicella and hepatitis A between 12 and 15 months, and flu every year; rotavirus, hepatitis A and varicella are not on the French schedule. Source
  • To enter school in California, TK to 12th grade: DTaP (5 doses, 4 if one was after age 4), polio (4 doses, 3 if one after age 4), hepatitis B (3 doses), MMR (2 doses after age 1) and varicella (2 doses); on entry to 7th grade, a Tdap booster. Source
  • Since the SB 277 law of 2016, the personal belief exemption no longer exists in California: only medical exemptions are accepted by schools and nurseries. Source
  • In France, eleven vaccinations are compulsory for young children: have the paediatrician read the health record, transfer the doses to the California yellow card and complete what is missing (varicella, hepatitis A). Source
  • Where to vaccinate: at the paediatrician, covered by insurance; without insurance, the county public health department lists free or low-cost clinics for those 18 and under. Call ahead to check vaccines and hours. Source

Go further

These landmarks do not replace the advice of a health professional. In an emergency, call the local emergency number shown above.

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Los Angeles will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Consulat général de France à Los Angeles, liste de notoriété médicale (août 2026)
  2. 2 California Franchise Tax Board, obligation d'assurance santé
  3. 3 LA County EMS Agency, urgences agréées pour les enfants (EDAP)
  4. 4 LA County Public Health, guide des vaccins pour les parents
  5. 5 LA County Public Health, cliniques de vaccination
  6. 6 California Poison Control System
  7. 7 French District, médecins français à Los Angeles et San Diego

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