Baby DVDs, Videos may
Hinder, Not Help, Infants' Language Development
Despite marketing claims,
parents who want to give their infants a boost in learning language probably
should limit the amount of time they expose their children to DVDs and videos
such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby." Rather than
helping babies, the over-use of such productions actually may slow down infants
eight to 16 months of age when it comes to acquiring vocabulary, according
to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research
Institute.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/baby-dvds-video.php
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Promoting Child Safety
with Computers
Computer technology that
provides parents with customized safety information can be an effective way
to help their children avoid injury, according to a study by researchers at
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins
Children's Center. We have effective ways to prevent injuries, like smoke
detectors and car safety seats, but many families, especially low income families,
remain unprotected," said the lead author of the study and director of
the Center for Injury Research & Policy at the Bloomberg School of Public
Health.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/promoting-child.php
Why Do Some Teens Get
More Out of Youth Activities?
A University of Illinois study confirms what has long been
thought about the benefits of organized youth activities: It's not enough
to appear in the yearbook's Pep Club picture or show up for the really big
games. To maximize the benefits of any youth activity, teens must invest
time and energy in them, participate because they truly enjoy the activity,
and take on a leadership role. According to the study, engagement in an activity
may be more important to a teen's development than the activity he chooses,
the researcher said.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/why-do-some-tee.php
**Civic Engagement
Social Entrepreneurs
From Around the World, Across the Country Come to Santa Clara University to Learn How to Grow Their Businesses
An incubator project at
Santa Clara University brings social entrepreneurs and innovators
from around the world and the U.S. to meet and work with Silicon Valley technologists, executives, and social
venture investors to participate in a two-week incubator program. Sponsored
by the Center for Science, Technology, and Society and the Leavey
School of Business at Santa Clara University, the Global Social Benefit Incubator
(GSBI) supports the work of innovators who have demonstrated proof of concept
in applying technology and promising new business models to address human
needs through out the world.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/back-to-school.php
**Community Development
Second Chance Act Will
Help Stop Criminal Recidivism; Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee for Taking
Action
Goodwill Industries applauds
the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for unanimously passing the Second Chance
Act, which would allow hundreds of thousands of people with criminal records
to rejoin the community successfully. "The Second Chance Act will help
stop the downward spiral of criminal recidivism through the integration of
drug treatment and mental health services, job training, and family strengthening
programs," says the President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/goodwill-indust.php
HUD and the Texas Apartment Association Announce Accessibility
Training
The U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development and the Texas Apartment Association (TAA) announced
that they are sponsoring a housing accessibility training session on August 15, 2007, in Houston. The session is designed to educate
architects, builders, and developers about federal accessibility requirements.
Texas residents who have physical disabilities shouldn’t have to face a shortage
of housing that meets their needs because builders have failed to comply with
the law, said Kim Kendrick, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity. HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal and Opportunity and its partners in the Fair Housing
Assistance Program investigate approximately 10,300 housing discrimination
complaints annually.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/hud-and-the-tex.php
**Economic Security
Census Bureau to Release
New Data on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance
Simultaneously, the Census
Bureau will release data on income, earnings and poverty from the 2006 American
Community Survey (ACS) for all areas within the United States with a population of 65,000 or greater.
The Census Bureau's CPS-ASEC produces the official national estimates of poverty,
as well as estimates of money income and health insurance coverage, collecting
detailed information on income sources. In addition to the national-level
data, the CPS-ASEC consolidated report provides state-level health insurance
estimates.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/census-bureau-t.php
What Does It Take for
a Family to Afford to Pay for Health Care?
Research from the California Budget Project
finds that discussions of affordability often focus on the "typical"
family or individual, but many families' health care expenses are much higher
than this "typical" value or vary from year to year. Families may
have low health costs most years, but risk incurring higher costs in the future
in the event of an accident or serious illness. Because of this variation,
policymakers should take into account whether health care is affordable not
only for the "typical" Californian, but also for families and individuals
with higher than average expenses in any given year.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/what-does-it-ta.php
Unemployment Cuts
Using data from the Medical
Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, researchers found that as the socioeconomic
status, measured here by unemployment rates, of the community changes, so
do the demographics and mortality rates of the trauma population. There were
more male patients, African American patients and deaths at times of high
unemployment. These results suggest that during times of economic hardship,
certain population groups are at higher risk of life-threatening injuries.
The authors recommend that "injury prevention efforts targeted at economically
disadvantaged populations and high-risk groups should be stressed when designing
community trauma outreach programs, especially during times of economic hardships."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/unemployment-cu.php
**Education
New Guide for Engaging
Parents in Education
The US Department of Education
announced the release of a new publication, Engaging Parents in Education,
at the 2007 National Parental Information and Resource Center Conference in
Baltimore, Md. The publication highlights the importance of informing
parents and students of their education options under No Child Left Behind
and engaging parents in decisions about their children's education.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/assistant-deput.php
Graduation Rates Are
Rising, But Are Lower for Minorities
The Economic Policy Institute reports that High school
completion rates have been consistently going up over the last 20 years, according
to a U.S. Department of Education analysis. While Asian sophomores have a
dropout rate of 3.8% and white sophomores have a dropout rate of 6.0%, the
corresponding rates for blacks and Hispanics are 10.8% and 12.7%, respectively.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/graduation-rate.php
**Health
Opportunities for Promoting
Effective Health Coverage and High-Quality Care for Children and Adolescents
According to The
Commonwealth Fund, over the last decade, the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) has expanded access to health coverage for millions of children,
improved the quality and effectiveness of care, and expanded the knowledge
and tools needed to measure and further improve quality. SCHIP reauthorization
presents an opportunity to build on these gains. Indeed, significant provisions
to enhance a focus on quality are included in both the House and Senate versions
of the SCHIP reauthorization bills passed in July 2007.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/reauthorizing-s.php
States Taking Action
to Insure Nation's 13.3 Million
According to The
Commonwealth Fund since 2003, 16 states have enacted legislation requiring
insurance companies to provide health insurance coverage to dependent young
adults on their parents' health plans beyond age 18 or 19. Because a majority
of uninsured young adults have low incomes, extending eligibility for Medicaid
and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) beyond age 18 would
be an important policy solution to cover this group, the authors say.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/states-taking-a.php
American Dental Association
Issues Statement on Dental Provisions in House SCHIP Reauthorization Bill
With the enactment of the
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) ten years ago, the federal
government made a promise to provide health care to millions of children in
families just above the federal poverty line. As we all know, when it came
to assuring access to good oral health care, that promise wasn't kept, and
too many children have suffered needlessly from dental disease as a result.
This year, the Congress and the President have an opportunity to right that
wrong.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/american-dental-1.php
Lott-McConnell SCHIP
Proposal Would Fail to Make Progress in Covering Uninsured Children
According to the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, preliminary CBO estimates show, however,
that under the Lott-McConnell proposal, only a net of 700,000 children who
would otherwise be uninsured would be covered in 2012. In other words, the
overall coverage gains under the Lott-McConnell proposal are less than the
gains just from ensuring that states can maintain their current children's
enrollment in SCHIP (without making any progress in covering more uninsured
children).
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/lottmcconnell-s.php
New Charges about How
House Children's Health Bill Affects Undocumented Immigrants Are False
According to the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, Rep. Nathan Deal has launched a new attack
on House health insurance legislation that would cover about 5 million uninsured
lower-income children, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Rep. Deal charged the bill opens Medicaid and the State Children’s Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP) to illegal immigrants, encourages more illegal immigrants
to enter the United States, and reflects an 'eagerness to offer
free services to illegals at taxpayer expense.'
The charges are false.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/new-charges-abo.php
Closing the Divide: How
Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care
The Commonwealth Fund 2006
Health Care Quality Survey finds that when adults have health insurance coverage
and a medical home---defined as a health care setting that provides patients
with timely, well-organized care, and enhanced access to providers---racial
and ethnic disparities in access and quality are reduced or even eliminated.
Community health centers and public clinics---which care for many uninsured,
low-income, and minority adults---are less likely than private doctors' offices
to have features of a medical home.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/closing-the-div.php
Disparities in Health
Care Are Driven by Where Minority Patients Seek Care
Many studies have documented
that minority patients receive lower-quality health care than non-minority
patients at the same medical facilities. Relatively few, however, have attempted
to explain the source of racial and ethnic disparities in care. Do they result
from a lack of cultural understanding on the part of health care providers?
According to a study supported by The Commonwealth Fund, disparities are largely
the result of differences in where minority and non-minority patients seek
health care. The researchers found minority patients receive lower quality
care, especially counseling services, and that lower-performing hospitals
tend to serve a larger proportion of minority patients.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/disparities-in.php
Health Care Opinion Leaders'
Views on the Quality and Safety of Health Care in the United States
The 11th Commonwealth Fund
Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey asked a diverse group of experts for their
perspective on ways to improve the quality and safety of health care in the
U.S. Survey participants agreed that the current health system is not achieving
and is not designed to foster high quality. Responses indicate strong support
for greater government leadership; creation of a new public/private entity
to coordinate quality improvement efforts and set a national quality agenda;
changes in the way providers are paid; greater integration of providers; and
reforms to promote medical homes.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/health-care-opi.php
**Hunger and Nutrition
New World Hunger Year Publication Available: Tasty, Healthy Recipes
In 2004, the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranked obesity as the number one
health danger facing America. Obesity currently results in an estimated
400,000 deaths annually. Nutrition education must be used as a preventative
tool to combat this epidemic. World Hunger Year (WHY)
has received various calls on its National Hunger Hotline from individuals
and organizations seeking this information. Through WHY’s
network of organizations across the country, WHY has been able to pull together
a small collection of healthy low cost recipes.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/new-world-hunge.php
Young Children's Taste
Preferences may be Influenced by Fast-Food Branding
Preschool children preferred
the taste of foods and drinks in McDonald's packaging to the same foods and
drinks in unbranded packaging, according to a report in the August issue of
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. By age 2, children may already have beliefs about certain brands
and 2- to -6-year-olds can recognize brands and
associate them with products. Preschoolers with more television sets in
their homes and children who ate McDonald's food more often were more likely
to prefer foods and drinks they thought were from McDonald's.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/young-childrens-1.php
