Dating,
Delinquent Friends Key Reasons Why Early Puberty Linked to Delinquency
in Girls
Researchers from Ohio State University have found that girls who go through puberty earlier
than their peers are more likely to be involved in delinquency, but not for the
reasons often suspected. Researchers had
long speculated that early-developing girls were nudged into delinquency
because they had more older friends, and more male
friends. But new research suggests the key factors may be the fact that these
girls are dating and have more friends - regardless of age - who are already
involved in delinquency.
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/earlypub.htm
Obesity
Can be Harmful to Child's Mental Health
According to several studies
and experts on the subject, children who are obese are at increased risk for
emotional problems that last well into adulthood. The American Psychiatric Association joins
others in the medical and public health community in calling attention to the
mental health impacts of childhood obesity--a burgeoning public health crisis
in the U.S. Obesity and
the mental disorders they contribute to should be considered as serious as
other medical illnesses.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/apa-ocb100103.php
Census Study: Whites Less Likely than Blacks to Live with
Extended Family
According to a study
published in the journal Demography, a hundred years of census data indicates
whites are now less likely than blacks to live in extended-family households, a
reversal from the earlier half of the century.
http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2003-04/03-033.html
Making the Case for Increasing Federal Child Care Funding
A Fact sheet from the Center
for Law and Social Policy finds that child care assistance is an essential part
of any strategy to help families leave or avoid welfare, maintain employment,
and become self-sufficient. This fact sheet argues that a Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization bill that is not accompanied by an
adequate increase in child care funding will cause low-income children to lose
child care assistance.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1064524921.76/view_html
Fact Sheets: Every Door Closed: Barriers Facing Parents with
Criminal Records. An Action Agenda.
According to the Center for
Law and Social Policy, each year, approximately 400,000 mothers and fathers
finish serving prison or jail sentences and return home eager to rebuild their
families and their lives. This new set
of 8 two-page fact sheets details the scope of the challenges these families
face and offers solutions for federal, state, and local policymakers.
PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1064841311.02/EDC_fact_sheets.pdf
**Community
Development
New Report Says Stronger Communities Result When More Leaders of Color
Can Impact Policy
More than 100 racially and
ethnically diverse leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors say
that involving more leaders of color in policy development and implementation
will make communities of color and the nation stronger. The leaders were
interviewed for Leadership for Policy Change: Strengthening Communities of
Color through Leadership Development, the new PolicyLink report that was funded
by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
http://www.policylink.org/Leadership.html
**Disabilities
Women with Disabilities:
Who Pays for Health Care?
According to RAND,
women with disabilities, a large and growing segment of the U.S. population, are underserved when it comes to health
care services appropriate to their needs. Although these needs are well
documented, the barriers that may prevent these women from obtaining
appropriate care are less understood. This report describes financial issues
affecting access to health care and offers strategies for this growing problem.
http://www.rand.org/publications/WP/WP139/index.html
HHS Awards $33 Million to States, Other Organizations to Help People
with Disabilities
The
Department of Health and Human Services announced more than $33 million in
grants to states and other organizations to help develop programs for people
with disabilities or long-term illnesses. The Real Choice Systems Change Grants
for Community Living will help states and territories enable people with disabilities
to reside in their homes and participate fully in community life. The grants are intended to provide states and
other eligible entities with funding to make lasting improvements to their home
and community-based services programs.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031002a.html
**Economic
Security
Single Mothers and Their Children Suffered the Most in the Last Year
with Persistently High Poverty
New
analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research of Census Bureau poverty
and income figures reveals continuing economic hard times for women. While
single mothers constitute less than one-fifth of all families, they make up
half of all families in poverty. Furthermore, almost 40 percent of families
headed by African American single mothers lived in poverty in 2002.
PDF:
http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/PovertyNumbers.pdf
Earnings Decline as
Unemployment Rises Among Working Families
The weekly Snapshot from the
Economic Policy Institute highlights recently released data from the U.S Census
Bureau which shows that working families with children experienced extended
unemployment and a decline in earnings from 2000 to 2002.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots
Circumstances Dictate Public Views
of Government Assistance
A report from the National Center for Children in Poverty finds that perceptions of
low-income families are evolving. In the
first of a series, this report examines how the public responds to specific
characteristics of women who face economic struggles. For example, the public
favors many forms of assistance for low-income women regardless of whether they
are employed or on welfare.
http://www.nccp.org/pub_pat03a.html
Poverty Rises and
Middle-Class Incomes Fall for Second Year Running
The union funded Economic
Policy Institute provides an analysis to the income data from the U.S. Bureau
of the Census.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_econindicators_income
**Education
NCLB
Implementation Report
A report from the Urban
Institute focuses on provisions related to the definition and measurement of
high school graduation rates under The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB). NCLB holds states and the
districts and schools under their jurisdictions accountable for student
performance; and it does so according to standards that
considerably exceed the requirements of earlier federal legislation.
While student achievement must be the primary indicator of performance under
NCLB, statewide accountability systems are also required to incorporate one
additional academic indicator. At the secondary level, this must be the high
school graduation rate.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8592
America Losing Ground in
College Access, Participation
A
study released today by the Education Commission of the paints a compelling
portrait of who is -- and is not -- participating in postsecondary education,
as well as who is likely to be most at risk for losing access to such education
in the future. Accompanying state and U.S. profiles document the
extent of postsecondary participation in each of the 50 states and in the
nation as a whole. They also examine the
conditions likely to influence access and participation, calling attention to
issues that must be addressed if the nation is to compete successfully in the
global marketplace.
http://www.communitycollegepolicy.org/html/top.asp?page=/html/Issues/Issue.asp?issueID=1
**Health
AHRQ Announces Expanded Resource to Help Adults Stay Healthy
The
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a revised and
expanded booklet for health care consumers called The Pocket Guide to Good
Health for Adults. The Pocket Guide,
available in English and Spanish, includes tips and recommendations on good
health habits, screening tests, and immunizations. It provides easy-to-use
charts to help track personal health information and includes questions to ask
health care providers, as well as resources to contact for additional
information.
http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2003/ppipadpr.htm
Gender
and Geography Increase Racial Disparities in Health Care
Past studies have shown
racial disparities in health care treatment around the U.S., but new Dartmouth research published in the October 2nd edition of the
New England Journal of Medicine shows that the disparities are even larger when
geography and gender are added to the equation.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/dms-gag093003.php
Racial,
Ethnic Disparities Seen in All Types of Pain
No matter what its cause,
pain of any kind can place a serious burden on a person's ability to work, play
and live life. But this burden of pain is heavier for some than for others –
and a new study from the University of Michigan finds that members of racial and ethnic minorities often bear the
worst of it.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uomh-sre100103.php
Health
Disparities Between Racial Groups affect Joblessness
Researchers from the University of Michigan find that health disparities based on racial and ethnic identity account
for a significant portion of the differences in employment rates between
certain minorities and whites. However,
once people are employed, those disparities have minimal effect on income.
http://www.hbns.org/news/jobless09-30-03.cfm
Number of Americans Without Health Insurance Rose in 2002
The Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that new Census data show that the
number of uninsured Americans rose in 2002, but that Medicaid enrollment rose
as well. Medicaid's entitlement status enabled it to
compensate for part of the loss of private health coverage during the economic
downturn.
http://www.cbpp.org/9-30-03health.htm
HHS Awards $11.7 Million to States to Develop Strategies to Improve
Access to Health Insurance
The
Department of Health and Human Services announced $11.7 million in grants to
support projects in 30 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands to develop plans to
provide affordable health insurance for uninsured residents. Grantees first conduct studies to identify
uninsured residents and the reasons why they are uninsured. Then states use
this information to determine the most effective ways to provide high-quality,
affordable health insurance, using plans offered to government employees or
other benchmark health plans as a model.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031001.html
FEHBP Rates Increase as
Much as $4,572.12 a Year: Is This Really A Model for Medicare?
A report from Families USA
examines whether the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), a model
used by the House Medicare prescription drug bill, is a good model for the
seniors and people with disabilities that Medicare serves.
PDF: http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/FEHBP_Rate_Increases.pdf?docID=1962
The House
Medicare Drug Bill's Doughnut Hole: A Chasm for Low-Income Beneficiaries?
A report from Families USA
discusses the large gap in drug coverage low-income Medicare beneficiaries
would experience under the House Medicare drug bill.
PDF: http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/Coverage_gap.pdf?docID=1964
Private Plans: A Bad Choice
for Medicare
A report from Families USA
discusses the role of private plans in Medicare up to this point. According to
the piece, the evidence so far indicates that, for seniors and people with
disabilities, particularly those living in rural areas, the traditional
Medicare program works better than private plans.
PDF:
http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/Private_Plans.pdf?docID=1963
**Homelessness
Administration
Announces $75 Million to Provide Permanent Housing, Medical Care, Job Training
and Other Services to Chronically Homeless
The
Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) announced the award of nearly $35
million to help meet the Bush administration's goal of ending chronic
homelessness within a decade. This is the first time federal agencies have
collaborated on this scale to offer communities the opportunity to integrate
resources that address the special housing and service needs of chronically
homeless persons. An additional $40
million will be distributed in other grants that also address chronic
homelessness. These joint funding
initiatives are aimed at helping local communities address the special housing
and service needs of homeless persons.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031001a.html
**Hunger and Nutrition
Low Income Legal
Immigrant Children Regain Eligibility for Food Stamp Program Benefits October
1st
According to the Food
Research and Action Council, October 1, 2003 marks the date that low-income legal immigrant
children regained eligibility for the Food Stamp Program. This important change
in the law was enacted in the 2002 Food Stamp Program Reauthorization Act. That
law also assisted many adult legal immigrants who have resided in the US for five years or more. Now legal immigrant children
will be eligible regardless of their date of entry into the US.
http://www.frac.org/html/news/100103immigrants.htm
USDA
Announces the End of Food Stamp Paper Coupons; Transition to Electronic
Issuance of Food Stamp Benefits is in Final Stages
The
US Department of Agriculture announced that the transition to electronic
issuance of food stamp benefits for low-income individuals and families is in
its final stages, making this important nutrition assistance program more
accessible to low-income families. The
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system was introduced in l984 by FNS, which
administers the food stamp and other domestic nutrition assistance programs.
EBT is an electronic system that allows recipients to authorize the transfer of
their government benefits from a federal account to a retailer account to pay
for products received.
http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2003/09/0330.htm
Work and the Food Stamp Program
A paper from the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities demonstrates that the Food Stamp Program is
meeting its goal of rewarding and encouraging work and suggests ways in which
the program could be made even more effective as a work support.
PDF: http://www.cbpp.org/9-30-03fs.pdf
**Legal Services
Civil Legal Aid in the United States: An Overview of the
Program in 2003
A paper from the Center for
Law and Social Policy provides an overview of the current U.S. civil legal aid
system; a brief history of legal aid in the United States; the future of the
legal aid system, including the evolution of state justice communities, the
increased use of the Internet and hotlines in service delivery, and pro se
developments; future funding sources; efforts to improve service quality; and
other developments affecting civil legal aid.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1064583480.94/view_html
Reproductive Health
Teens Say Parents Most Influence Their Sexual Decisions
According
to new survey data released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
parents continue to underestimate the influence they have over their children's
decisions about sex. While the majority
of teens say parents most influence their sexual decisions, parents believe
that teens' friends are most influential.
The survey also reveals that most teens (88 percent) say that it would
be easier for them to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they
were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their
parents.
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/reading/parentpower/default.asp
October is National Family Sexuality Education Month
October
is National Family Sexuality Education Month. The Sexuality Information and
Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) urges families
to take this opportunity to talk with their kids about sex. Today's young people need critical health
information to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy, STDs, and
HIV/AIDS. Because they are inundated everyday with misinformation about sex and
sexual health, it is incumbent upon parents and caregivers to reach out to
them.
http://www.siecus.org/media/press/press0041.html
**Welfare and Welfare Reform
HHS Awards $200 Million in Bonus Payments to States for Welfare-
to-Work Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2002
The
Department of Health and Human Services announced the awarding of $200 million
in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bonuses to 40 states and the District of Columbia for success in
employment and other program achievements during fiscal year 2002. About 70 percent of the 2002 bonuses were
awarded for employment achievement among TANF adult recipients, including job
entry, job retention and increased earnings.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030930a.html
