Human Services News

A new report says that a drop in state spending on youth tobacco prevention efforts in recent years corresponded with a leveling-off of youth smoking rates after previous declines. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:57 PM

Changing Demographics of the Retired Population

The retired portion of the population will increase in the next two decades and its demographic composition will change. Newly eligible retirees are increasingly better educated, but that will level off after 2012.
Larger shares will be divorced or never-married and smaller shares married or widowed. The share of whites will decline, while shares of other groups, especially Hispanics, will increase. The changing demographics of the retiring population will affect Social Security financing and retirement policies.

In particular, while economic growth will reduce poverty, there will be more retirees in groups who have historically been at higher risk of poverty.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:50 PM

Working Longer To Enhance Retirement Security

Encouraging older Americans to delay retirement would ease the economic pressures created by an aging population. Retirees now collect Social Security benefits longer than ever before, as typical retirement ages have fallen and life spans have grown.
If left unchanged, Social Security will soon pay out more than it collects, forcing policymakers to raise taxes on workers or cut benefits to retirees. As this brief shows, increasing the average retirement age would expand the pool of productive workers, promote economic growth, and increase lifetime earnings and retirement savings for workers.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:45 PM

September growth in real personal income negative, sans hurricane effects

From Economic Policy Institute:

To put today's report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis in perspective, read the latest EPI Income Picture, which shows that real compensation and wage and salary income actually decline last month when factoring out the recent hurricane effects. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:34 PM

What Will Happen to Poverty Rates Among Older Americans in the Future and Why?

Poverty rates among the elderly have declined sharply over the past 50 years. We project that the poverty rate for the 62 and older population will continue to decline because of projected growth in real earnings. But we also project that relative poverty--the share of people who fall below an unchanging percentage of average income--will increase. The two main sources of higher relative poverty are the increased share of retirees who are single and divorced and the reduced growth in benefits associated with the increase in the Social Security normal retirement age. [View the corresponding Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:27 PM

How Will Boomers Fare at Retirement?

This brief provides new evidence on the adequacy of boomers' retirement resources using the Urban Institute's DYNASIM model. Our findings show that boomers will accumulate more wealth and receive more income at retirement than previous generations. Nevertheless, boomers may need to increase their savings now or work longer to maintain their real living standards at retirement. [View the corresponding Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:25 PM

Families Will Lose Child Care Assistance Under House Ways and Means Committee Welfare Reauthorization Bill

by Danielle Ewen. On October 26, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a budget reconciliation bill that includes provisions to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Even as the bill increases families' work requirements-and the need for child care-it provides only $500 million in new child care funding over five years, despite Congressional Budget Office estimates that keeping pace with inflation will cost $4.8 billion over five years. If enacted, this bill would force states to cut child care assistance for low-income working families over the coming years. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:08 PM

Children of Immigrant Parents Face Poverty Despite Hard Work; Are Increasingly Excluded From Federal Programs to Meet Basic Needs; Reports Detail High Levels of Both Employment and Poverty

While nearly 4 million immigrant families in the United States are low income, virtually all of them have working parents. Among children with foreign-born parents, 97 percent have a parent who works and 72 percent have a parent who works full-time, year round.
However, according to two new reports issued by
the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), these
children have less access to government supports that can
help low-income families bridge the gap between earnings and
basic family needs.

This reality flies in the face of
arguments that immigrant families come to the United States
to receive generous social welfare benefits. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:04 PM

3 New Studies Assess Effects of Child Care

From NYT > National:

Three new studies offer some solid information on the pros and cons of different arrangements for child care.
Two bolster research that found that long hours in group child care are linked to better reading and math skills but worse social skills and more behavioral problems. The third suggests that children in child care centers are safer than those who receive care in private homes, whether in a neighbor's home or by a nanny in the child's own home.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:00 PM

October 30, 2005

More Come to Treatment for Drugs Only, SAMHSA Says

Treatment programs are seeing fewer people with addictions to both alcohol and other drugs, but more patients who are addicted to illicit drugs alone. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:53 PM

UCLA Research Sees Big Savings for Treatment Investment

Researchers at UCLA say that society saves $7 for every $1 invested in addiction treatment -- $11,487 for the average $1,583 cost of treating someone with alcohol or other drug problems. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:49 PM

FHA Commissioner Announces Changes to FHA Programs

Brian Montgomery, head of the mortgage loan insurance programs at the Federal Housing Administration, announced significant changes that will make it easier for consumers to use and Realtors(r) to promote FHA products.
Speaking at a forum during the 2005 REALTORS(r) Conference & Expo here, Montgomery, assistant secretary for housing-Federal Housing Commissioner at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said FHA will no longer have specialized FHA appraisals and will allow homebuyers to fold into their mortgage up to $35,000 in home repairs or minor remodeling.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:23 PM

Energy and Commerce Committee Bill Imposes New Costs On Low-Income Medicaid Beneficiaries

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

This week the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Finance Committee voted on reconciliation legislation to reduce projected expenditures for programs under their jurisdiction. This legislation meets the requirements of this year’s budget resolution to achieve reductions in entitlement programs, including Medicaid.
The proposals that the two Committees have released to achieve these savings make clear, however, that they are employing sharply different approaches to meeting this requirement. The House Energy and Commerce Committee achieves savings in ways that are very likely to cause harm to the millions of low-income people who rely on Medicaid for health coverage. The Senate Finance Committee, in contrast, attempts to avoid making changes that are harmful to beneficiaries, in part by extracting significant savings from overpayments to Medicare managed care plans.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:19 PM

October 28, 2005

Evolution Debate in Kansas Spurs Battle Over School Materials

In an escalation of the nation's culture war over the teaching of evolution, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association announced yesterday that they will not allow Kansas to use key science education materials developed by the two organizations. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:18 AM

US health care cuts are costing lives

Health care cuts in the US are costing lives, argues one American citizen in this week's BMJ.Lori Smith, a representative of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign in Tennessee, believes that plans to dismantle national social programmes for sick and poor people throughout the US are leading to suffering and death. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:44 AM

Asian immigrants in NYC not receiving HIV education at religious institutions

Religious institutions serving New York City's Asian immigrants are not educating their congregations about HIV prevention and healthcare, in part because some leaders hold stigma and fear about the disease, according to a new study by The New York Academy of Medicine in the upcoming issue of the international journal AIDS Education and Prevention being published this week. These institutions are missing a vital opportunity to reach immigrants for whom a temple or mosque is their only formal support system. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:34 AM

House Committee Passes Cut in Medicaid Program; Deal Amendment Ensures that States Must Offer Health Center Services

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

The House Energy & Commerce Committee today passed its Medicaid reform package meeting its target of cutting $15 billion over 5 years from the program. The Committee bill would dramatically change the way states are allowed to shape their Medicaid programs, ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:25 AM

Bus Ride Shook a Nation's Conscience

Rosa Parks, the dignified African American seamstress whose refusal to surrender a bus seat to a white man launched the modern civil rights movement and inspired generations of activists, died last night at her home in Detroit, the Wayne County medical examiner's office said. She was 92. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:08 AM

Study Finds Significant Financial Benefits of Providing Substance Abuse Treatment

Every dollar spent on substance abuse treatment generates $7 in monetary benefits for society, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:51 AM

Association of Black Foundation Executives Leadership Summit Inaugurates Fellowship Program; Leaders in Philanthropy Issue Call for Advocacy to Improve Black Communities

The Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) held a Leadership Summit from October 18 - 21, hosted by the Ford Foundation, for ten inaugural Fellows in its Connecting Leaders Fellowship Program. The fellowship program is a year-long professional training experience designed to strengthen the leadership capacity of foundation staff, donors, and trustees who share a passionate commitment for assisting Black communities through increased philanthropy. The ABFE Summit was comprised of a series of lectures, workshops, and site visits in New York City. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:51 AM

Hispanic Youth See, Hear More Alcohol Ads than Peers, CAMY Says

A new report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University says that Hispanic 12- to 20-year-olds tend to hear and see more alcohol ads than other youth of the same age. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:49 AM

Alcohol Screening Yields 2-to-1 Savings, Group Says

Employers can save $2 for every dollar they spend on screening patients for alcohol problems and referring them to treatment, according to a research group at the George Washington University Medical Center. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:47 AM

Housing: Vouchers in Their Pockets, Evacuees Find It Hard to Get Keys in Hand

From NYT > National:

Hundreds of thousands seeking long-term housing after Hurricane Katrina are learning the hard way that resettlement is not as simple as rental assistance. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:36 AM

Abortion does not raise risk of depression

Claims that terminating an unwanted first pregnancy raises the risk of depression is called into question in a study published online by the BMJ today. In fact, the authors suggest that abortion may be linked to a lower risk of depression through beneficial effects on education, income, and family size. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:18 AM

Childhood asthma affecting more than just breathing

Recent research has shown that kids with asthma may also be at risk for psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and problems in their social lives including peer interactions. This study, recently published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, is one of the first to examine relationships among asthma, anxiety and depression, and several aspects of social functioning in urban children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:09 AM

Mayo Clinic researchers find math learning disorder is common

In a recently published study, Mayo Clinic researchers determined Math Learning Disorder (LD) is common among school-age children. Results show that boys are more likely to have Math LD than girls. The research also indicates that although a child can have a Math LD and a reading LD, a substantial percentage of children have Math LD alone. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:04 AM

Update: Ways and Means Committee Approves 40 Percent Cut in Child Support Funds

by Vicki Turetsky. The Committee on Ways and Means has approved deep cuts to the federal funding for child support services, which would severely reduce states' ability to collect child support for low- and moderate-income families. This policy brief outlines the changes, and uses Congressional Budget Office projections to show how much funding each state stands to lose and how much child support will go uncollected if the cuts are enacted. Pub No. 05-46. 7 pages. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:04 AM

Keeping kids safe & healthy on Halloween

Halloween is an exciting time for kids, and we can all help to make sure that children have a safe and fun holiday with the following tips from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing group at Harvard Medical School. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:02 AM

Learning Disabled Students at Bentley College Reach Out to Local Children with Learning Challenges; Project Eye-to-Eye Program Makes Its Massachusetts Debut

Bentley College launches "Project Eye-to-Eye," a new program that teams local elementary school children who have learning disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with a Bentley college student who has a similar learning disability. The Bentley students will use their first-hand experience to serve as tutors, mentors and role models. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:00 AM

October 26, 2005

Housing Bill to Erect Unacceptable Barriers to Americans' Right to Vote

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in opposition to Republican provisions in H.R. 1461, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, which impose restrictions to the eligibility requirements for non-profit organizations and faith- based groups applying for grants:
"Unfortunately, right-wing Republicans in the House hijacked what had been a bipartisan bill in an effort to strip away the housing fund. When the conservatives were not able to completely get rid of it, they limited its use by blocking non-profit organizations and faith-based groups, who engage in voter registration with their own funds, from even applying for grants to build affordable housing. There are no similar restrictions on 'for-profit' organizations.
... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:34 PM

RNC Chairman Addresses Minority Leaders in Minnesota

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Ken Mehlman today addressed Minnesota Republican leaders of the Hmong, Somali, Hispanic, African-American and Cambodian communities at the headquarters of the Minnesota Republican Party in Minneapolis. Chairman Mehlman highlighted the President's commitment to reaching out to these communities and communicating the Republican agenda:
"We have an incredible opportunity today because the party of Lincoln, Reagan and Bush is committed to expanding freedom around the world and providing equal opportunity at home. The Republican Party is welcoming more faces and voices because we are improving education, expanding homeownership, promoting job creation, and making health care more affordable."
... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:32 PM

Alcohol Industry's Marketing Overexposes Hispanic Teens

Hispanic youth often see and hear more alcohol advertising per capita than young people in their age group in general, according to a new report released from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.
The report finds that Hispanic 12- to 20-year-olds in the United States saw 20 percent more alcohol advertising per capita in English-language magazines in 2004 than did all young people in this age group.
Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:27 PM

Alliance for Justice Condemns House Vote on H.R. 1461; Provision Destroys Free Speech and Association for Low-Income Constituents

Alliance for Justice condemns today's vote by the House of Representatives to destroy low-income housing advocacy efforts.
"The Housing Finance Reform Act creates a new fund to build homes for low-income families," said Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron. "Unfortunately, nonprofit organizations will not be eligible to participate in the fund if they also register low-income voters, educate them about voting, or encourage them to exercise their right to vote."

"This bill is a gag order on nonprofits serving low-income families and is tantamount to voter suppression," said Aron. "To force a nonprofit to choose between building affordable homes in low-income communities and encouraging voter participation among the people who live in those communities is absurd..."

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:11 PM

Texas Prisoners' Reflections Returning Home

This report is based on surveys completed by 676 men and women shortly before their release from Texas prisons and state jails and their return to the Houston area. We describe respondents' criminal, substance abuse, and employment histories; current health problems; in-prison programming experiences; relationships with family members; and expectations for release. Differences between respondents based on gender and type of confinement (i.e., prison or state jail) are also highlighted.
Overall, these findings describe a population with extensive histories of substance use and criminal behavior, yet strong family ties and great optimism for what life will be like on the outside.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:57 PM

Families Will Lose Billions of Dollars Under Ways and Means Proposal

by Vicki Turetsky. The Committee on Ways and Means has proposed deep cuts to the federal funding for child support services, which would severely reduce states' ability to collect child support for low- and moderate-income families. This policy brief outlines the proposed changes, and uses Congressional Budget Office projections to show how much funding each state stands to lose and how much child support will go uncollected if the proposed cuts are enacted. Pub No. 05-46. 4 pages. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:40 PM

Republicans Cut Several Programs in Budget (AP)

AP - House Republicans voted to cut student loan subsidies, child support enforcement and aid to firms hurt by unfair trade practices as various committees scrambled to piece together $50 billion in budget cuts.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:37 PM

Health Opportunity Accounts for Low-Income Medicaid Beneficiaries: A Risky Approach

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

Edwin Park and Judith Solomon Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:32 PM

Families Still Split Since Katrina

Eight weeks after Hurricane Katrina separated mothers from children and brothers from sisters, there are still more than 1,500 cases of "fractured families" that have not been reunited, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:32 PM

Income Taxes and Income Inequality Since 1979

Following decades of relative stability, income inequality has risen sharply in the United States since the 1970s. Households at the top of the income distribution saw their pretax incomes grow most; similar trends and magnitude are present for after-tax incomes, too. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:41 AM

October 25, 2005

Yale researcher leads successful effort to access HMO fees for Medicaid patients

In a study of access to specialty healthcare by the uninsured and publicly insured in New Haven, Yale researchers found that recent state budget cuts, out-of-date provider rates and other policy changes had caused a decline in care by private practice physicians. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:59 PM

Spellings Encouraged by New National and State Report Cards on Math and Reading

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings released the following statement regarding the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) National and State Report Cards in Mathematics and Reading, also known as the Nation's Report Card. The national and state report cards are released every two years as required by the No Child Left Behind Act: Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:35 PM

Survey Examines How D.C. Area Teens and Their Parents View Their Lives and Aspirations for the Future

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

The Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard School of Public Health have released a new comprehensive study looking at how teens and their parents in and around Washington, D.C. view their lives, their priorities and their hopes and dreams for the future. The survey’s findings were featured in a package of articles published in the Oct. 23 Washington Post Magazine. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:30 PM

Differences that Make a Difference: Comparing Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program Federal Benefits Standards

Cindy Mann and Elizabeth Kenny Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:23 PM

Cost-Sharing Provisions in the Energy and Commerce Medicaid Proposal: Key Issues for Children and Families

The proposal to reduce federal Medicaid spending put forth by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton on Tuesday, October 26, would fundamentally alter the federal government’s role in assuring that the coverage offered to millions of Americans through Medicaid remains affordable. This proposal revokes many of the federal standards that have long served to assure that children, in particular, do not face financial barriers to care in Medicaid; it allows states to levy higher charges for most services for adults living below the poverty line; and it eliminates nearly all of the federal standards governing the affordability of coverage for other adults, including those with disabilities and chronic medical conditions. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:21 PM

Children Exposed to Meth Can Be Helped, Expert Says

Children exposed to alcohol in utero often suffer permanent brain damage, but those exposed to methamphetamine or cocaine can recover without lasting ill-effects, according to a leading expert on meth-exposed children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:08 PM

State Strategies for Preventing Accumulation and Managing Existing Child Support Arrears

by Paula Roberts. The publicly funded child support program contends with over $100 billion in arrears, or outstanding child support owed by obligated parents. To address this problem, a number of states revising their policies and developing strategies to both prevent the growth of arrears and resolve existing debt. This PowerPoint presentation describes these efforts, and includes a comprehensive bibliography of sources for further information. 49 pages. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:54 PM

Tax-Transfer Policy and Labor Market Outcomes

The Earned Income Tax Credit provides nearly $40 billion to low-income families with children. A potential unintended consequence of the credit is lower pretax wages, in which case only part of the subsidy would accrue to workers. We examine the extent to which EITC expansions lower the pretax wages of working parents. Our findings are inconclusive. The gross hourly wages of less-skilled single women are found not to vary by the number of children, as does the EITC. In addition, the wages of black single mothers track the minimum wage for nearly the entire time period. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:47 PM

Resources on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

The Kaiser Family Foundation has extensive resources on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, including fact sheets that summarize the benefit's structure and the additional low-income assistance, survey data on seniors' views of the new program, and various consumer resources to help make decisions about the benefit. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:28 PM

Child Support-Related Provisions in New Katrina Relief Legislation

by Vicki Turetsky. This paper outlines the child support-related provisions of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005, signed into law on September 21, 2005. It also describes recent Health and Human Services policy guidance and pending legislation that would clarify the law. Finally, it recommends that Congress adopt additional short-term child support measures to help states impacted by the hurricanes. 10 pages. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:24 PM

Ways and Means Committee Proposes Deep Cuts in Child Support Funding

by Vicki Turetsky. The Committee on Ways and Means has proposed deep cuts to the federal matching rate for child support services, which would severely reduce states' ability to collect child support for low- and moderate-income families. This brief outlines why the child support program is a sound investment-collecting $4.38 in child support for every public dollar spent-and how much funding each state stands to lose if the proposed cuts are enacted. 3 pages. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:22 PM

Asthma home intervention cost-effective for inner-city children, research reveals

Through efforts to limit exposure to environmental irritants, health workers and municipalities can cut illness generally among inner-city children with asthma and also the number of clinic visits for those young patients by at least 19 percent, a new study concludes. The cost can be as low as $1,469 per affected family. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:22 PM

Congress Passes Landmark Bill to Help Orphaned Children

Historic legislation, which for the first time presents a comprehensive response to the needs of orphaned children in poor countries, now heads to President Bush for his signature. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:17 PM

Ways and Means "Chairman's Mark" Targets Key Low-Income Programs

The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to mark up its portion of the budget reconciliation bill on October 26. The budget resolution that passed in April requires the Ways and Means Committee to cut programs under its jurisdiction by $1 billion over the next five years, but Chairman Thomas’s “mark” would cut programs under its jurisdictions by $8 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The Ways and Means “chairman’s mark” is now available and makes clear how Chairman Thomas intends to achieve these savings:

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:16 PM

Physician behavior an underlying cause for health care cost

Physicians practicing in regions of the U.S. where health care spending is high are more likely to order tests, referrals and treatments for their patients than those in low spending regions. As new data emerges that health care spending has little relationship to health outcomes, these findings point to one reason behind the dramatic variation in the cost of health care across different regions in the U.S. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:11 AM

October 24, 2005

Ore. Governor Addresses Underage Drinking

Taking driver's licenses away from underage drinkers and cracking down on adults who provide alcohol to youth are among the options being considered by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who wants to cut down on drinking by high-school and college students. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:39 PM

Children Exposed to Meth Can Be Helped, Expert Said

Children exposed to alcohol in utero often suffer permanent brain damage, but those exposed to methamphetamine or cocaine can recover without lasting ill-effects, according to a leading expert on meth-exposed children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:29 PM

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Awarded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Challenge Grant

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $500,000 challenge grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to enhance and expand CADCA's development efforts.
CADCA is a national, nonprofit, membership-based organization, founded in 1992. CADCA was developed as an outgrowth of the President's Drug Advisory Council, in response to the needs of a growing number of grassroots coalitions addressing underage drinking, tobacco and illicit drugs. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation helped CADCA to start, to grow and to thrive, providing over $12.8 million in grants to the organization from 1992 to 2004.
Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:26 PM

In Western bluebird as well as human families, accumulated wealth encourages stability

Among Western bluebirds and other cooperatively breeding birds, when grown children hang around the nest instead of dispersing at maturity, family structures become more close-knit. But what keeps the kids hanging around? A new study by Janis Dickinson of UC Berkeley and Cornell shows, as with humans, it's the accumulated wealth - in the case of bluebirds, mistletoe. Once the money begins to run out, the kids split. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:02 PM

October 23, 2005

African American Women: Domestic Violence and Help-Seeking Fact Sheet by Katherine E. Morrison, Ph.D.

Each year, thousands of women are physically, emotionally, sexually, and verbally abused by their husbands or boyfriends. About one in three American women are the victim of an abusive male partner (American Medical Association, 2000). Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:57 PM

Baltimore Launches 'Threshold to Recovery'

A new addiction treatment initiative will provide a variety of recovery-related services to addicts and alcoholics living in Baltimore, including acupuncture and tai chi. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:32 PM

'Breaking Through' Aims to Make Higher Education Possible for Many Adults Who Are Now Poorly Prepared for Postsecondary Programs or Good Jobs

Sixteen community colleges have been selected to participate in a multi-year national initiative to increase the number of low-skilled adults who enter and complete occupational and technical degree programs in community and technical colleges. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:11 PM

Old Twist on Rebuilding New Orleans (Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times - NEW ORLEANS — Officials and community advocates are quietly planting the seeds for an enterprising program that could give the government temporary control over thousands of privately owned homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:05 PM

Suicide among youth - Which mental disorders are responsible?

Mental health professionals need to be watchful of mental health problems beyond depression in order to prevent youth suicide, according to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO researchers examine which mental disorders or combinations of disorders may be most responsible for youth suicide in a new study being released in the October issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:45 PM

Larger Reconciliation Cuts in the House Would Put Low-Income Programs at Greater Risk

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

Although the House of Representatives has postponed a vote on altering the Congressional budget resolution to require House committees to make deeper cuts in mandatory (i.e., entitlement) programs, the House leadership has made clear that it is committed to achieving the additional cuts.
The leadership has said it will direct House committees to increase the total cuts in mandatory programs to $50 billion over five years — up $15 billion from the $35 billion that the budget resolution approved in April calls for — regardless of whether the House votes to amend the budget resolution to require the deeper cuts. A substantial portion of these additional reductions is likely to be achieved by cutting more deeply into programs that provide basic assistance to vulnerable, low-income families and individuals.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:37 PM

Storm Still Swirls in the Minds Of Many Kids Who Fled Katrina

DALLAS -- Because of Hurricane Katrina, Gene Ceasar's seven children have now heard the most horrific stories of their young lives -- gruesome tales of murder, starvation and rape along the itinerant route from evacuation to survival. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:34 PM

October 21, 2005

Katrina, New Orleans, and the Nation

Two new releases from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program offer ways in which the federal government can best invest in the recovery of the New Orleans region and, additionally, address the endemic concentrated poverty found all too often in other cities around the country.

The first, New Orleans After the Storm: Lessons from the Past, a Plan for the Future, offers a federal agenda for rebuilding the region, based on the unique socio-economic and physical topography that rendered the deluge all the more tragic, with particular attention to the federal policies that served to concentrate those most vulnerable to the storm.
http://www.brookings.org/metro/pubs/20051012_NewOrleans.htm

Beyond New Orleans, the second report, Katrina's Window: Confronting Concentrated Poverty Across America, identifies pervasive concentrations of poverty, similar to those in New Orleans, in cities across the country, recommending a synthesis of existing policy tools to restore economic choice to these neighborhoods.
http://www.brookings.org/metro/pubs/20051012_Concentratedpoverty.htm

Posted by Michael at 4:45 PM

October 20, 2005

California Students Are Still Struggling (Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — Despite slight gains in math scores, California fourth- and eighth-grade students rank among the lowest nationally in mathematics and reading, test results released Wednesday showed. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:33 PM

African-American clinic patients' reactions to racism may affect their health outcomes

Ninety-five percent of older African-American clinic patients reported at least some exposure to racism during their lives in a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:15 PM

'A virtual Katrina' of deaths every week in US due to racial health gap

Research estimates that health inequalities between white and black Americans cause 84,000 extra deaths every year - equating to a virtual hurricane Katrina every week, says an editorial in this week's BMJ. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:52 PM

Study: Blacks Have Less Access to Painkillers

People who need prescription pain medication are far less likely to find the drugs in pharmacies located in black neighborhoods, according to a study by University of Michigan Medical School researchers. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:11 PM

How does increased television watching 'weigh into' childhood obesity?

Obesity is one of the major health concerns today. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children should not watch more than two hours of television a day. However, the average child in the U.S. regularly watches between 2-3 hours of television a day. Not only are children inactive while they are watching television, they often snack on unhealthy food choices. Two articles in the October issue of The Journal of Pediatrics describe the relationship between television watching and childhood obesity. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:47 PM

New Tobacco Tax Would Fund Health Care for California Kids, Expand Anti-Smoking, Disease Prevention Programs

A newly formed coalition of the state's major health and children's advocacy groups has launched a campaign to pass a $1.50 increase in the state's cigarette tax on the November 2006 ballot. Proceeds from the Tobacco Tax, Disease Prevention and Children's Health Insurance Act would be directed to strengthen and expand existing tobacco prevention efforts, disease prevention, treatment and research programs such as those for heart disease and stroke, cancer and lung disease, and would also provide funding so that every child in California can receive affordable health care insurance. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:39 PM

Justice Through Music Launches 'Harmony Now!' Campaign to Promote the New Crop of Protest Songs

Justice Through Music, http://www.jtmp.org , has just launched a new campaign called 'Harmony Now!' to promote the new crop of protest songs being created by both signed and unsigned artists. JTM, which for three years has used famous bands to inspire youth to support civil rights and vote, will host the songs on its website and will release several compilations of the "best of" these songs on CD prior to the 2006 elections. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:35 PM

The True Tax Rates Confronting Families With Children

The panoply of U.S. tax and transfer programs often act in concert to penalize low-income families who increase their work effort or marry, by saddling them with high effective marginal tax rates. These effective marginal tax rates-often the product of multiple, hidden phase-outs in benefit programs like the EITC, Food Stamps, and Medicaid-are often higher for low-to-middle income families with children earning between $10,000 and $40,000 than they are for more well-to-do families earning above, $90,000. Rates can be so high that families lose nearly a dollar in program benefits for every additional dollar of earnings income they bring in. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:36 AM

A National Roundtable on the Indian Health System & Medicaid Reform

The Urban Institute partnered with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the Indian Health Service (IHS) to host a National Roundtable on the Indian Health System and Medicaid Reform. This summary of the August 2005 event details how pending Medicaid cuts may have serious ramifications for the Indian Health System and includes recommendations for reform. Although the federal government has a special trust responsibility for the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives, the IHS has been chronically underfunded even with Medicaid reimbursements. The health status of Indians remains far below that of the general U.S. population. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:01 AM

October 19, 2005

Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Coverage Tables

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

A collection of tables in PDF and Excel format on Poverty, Income and Health Insurance coverage. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:59 PM

Test Scores Move Little in Math, Reading

Reading scores among fourth- and eighth-graders showed little improvement over the past two years, and math gains were slower than in previous years, according to a study released yesterday. The disappointing results came despite a new educational testing law championed by the Bush administration as...
Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:49 PM

U.S. Gives Florida a Sweeping Right to Curb Medicaid

From NYT > Health:

The plan limits spending for many of Florida's 2.2 million beneficiaries and gives private health plans freedom to limit benefits. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:21 PM

New Reports Indicate Immediate State Fiscal Crisis Subsides, But Medicaid Still Faces Long-Term Budgetary Challenges

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

Three Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured state surveys indicate state budgetary pressures are easing as the gap between Medicaid spending growth and state tax revenue growth narrows, but states still face long-term budgetary challenges. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:58 PM

Senate Moves to Keep Needed Anti-Hunger Programs but Misses Opportunity to Reform Agricultural Subsidies, Says Oxfam America

The Senate Agriculture Committee missed an important opportunity to reform inequitable agricultural subsidies and to signal to the international community and U.S trade negotiators that it is willing to negotiate seriously, said international agency Oxfam ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:55 PM

Stereotypes and Academic Achievement

Claude M. Steele, director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, California, and Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences at Stanford University, will present the Second Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research, on October 20, 2005. Inaugurated in 2004 by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Lecture features significant scholarship directed toward the advancement of understanding of equality and equity in education. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:48 PM

Charter Schools Closing Achievement Gap in Fourth Grade Reading, Math

Fourth graders attending public charter schools across the country are making notable strides in reading and math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the "The Nation's Report Card," released today. Gains were particularly strong in reading, with charter students gaining at a faster rate than students in traditional public schools, whose scores were unchanged since 2003.
African-American, Latino, and low-income charter students also registered larger reading gains than their fourth-grade peers in non- public charter schools. Gains among Hispanic charter fourth graders were so strong that they have opened a 10-point gap with non-charter students.

"Charter students and educators can be proud of these results," said Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "The findings confirm those of national and state- level studies showing strong gains in achievement among public charter schools -– with especially good results for minority and low- income children."

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:44 PM

New risk analysis study shows school soft drink consumption has no impact on adolescent obesity

A first-of-its-kind peer-reviewed study applying risk analysis methodology to nutrition policy shows that consumption of carbonated soft drinks from school vending machines has virtually no impact on adolescent obesity. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:26 PM

Kids With Access to Home Computer More Likely to Graduate, Digital Divide Study Finds

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/guide

Access to a home computer increases the likelihood that children will graduate from high school, but blacks and Latinos are much less likely to have a computer at home than are whites, according to a new study by a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, that also found the digital divide is even more pronounced among children than adults. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:18 PM

The Future of U.S. Community Foundations

A new report indicates that community foundations are entering a pivotal era and that the next 20 years will be a period of great promise and important challenges for the community foundation field.

The report, On the Brink of Promise: The Future of U.S. Community Foundations is published by Blueprint Research & Design and The Monitor Institute and funded by the Mott and Ford Foundations.

The study on which the report is based looked at the entire field of community philanthropy, which the authors defined as the "practice of catalyzing and raising resources from a community on behalf of a community." The authors point out that community philanthropy has evolved over the years, and while community foundations focus primarily on specific geographical regions, geography has become just one way in which people identify their communities.

The report contends that community foundations will be required to begin looking outward for opportunities for growth and partnership and, in some cases, will be subsumed by other foundations or organizations. This comes after a period when community foundations focused inward to improve their operations as they faced competition from for-profit money management institutions.

"What’s clear is that in the coming years, community foundations will face a far greater challenge than they have in the past to define and act on their distinctive value to their communities," said the authors in the report’s introduction. "The good news is that this next era is ripe with choices and opportunities."

Full Report: http://communityphilanthropy.org/pdf/FINALfutureofcommunity_25AUG05_complete.pdf

Executive Summary: http://communityphilanthropy.org/pdf/foc_executivesummary_sept21.pdf

Posted by Michael at 12:56 AM

New Compilation of Resources on Family Involvement in Children's Education

From: Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE)

We have a free new resource we are excited to tell you about. Have you ever sat down to find information about family involvement in children's education on the Internet and felt overwhelmed by all the information that’s out there? Have you ever wanted to search for the newest family involvement resources, only to become lost in a web of links? Do you ever wonder what other organizations are doing around family-school partnerships?

As part of our national work on strengthening the field of family involvement, Harvard Family Research Project has come up with a solution. "Taking a Closer Look: A Guide to Online Resources on Family Involvement" is now available on the Harvard Family Research Project website. You can access it at:

The guide contains information about what national organizations are currently doing in family involvement and home-school partnerships. It contains Web links to research, information, programs, and tools about parenting practices to support children’s learning and development, home-school relationships, parent leadership development, and collective engagement for school improvement and reform. The resource guide can be used to find out what’s new in the field, locate national organizations that support family involvement, and inspire new ideas.

Harvard Family Research Project also offers a variety of other free resources on its website through the Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE). FINE is a national network of over 4,500 people who are interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities. FINE's membership is composed of faculty in higher education, school professionals, directors and trainers of community-based and national organizations, parent leaders, and graduate students. FINE provides the following resources online:

* What's new - monthly announcements of current ideas and new resources
* Resources - research, evaluation, and training tools
* E-newsletter (FINE Forum) - program models and perspectives on family involvement
* Member insights - opinions about topics of interest

FINE membership is open to anyone and is free of charge. To join, go to:

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/joinfine.html

Posted by Michael at 12:26 AM

Food Stamp Access in Urban America: A City by City Snapshot

From: Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

This report evaluates food stamp usage in 25 of America's largest metropolitan areas. Information includes food stamp participation (usage rates, trends and enrollment gaps), characteristics of program participants, practices to expand food stamp access, an overview of hunger in US cities, and more.

SELECTED FINDINGS

* 62% of those qualified for food stamps enrolled in the food stamp program in the metro areas studied.
* Food stamp caseloads increased in 96% of the 25 metro areas studied between 2000-2005.
* Oakland and San Diego had the lowest participation rates (23% and 26%) among those qualifying for food stamps, while Memphis and Milwaukee had the highest (97% and 92%).
* New York and Los Angeles County each had over $400 million in unclaimed food stamp benefits in 2003.
* Almost 80% of food stamp households had at least one child in 2003.
* Almost 15% of households in central cities experienced some food insecurity in 2003.

http://www.frac.org/pdf/cities2005.pdf

Posted by Michael at 12:15 AM

October 18, 2005

The Encyclopedia of Taxation and Tax Policy

From adjusted gross income to zoning and property taxes, the second edition of The Encyclopedia of Taxation and Tax Policy offers the best and most complete guide to taxes and tax-related issues. More than 150 tax practitioners and administrators, policymakers, and academics have contributed. The result is a unique and authoritative reference that examines virtually all tax instruments used by governments (individual income, corporate income, sales and value-added, property, estate and gift, franchise, poll, and many variants of these taxes), as well as characteristics of a good tax system, budgetary issues, and many current federal, state, local, and international tax policy issues. The new edition has been completely revised, with 40 new topics and 200 articles reflecting six years of legislative changes. Each essay provides the generalist with a quick and reliable introduction to many topics but also gives tax specialists the benefit of other experts' best thinking, in a manner that makes the complex understandable. Reference lists point the reader to additional sources of information for each topic. The first edition of The Encyclopedia of Taxation and Tax Policy was selected as an Outstanding Academic Book of the Year (1999) by Choice magazine. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:36 PM

Native Communities Move Toward Sustainable Recovery

National Native American organizations are looking towards the next steps in rebuilding tribal communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These communities include the Alabama Coushatta, Chitimacha, Choctaw, United Houma, Poarch Creek, the Biloxi Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee, Pointe au Chien and Tunica-Biloxi Nations in Miss., La. and Texas.
"We are recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Rita and are just now getting back on line with the help of some out of state Native American relief volunteers and tribal members," stated Principal Chief of the Houma Nation Brenda Dardar on the response from Indian country. More information will be shared on the emergency needs of families displaced in these tribal areas at a press conference in Washington.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:36 PM

Raising Hope with Jobs-Plus

From MDRC:

This report is the final in a series on MDRC’s evaluation of the Seattle site of the Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families (Jobs-Plus), a national demonstration project testing a new employment program for public housing residents. Based in the city’s Rainier Vista housing development, Seattle Jobs-Plus was distinctive because it came to operate the community and supportive services component of the housing authority’s HOPE VI initiative to tear down and rebuild the development as a mixed-income neighborhood. Rainier Vista was also the most ethnically diverse of the six housing developments operating Jobs-Plus. Its tenant population, which included many East African and Southeast Asian immigrants, spoke no fewer than 22 languages.
Jobs-Plus combines on-site employment-related services, new rent rules to allow residents to keep more of their earnings, and a neighbor-to-neighbor outreach strategy to share information about employment opportunities. The program is targeted toward all of a housing development’s working-age, non-disabled residents.

Although selected as a Jobs-Plus site in 1997, Seattle’s receipt of a HOPE VI grant two years later introduced a unique and potentially confounding feature to that site’s program. Because Seattle Jobs-Plus continued to operate in a modified form, MDRC continued evaluating it but with a scaled-back research design. This report describes the program’s effects on residents’ employment and earnings.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:01 AM

October 17, 2005

Police performance measures divert attention from anti-social behaviour

Emphasis on national performance measures for crime and detection rates causes police resources to be diverted from dealing with anti-social behaviour, according to new research sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
This could help explain why when crime levels are generally falling, fear among the public is not, says a study led by Dr Paul Collier of the Aston Business School in Birmingham. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:27 PM

Healthgrades study: New hospital ratings show wide 'quality chasm'

A typical patient has a 65 percent lower chance of dying at the nation's highest-rated hospitals compared with the lowest-rated hospitals, in 18 common procedures and diagnoses, according to a large-scale study released today by HealthGrades. That "quality chasm," the HealthGrades study shows, is growing, as the nation's best-performing hospitals lowered their mortality rates 45 percent faster than the poorest-performing hospitals over the same time period. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:06 PM

Adopting MedPAC Recommendations to Reduce Excessive Medicare Managed Care Plan Payments Could Yield Large Budget Reconciliation Savings

Under the requirements of the Congressional budget resolution, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee are expected to consider reconciliation legislation as early as the week of October 17 that contains at least $10 billion in spending cuts over five years in programs under their jurisdictions.
While it has been previously assumed that Medicaid should be the principal target for these cuts, reductions in overpayments to private Medicare managed care plans could achieve Medicare savings that would meet or even exceed the $10 billion in required savings. Recent media reports indicate the Senate Finance Committee now may be looking to Medicare as the source for much of these savings.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:02 PM

An Analysis of The National Governors Association's Proposals For "Short-Run Medicaid Reform

On August 29, the National Governors Association released "Medicaid Reform: A Preliminary Report," a set of recommendations for Congress as it develops budget legislation this fall to reduce projected federal Medicaid expenditures. These NGA proposals are intended to build on longer-term Medicaid recommendations the governors made in June.
Congress is likely to give these NGA proposals serious consideration. The Medicaid Commission that the Administration established this summer included several NGA proposals in recommendations it made to Congress on September 1 for achieving Medicaid reductions of $10 billion over five years. In this paper, we analyze the major NGA proposals. We evaluate whether the proposals would reduce expenditures without harming the low-income children, families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities whom Medicaid serves.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:56 PM

Black women with chronic pain have more psychological and physical distress

Black women with chronic pain experience more psychological distress, physical impairments and post-traumatic stress disorder than white women with chronic pain, a finding that researchers from the University of Michigan Health System say should help lead to a narrowing of the gap in the treatment of chronic pain between black and white women. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:53 PM

New Alliance Will Promote Safer and Healthier Workplaces for Young Workers

Fostering safer and healthier workplaces for young workers is the goal of a new Alliance signed today between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and SkillsUSA. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:31 PM

Direct Relief International, Community Clinics Create Long-Term Health Safety Net for Uninsured Hurricane Victims

Direct Relief International has furnished $24 million in emergency medical material aid and $1.5 million dollars in emergency cash support to assist people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita over the past six weeks. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:02 PM

New IRS Data Show Income Inequality Is Again On The Rise

New figures from the Internal Revenue Service show that income disparities grew substantially from 2002 to 2003. After adjusting for inflation, the after-tax income of the one percent of households with the highest incomes shot up in 2003 by an average of nearly $49,000 per household while the after-tax incomes of the bottom 75 percent of households fell on average. The term "household" here refers to tax filers with positive amounts of adjusted gross income. http://www.cbpp.org/10-17-05inc.htm

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:52 PM

Penn study finds physically abused boys may be more likely to commit domestic violence as adults

According to a study in the October 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, a history of childhood physical abuse may be common in men from urban settings, and these men with physical abuse histories may be more likely to commit domestic violence. The study found that the childhood abuse was primarily committed by parents, with mothers being the most frequent abusers. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:51 PM

October 14, 2005

Spellings Announces More Help for Hurricane-Displaced Students, Teachers

From Education Newsfeed:

JACKSON, Miss. -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today convened a group of mental-health experts, teachers and schools officials for the first in a series of roundtables designed to gather information about Hurricane Katrina's on displaced students and the schools that have welcomed them. Today's meeting was the first of six roundtables to be held over the next few months in hurricane-impacted areas. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:49 AM

Insurance and Uninsurance in the District of Columbia: Starting with the Numbers

Produced under the State Planning Grant project of the DC Department of Health, this report provides details on the characteristics of the uninsured in the District. It first presents data on the variation in insurance coverage by sociodemographic characteristics. It then presents data on the reasons that people are uninsured. Finally, it looks at the cost of uninsurance, presenting estimates of current expenditures by and for the uninsured. Data sources include the Current Population Survey, the Kaiser Family Foundation's DC Health Care Access Survey, and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. [View the corresponding Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:41 AM

Critical Choices: Will Congress Secure Health Care Savings by Targeting "Weak Claims" or "Weak Clients"?

The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are beginning to craft “reconciliation” legislation to reduce projected expenditures for programs under their jurisdiction. This year’s budget resolution requires $10 billion in reductions in programs under these committees’ jurisdiction, and there now is pressure on Capitol Hill to cut more deeply than the budget resolution requires. This pressure stems from growing concerns about the costs associated with relief and rebuilding efforts related to Hurricane Katrina, although those costs do not materially affect the nation’s long-term deficit problems.
Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:35 AM

Changes Needed In Katrina Transitional Housing Plan To Meet Families' Needs

Hurricane Katrina displaced unprecedented numbers of people and caused physical and economic devastation of such a magnitude that it will be many months before the region can be rebuilt and many of the people who have been displaced can return home. In the hardest-hit areas of southern Louisiana and Mississippi alone, hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, and up to 600,000 families will need transitional housing, according to FEMA estimates. As of October 6, about 60,000 people still were living in mass shelters, while about 435,000 people remained in hotels or motels. These figures do not include tens of thousands of families that are living doubled up with friends or relatives or in other accommodations that will not be adequate for the longer term.
Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:20 AM

New Book Features Stories of Saving Places, Finding Community; Publication From Trust for Public Land Tells Personal Stories of How and Why Land Conservation Makes a Difference

The Trust for Public Land today released a new compilation of inspiring land conservation stories from across America.
This new book, "Groundswell: Stories of Saving Places, Finding Community," celebrates the role of land conservation in preserving community character and connecting people to the land and to each other. Told through pictures, interviews, and editorial insight, Groundswell engages readers in compelling journeys of collaboration in the field of land conservation, and conservation's capacity for enhancing community health, economies, and connections.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:21 AM

Book Guides Urban Universities in Neighborhood Development

Many urban universities must develop their neighborhoods as well as their campuses to create good environments for learning, working and living, according to a book co-edited by University of Illinois at Chicago professor David Perry. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:20 AM

Sacramento State University Study: Controlling Growth Doesn't Mean Higher Housing Prices

A new study from Sacramento State University questions the notion that policies designed to control sprawl also increase housing prices. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:18 AM

October 13, 2005

Kids who drink early in life: What does it mean for their future?

An early age of first drink (AFD) is associated with a number of negative life outcomes. A new study looks at what variables may precede or even predict AFD. Surprisingly, aspects of the child and the child's environment seemed to affect their AFD more than family history of alcohol dependence. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:59 PM

Big and fast growing infants at greater risk of later obesity

Large infants, and those who grow rapidly during the first two years of life, are at increased risk of obesity in childhood and adulthood, a study published online by the BMJ today (14 October 2005) has found. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:57 PM

CASA for Children Awards Their Gratitude to Exceptional Influences at Exclusive 2nd Annual Recognition Dinner

CASA for Children is taking time out to give special awards to the people who demonstrate unwavering support for the non-profit organization, such as CASA volunteers and community leaders. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:48 PM

Low income hinders college attendance

From Economic Policy Institute:

Low income students performing at the highest levels still have less than a one-third chance of completing college. The disparity of educational attainment according to socioeconomic status is discussed in this week's Snapshot. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 3:11 AM

October 12, 2005

Report on District of Columbia's Uninsured Focuses Policy Options

A new Urban Institute report analyzes District of Columbia adults who lack health insurance in an effort to identify where expansions of coverage would make the most difference. The report shows the District's uninsurance rate is similar to rates in Virginia and Maryland, slightly better than the national average, and much better than comparable urban areas. However, 17 percent of residents still face gaps in health care coverage. [View the corresponding Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:45 PM

Many Katrina Survivors Seeking Medicaid In Louisiana Shelters Remain Without Coverage: Medicaid Categorical Eligibility Rules Continue To Be The Major Barrier

Donna Cohen Ross Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:39 PM

Morphing Outrage Into Ideas (Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times - In front of a group of student leaders at Alhambra High School, Assistant Principal Grace Love spoke in February about the school's recent gains on state tests. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:31 PM

America Awash in Mixed Messages on Alcohol

Americans are confounded by often contradictory laws and societal messages regarding alcohol use. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:30 PM

Treated for Illness, Then Lost in Labyrinth of Bills

From NYT > Health:

Millions of Americans find themselves devoting enormous amounts of time and energy to sorting out their medical bills. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:15 PM

Action, not Unnecessary Atonement, Needed for Million Man March; Community Action Partnership Demands Poverty Focus