**Children, Youth &
Families
Children in Foster Care
May be Under-Accounted for in the Medicaid Program
According to a new analysis
by pediatric researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia the currently accepted statistics for numbers of children
who live in foster care and are eligible for Medicaid may seriously underestimate
the actual figure. The study also reinforces previous findings that significant
numbers of children in foster care are failing to receive needed health care
services.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/chop-cif052705.php
Dr. Phil Foundation Joins
Forces with CDF's Beat the Odds Program
The Dr. Phil Foundation
and the Children's Defense Fund are joining forces to expand and enrich CDF's
Beat the Odds
program, which for 15 years has recognized the positive potential of students
across the country who have achieved academic and personal success while overcoming
tremendous obstacles in their lives.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/050527.aspx
International Adoptees
have Fewer Behavior Problems than Domestic Adoptees
According to an article
in the Journal of the American Medical Association, most international children
who are adopted are well-adjusted and have fewer behavioral problems than
children who are adopted domestically.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/jaaj-iah051805.php
CDC Issues Recommendations
for Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly Arrived Refugee Children
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, although blood lead levels in children
aged 1 to 5 years are decreasing in the United States, the prevalence of elevated
BLL’s among newly resettled refugee children is substantially higher than
children born in the United States. The Centers and the U.S. Department of
State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration have developed recommendations
to address lead exposure among refugee children. The complete Recommendations
for Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly Arrived Refugee Children are available
online.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050601.htm
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Teenage Depression can
be Enduring, but is More Often Short-Lived
A UCLA Psychology Professor
has found that teenage depression is widespread and can become a life-long
illness, but is more often transitory. Adolescent depression can be as high
as 20 percent or higher. Most of the depressions will be short-lived, but
of those who have adolescent depression, perhaps 40 percent will have recurring
depression, and many of those will likely be life-long.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/uoc--tdc052705.php
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Get more information on
these issues at http://www.ecommunityissues.com.
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**Disabilities
Study Tackles Aging Issues
of Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Some 4.5 million Americans
have a developmental disability. As people live longer, adults with developmental
disabilities are no exception, yet their conditions also bring aging-related
challenges. A new study by UCLA reports that geriatric evaluations and follow-up
visits by a nurse practitioner can detect and reduce health problems in this
population that often go unaddressed by the healthcare system.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/uoc--ust052005.php
**Economic Security
Boosting Income and Contribution
Limits For Pension Savings Would Swell Deficits, Do Little for Middle-Class
Families
According to the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, most proposals to reform Social Security
would be very costly, especially in future decades when the baby boomers will
retire in large numbers and the nation faces deficits of unprecedented magnitude.
In addition, most such proposals would provide the bulk of their tax benefits
to high-income households that do not need help putting away enough money
for retirement, while doing little or nothing to assist low- and moderate-income
households to save more for retirement.
http://www.cbpp.org/5-18-05socsec.htm
**Education
Annual Report on American
Schools Shows Growth, Diversity
According to a report released
by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics,
U.S. public school enrollment has increased steadily through the early 2000s
and is expected to peak at an all-time high of 50 million in 2014. The Condition
of Education 2005 found that 42 percent of public school students were racial
or ethnic minorities in 2003, markedly up from 22 percent in 1972. The Condition
of Education is a congressionally mandated report that conveys information
on 40 indicators about education in the United
States.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/06/06012005.html
**Health
HHS Awards 86 Grants
worth More Than $30 Million to Expand Health Center Services
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced 86 awards totaling over $30.2 million to help
community health centers increase access to health care for low-income and
uninsured Americans. Sixty-four of the grants, worth $26.7 million, will
expand medical capacity at existing health centers, helping an additional
255,000 underserved individuals receive care. The 22 additional awards, totaling
$3.6 million, will make available for the first time oral health and mental
health services at eight health centers and expand those services at 14 health
centers.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050601.html
American Indians and
Alaska Native Veterans have Higher Mortality Rate after Surgery than Caucasians
A study led by Dartmouth Medical School has concluded that American Indians
and Alaska Natives have a greater chance of death within 30 days of surgery
and suffer more from several preoperative risks compared to Caucasian patients.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/dms-aia053105.php
Study Finds Physician
Supply Increases in States with Caps on Malpractice Lawsuit Awards
According to a new study
from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, States that have capped
malpractice lawsuit awards have seen a larger growth in the number of practicing
physicians than those states without such caps, with the greatest impact experienced
in rural areas.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=138-05312005&site=rss
**Hunger and Nutrition
More Than 13 Million
Children Face Food Insecurity
The Children's Defense Fund
released a report on the effects of child hunger and food insecurity, which
is defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food to ensure active,
healthy living. CDF's report shows that hunger is leaving many of America’s families and children behind, with
effects that range from health problems to academic achievement delays and
social difficulties. According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 13.3 million American children were food insecure in 2003;
of these, 420,000 lived in households where someone had to go hungry. Overall,
36.3 million Americans experienced food insecurity in 2003, 1.4 million more
than in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/050602.aspx
Nonprofit Management
Public Health Institute,
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Develop New Program Evaluation Approach
Designed to help leadership
programs focus on evaluation, "EvaluLEAD: A Guidebook for Shaping and
Evaluating Leadership Development Programs" is now available. Developed
by the Population Leadership Program and the Sustainable Leadership Initiative
at the Public Health Institute, in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation,
EvaluLEAD is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050527.124050&time=13%2022%20PDT&year=2005&public=1
**Substance Abuse
HHS Encourages All Smokers
to Quit on “World No Tobacco Day”
The Department of Health
and Human Services is encouraging every smoker in the United States to quit and called on their health
care providers to help them. Currently, only half of all tobacco users are
encouraged by their health care provider to quit tobacco, even though eliminating
tobacco use is the most cost effective preventive intervention. HHS has set
a goal for healthcare providers to advise 100% of all tobacco users to quit
smoking and to refer smokers who want to quit to the National Network of Tobacco
Cessation Quitlines, 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669), for free support. The
network is a collaboration between states and the federal government to help
more smokers quit.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050531.html
