Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) Director, Health and Nutrition Policy

Olivia Gomez serves as the Director of Health and Nutrition Policy at First Focus on Children. Her work focuses on enhancing health outcomes for children by advocating for policies that improve access to health coverage and nutritional foods, reduce child poverty, and keep our environment free from toxins and pollutants.
Prior to joining First Focus, Olivia was an intern in Senator Robert P. Casey’s office, where she provided research and legislative support for the Senator on a number of different policy issues. Olivia also was a public health policy intern at the Office of National Drug Control Policy within the Executive Office of the President, where she worked to improve access to evidence-based treatments for those with substance use disorder. While completing her degree, she served as a tutor to student-athletes and was a public health science ambassador to prospective students for the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
Olivia is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health.
Let’s ensure no child in the U.S. goes hungry and that every child has a safe and stable place to live
Cara Baldari, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff), First Focus Campaign for Children | November 15, 2022 |
This week marks Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, a time for action toward the goal of ensuring that no child in the U.S. goes …
Policy Brief: The Biden Administration Public Charge Regulation —What does it mean for children in immigrant families?
Cara Baldari, Miriam Abaya (Former Staff), Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | October 26, 2022 |
Approximately 1-in-4 children in the United States has an immigrant parent, and children of immigrants are the fastest-growing group of children in the United …
Issue Brief: Behavioral Health Parity For Children
Averi Pakulis, Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | September 14, 2022 |
What Is Behavioral Health Parity? Treating mental health conditions and substance use disorders as equivalent to other health conditions in insurance plans is what …
Fact Sheet: The High Cost of Prescription Drugs & the Impact on Children
Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | August 3, 2022 |
Background Americans pay nearly double, and sometimes triple, the cost of prescription drugs compared to other industrialized nations. Children are not immune to this …
Watch: Child Nutrition Policy 101 and Q&A with USDA Deputy Undersecretary Stacy Dean
Michele Kayal, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | July 28, 2022 |
Food and nutrition insecurity among children, particularly children of color and children from low-income backgrounds, remains stubbornly high, and dietary diseases among children are increasing. The …
Issue Brief: The Need to Incorporate Children, Youth, and Adolescents into State 988 Systems
Averi Pakulis, Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | July 14, 2022 |
States are currently in the process of implementing the 988 National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in October …
Response to Request for Information on Medicaid & CHIP
Carrie Fitzgerald (Former Staff), Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | April 18, 2022 |
First Focus on Children submitted the following responses to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ request for information on access to coverage and …
Fact Sheet: Mental Health & Kids
Averi Pakulis, Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | April 8, 2022 |
Children and teens in our country are experiencing a mental health crisis. Even before the pandemic, this crisis was severe, with 1-in-5 children under …
Fact Sheet: Removing the “Family Glitch” from the ACA
Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | January 27, 2022 |
On December 10, 2021, the Biden Administration took a positive step toward fixing the “family glitch,” which impacts the ability of over 5 million …
New USDA guidance will curb the chilling effect of public charge
Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | January 24, 2022 |
Earlier this month, we were very pleased to see that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued …