Working Parents -- Who
Puts Family First When a Child Gets Sick?
New research out of the
University of Cincinnati finds that the more times are changing,
the more the traditional gender roles between husbands and wives remain the
same. Men and women in dual-income families (a sample of 813 working women
and 599 working men) were asked which parent was more likely to take off from
work if a parent needed to take care of a child due to illness, failed child-care
arrangements, an appointment, school-closing or other urgent child-care events.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/working-parents.php
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Cynical Shyness Can Precipitate
Violence in Males and May be Factor in School Shootings
After performing an analysis
of school shootings in the last decade, researchers at the Shyness Research
Institute in Indiana say that the perpetrators are likely
to suffer from cynical shyness---an extreme form of shyness that predominantly
affects males and can lead to violent behavior. To intervene early on and
prevent future violence in schools, teachers, parents and mental health professionals
need to be on the lookout for those students whose shyness is a source of
anger and hostility.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/cynical-shyness.php
Grandparents, Older Adults
Encouraged to Seek Help for a Sleep Disorder
September 9th is National
Grandparents Day, a day to honor grandparents across America as important members of our families
and communities. While older adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep
each night, many often get less sleep, which may make them more susceptible
to health problems. Many older adults often have more trouble falling asleep
than persons in other age groups. A study of adults over the age of 65 found
that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women take more than 30 minutes to
fall asleep.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/grandparents-ol.php
**Civic Engagement/Philanthropy
Let's Stop Reinventing
Potholes
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
recently published an editorial by the presidents of the William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation that calls for a "more
open culture in philanthropy." The piece highlights two recently released
reports by the foundations that share the challenges that occurred during
large-scale efforts and outline steps taken to address midpoint shortfalls.
The Irvine
report describes the difficulties experienced by the CORAL initiative
and provides critical lessons for future efforts. The report from the Hewlett Foundation
highlights a philanthropic initiative that did not meet the expectations of
its many stakeholders. Given the challenging social problems that foundations
and grantees try to solve, it should be expected that shared aspirations might
not often be met. When this happens, the opportunity should be seized to understand
the causes in order to improve performance and benefit others working in the
field.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/lets-stop-reinv.php
Providing Long-Term Services
after Major Disasters
According to the Urban Institute
nonprofit organizations are a crucial link in our nation's emergency preparedness
and disaster response efforts, but their role is not always well integrated
into disaster planning. After both Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, nonprofits
provided immediate and longer-term assistance to help people cope with devastating
life changes and the emotional aftermath, but the importance of long-term
services is not well understood or even acknowledged by victims and policymakers
alike.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/providing-longt.php
**Community Development
Affordable Rental Housing
in Healthy Communities: Rebuilding After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Although everyone who was
displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita faces significant housing challenges,
the needs of low- and moderate-income renters warrant far more attention than
they have thus far received. This report from the Urban
Institute is intended to serve as a resource to help inform and invigorate
public debate about affordable rental housing policies and to present a set
of promising programs and practices that would expand the availability of
permanent, affordable rental housing in the ongoing effort to recover from
the storms.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/affordable-rent.php
'Hope and Harmony for
Humanity' Collaborative Opens Tigua Achievement Center at Ysleta
del Sur Pueblo
Sponsors and partners of
the "Hope and Harmony for Humanity" Initiative will open the third
Technology Achievement Center for rural Native American communities at the
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
in El Paso, Texas. This Achievement Center provides the Tigua
Pueblos with the opportunity to improve their computer literacy, enabling
them to learn valuable life and work skills as well as to keep in touch with
their family and the world at large. The Office of Indian Energy and Economic
Development (IEED) was established within the Office of the Secretary, Indian
Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior to provide high-level support for
the Department's goal of serving tribal communities by providing access to
energy resources and helping tribes stimulate job creation and economic development.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/hope-and-harmon.php
Court Approval Sought
to Distribute Over $1 Million in Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against
Baltimore Housing Authority
The Justice Department announced
that it will seek court approval for the pro rata distribution of over $1
million in monetary damages among 756 individuals who were identified through
a claims process as part of the resolution of a 2004 lawsuit by the United
States that alleged a pattern or practice of discrimination by Housing Authority
of Baltimore City (HABC) against persons with disabilities. Since Jan.
1, 2001, the Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division has filed 230 cases to enforce the Fair
Housing Act, 105 of which have alleged discrimination based on disability.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/court-approval.php
**Economic Security
Helping Women Stay Off
Welfare: The Role of Post-Exit Receipt of Work Supports
This paper from the Urban
Institute assesses the role of work support programs (specifically, food
stamps and Medicaid) and other factors in reducing welfare reentry and promoting
stable employment among women exiting the TANF program. Using data from the
1996 and 2001 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the
paper finds that welfare leavers who use food stamps as a transitional support
when they leave TANF are less likely to return to TANF and more likely to
be stably employed (for the year after exit) than women who do not receive
food stamps when they exit welfare.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/helping-women-s.php
**Health
Mental Health, Work and
Mental Health Service Use among Low-Income Mothers
This paper from the Urban
Institute analyzes how mental health problems impede low-income mothers'
ability to work and how health insurance improves access to mental health
treatment services. According to data from the 2002 National Survey of America's
Families, low-income mothers in poor mental health are significantly less
likely to work and to work full time than those without these problems. Low-income
mothers with public or private health insurance are significantly more likely
to receive treatment than those without insurance.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/mental-health-w.php
Depression May Play a
Bigger Role in Readjustment for Troubled Vets
Depression may be an unrecognized
readjustment problem for recently returning veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study released today
at the American Psychological Association 115th Annual Convention. Researchers
working with veterans referred for psychiatric evaluation from a primary care
service found that major or minor depression was associated with domestic
abuse and other family problems. According to the researchers, the results
suggest an opportunity to improve treatment for returning veterans by involving
family in the veteran's recovery.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/depression-may.php
Health Care Disparities
Start at the Local Pharmacy
Despite years of effort
in reaching out to their local communities, the role pharmacists play as health
care providers still remains unclear to the people who need them the most
-- elderly Americans with multiple medications for chronic diseases. As a
result, many patients with the most complex prescription needs may be hesitant
to ask the questions they need to take their medications safely and consistently,
according to a new study from the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/health-care-dis.php#trackbacks
Impact of Deficit Reduction
Act May Close Pharmacy Doors
Communities nationwide could
face the strong possibility of losing their local pharmacies, if federal legislation
falls by the wayside. The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) proposes higher prescription
drug costs and lower Medicaid reimbursement rates for pharmacies, among other
issues. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office in
December 2006, the DRA proposes reimbursing pharmacists 36 percent less than
the actual cost to purchase many of Medicaid's most expensive - and most commonly
used - products. Ultimately, these policy changes will have the hardest impact
on low-income communities and students, who may no longer be able to obtain
contraceptives and other critical prescription products at discounted rates.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/critical-legisl.php
Adverse Housing Conditions
Contribute to Diabetes Risk
Studying people in their
homes and neighborhoods, investigators have found that poor housing conditions
contribute to the risk for diabetes in urban, middle-aged African-Americans.
A team of investigators from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Indiana University School of Medicine and
other institutions conducted the study. The researchers looked at several
risk factors to see if they could explain why some African-Americans were
more likely to develop diabetes. Individuals who live in poor housing conditions
may be more likely to be under stress as a function of where they live.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2007/08/adverse-housing.php
