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**Children, Youth & Families
Bullied
Children at Risk of Depression, Antisocial Behavior
According to a new study
from Wichita State
University, young children
who are bullied at school show signs of antisocial and depressive behavior
as a result. Many kindergarten students find themselves verbally and
physically abused by their playground peers, but by the time they reach
first grade, an increasing amount of the harassment centers on a smaller
group of perpetual victims,
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/cfta-bca110703.php
Intergenerational
Program has Benefits for Children and Older Adults
A program through Kansas
State University
is designed to create bonds between children and older adults throughout
the state of Kansas. And
the evaluations of that program are showing that these interactions
are valuable and meaningful to all involved.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/ksu-iph111103.php
Psychiatric
Illness and Drug Abuse Common in Jailed Juveniles
A study by Northwestern
University researchers shows
that about half of teens in juvenile detention have two or more psychiatric
disorders and substance abuse disorders. The study also found that the
most common combination was substance abuse disorders and attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or behavioral disorders, which
affected almost a third of 1,829 teens examined. Almost half also had
anxiety disorders, affective disorders or both.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/nu-pia110703.php
Caregivers
of Family Members with Dementia Experience More Health Problems than
Non-caregivers
An analysis from researchers
at University of Washington
found that caregivers of persons with dementia had higher stress, lower
resistance to some viruses and reported poorer health than non-caregivers
who were similar in age and sex. More than five million caregivers
of persons with dementia exist in the United
States.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/apa-cof110303.php
**Community Development
HUD announces
$37 million in grants to promote homeownership and housing for low-income
families
More than $37 million
in housing counseling grants announced by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development nearly 730,000 individuals and families will have
a greater opportunity to find housing or keep the homes they have.
It is estimated these grants will assist more than 430,000 people to
either become first-time homeowners or remain homeowners after their
purchase. The grants were awarded to 17 national and regional organizations
and approximately 350 state and local housing counseling agencies.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr03-124.cfm
HUD holds public housing
authorities accountable for slow progress on Hope VI developments
The Department of Housing
and Urban Development notified five public housing authorities (PHAs)
that they are in default of their HOPE VI Revitalization Grant Agreement
for failing to meet project deadlines. As a result, these PHAs have
90 days to get their developments back on schedule or risk losing $1,000
daily. Housing authorities in the following cities have missed the greatest
number of self-imposed deadlines and were placed in default: District
of Columbia; Detroit, MI; Biloxi, MS.; Tulsa, OK; Wheeling, WV.
http://www.hud.gov/content/releases/pr03-123.cfm
HUD/FHA implements "Appraiser
Watch" monitoring system to curb predatory lending
The Department of Housing
and Urban Development's on-going efforts to curb predatory lending was
strengthened when Appraiser Watch, its risk-based appraiser monitoring
system, became fully operational. Appraiser Watch is a tool that will
help more Americans to own their own homes by obtaining mortgages they
can afford. With Appraiser Watch, HUD's Federal Housing Administration
will be better able to identify appraisers who either knowingly or unintentionally
place homeowners at risk for losing their homes to foreclosure because
of inflated valuations.
http://www.hud.gov/content/releases/pr03-120.cfm
Poor Neighborhood
Linked to Poor Heart Attack Survival
A report from the American
Heart Association finds that living in a low-income neighborhood increases
the risk of death after a heart attack. Patients living in neighborhoods
with a high percentage of residents living below the poverty line had
a death rate after heart attack 30 percent higher than those in the
wealthiest neighborhoods.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/aha-pnl102203.php
**Economic Security
Children
of Immigrants Show Slight Reductions in Poverty, Hardship
An Urban Institute analysis
of the 2002 National Survey of America's Families shows that the share
of low-income children who are children of immigrants increased from
22 percent in 1999 to 26 percent in 2002. The poverty rate for children
of immigrants fell from 24 to 22 percent.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8641
U.S. Conference of
Mayors Releases Report Showing Economy Surges, But with Lower Paying
Jobs
The United States Conference
of Mayors released a report that reveals recent growth in the U.S. economy,
but with lower paying jobs. The study, conducted by Global Insights,
analyzes job loss from 2001-2003 and the expected job gain from 2004-2005.
The average wage of new jobs created during the 2004-2005 period is
forecast to be $35,855, which is significantly lower than the $43,629
average wage of those jobs lost between 2001- 2003, resulting in a wage
gap of 18 percent.
Press Release – PDF:
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/metroecon_111003.pdf
Report Summary – PDF:
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/metroeconsummary_111003.pdf
Full Report – PDF: http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/publications/metroecon1103.pdf
Social
Program Spending and State Fiscal Crises
An Urban Institute analysis
of seven states shows that the severity of the current revenue crisis
far exceeds that of the recession that triggered it because states cut
taxes and expanded programs based on unsustainable revenue growth during
the late 1990s. The authors suggest that states should be realistic
about the sustainability of future revenue trends and should not count
on federal help. States should also build up reserves and be able to
draw on them when needed, and should make tax policies symmetrical rather
than place special barriers against tax increases.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8643
**Education
Low Income and the
Development of America's Kindergartners
The fourth brief in
a series from the National Center for Children in Poverty that examines
the well-being of children from across all incomes and race-ethnicity
finds that the more income a family has, the better the children do
academically, socially, and physically. The implications are important
for the current Head Start debate
http://www.nccp.org/pub_lat03d.html
**Health
HHS Releases 2003
National Diabetes Estimates
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced that the number of Americans with diabetes
rose to an all-time high with an estimated 18.2 million people in 2003.
The new diabetes numbers, which were released in advance of World Diabetes
Day, reflect an annual update of national estimates based on data from
HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes
of Health (NIH) and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Highlights of the
updated data include:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031113.html
HHS Launches New
Campaign To Curb Growing Diabetes Epidemic In Hispanics
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced a new public awareness campaign to help
Hispanics at risk for developing type 2 diabetes take the small steps
necessary to prevent this devastating disease. The campaign reflects
that, while diabetes is a growing epidemic for Hispanics, a recent landmark
study found that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in those
at risk for the disease. The campaign is a response to the study that
found that by losing a small amount of weight, limiting fat and caloric
intake, and exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, participants
dramatically reduced their risk for diabetes by more than half. More
than 500 Hispanics participated in the clinical trial.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031113a.html
HHS Launches New
Effort to Reach People With Diabetes Who Are Undiagnosed
The Department of Health
and Human Services announced a new community-based effort to identify
persons with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and refer them for follow-up
blood testing and treatment if appropriate. The focus of this initiative
is to help Americans better understand their diabetes risk and take
appropriate actions based on those risks.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031103a.html
85 Million Americans
Had No Health Insurance at Some Point During Four Years, 1996-1999
According to a new analysis
for The Commonwealth Fund, nearly two of five (38 percent) Americans
under age 65, and more than two-thirds (68 percent) of those with low
incomes, had no health insurance at some point during 1996-1999. The
longer view provided by the four-year time period reveals that unstable
insurance put millions more at risk than the numbers estimated from
annual "snapshots" by year. These higher rates are due to
millions of people cycling on and off coverage, or "churning."
Pres Release: http://www.cmwf.org/media/releases/short688_release11122003.asp
Issue Brief – PDF: http://www.cmwf.org/programs/insurance/short_churn_ib_688.pdf
Funding Health Coverage
For Low-Income Children In Washington
An analysis from the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that plans to impose or
increase health insurance premiums for low-income children in the state
of Washington on Medicaid or SCHIP will cause about 24,000 children
to lose coverage. These harmful reductions could be avoided by applying
new federal funding to preserve children's health insurance.
http://www.cbpp.org/11-10-03health.htm
Health
Insurance Coverage of Children in Mixed-Status Immigrant Families
An Urban Institute analysis
of the 2002 National Survey of America's Families shows that insurance
coverage increased 7 percentage points for children in mixed-status
families between 1999 and 2002. In 2002, 22 percent of children in mixed-status
families lacked health insurance compared with 12 percent of children
with citizen parents. Medicaid and SCHIP coverage increased 12 percentage
points for children in mixed-status families.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8640
More Federal Leadership
Needed to Solve Quality-of-Care Problems
Commonwealth Fund researchers
write in the new issue of Health Affairs that the federal government,
as the single largest health care payer and provider, must take on a
greater leadership role in solving problems of quality and cost in the
U.S. health care system. They argue in the commentary
for the creation of a new independent federal agency that would set
national priorities for quality and develop standards of care.
http://www.cmwf.org/media/releases/schoenbaumha_release11122003.asp
HHS Launches National
Home Health Quality Initiative, Broad Effort to Improve Quality Provided
by Home Health Agencies Across the Country
The Department of Health
and Human Services released new data about the quality of care provided
by home health agencies across the country as part of an expanding initiative
to improve the quality of care given to the millions of Americans who
receive home health care. The initiative combines information for consumers
and their families about the quality of care provided by individual
home health agencies with important resources to assist home health
agencies working to improve the quality of care in their facilities.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031103.html
Community Leaders
Identify Mental Health System as One of Most Overburdened Community
Resources
The Campaign for the
Mind of America released a survey that shows that one-third of community
leaders nationwide identified mental health treatment system and services
as one of the most overburdened community resources. The Campaign for
the Mind of America, chaired by NAMI -- The Nation's Voice on Mental
Illness, is a multi-year national and state initiative to increase access
to mental health treatment services by changing public policies and
priorities at the federal and state levels.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=111-11102003
**Homelessness
Sexual
and Physical Assault are Common Experiences for the Homeless
A study from the University of California - San Francisco finds
that homeless people are at high risk of being victims of sexual or
physical assault. The researchers examined the rates of victimization
in San Francisco for men, women and transgendered people and found rates
as much as 40 times higher than the general population.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/uoc--sap110503.php
**Hunger and Nutrition
Food Stamp Caseloads are
Rising
Since its recent low
point in July 2000, food stamp participation has increased by 33% or
5.5 million people. A paper from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
describes the increase and offers possible explanations for the rise
in participants.
http://www.cbpp.org/1-15-02fa.htm
What Have We Learned From
FNS’ New Research Findings About Overcertification in the School Meals
Programs?
A paper from the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities analyzes the implications of new USDA
research findings for Child Nutrition reauthorization proposals.
http://www.cbpp.org/11-11-03fa.htm
**Philanthropy and Civic
Engagement
CCC Launches Community
Voting Project to Amplify Voices of Low-Income Communities
The Center for Community
Change, as part of a broader effort to build power for low-income people
and impact the national debate on issues of poverty, has launched the
Community Voting Project, which will increase the scale and effectiveness
of non-partisan voter programs in low-income communities. The Community
Voting Project will target 250,000 low-income, minority, and new immigrant
voters during the 2004 election cycle.
http://www.communitychange.org/buildcos/cvp.htm
**Substance Abuse
Re-examining
Alcohol Problems among American Indian Communities
New research from the
University of Colorado and Colorado State University examines alcohol
dependence among Northern Plains and Southwest tribes. Although rates
of alcohol dependence are higher than U.S. averages, they are not as
high as previous research has indicated.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/ace-rap110503.php
Family Factors
affect Drug use by Mexican-American Teens
Researchers from the
Baylor College of Medicine point out that many studies have shown that
as Mexican-American teens become more "Americanized," their
alcohol, tobacco and drug use increases to match that of white teens.
Their research suggests that this acculturation may indirectly influence
substance use by contributing to family conflict and making teens more
emotionally distant from their parents.
http://www.hbns.org/news/mexam11-12-03.cfm
**Violence Prevention
Reducing Gun Violence
According to a study
by RAND Public Safety and Justice, stepped-up
law enforcement and more cooperation between police, prosecutors, probation
authorities, and community groups can help reduce gun violence.
http://www.rand.org/hot/press.03/11.12.html
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