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**Children, Youth
& Families
Catholic Charities USA Promotes Legislative Priorities
With the 109th Congress now
in full swing, Catholic Charities USA is bringing the voice of local Catholic
Charities agencies and the people they serve to Capitol Hill, by promoting a
legislative agenda that seeks to: build and preserve affordable housing, and
reduce homelessness; support children and families; improve access to health
care; welcome refugees, asylees, and immigrants; and
implement fair and just budget, tax, and labor policies.
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/content_displays/index.cfm?docid=530&fuseaction=PrintArticle
More Babies Born at Very
Low Birth Weight Linked to Rise in Infant Mortality in 2002
According to a report
released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an increase in
the birth of very small infants is the major reason behind the increase in U.S. infant mortality in 2002. The increase in infant mortality, from 6.8
infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002, was the first
increase in the infant mortality rate since 1958 and was reported last year by
CDC. Overall, there were 27,970 infant
deaths in 2002 compared to 27,568 infant deaths in 2001. Provisional data for
2003 suggest that the increase noted in 2002 may not be continuing.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050124.htm
By Age 6, Children of
Overweight Mothers are also Prone to Obesity
According to researchers at
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, by
age six, children of overweight mothers are fifteen times more likely to be
obese than children of lean mothers. The
research showed the strength of genetic influences, and suggests that efforts to
prevent obesity should focus on such children at risk, preferably by four years
of age.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/chop-ba6012405.php
Study Finds Youth Smoking Would be Much Lower if States Followed CDC Guidelines for
Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Spending
According to a study
published in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health,
there would be far fewer teen smokers in America today if state spending on tobacco control followed
levels recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Researchers from Bridging
the Gap, a policy research program based at the University of Illinois at
Chicago (UIC) and the University of Michigan and supported by The Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, found "clear evidence" of a direct relationship
between what states invest in discouraging tobacco use and both the percentage
of youth who smoke and the intensity of their smoking habits.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050125.131424&time=14%2027%20PST&year=2005&public=1
Inhalant Abuse on Rise
According to an article in
the Washington Post, a hidden epidemic is gaining momentum in America, experts say, with children as young as
fourth-graders deliberately inhaling the fumes of dangerous chemicals from a
variety of household and office products.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30968-2005Jan23.html?nav=rss_nation
**Community Development
HUD Announces $1.4 Billion
to Assist Thousands of Homeless
The Department of Housing and
Urban Development announced that more than 4,400 local homeless programs across
America will receive $1.4 billion in grants-the largest
single commitment of federal funds designed to provide shelter and care for
those without a home of their own. This
is the fourth consecutive year HUD is providing record funding for homeless
assistance and is part of a larger federal strategy being embraced by a growing
number of state and local communities to end long-term or chronic homelessness.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05-007.cfm
**Economic Security
Deficit-Minded Republicans
Eyeing Entitlements
A Los Angeles Times article
outlines that the battle to control the federal deficit is shifting ground,
ever so slowly, to Social Security, Medicare and the other giant benefit
programs that account for a growing share of spending.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/latimests/20050123/ts_latimes/deficitmindedrepublicanseyeingentitlements
The Simple Story: Tax Cuts
Lose Revenues
According to the Center for
Budget and Policy Priorities, data in the Congressional Budget Office's new
report, and a historical look at recent decades, indicate that over time, the
main effect of cutting taxes is to lose substantial revenues and swell budget
deficits, not to increase economic growth.
http://www.cbpp.org/1-25-05bud2.htm
Should the Budget Exclude
the Cost of Individual Accounts?
The Urban Institute reports
that proposals to replace part of Social Security with individual accounts are
now a focus of attention, with the President expressing a strong desire to push
forward on creating individual accounts within Social Security. This paper
considers the appropriate budgetary treatment of proposals to create such
accounts. The paper concludes that
borrowing to finance such accounts should count as part of the unified deficit
and that the transfer of funds into such accounts should count as outlays.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=9150
Half of Insured Adults
with High-Deductible Health Plans Experience Medical Bill or Debt Problems
According to new research
from The Commonwealth Fund, about half of insured adults with a high-deductible
health plan have medical bill problems or debts, compared with less than
one-third (31%) of those with lower-deductible plans. Individuals with high-deductible plans are
also more likely than those with lower-deductible plans to experience access
problems such as not filling a prescription, or skipping a medical test, treatment,
or follow-up when needed, due to cost.
http://www.cmwf.org/newsroom/newsroom_show.htm?doc_id=257751
**Health
Exercise helps reduce
symptoms of depression, UT Southwestern researchers find
Researchers at University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that jumping on that treadmill or
bike is not only good for one's health, but also can help significantly reduce
depression. The first study to look at exercise alone in treating mild to
moderate depression in adults aged 20 to 45 showed that depressive symptoms
were reduced almost 50 percent in individuals who participated in 30-minute
aerobic exercise sessions three to five times a week.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/uots-ehr012405.php
Hypertension Risk in
African-Americans Linked to Genetics
A Stanford University School
of Medicine study finds that national health records have shown that
African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure than Caucasians, but
pinning down the roots of that difference has proven elusive. Now, researchers
have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to this difference in
disease risk.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/sumc-hri012005.php
Conspiracy Beliefs among
African Americans Deter Condom Use
According to research from
the RAND Corporation, significant numbers of African Americans believe in
conspiracy theories about AIDS, and black men with such beliefs are less likely
to use condoms as a precaution against spreading the HIV virus.
http://www.rand.org/news/press.05/01.25.html
New Drug Approval Process
a Victory for Poor AIDS Patients
Hudson Institute's Center for
Science in Public Policy declares the new FDA expedited drug approval process a
victory for poor AIDS patients.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=42216
Tracking Survey
Assesses Seniors' Views of Medicare Drug Law
New data from the Kaiser
Health Poll Report tracking survey provides updated trend information on
seniors’ knowledge and views of the new Medicare law.
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr012705pkg.cfm
New Study Shows a Rise in
Enrollment of Families Triggered Medicaid Spending Growth, But Medicaid
Spending Grew at a Slower Rate than Private Insurance Spending
A New Kaiser Commission on
Medicaid and the Uninsured funded study published in Health Affairs explains
what caused Medicaid spending to rise from 2000-2003 and confirms the role
Medicaid played in covering people during the recent economic downturn.
http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu012605pkg.cfm
60 Companies Plan to
Sponsor Health Coverage for Uninsured
In an attempt to extend
health coverage to uninsured workers, 60 large employers are joining together
to sponsor an array of low-cost health insurance options.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/business/27care.html?ex=1264568400&en=0497fdfe24833d0e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt
**Hunger & Nutrition
Free School Meals for
Migrant Children and Youth
The Food Research and Action Center reports that the Child Nutrition and WIC
Reauthorization Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-265) extends automatic free school meal
eligibility to migrant children and youth.
School food service directors, principals and other school officials
should work closely with Migrant Education Program (MEP) coordinators to ensure
that migrant students are provided free meal benefits as promptly as possible.
PDF: http://www.frac.org/pdf/CNR2004_Migrant.pdf
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