Human Services
Community Building
Digest

social work, social, worker, service, services, mental health, psychology, counseling, non profit, nonprofit, clinical, not-for-profit, opening, fair, link, links, organization, association, journal, school, msw, bsw, medical, welfare, child welfare, sociology, therapy, case management, case manager, casework, certification, recruitment, opportunity, site, bank, online, interview, salary, listing, director, direct care, social service, therapist, case worker, house parent, foster care, nurse, homeless, teacher, agency, agencies, occupational, risk, youth, program, substance abuse, human services, career, human service jobs, human service, corrections, counselor, rehabilitation, elderly, disabled, gerontology, aging, psychiatry, intern, internship, products, services, conferences, behavioral health, group home, needs, medical, outreach, grant writer, special, population, disorders, development, socail, socal

Internet Marketing tips for your Organization
HandsNet WebClipper Digest - June 16, 2008

The Human Services and Community Building Digest is HandsNet's weekly overview of crosscutting human services and community development news from around the World Wide Web.

**Children, Youth & Families

2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book Released June 12

National trends in child well-being taken together have improved slightly since 2000, according to a report released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org



For more coverage visit the Community Issues site.

Early Childhood Development
Youth Development
Public Education
Post Secondary Education
Aging
Health
Economic Security
Community Development
Civic Engagement
Philanthropy
Nonprofit Capacity Building

See what programs are getting top foundations grants.

Subscribe to the Human Services and Community Building Digest

Excessive drinking may lead to poor brain health via obesity

Chronic drinking increases levels of stress hormones, leading to neurotoxicity

Decision-making deficits related to driving under the influence are often undetected

Acamprosate prevents relapse to drinking in alcoholism

Antibiotics: Longer treatment times that benefit children may cost society

Ritalin improves brain function, task performance in cocaine abusers

Add Human Services Headlines to your Website.

Mom's Behavior Key to Dad's Involvement in Child Care

A study of 97 couples found that fathers were more involved in the day-to-day care of their infants when they received active encouragement from their wife or partner.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/moms-behavior-k.php

Study finds virginity pledges may help postpone intercourse among youth

Researchers from the RAND Corporation found that adolescents who made pledges to remain virgins until they are married were less likely to be sexually active over the three-year study period than other youth who were similar to them, but who did not make a virginity pledge.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/study-finds-vir.php

Frequent self-cutting linked to risky sexual behavior in teens

Teens who repeatedly cut themselves are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, increasing their chances of possibly contracting HIV, according to a new study by the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/frequent-selfcu.php

1 out of 4 obese school-aged children suffers metabolic syndrome

A department chair of the University of Granada warns that a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle have alarmingly increased the number of cases of children with metabolic syndrome, an illness associated with numerous cardiovascular pathologies in adults.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/1-out-of-4-obes.php

**************************************************************************

Have a Website? Place HandsNet Headlines on your site – visit http://www.handsnet.org/addheadl.htm

************************************************************************

Sex offenders register provides limited protection for children

The UK's Sex Offenders Register is failing to protect vulnerable children, according to a psychologist at the University of Liverpool

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/sex-offenders-r.php

Insomnia in parents can result in sleep problems, suicidal behavior among their offspring

A history of chronic insomnia in parents is not only associated with elevated risk for insomnia but also with elevated risks for use of hypnotics, psychopathology and suicidal behavior in adolescent offspring.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/insomnia-in-par.php

REM sleep associated with overweight in children and adolescents

Short sleep time is associated with overweight in children and adolescents, a core aspect of which may be attributed to reduced REM sleep.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/rem-sleep-assoc.php

Delaying school start time by one hour positively affects adolescents' cognitive performance

Delaying an adolescent's school start time by one hour has a positive effect on his or her cognitive performance.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/delaying-school.php

Poor sleep linked to suicidal behavior among children and adolescents with depressive episodes

A research abstract finds a link between poor sleep and suicidal behavior among children and adolescents with depressive episodes.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/poor-sleep-link.php

**Civic Engagement - Philanthropy

Campaign to Promote Black Men and Boys' Achievement

The Open Society Institute's U.S. Programs announced a new campaign to address the exclusion of African American men and boys from the economic and political mainstream in the United States.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/open-society-in.php

Rejected Lawsuit Against Ohio for Noncompliance With Federal Voter Registration Law Appealed in U.S. Court of Appeals

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held oral argument in the appeal of a lawsuit originally filed by individual citizens who were not offered the opportunity to register to vote at public assistance agencies, and a community membership organization.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/rejected-lawsui.php

**Community Development

Foreclosure Crisis Hits Rural America

Articles in the spring issue of the Housing Assistance Council’s Rural Voices magazine explain the mortgage foreclosure crisis’ rural impact and describe programs that have helped rural families keep their homes.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/foreclosure-cri.php

HUD's Efforts to Eliminate Downpayment Assistance Will Hurt Qualified Homebuyers

These programs operate in accordance with current law and HUD guidelines and have helped more than one million low and moderate income HUD-approved families and individuals buy their own homes.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/huds-efforts-to.php

Internet, tolerance spark change in urban gay communities

Gay communities -- such as clubs, bars, events and neighborhoods -- appear to be changing worldwide in light of several key factors, including Internet dating and achievement of civil rights, according to new University of Minnesota research.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/internet-tolera.php

Grand Opening of SeniorNet Computer Learning Center at MAAC Project's 'Seniors in Chula Vista, CA Affordable Housing Development t

SeniorNet in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee (MAAC) Project, will open a new SeniorNet Computer Learning Center to bring free computer access and education to low-income, Latino seniors in Chula Vista, Calif.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/seniornet-hrc-f.php

**Economic Security

New Ford Foundation Grant Supports Effort to Reduce Mortgage Foreclosures Nationwide

New technology that allows credit counselors to significantly speed up loan modifications and other solutions for homeowners caught in the nation's mortgage crisis has spurred a $2 million investment from the Ford Foundation.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/new-ford-founda.php

As Lenders, Doctors, and Hospitals Push Risky Credit to Pay for Medical Care

Consumer Report's July report, "Overdose of Debt," explains how credit cards and finance lines that are "interest free" can easily reach exorbitant rates up to 27.99 percent retroactively - and they're being pitched to consumers with high pressure sales pitches, often catching them off guard in their doctors' offices or at the hospital.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/consumer-report.php

US still leads the world in science and technology

Despite perceptions that the nation is losing its competitive edge, the United States remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide, according to a RAND Corporation.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/us-still-leads.php

**Education

Expert Task Force Charges School Reform Alone Will Fail in Closing Achievement Gap

A new task force of national policy experts with diverse religious and political affiliations, in public policy fields including education, social welfare, health, housing, and civil rights today launched a campaign calling for a "Broader, Bolder Approach to Education" to break a decades-long cycle of reform efforts that promised much and have achieved far too little

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/expert-task-for-1.php

Building buff brains: Remedial instruction can close gap between good, poor readers

A Carnegie Mellon brain imaging study of poor readers found that 100 hours of remedial instruction not only improved the skills of struggling readers, but also changed the way the their brains activated when they comprehended written sentences.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/building-buff-b.php

The Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs

This report from MDRC presents one-year implementation and impact findings on two supplemental academic instruction approaches developed for after-school settings - one for math and one for reading.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/the-evaluation.php

$33.6 Million Grant to Help Create More Charter Schools in Florida

U.S. Department of Education announced the award of a $33.6 million grant to Florida to help it create more quality charter schools and increase school choices that parents have to provide to their children.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/department-awar-4.php

Education Department Approves Additional Growth Model Pilots for 2007-2008 School Year

The U.S. Secretary of Education announced approval of two high-quality growth models, which follow the bright-line principles of No Child Left Behind.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/u-s-secretary-o.php

**Health

Children in non-English-speaking households face many health disparities,

Children in US households where English is not the primary language experience multiple disparities in health care, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/children-in-non.php

Racial disparities in diabetes outcomes widespread across individual physicians

Primary care physicians caring for patients with diabetes have worse outcomes among their black patients than their white patients, reports a study conducted by Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/racial-disparit-3.php

Rural, unmarried women at higher risk for depression

Mayo Clinic research suggests unmarried women living in rural areas have lower self-rated health status than their married counterparts. This lower health status often includes greater instances of self-assessed feelings of depression.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/mayo-clinic-stu-1.php

Investigators test groundbreaking depression research in real-world setting

UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatry researchers have taken what they learned from their groundbreaking research on treating depression and are applying it to real-world clinical settings.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/ut-southwestern.php

Insured but Poorly Protected: Number Up 60 Percent in 4 Years

The number of underinsured adults--those with health insurance all year, but also very high medical expenses relative to their incomes--rose by 60 percent between 2003 and 2007, from 16 million to more than 25 million, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/insured-but-poo-2.php

AARP Disappointed by U.S. Senate Vote to Block Medicare Improvement Bill

A minority of the U.S. Senate blocked critical legislation to protect and improve Medicare for the 44 million Americans who depend on it.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/aarp-disappoint.php

**Nutrition and Healthy Living

Adopting American Habits and Behaviors May Be Harmful to Immigrant Health

Immigrants who move into neighborhoods settled largely by others from their country of origin may stave off the pounds that newcomers typically gain after migrating to the United States, according to a new Smith College-led study.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/adopting-americ.php

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy

Children of mothers who gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy are more likely to be overweight at age seven, say researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/women-who-gain.php

Even before tomato warning, many Americans lacked confidence in the food safety system

A new national study by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security finds that most Americans remain confident that the food produced in the United States is safe. However, many have concerns about the safety of imported food produced in some other countries and in the US food safety system.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/even-before-tom.php

**Seniors

New research shows how aging brain brings a healthy dose of perspective

A study identified brain patterns that help healthy older people regulate and control emotion better than their younger counterparts.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/new-research-sh.php

NIH study concludes next week's summer chorus camp for seniors improves quality of life

Encore Creativity for Older Adults executive director helped lead a study about senior citizens, aged 65-103, that revealed a positive connection between regular artistic activity and improved physical and mental health.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/nih-study-concl.php

The Art & Science of Successful Aging - A PENN Medicine Media Seminar

Declining physical and cognitive function doesn't always have to be inevitable; mental ability and independence can be maintained and improved. Patients and caregivers alike cannot only age gracefully, but happily and actively.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/staying-sharp-i.php

Normal sleep linked to successful aging

Research shows a link between normal sleep and healthy aging.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/normal-sleep-li.php

Study pinpoints strategies that protect older adult's physical health

The elderly are urged to use "active control strategies" aimed at counteracting physical threats. Such strategies include investing time and energy in dealing with even minor health issues, seeking help when health problems are encountered, and believing that one can overcome health problems when they arise.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/study-pinpoints.php

Strong associations between disturbed rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older men

A research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, is the first to report strong associations between disturbed rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older, community-dwelling (noninstitutionalized) men.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/strong-associat.php

**Substance Abuse

Study shows how cocaine impairs fetal brain development

Exposure of the developing brain to cocaine can cause neurological and behavioral abnormalities in babies born to mothers who use the drug during pregnancy.  Cocaine use occurs in several hundred thousand pregnancies per year in the United States alone.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/study-shows-how.php

UVA researchers make pivotal breakthrough in alcohol addiction treatment

Addiction experts led by a University of Virginia Health System team report the results of a clinical trial whereby an effective therapeutic medication not only decreases heavy drinking but also diminishes the physical and psychosocial harm caused by alcohol dependence.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/uva-researchers.php

Save $1 billion and 800 lives

Canada's first systematic estimate of the avoidable costs of alcohol abuse -- estimates that, even under very conservative assumptions, implementing six reviewed interventions would result in cost savings of about $1 billion per year and a savings of about 800 lives.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/save-1-billion.php

Decline in cigarette smoking offset by increase in cigars, snuff and other tobacco products

While trends in cigarette smoking and sales have declined in the US for the past decade, sales of non-cigarette tobacco products have been on the rise.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/decline-in-ciga.php

New research links smoking and body mass index to hearing loss

Smoking and body mass index are risk factors in the development of age-related hearing loss, says one of the largest-ever studies into risk factors for hearing loss -- but alcohol has a protective effect.

http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/new-research-li.php


The Digest is compiled by:
Michael Saunders
HandsNet Executive Officer
msaunders@handsnet.org

Since launching the first online network for activists in 1987, HandsNet has aggregated current human services and community development information important to low-income communities and communities of color. We seek to foster comprehensive thinking on approaches to improving the lives of people living in these communities.


Human Services Home About HandsNetWebClipperTraining and CapacityAlertsContact Us


Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/handsnet/public_html/Human_Services_Digests/Human Services - Community Building Digest - 06-16-08.php on line 882

Warning: include(http://www.handsnet.org/infoorg_footer.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/handsnet/public_html/Human_Services_Digests/Human Services - Community Building Digest - 06-16-08.php on line 882

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.handsnet.org/infoorg_footer.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/handsnet/public_html/Human_Services_Digests/Human Services - Community Building Digest - 06-16-08.php on line 882