Any
Exposure to Tobacco Smoke during Pregnancy is Risky
A
re-examination of data from earlier studies suggests that exposure to second-hand
smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as
primary exposure through maternal smoking, according to a recent paper from
the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Significant
evidence of genetic mutations linked to later development of disease, including
cancer, was found in cord blood from newborns for all maternal exposure to
tobacco smoke.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/uopm-aet072605.php
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National
Study Finds Direct Link between Inactivity, Weight Gain in Adolescent Girls
American
girls become less active as they become teenagers. A new study being published
in the July 23 print edition of the Lancet shows that as they age, overall
activity levels during the transition between childhood and young adulthood
are strong predictors of whether or not they will experience unhealthy weight
gains.
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050722.133258&time=13%2057%20PDT&year=2005&public=1
**Community
Development
AFL-CIO
HIT Announces $750 Million Housing, Economic Development Plan for Chicago
The
AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust is announcing a $750 million community investment
plan for Chicago that will be funded by pension funds and will spur economic
development, create union jobs and produce affordable housing. AFL-CIO President
John Sweeney will unveil he plan during the labor federation's 50th annual
convention in Chicago. The plan is similar to the one initiated by the AFL-CIO
HIT in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and it has been
a valuable contribution to pension investors and the city's revitalization.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50825
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Get
more information on these issues at http://www.ecommunityissues.com.
************************************
**Disabilities
HUD study shows people
with disabilities face discrimination in up to half of rental inquiries
The
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released a groundbreaking
study, Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities - Barriers at Every
Step, that showed people with disabilities are often discriminated against
when trying to rent apartments. The agency plans to use the comprehensive
study to educate consumers and landlords on their rights as well as provide
fair housing advocates with new guidelines and strategies that will allow
them to investigate and detect discrimination against people with disabilities.
In addition, the study will assist the agency in continuing to monitor the
progress of discrimination against persons with disabilities in the Chicago
area and nationwide.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05-100.cfm
Students
with Disabilities Making Great Strides, New Study Finds
According
to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Education data reflect
successful experiences and achievements of special education students moving
into early adulthood. Students with disabilities have made significant progress
in their transition to adulthood during the past 25 years with lower dropout
rates, an increase in postsecondary enrollment and a higher rate of gainful
employment after leaving high school.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/07/07282005.html
Justice
Department Announces New Initiatives at ADA 15th Anniversary Celebration
The
Justice Department announced the signing of 22 agreements with cities and
counties across the country, as well as a new interactive web- based course,
to promote greater accessibility in businesses and communities. Justice Department
leadership announced these initiatives during a ceremony commemorating the
fifteenth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark
civil rights law enacted to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate
fully in civic life.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50822
**Economic
Security
Job
Market in West Virginia. Defies Efforts to Reform Welfare
Even
as the Senate is considering reauthorizing the welfare reform act with stricter
work requirements and more child care funding, a prime goal of the act --
moving welfare recipients into jobs -- remains elusive in rural West Virginia,
according to the research, done in conjunction with the state Department of
Health and Human Resources. A year after their checks stopped, 73.1 percent
of former recipients were unemployed, 65.6 percent reported not being able
to afford their basic utilities, and only a small proportion believed that
their prospects for the future were good (11.3 percent) or excellent (3.1
percent), the researchers found.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/23/AR2005072300749.html?nav=rss_nation
**Education
Girls'
Confidence in Math Dampened by Parents' Gender Stereotypes
A
survey from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign of middle-school
girls reveals that their self-confidence in math suffers when their parents
believe the gender stereotype that holds that math is a male domain and when
the parents give unsolicited help with homework.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/uoia-gci072705.php
Making
the Case: Improving Head Start Teacher Qualifications Requires Increased Investment
A
policy paper from Center for Law and Social Policy, part of the
Head Start Series, describes changes in Head Start teacher qualifications
in light of recent policy history and assesses whether states and higher education
systems are prepared for a major policy change requiring more teachers to
have a B.A. It presents both relevant research and federal data from Head
Start Program Information Reports (PIR) from 2002-2003.
PDF:
http://www.clasp.org/publications/hs_policy_paper_1.pdf
**Health
Program
Coordination a Key to Improving Child Health Care
A
new Commonwealth Fund-supported study finds that when it comes to improving
child health and health care at the state level, the priority should be to
develop performance measures for key elements of state programs, generate
the best data possible on those measures, share the results broadly, and use
the data to reward good performance.
http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=288611
Medical
Support Update: The Federal Scene
The
Center for Law and Social Policy reports that
in 1998, Congress enacted the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act
(CSPIA). One outgrowth of CSPIA, the Medical Child Support Working Group (MCSWG),
made nearly 80 recommendations for change in law, policy, and practice to
improve the chances that children served by the child support enforcement
program would obtain adequate, accessible, and affordable health care coverage.
During the past 18 months, some progress has been made at the federal level
to move forward on this agenda.
PDF:
http://www.clasp.org/publications/medical_supp_update072505.pdf
Program
for All-inclusive Care for Children Provides Child-Centered Solution During
Medicaid Reform Debate
Florida
officials today hailed a new initiative developed by Children's Hospice International
(CHI) in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
that improves health care for very sick children through a new federal waiver
approved earlier this month. Florida Medicaid officials, along with CMS officials,
welcomed a recent decision by CMS to allow states to apply for new waivers
that allow them to provide improved, more comprehensive care for children
with life-threatening conditions and their families. Supporters praised the
policy decision which they said represents "a new bipartisan federal-state
partnership."
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50915
Immigrants
Spend Half as Much on Health Care as Native-Born Americans
Immigrants
in the United States receive less than half the health-care services than
do native-born Americans, according to study findings published in the August
issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Immigrant children get even
lower levels of care, receiving 84 percent less than U.S.-born children, according
to researchers at Harvard and Columbia universities and the Keck School of
Medicine of the University of Southern California.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/uosc-ish072105.php
Blood
Pressure Control and Treatment is Low, Especially Among Older Women with Hypertension
Compared
to current national guidelines, rates of blood pressure control in the community
are low, especially among older women, according to a new study in the July
27 issue of JAMA. "Elderly persons are among the fastest growing segments
of the U.S. population and they have the highest prevalence of hypertension
[high blood pressure]," according to the authors of the study. "Despite
numerous trials demonstrating the benefits of blood pressure lowering among
older individuals with hypertension, available data suggest that rates of
treatment and control are suboptimal."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/jaaj-bpc072105.php
Delivery
of Routine Preventive Services Suboptimal for Medicare Beneficiaries
Certain
physician characteristics and practice-setting characteristics are associated
with Medicare beneficiaries receiving routine preventive services below the
national goals, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA. An emerging
body of literature suggests that quality of care may vary in association with
the characteristics of individual physicians and their practices, according
to background information in the article.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/jaaj-dor072105.php
House
Republicans Highlight Healthcare Security Initiatives
Speaker
of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) today announced that House Republicans
will be voting this week on a series of health care-related measures that
will help hard working Americans not only afford health insurance, but improve
the quality of the medical care they receive. House Republicans had six bills
coming to the floor for a vote last week
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50832
HHS
Outlines President's Principles for Reauthorization of Ryan White CARE Act
At
a meeting with members of the President's Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS,
the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment and
a broad range of stakeholder organizations, the Department of Health and Human
Services called on Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act in ways
that will strengthen the program, support compassionate care and treatment,
and encourage prevention efforts.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050727.html
Bush
Administration's Principles for Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization Jeopardize
San Francisco's System of HIV Care
The
San Francisco AIDS Foundation expressed grave concerns about the potential
impact of the principles outlined by the Bush Administration for the reauthorization
of the Ryan White CARE Act. The principles, issued today by the Department
of Health and Human Services, call for a number of changes to the Ryan White
Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act that would significantly
cut federal HIV resources to San Francisco and could reduce access to HIV
services to thousands of San Franciscans living with HIV/AIDS. It is estimated
that approximately 11,000 San Franciscans rely on CARE dollars for their care
and treatment.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50995
**Substance
Abuse
Youth
Trade Drugs at 'Pharming' Parties
Prescribed
Ritalin, OxyContin stolen from medicine cabinets at home, and other psychoactive
prescription drugs are the stock in trade at so-called "pharming parties,"
where young people trade medicines and often mix pills with alcohol to get
high.
http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C577777%2C00.html
Tobacco
Prevention Grants for Native American and Tribal Organizations
Approximately
$1.7 million in funding is available to U.S. tribes and tribal organizations
through the Centers for Disease Control's "Cooperative Agreements for
Tribes and Tribal Organizations for Tobacco Prevention and Control" grants
program. The funding is broken down into categories of capacity and implementation
grants. Four to six awards will be given out to fund active tobacco prevention,
with another three to five grants for research and evaluation of control and
prevention strategies.
http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/funding/reader/0%2C1854%2C577755%2C00.html
NIH
Funding for Alcohol and Other Drug Research
The
National Institutes of Health,
with the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA) are offering wide-ranging grants for research on alcohol and other
drug abuse prevention. Among the research topics suggested are the accessibility,
effectiveness, and cost of drug and alcohol abuse intervention and services,
factors that effect delivery of intervention, mixing science-based health
practices with community-based programs, and research tools to augment health-services
research.
http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/funding/reader/0%2C1854%2C577754%2C00.html
