Human Services News

A series of more than 1,200 town-hall meetings on underage drinking held in late March and April largely succeeded in their main goal of raising community awareness about the problem of youth alcohol use.

But some organizers and participants worried that the meetings were too long on personal anecdotes and too short on specific action steps and followup.

The meetings, held in conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Month, were sponsored by the federal Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking, which sponsored a pair of regional trainings to help local communities get the meetings off the ground.

An April 24 town-hall meeting in Maine, for example, included testimony from police chiefs, state Attorney General Steven Rowe, and the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, which reported that while 83 percent of Maine parents don't think their children drink, 65 percent of their children say they have.

"Before the dialogue began, we stated that the purpose of the meeting was to hear and learn from the teens' perspective how they view the drinking/drugging problem in out community, and how we as adults can work with them to minimize risk factors and make Yorktown a safer place for them to flourish."

The alcohol industry also had a presence at some meetings: Diageo North America representatives took part in town halls in Castro Valley, Calif., and Richmond, Va.

At the town hall meeting held in Decatur, Ind., organizers passed around a copy of Join Together's "Get Serious" petition, which calls on lawmakers to take action against alcohol-related problems.

Posted by Michael at 3:43 AM

Teens, Alcoholics Big Market for Beer, Report Says

The alcohol industry makes an estimated $22.5 billion by selling to underage drinkers and another $25.8 billion from sales to alcoholics and other problem drinkers, according to a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA).

"It is disappointing that this study fails to note the substantial progress that has been made in the fight against underage drinking," he said.

"Self-regulation by the alcohol industry is a delusion that ensnares too many children and teens," he said.

But Mary Engle, associate director for advertising practices at the Federal Trade Commission, said that industry self-regulation allows for more specific restrictions than a federal agency could constitutionally impose.

"Any government restrictions would have to be narrowly tailored in such a way they would advance the goal of reducing underage drinking without unduly impinging on adults' rights to receive these ads," she said.

Posted by Michael at 12:00 AM

May 29, 2006

Alcohol Costs Community Hospitals $2 Billion Yearly

Treating alcohol addiction and related disorders cost community hospitals about $2 billion last year, according to a report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Medical News Today reported May 3 that the study found that U.S. community hospitals treated roughly 210,000 people for alcohol dependence, of whom 25 percent were Medicaid patients, 21 percent were uninsured, 13 percent were Medicare patients, and 34 percent had private insurance.

Alcohol-related problems were the fourth-leading reason for hospitalization of uninsured patients.

Of those admitted for alcohol problems, 65 percent had a co-occurring disorder involving illicit drugs, 34.4 percent had a co-occurring mood disorder, 11.5 percent had alcohol-related liver diseases, and 8.7 percent had an anxiety disorder.

Posted by Michael at 11:48 PM

Older Men Seeking Treatment for Alcohol

From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:
Americans ages 50 and older are more likely to seek treatment for alcohol dependence than any other drug addiction, and older men are particularly at risk of problem drinking.

Many of these patients were experiencing their first serious addiction problems: 45 percent were first-time treatment participants, according to the report, "Older Adult Alcohol Admissions: 2003," drawn from the 2003 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

"Alcohol abuse among older adults is something few want to talk about, and a problem for which even fewer seek treatment on their own," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie.

Posted by Michael at 11:47 PM

1 in 5 Teens Misuse Prescription Drugs

For the third straight year, a Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) study has found that about 20 percent of U.S. teens have misused prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin, even as smoking and drinking decline, the Associated Press reported May 16.

Researchers expressed concern that use of prescription drugs may be becoming entrenched among youth, many of whom believe that using these painkillers to get high is safer than taking illicit drugs.

This kind of behavior (prescription drug abuse) didn't exist when they were teens."

The study also found that 22 percent of respondents smoked, and 33 percent said they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days.

2006.05.25: HHS Approves Historic Medicaid Reform Plans in Idaho

Posted by Michael at 11:21 PM

May 26, 2006

HHS Approves Historic Medicaid Reform Plans in Idaho

Medicaid beneficiaries in Idaho will be among the first in the nation to have benefits designed to meet their needs based on age and health status -- changes allowed by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today.

Prior to enactment of the DRA states could not target benefits to one certain group of enrollees.

"Idaho is on the cutting edge in crafting Medicaid benefit packages to the needs of its residents and I commend Governor Kempthorne for this innovative work," Secretary Leavitt said.

"These changes make sense for beneficiaries and the very future of the Medicaid program."

Under the plan approved today, Idaho will offer three benefit packages aimed at meeting the health care needs of different groups -- children, people with disabilities and beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare.

The Benchmark Basic plan will serve healthy children and adults and will cover most of the traditional Medicaid benefits, except long-term care, organ transplants and intensive mental health treatment.

The state's Medicaid reform will also include simplified eligibility for children in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the elimination of an assets test for some children.

Posted by Michael at 1:10 AM

Proposal to Reform Community Development Block Grant Program

HUD News Release 06-056

Across America, there are areas of high poverty and community distress that currently receive less federal funding than more affluent communities.

Funding formulas intended to measure need haven't changed since 1978 while the country has undergone significant and dynamic demographic and socio-economic change.

To correct this funding disparity, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today is offering Congress The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Reform Act of 2006 that seeks to change to the underlying formulas to CDBG.

"More than 30 years ago, CDBG was designed to target the needs of our cities, counties and states," said Jackson.

Last year, HUD published CDBG Formula Targeting to Community Development Need, the Department's fifth major analysis of how the hallmark block grant program meets the needs of urban America.

For example, Congress modified CDBG's formulas in 1978 and determined that the number of homes built before 1940 was a good measure of community development need.

The CDBG formula allocates funding in such a way that many high-need areas receive similar grants compared to more affluent communities.

CDBG's formula currently rewards towns with large college student populations by including the incomes of these full-time dependant students in calculating poverty.

The number of households living in poverty, excluding full-time dependant college students.

In addition to modernizing CDBG's formula, HUD proposes to create a minimum grant threshold for entitlement communities to be eligible for an annual allocation.

The CDBG Reform Act is designed to further enhance performance measurement and accountability in the block grant program by holding communities more accountable in fostering suitable living conditions, developing affordable housing, and creating economic opportunity.

HUD also proposes to offer $200 million in "challenge grants" to be awarded to certain entitlement communities that target their CDBG funding to areas of concentrated need.

These challenge grants must be used in targeted neighborhoods as part of a community's strategy to expand economic opportunities in these distressed areas.

Posted by Michael at 1:03 AM

Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help

More Young Adults Lack Health Insurance

This issue: The uninsured crisis moves up the income ladder; the U.S. health system fails to measure up; and more.

Young adults (ages 19 to 29) are one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population without health insurance: 13.7 million lacked coverage in 2004, an increase of 2.5 million since 2000.

Young adults often lose coverage under their parents' policies, Medicaid, or the State Children's Health Insurance Program at age 19, or when they graduate from high school or college.

Nearly two of five college graduates and one-half of high school graduates who do not go on to college will be uninsured for a period during the first year after graduation.

Three policy changes could extend coverage to uninsured young adults and prevent others from losing it: extending eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program beyond age 18; extending eligibility for dependents under private coverage beyond age 18 or 19 regardless of student status; and ensuring that colleges and universities require full- and part-time students to have insurance, and that they offer coverage to both.

Posted by Michael at 12:58 AM

May 25, 2006

The Effect of Specific Welfare Policies on Poverty

Policies that can Reduce Poverty

Many political leaders pointed to poverty rate declines along with increases in employment and falling welfare caseloads that occurred in the late 1990s as evidence that the 1996 federal welfare reform had been a success (Kaus 2001).

While trends in poverty and deep poverty generated discussion and speculation about the effect of welfare reform on poverty and deep poverty, there is limited and mixed information on welfare reform's effect on these outcomes.

Moreover, the literature provides no guidance on how specific welfare reform policies affect poverty and deep poverty.

This paper contributes to the literature by examining the effects of a rich and comprehensive set of specific welfare policies on poverty and deep poverty among women and children.

We capture objective and detailed measures of states' policies by measuring policies individually, and in continuous values such as dollars, wherever possible.

Overall, we find evidence that more lenient eligibility requirements for welfare receipt and more generous financial incentives to work generally reduce deep poverty, as hypothesized.

We also find evidence that eligibility requirements for welfare receipt and financial incentives to work affect poverty.

Posted by Michael at 5:02 PM

NRHA Urges "Close Eye" on Changes to Medicaid in Rural Areas

Rural Policy Research Institute - Issue Brief

The National Rural Health Association, a non-profit association that has been advocating for rural health issues for nearly 30 years, has long been aware that rural areas experience higher rates of poverty, fewer employer insurance programs and proportionately larger elderly populations.

It serves as a stark reminder that rural communities must closely monitor any changes to Medicaid because of the critical role Medicaid plays in ensuring access to care.

This is of utmost importance as states consider new options available to them under the Deficit Reduction Act, which the President signed into law on February 8, 2006.

Physicians in rural communities are more affected by Medicaid payments where it counts for 20 percent of their revenue base, as compared to urban doctors where Medicaid is only 15 percent of their revenues.

"We need to continue to keep a close eye on Medicaid changes in order to make sure that there are no adverse effects on the health coverage currently in place for rural Americans."

The NRHA calls on its members, state and local government officials and other concerned citizens to closely monitor changes to the Medicaid program in order to ensure that it continues to serve as an important source of health coverage in rural areas.

Posted by Michael at 4:45 PM

May 24, 2006

Helping Low-Skilled Adults Enter and Succeed in College and Careers

Jobs For the Future

Around the country, innovative community colleges are playing a larger role in helping low-skilled adults gain the valuable skills and credentials that are the gateway to family-supporting careers.

Breaking Through, a multi-year demonstration project, promotes and enhances the efforts of community colleges to help low-literacy adults prepare for and succeed in occupational and technical degree programs.

The evidence is increasingly persuasive that a postsecondary credential is the key to jobs and careers that pay family-sustaining wages, yet, almost 90 million adults in the United States lack the academic skills needed for admission to community college occupational/technical degree programs.

For example, only about 2 million adults annually enroll in Adult Basic Education, the major federal program geared to this population.

Of ABE students, 7 percent complete the GED, about one-third of those who complete the GED enroll in college GED, and a mere 4 percent of GED completers earn a two-year college degree.

A grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is supporting the first year of a multi-year initiative to promote colleges' implementation of strategies and programs to help low-literacy adults prepare for and succeed in community college occupational and technical degree programs.

These leadership colleges will receive funding and technical support to expand and institutionalize their approaches.

In addition, 10 institutions have been selected as learning colleges.

These colleges already have begun to restructure their offerings to support the advancement of low-literacy students to degree programs, and they have demonstrated their commitment to doing more.

They benefit from opportunities to learn from one another and also will receive technical assistance from NCWE and JFF.

Posted by Michael at 6:55 PM

New Study Shows How Kids' Media Use Helps Parents Cope

Kaiser Family Foundation

Electronic media is a central focus of many very young children's lives, used by parents to help manage busy schedules, keep the peace, and facilitate family routines such as eating, relaxing, and falling asleep, according to a new national study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Media use increases with age, from 61% of babies one year or younger who watch screen media in a typical day (for an average of 1:20) to 90% of 4 to 6 year-olds (for an average of 2:03).

In many homes, parents have created an environment where the TV is a nearly constant presence, from the living room to the dining room and the bedroom.

The most common reasons parents give for putting a TV in their child's bedroom is to free up other TVs in the house so the parent or other family members can watch their own shows (55%), to keep the child occupied so the parent can do things around the house (39%), to help the child fall asleep (30%), and as a reward for good behavior (26%).

As one mother who participated in a focus group in Irvine, CA said, "Media makes life easier.

Children whose parents have established these heavy TV environments spend more time watching than other children: for example, those who live in households where the TV is on all or most of the time spend an average of 25 minutes more per day watching TV (1:16 vs. 0:51), and those with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of 30 minutes more per day watching (1:19 vs. 0:49).

In focus groups, parents noted many specific benefits of TV viewing for their children, such as spurring imaginative play, teaching letters and words, and learning a foreign language.

One mother form Irvine, CA stated, "Anything they're doing on the computer I think is learning" and another from Columbus, OH noted, "Out of the blue one day my son counted to five in Spanish.

There are times when my interacting with my children is best served by me having an opportunity to allow them to do something alone so I can regroup.

"While my daughter has her princess movie in, my son can be upstairs playing his Blues Clues CD-ROM...It gives them their own space and their own quality time to be apart."

I don't know how harmful it is to her.

She hasn't had any nightmares from it."

Posted by Michael at 1:53 PM

Premiums and Cost Sharing Features of Medicare's New Prescription Drug Program

premierbenbrief.pdf (application/pdf Object)

The Medicare drug benefit that Congress created in 2003 aims to provide more private plan options for senior and disabled beneficiaries in Medicare, with increased payments to attract sponsors and to support added benefits attractive to enrollees, especially in rural areas.

This brief provides a comprehensive look at premiums, deductibles, and selected cost-sharing features of Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 2006, including Medicare HMOs, new regional (and traditional local) PPOs, and private fee-for-service plans, and compares them to stand-alone Medicare drug plans.

Under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), beneficiaries who wish to enroll in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit must enroll either in a free-standing prescription drug plan (PDP) that complements traditional Medicare benefits or in a Medicare Advantage plan that covers prescription drugs (MA-PD).

MA-PD plans, which integrate the new drug benefit into a more comprehensive package that includes Medicare Parts A and B benefits and supplemental benefits, often impose more restrictions than traditional Medicare on a beneficiary's choice of providers.

These plans have the longest history in Medicare and account for most MA enrollment.

Regional plans are paid similarly, but the methods used take regional PPO bids (not just traditional Medicare costs) into account in setting benchmarks and other modifications consistent with the regional focus.

The amount of premium paid by enrollees in MA-PD plans is based on the difference between (1) the costs that plans estimate are associated with their benefits and (2) CMS's payments to them for Medicare covered benefits.

MA plans available for no additional premium beyond that which is charged for Part B have been important in attracting beneficiaries to MA and particularly important for those beneficiaries whose incomes, assets, and other characteristics lead them to be most price sensitive (Gold, 2004).

However, some providers may still be reluctant to participate in such plans.

The package offered by each plan has a unique set of benefits that are available for a specified premium to beneficiaries in all or part the full geographic area included within the contract.

Posted by Michael at 8:43 AM

Early Reading and Mathematics Achievement of Children Who Repeated Kindergarten

National Center for Education Statistics

This Statistics in Brief examines the association between kindergarten enrollment status (e.g., repeating kindergarten or delaying entry into kindergarten) and children's first grade reading and mathematics achievement.

Based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), the statistics in brief reports that in the fall of 1998 5 percent of all children in kindergarten were repeating kindergarten and 6 percent were attending kindergarten for the first time even though they were age-eligible to do so a year earlier (i.e., delayed entry).

In terms of children's first grade performance by kindergarten enrollment status, at the end of first grade, children who repeated kindergarten have lower reading and mathematics knowledge and skills than those who started on time.

At the end of first grade, children whose kindergarten entry was delayed, in general, demonstrate slightly higher reading knowledge and skills than those who started on time.

In mathematics at the end of first grade, children whose kindergarten entry was delayed kindergarten are behind their classmates who began kindergarten on time.

Posted by Michael at 8:38 AM

May 23, 2006

New Tool to Prevent Underage Drinking

This prom and graduation season, teens will be exposed to a number of high-risk activities as they celebrate some of the most memorable milestones of their lives.

Now, a publication developed by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), in collaboration with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), offers parents and concerned adults a new tool to reduce the risk of underage drinking in their communities.

The publication, entitled "Using Science to Combat Underage Drinking," highlights the latest scientific research on underage drinking and offers practical strategies that can be used to prevent and reduce alcohol use among teens.

Arthur T. Dean, CADCA Chairman & CEO. "We hope this valuable new tool that we developed with NIAAA will help prevention leaders implement evidence-based practices in their communities to keep youth safe and alcohol-free, especially during the high-risk prom and graduation season."

CADCA's mission is to build and strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events.

For more information about CADCA, visit http://www.cadca.org/.

Posted by Michael at 4:30 AM

Carnegie Mellon study demonstrates that lower income, education lead to greater stress levels

People with low incomes are more likely to be under stress than their wealthier peers, according to a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, by Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Researchers measured the income and years of education for 95 men and 98 women, and then tested their urine and saliva for stress hormones.

Cohen and his co-authors found that the lower the income and education levels, the higher the levels of three stress hormones: epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol.

This finding was independent of race, age, gender or body mass index.

The study also found that the lower peoples' incomes and education levels were, the more likely they were to smoke and skip breakfast.

(Eating breakfast is an indication of good health habits.)

They were also less likely to have diverse social networks, which are known to relate to better health.

"The study does not have to do with poverty, per se," Cohen said.

"What we have found is a graded association, where those with highest levels of income and education show the lowest levels of stress hormones, those in the middle show higher levels, and those at the lowest end show the greatest levels."

The paper was co-authored by William J. Doyle, a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; and Andrew Buam, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

Posted by Michael at 3:15 AM

Medicare Advantage plans not always a good deal

Beneficiaries in poor health can pay more out of pocket for care in Medicare Advantage (MA) managed care plans than in traditional Medicare with Medigap supplemental coverage, a new Commonwealth Fund report finds.

The report says beneficiaries in poor health can spend up to $2,195 more in annual out-of-pocket costs for their care in 19 out of 88 plans than they would have in fee-for-service Medicare with Medigap supplemental coverage.

They found costs for beneficiaries in good health lower in all 88 MA plans and, for those in fair health, all but two MA plans had lower costs than fee-for-service plans.

But for beneficiaries in poor health, 19 of the 88 plans had higher out-of-pocket costs than they would have had in traditional Medicare with a Medigap supplement.

In the MA plan with the best protection for enrollees in poor health, annual out-of-pocket costs were $1,359 in the MA plan compared with $5,984 in the traditional Medicare plus Medigap Plan F coverage.

"These findings raise questions about what Medicare is achieving with extra payments to private Medicare Advantage plans, which totaled more than $2.7 billion in 2005 over fee-for-service costs," said Fund President Karen Davis.

"While the payments were designed to help improve benefit packages, the most vulnerable enrollees in MA plans are facing high cost burdens for their health care, leaving them at risk for not getting needed health care services.

Posted by Michael at 1:02 AM

Anxiety common in elderly, yet often undiagnosed and undertreated

Anxiety may be the most common mental disorder experienced by older adults, affecting one in 10 people over the age of 60.

As many as 7 percent of people in this age group have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a disorder characterized by uncontrollable worries about everyday things.

"Studies have shown that generalized anxiety disorder is more common in the elderly, affecting 7 percent of seniors, than depression, which affects about 3 percent of seniors.

Surprisingly, there is little research that has been done on this disorder in the elderly," said Eric J. Lenze, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

GAD is characterized by excessive, exaggerated worry over routine life events and activities that last for more than six months.

While many worrisome events occur as people age, such as deteriorating health and financial concerns, and while it is normal for people to worry or be concerned about these things, people with GAD worry on a more constant basis.

Additionally, anxiety in the elderly is associated with poorer cognition -- an effect that is opposite from what researchers see in younger adults with anxiety.

We can't just assume that we can treat the two age groups the same," said Dr. Lenze.

Posted by Michael at 12:56 AM

Computer-based screening may encourage discussions about domestic violence

Computer screening may increase the odds that a woman at risk for domestic violence will talk to a health care professional in the emergency department about the topic but does not guarantee that domestic violence would be addressed, according to an article in the May 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Reluctance to raise sensitive issues prevents many physicians from identifying victims of domestic violence in health care settings, according to background information in the article.

The emergency department (ED), where patients who have experienced domestic violence often seek care, presents additional challenges, including time pressures and urgent medical needs.

Previous studies have shown that patients are more likely to disclose sensitive information, including experiences with domestic violence, on computer-based screenings than on paper surveys or in personal interviews.

Participants were audiotaped during their interactions with physicians and completed an exit questionnaire, which contained the same questions about domestic violence as the computer screening, before leaving the ED.

Of the 903 women who completed the exit questionnaire, 26 percent at the urban ED and 21 percent at the suburban ED indicated they were at risk for domestic violence.

Posted by Michael at 12:43 AM

Questions Remain as Medicare Part D Enrollment Ends; Century Foundation Fellow Provides Analysis of Prescription Drug Benefit

Last week's enrollment deadline for Medicare Part D marks the end of what has been a tumultuous first stage in the new prescription drug plan. While seniors have signed up in much greater numbers in recent weeks, the future of this complex and unwieldy benefit ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:04 AM

May 22, 2006

Invisible scars: Verbal abuse triggers adult anxiety, depression

A new study by Florida State University researchers in Tallahassee, Fla. has found that people who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical adults prone to depression and anxiety. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:53 PM

Medicare Drug Benefit: Experiences of Dual Enrollees and Low-Income Beneficiaries

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

The Kaiser Family Foundation held a May 18 forum to discuss the progress in providing low-income subsidies under the new drug benefit to seniors and younger Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities, and the experiences that beneficiaries who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (known as "dual enrollees") have had as their drug coverage has shifted from Medicaid to Medicare.
Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland moderated the forum, which also included Michael McMullan, senior advisor to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Beatrice Disman, regional commissioner of the Social Security Administration's New York Region; John Rother, director of Policy and Strategy of AARP; Vernon Smith, principal of Health Management Associates; and Marilyn Moon, vice president and director of the Health Program of the American Institutes for Research.

In addition, the Foundation released a series of new and updated materials related to the Medicare drug benefit and the experiences of dual-eligible and other low-income beneficiaries.

Observations on the Initial Implementation Of The Medicare Prescription Drug Program This report assesses the perspectives of a focus group state Medicaid directors on continuing issues related to the interaction between Medicaid and the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Toward Making Medicare Work for Low-Income Beneficiaries This report examines how the low-income provisions of the Medicare drug benefit interact with state-level assistance provided through the Medicare Savings Program.

The report surveys all 50 state programs and assesses the implications of their varying eligibility requirements.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:51 PM

Five surprising facts about starvation that could change the international agenda

In The Lancet, researchers from UNICEF and the Friedman School at Tufts University in Boston present five surprising facts about severe childhood malnutrition (aka "wasting") and argue that it must be resolved in non-emergency settings to prevent future public health crises. The absence of conflict, such as political instability, does not prevent or resolve wasting in children and many of the world's hungriest children live in India, although every sub-region in Africa saw increased rates. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:51 PM

Child Welfare Legue of America to Tesify at Congressional Hearing on Child Protective Services

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Linda Spears, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Development of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA will provide testimony on the nation's child protective services system and the reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:44 PM

May 19, 2006

Delivering a Local EITC: Lessons from the San Francisco Working Families Credit

Brookings Institution

In 2003, a coalition of public, private, and not-for-profit actors in San Francisco began work to create a local city/county supplement to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.

In addition to putting more money in the pockets of working families living in a high-cost city, the coalition sought to use the program to boost participation by eligible recipients in the federal EITC and to help low-income families connect to financial services and asset-building opportunities.

This paper tells the story of San Francisco's Working Families Credit---now in its second year---explaining how the program worked in its first year of operation, summarizing program outcomes and outputs thus far, and describing lessons learned and best practices for those considering developing a similar program in their own local jurisdictions.

Posted by Michael at 1:30 AM

Credit Scores, Reports, and Getting Ahead in America

Brookings Institution

Findings Consumer credit reports and scores play a growing role in the ability of families to get ahead, now influencing prices for loans and insurance and efforts to get jobs and rent apartments.

Consumer credit scores widely vary across counties, with the South having the highest concentration of consumers with weak credit scores.

In 2004, among all consumers, the average score on a credit score index maintained by one of the major bureaus was 656, out of a scale that ranges from 350 to over 850.

Meanwhile, the average credit score in the South was 635, and more than one in five borrowers in a typical Southern county have scores that suggest they are very risky borrowers.

Between 1999 and 2004, most counties with weak consumer credit scores saw declines in the average consumer credit score, while counties with strong scores generally experienced modest gains.

High homeownership rates and county per capita income are strongly associated with high consumer credit scores.

The average county with a low, mean credit score had a per capita income of $26,636 and a homeownership rate of 63 percent in 2000.

About one out of every 21 borrowers had at least one credit-bearing account 60 or more days past due in 2004.

Consumer credit reports and scores are playing a growing role in the economic mobility of consumers today.

But rising consumer debt and loan delinquencies mandate that government leaders, with their private sector partners, pursue a series of reforms to increase consumer education and responsibility, market accountability, and accuracy.

Posted by Michael at 1:15 AM

New Fed Chairman Hails Community Development Efforts

In two recent speeches, new Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke emphasized the value of community economic development.

On May 3, at Operation HOPE's Anacostia Economic Summit in Washington, DC, Chairman Bernanke highlighted the importance of strategic collaborations among public, private and nonprofit organizations in revitalizing neighborhoods.

Using Anacostia as an example, he noted that a number of such partnerships, including LISC's with several community development corporations, had helped transform this neighborhood.

He also cited the success this approach has had in Richmond, Virginia, where property values in several neighborhoods have increased higher than the city as a whole, due to collaborative efforts by the city, Virginia LISC, and other organizations.

Additionally, he commented that success in community development requires a comprehensive approach, where residents have not only a home, but also places to shop, work and enjoy recreation.

At The Greenlining Institute's Thirteenth Annual Economic Development Summit on April 20, Chairman Bernanke cited LISC's MetroEdge initiative as a source of good market analyses that help identify unrecognized market opportunities.

As Fed Chairman, Bernanke is one of the most important U.S. economic policymakers, as well as the primary regulator of many of the nation's largest banks.

These are the first comments that he has made regarding community development since he became Chairman.

He was previously Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisors.

Posted by Michael at 1:06 AM

Birth and Fertility Rates for States by Hispanic Origin Subgroups

CDC - Media Relations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new report, "Birth and Fertility Rates for States by Hispanic Origin Subgroups: United States, 1990 and 2000."

The report, from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, is the first-ever comprehensive look at birth and fertility rates among the growing U.S. Hispanic population, and contains detailed findings by state showing trends in births and fertility rates among Hispanics in the United States in 1990 and again in 2000.

Overall, the states with the fastest growing Hispanic population are Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

These four states lead the nation in increases in the number of total live births among Hispanic mothers.

Mexican mothers had the highest fertility rate among Hispanics in the United States, followed by Puerto Rican mothers and Cuban mothers.

Among all populations Cuban mothers have the lowest total fertility rate, having an average of 1.5 births in their lifetimes compared to the total U.S. birth rate of 2.1.

Posted by Michael at 1:01 AM

May 18, 2006

Voucher Funding 2006: Responses to Increased Funding Levels

KnowledgePlex: Expert Chats

Since February, HUD has notified public housing agencies of their voucher funding levels for 2006. A substantial majority of PHAs have funding to support more vouchers in 2006 compared to 2005.

This chat, sponsored by KnowledgePlex and the National Housing Law Project, will address how PHAs and housing advocates can respond in the rest of 2006 to maximize the number of families served, with rules that are consistent with the program goals and guidelines.

In this chat, we will hear from

* Milan M. Ozdinec, deputy assistant secretary for public housing and voucher programs, HUD

* David A. Vargas, director of housing voucher programs, HUD

* Barbara Sard, director of housing policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

* Catherine Bishop, attorney, National Housing Law Project.

During the call, there will be a question and answer period and participants may submit written questions via the Internet.

Who Should Participate: The online discussion will benefit local housing advocates and housing authority staff and decision makers, and others concerned about current voucher funding.

Posted by Michael at 2:34 PM

Exploring Quality Standards for Middle School After School Programs: What We Know and What We Need to Know

HFRP After School Conference Presentations

On December 9, 2005, Harvard Family Research Project and the National Institute for Out-of-School Time cohosted a 1-day summit at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

This summit, made possible through a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, brought together after school staff, administrators, researchers, and funders to discuss how quality assessment looks and feels different for after school programs that serve middle school youth.

The documents below summarize the discussions leading up to the summit, what was learned at the summit, and future directions for policy, practice, and research.

This presentation examined parenting behaviors and their associations with one another and with children's outcomes in early and late adolescence, including children's participation in out-of-school time activities.

Remarks were presented at a session on engaging adolescents in out-of-school time programs at the American Youth Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 2005.

Engaging with families is one of the many strategies that out-of-school time (OST) programs use to create quality, adult-supervised experiences for youth during nonschool hours.

This workshop introduced participants to the latest research and evaluation findings on family involvement in OST programs, and shared strategies for engaging with families, using two case studies to illustrate these practices in context.

This workshop was presented at the Plus Time New Hampshire Annual Afterschool Conference in Bedford, New Hampshire, on October 26, 2004, and the Community Schools Forum in Chicago, Illinois, on March 11, 2005.

Our two workshops provided overviews of key participation challenges: collecting meaningful attendance data and attracting and sustaining youth participation in OST programs.

Posted by Michael at 2:27 PM

Learning from Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations of After School Programs

Snapshot at the Out-of-School Time website - at Harvard Family Research Project

Harvard Family Research Project's series of Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database and Bibliography into a single report.

This Snapshot reviews small-scale experimental evaluations of after school programs, highlighting these studies' evaluation strategies and results.

The evaluation of the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is one of the largest and most publicized experimental studies of after school programs.2 Now, a growing body of experimental studies of smaller after school programs and initiatives is beginning to surface, as stakeholders in the field seek to learn when, whether, and how individual after school programs can make a difference in the lives of youth.

The three basic expected behavioral outcomes are acceptance by teachers and students of cultural uniqueness and differences, Latino students' active bilingual speech in the presence of teachers and other children, and receptiveness of the school's students and staff to cultural differences.

Evaluators can test the equivalence between the two groups on observed factors after randomization to ensure that the randomization produced groups that appear similar.

The average sample of initial respondents was 116 youth, who were then randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group, usually on a one-to-one basis.

One helpful strategy for assessing the potential problems stemming from these sample sizes was employed in the CASP evaluation.

Family Findings No significant treatment effects were found for family functioning, family social support, or the quality of sibling relationships.

Youth Development Findings Results showed that children who participated in the program showed increased socioemotional adjustment compared to children in the control group (the latter group showed no improvements).

Posted by Michael at 2:22 PM

May 17, 2006

Combining work and motherhood is good for women's health

Life course social roles and women's health in mid-life: Causation or selection?
Holding down a job and being a mum in a steady relationship helps keep women healthy and in good shape over the long term, suggests research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

This tracks the long term health of British men and women born in 1946 throughout their life.

Health at the age of 26 and in mid life at the age of 54 was assessed using a validated questionnaire.

Analysis of the information showed that by the age of 54 women who had been partners, parents, and employees were significantly less likely to report ill health than women who did not fulfil all three roles.

Women who had been home-makers for all or most of their lives, and had not held down a job, were most likely to say their health was poor, followed by lone mothers and childless women.

Women who had worked during several periods of their lives were less likely to be obese than women who had rarely worked.

Weight gain tended to occur at a faster rate among the homemakers.

Obesity was most common among the long term homemakers (38%) and least common among women who had fulfilled all three roles (23%).

These findings were not explained by the women's earlier health nor did health status in early life influence whether the women became employees, wives, or mothers.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:14 AM

May TV Show Spotlights Tools for Parents on Getting Informed, Involved in Schools

From Education Newsfeed:

This month's U.S. Department of Education TV show will highlight tools for parents under No Child Left Behind and provide tips on how families can ensure their children have the best education possible through access to valuable information on the performance of their children's schools and the full range of options available to them under the law.
The program, entitled "New Tools for Parents: Getting Informed and Getting Involved," will cover some of the key provisions and programs -- through compelling examples and discussions with national education leaders -- that empower parents, including school report cards, school choice, supplemental educational services, charter school expansion and opportunity scholarships.

This segment will be introduced by a video on "Reaching Out to Parents & Giving Them the Tools They Need to Be Effective Advocates" featuring Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, Calif., near Palm Springs.

Michael Bell, assistant superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, talking about the district's effective choice program.

This segment will be introduced by a video on Toledo Public Schools' efforts to provide students with the tutoring help they need.

Stacy Kreppel, senior policy advisor at the Education Department, will explain supplemental educational services (SES) under No Child Left Behind -- who is eligible and why it's good for parents and children.

Marcus J. Newsome, superintendent of the Newport News, Va., public schools, explaining the various types of supplemental educational services Newport News provides for students and how parents are made aware of these opportunities.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:14 AM

New Report Highlights Food, Exercise Available to Children in Nation's Public Elementary Schools

From Education Newsfeed:

Three-quarters of American public elementary schools offer physical education more than one day a week, and 8 out of 10 have daily recess, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
But the report, Calories In, Calories Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools, 2005, also found that 7 percent of these schools have no daily recess.

Fifteen percent sell candy at school, and 29 percent do not weigh students.

The report includes findings on the types of food sold in schools and in their cafeterias or lunchrooms; the types of food dispensed by vending machines and school stores or snack bars, and the times when foods are available at those locations; food service operations and contracts with companies to sell food at schools; the amount of scheduled recess and physical education; and the extent to which schools measure students' height and weight and calculate body mass index.

In 2005, schools offered both healthy and less nutritious foods for sale outside of full school meals, although a higher proportion of the schools offered nutritious than less nutritious items.

For example, schools were more likely to offer 100-percent juice (53 percent), bottled water (46 percent), and green salad or fruit (40 percent) than less nutritious items such as french fried potatoes (17 percent).

Most public elementary schools reported daily recess, with the proportion of schools reporting this schedule ranging from 83 to 88 percent across elementary grades.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:09 AM

New Analysis Compares Medicare Stand-Alone Drug Plans With Medicare Advantage Plans

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

This new issue brief provides a comprehensive look at premiums, deductibles and selected cost-sharing features of Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 2006. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:49 AM

A City's Changing Face

From washingtonpost.com :

NEW ORLEANS -- Block by block, this city is springing back to life.
Block by block, it is receding into the past tense.

With Hurricane Katrina nearly nine months gone and about 60 percent of New Orleans's pre-storm population still somewhere else, the rebirth and the wasting away are closely tracking neighborhood patterns of race and poverty.

Disparities in wealth and in the distance of evacuees from their ruined houses are dictating, in many cases, which neighborhoods will be part of New Orleans's future and which will be consigned to its history.

This is the third article in an occasional series that follows the fates of families from two streets in New Orleans -- one in a working-class black neighborhood, the other in an affluent white one -- after Hurricane Katrina.

The Gulf Coast was hit hard by two massive hurricanes in the fall of 2005.

For a city that was two-thirds black and nearly one-third poor before the storm, the uneven pilgrimage back to New Orleans has already changed voter turnout and seems certain to transform the culture and character of the city, making it substantially whiter, richer and less populous than before.

That point has clearly arrived for the 6500 block of Memphis Street in Lakeview, a white neighborhood hit hard by Katrina.

Like much of the Lower Ninth Ward, the block is empty and silent, with no electricity, no drinkable water, no gas, no FEMA trailers and no signs of rebuilding on a street where many families owned their homes for generations.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:22 AM

'Significant number' of parents of junior athletes adversely affect their child's development

"A significant number" of parents of junior athletes have a negative impact on their child's development, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:16 AM

Children's emotional distress after hurricane linked with parents' stress levels

In a study with implications for Hurricane Katrina survivors, University of South Florida researchers looked at the psychosocial impact of Florida's Hurricane Charley on children in DeSoto County, a community particularly hard hit by the natural disaster. They found that how well children coped with the hurricane's aftermath was linked to symptoms of post-traumatic stress reported by their parents. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:10 AM

Despite weak jobs growth in April, wages finally starting to increase

From Economic Policy Institute:

Employment growth fell off of its recent pace, as payrolls expanded by only 138,000 in April, well below expectations. Unemployment was unchanged at 4.7%, but wage growth did finally accelerate. For a further analysis of the most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, read EPI's Jobs Picture. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:03 AM

How do children learn about science and God?

A review of research in this month's Child Development addresses the differences between how children acquire scientific understanding versus spiritual understanding. Children learn about the things they cannot see based upon how teaching about these concepts occurs. For instance, if adults strenuously assert the existence of God, children may be more likely to question the existence of this intangible entity. New directions in research on children's cognition are needed to explore these differences. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:03 AM

Critiquing misleading White House statements about the economy, part 4

From Economic Policy Institute:

This Snapshot is part of a series; see also part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the series, or print the entire series.

The unemployment rate of 4.7% in April remains slightly above the rate at the peak of the last business cycle (4.3 % in March 2001).

Since persons not looking for work are excluded from this measure, when potential workers give up looking for work and leave the job market, the unemployment rate does not fully reflect labor market slack.

This rate is down 1.3 percentage points of its value at the last business cycle peak in March of 2001.

Notably, the employment rate is even more depressed-down 1.9 percentage points-for college graduates, a group whose job prospects are presumably not limited because of any changes in skills required in the job market.

According to research by EPI, were job creation occurring at a similar rate as the last recovery, employment growth would be about 300,000 jobs per month as opposed to the current underlying trend of about 200,000 jobs per month (though last month's job gains were an off-trend 138,000).

Finally, as shown in the first Snapshot of this series, real earnings have been falling in recent quarters, strong evidence that we have not yet achieved a full-employment job market.

Posted by Michael at 12:00 AM

May 16, 2006

Length of deprivation in infants affects intellectual development for years

A recent study of adopted Romanian children suggests that early experiences of profound institutional deprivation continue to exert marked adverse effects on the children's IQ through age 11. The research shows an IQ deficit in children who have been in deprivation between ages 6 to 42 months, as well as some IQ improvement between the ages of 6 and 11 years. The results imply that some degree of progress is possible, with large individual variation. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:59 PM

Moderate stress during pregnancy does not harm child development

Many cultures hold that stress during pregnancy affects a woman's unborn child.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the National Institute of Child Health Development (NICHD) asked 137 healthy, pregnant women with low-risk, normal pregnancies to report on their levels of anxiety and stress between the 24th and 32nd weeks of their pregnancy, as well as six weeks and two years after the birth.

Two years later, the researchers evaluated the mental and motor development of the children born to those women, as well as the toddlers' ability to control their behavior and regulate their emotions.

This remained true even after taking into account the women's stress and anxiety levels after birth, which can influence child rearing in other ways.

"While these findings may seem counterintuitive, chemicals that are produced by stress have a well-known influence on organ growth and development," said lead author Janet A. DiPietro, PhD, a developmental psychologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Summarized from Child Development, Vol. 77, Issue 3, Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy in relation to child development at age two by DiPietro JA and Atella LD (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health) Novak M (National Institute of Child Health Development), Costigan KA (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) and Reusing SP (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine).

Posted by Michael at 11:56 PM

Mild maternal stress may actually help children mature

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have learned that contrary to popular belief, mild to moderate levels of maternal psychological stress during pregnancy may actually enhance fetal maturation. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:49 PM

Foster Youth Speak Out

Young men and women who have first-hand experience of foster care are an under-utilized resource in our efforts to understand and improve a system that has more than 500,000 children in its care.
On May 24, in recognition of Foster Care Month, Connect for Kids will host a Talktime Live!

Moy and Canfield will field your questions about foster care, from the perspective of two who have been there.

Visitors to the site during the chat will be able to submit questions online, and anyone interested in taking part but unable to log on at that time can send advance questions and comments for the experts to susan@connectforkids.org.

The chat is part of a bimonthly online discussion series for expert panelists, concerned parents, educators, advocates and policymakers.

Topics have included the Dream Act, which would offer immigrant students a path to college and citizenship; child poverty in the U.S., and the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on children.

online discussion - insights into the foster care and child welfare system.

Robin Nixon is the director of the National Foster Care Coalition (http://www.natl-fostercare.org/).

The Connect for Kids Web site covers more than 30 topics ranging from arts to youth development, foster care to adoption, and welfare reform to oral health.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:46 PM

Independent Experts Set to Oversee Day-to-Day Implementation of Needed Changes at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center

YouthBuild USA : Instructor Certification Training Program

A court-approved panel of outside experts with broad experience working directly in juvenile detention centers will develop and monitor the implementation of a specific plan to improve the pervasive and continuing climate of violence and chaos for the children detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) under a proposal approved today by the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The plan developed by the experienced experts will be monitored by a court-appointed Compliance Administrator who will work alongside the existing management at the facility to bring the JTDC into compliance with a 2002 agreement designed to improve management, accountability and conditions at the facility housing as many as 450 young people on a given day.

In the original agreement, the defendants had the authority to design the plan for improving conditions at the juvenile facility.

Under the new court order, the County must follow the independent experts' plan.

To facilitate its promise to bring the JTDC into compliance with the previous agreement, the court-approved expert panel will work with court monitors already familiar with the operations at the facility to develop a Modified Implementation Plan setting out specific recommendations for improving conditions at the JTDC, defining a specific schedule for compliance, and creating periodic benchmarks to measure the County's progress.

Responding to these and other concerns, the ACLU of Illinois asked Judge Nordberg to appoint a Manager with expertise in juvenile correctional planning and administration to develop an implementation plan that would bring the JTDC into compliance with the 2002 settlement agreement.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:40 PM

National Center for Construction Education and Research

Come to New York City and bring back nationally recognized construction certification training for your students.

As part of its accreditation process, NCCER has developed the Instructor Certification Program (ICTP). Through this process, NCCER certifies the Master Trainer. In turn, the Master Trainer certifies the local Craft/Technician Instructor. This network of certified instructors assures that NCCER training programs will meet the standards of instruction set by the industry.

Construction managers and construction trainers who attend this training and complete the requirements will be certified as Craft Technician/Instructors, thereby giving you the ability to certify your students in the NCCER Contren® Construction Curricula.

This nationally recognized construction certificate allows your students to have their names added to the NCCER National Registry with all their completed courses applying toward NCCER Apprenticeship. Certification training is an allowable cost in the training line item for HUD Youthbuild programs.

Posted by Michael at 7:10 PM

May 15, 2006

Making Work Supports Work

National Center for Children in Poverty

NCCP's Making Work Supports Work initiative examines the current patchwork of federal and state programs that assist low-wage workers and their families.

By "work supports," we mean public benefits such as earned income tax credits, child care subsidies, health care coverage, housing assistance, and food stamps.

Provide adequate family resources: The combination of full-time work and public benefits should provide the minimum resources necessary to cover family expenses for housing, food, transportation, child care, and health care.

Collectively, work support programs in the United States fall short of these ideals.

Since work support benefits are means-tested, families begin to lose eligibility as their earnings increase.

The second step is to identify and model policy changes, first at the state level and then the federal, that would improve work support programs for families.

Posted by Michael at 2:20 PM

May 12, 2006

School Wellness Policy and Practice: Meeting the Needs of Low-Income Students

FRAC

The Food Research and Action Center has recently published a Parent Outreach Brochure to encourage more parents to get involved in creating local wellness policies for their school district.

The brochure was designed for parents who may be unaware of the opportunities that exist for them to get involved in this important process.

Many school districts are behind in putting together their policies and all policies should be in a constant state of improvement and revision so there is still time to recruit more parents to get involved.

We believe local wellness policies will be stronger and more effective if they include input from parents.

The brochure also emphasizes the importance of making afterschool and summer programming a part of the wellness policy, which is particularly timely as we gear up for summer food.

FRAC strongly advocates for afterschool and summer programming to be an integral part of local wellness policies as decisions that are made for the health and well-being of students should not be limited solely to the traditional school day.

Please send this resource out to your affiliates, state teams, partner organizations and summer food sponsors.

Posted by Michael at 12:27 AM

Medicare Drug Program Fails to Reach Low-Income Seniors

Families USA

When the Medicare (Part D) drug legislation was enacted, President Bush and congressional leaders boasted that it would be a great help for low-income seniors.

A report released today shows that this promise is unfulfilled and more than three out of four low-income seniors have not enrolled in the program.

"Contrary to promises by the President and congressional leaders, low-income seniors are not receiving help to make their medicines affordable," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. "These are the very people who need help the most, yet the Administration's promises to them are much more rhetorical than real."

The extra help promised to low-income seniors includes special subsidies to cover their Part D premiums, out-of-pocket costs (such as deductibles and co-payments), and the elimination of coverage gaps, such as the so-called "doughnut hole."

In addition to the seniors eligible for these low-income subsidies and not receiving them, there is another group of even poorer seniors who are actually worse off today than they were prior to January 2006, according to the Families USA report.

Once Part D began, dual eligibles lost their Medicaid drug coverage and were automatically enrolled in a private Medicare drug plan.

"There are millions of seniors who need drug coverage and are not receiving it," Pollack said.

Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers.

Posted by Michael at 12:21 AM

37 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Now Receiving Prescription Drug Coverage

Medicare announced today that over a million more people have enrolled in prescription drug coverage between late April and May 6, bringing the total of beneficiaries with prescription drug coverage to 37 million.

This number includes about 9 million individual enrollees in "stand alone" prescription drug plans and more than 1 million new enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans.

This week, beneficiary calls and online enrollments have accelerated.

Medicare is making extra efforts to enroll minority populations and beneficiaries who are eligible for the low income subsidy, with the assistance of a broad range of community and advocacy groups.

Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs): 8.9 million people with Medicare have enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans, including 2.1 million enrollees receiving the low income subsidy.

An additional 490,000 Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage and are counted in the MA-PD total above.

Retiree Coverage: About 6.9 million retirees are enrolled in the Medicare retiree subsidy.

In addition, about 1.4 million retirees are in employer and union-sponsored coverage that incorporates Medicare group drug coverage and are counted in the PDP and MA-PD totals above.

TRICARE: There are 1.9 million beneficiaries with TRICARE retiree coverage.

FEHB: There are 1.6 million beneficiaries with FEHB retiree coverage.

Indian Health Service (IHS): There are an estimated 0.1 million beneficiaries with creditable drug coverage through the IHS.

Other Retiree Coverage: An estimated 0.5 million retirees are continuing in coverage from a former employer that is not coordinated with Medicare drug coverage but is still creditable.

Posted by Michael at 12:20 AM

Parents' Low Education Leads to Low Income, Despite Full-Time Employment

NCCP | Parents' Low Education Leads to Low Income, Despite Full-Time Employment

This fact sheet includes children who live apart from both parents, such as foster children or children being raised by grandparents.

Higher education is one of the most effective ways that parents can raise their families' incomes.

There is clear evidence that higher educational attainment is associated with higher earnings.

Policies that support education for low-income parents and children offer them the potential for lasting economic security.

26% of children in low-income families---over 7.6 million---have parents with less than a high school diploma.

35%---almost 10.3 million---have parents with a high school diploma, but no college education.

84% of children whose parents have less than a high school diploma live in low-income families.

If parents have low education levels, full-time employment does not protect their families from low earnings.

Over the past two decades, children with parents employed full-time are increasingly likely to be low income if their parents do not have at least a college education.

Increasing funds for child care subsidies and expanding eligibility criteria helps parents who need affordable, stable arrangements for their children while they are in school.

Parental education is defined as the education level of the most highly educated parent who lives with the child.

Posted by Michael at 12:08 AM

The Racial Gap in Parental Education

NCCP | The Racial Gap in Parental Education

This fact sheet includes children who live apart from both parents, such as foster children or children being raised by grandparents.

Of the 74 million children in the United States, over 40 percent belong to a minority racial/ethnic group.

73% of white children have parents with at least some college education.

Although higher education leads to higher earnings for all racial/ethnic groups, black and Latino children are more likely to be low income even when parents have some college education.

21% of Asian children live in low-income families.

Full-time parental employment does not explain income differences across race/ethnicity.

Posted by Michael at 12:01 AM

May 11, 2006

Are Federal Poverty Estimates Valid For California?

Press Release

California's poverty rate soars from 15th to 3rd in the nation when regional cost of living---omitted from federal calculations---is factored in and the most current poverty data are used, according to a study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

With the adjustment, only Washington, D.C. and New York have higher poverty rates.

"Conditions particular to California, such as very high housing costs, rising income inequality, and the largest immigrant population in the country, have made poverty a larger social phenomenon here," says author and PPIC program director Deborah Reed.

The federal poverty threshold determines eligibility for several federal programs, including the Food Stamp Program, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and Head Start.

When these programs do not adjust for regional cost of living, they inadvertently provide very different levels of service to families facing different costs.

Between 1969 and 2004, income declined four percent for low-income families, rose 16 percent for families at the median, and rose 41 percent for high-income families.

In the rest of the U.S., there has been at least some income growth across the board," says Reed.

Racial and ethnic disparities: Poverty rates among Latinos and African-Americans are roughly double those for U.S.-born whites (about 20% to 9%).

Posted by Michael at 11:54 PM

Study Finds Integrated Schools Benefit Students

Middle-school students are more likely to feel safer, less bullied and less lonely when they are in ethnically diverse schools, says a new study by UC Davis and UCLA psychologists.
The study offers new empirical evidence for the psychological benefits of integrated schools, say the researchers, Adrienne Nishina of the UC Davis Department of Human and Community Development, Jaana Juvonen of the UCLA Department of Psychology and Sandra Graham of the UCLA Department of Education.

In a survey of more than 70 sixth-grade classrooms in 11 public middle schools serving poorer communities in Southern California, the researchers compared classrooms with lower and higher classroom diversity among African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Caucasians and Latinos.

"Our study focused on the effects of ethnic diversity on Latino and African-American students," said Nishina, an assistant professor of human development at UC Davis.

"However, we expect that students from other ethnic backgrounds would experience similar benefits.

Latino and African-American were the two ethnic groups represented across all the classrooms in this sample of public middle school youth in the Los Angeles area.

Citing a recent Supreme Court decision on ethnic diversity on college campuses, the other co-author, Graham, underscored the role of ethnic diversity on college campuses as a way to promote better learning.

That, in turn, may reduce harassment that leads to students feeling unsafe.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:17 AM

US infant mortality rate fails to improve

Nearly 28,000 babies died before their first birthday, according to new infant mortality statistics for 2003 released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life and preventing premature birth remains at the forefront of the March of Dimes agenda," said Nancy Green, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes.

"We must be more focused upon reversing the stagnancy in the rate of infant mortality, a key indicator of child health, including working to reduce preterm and low birthweight births."

In 2003 birth defects, as well as prematurity and low birthweight remained the leading causes of infant death, according to the NCHS.

The percentage of infant deaths occurring to babies born premature (less than 37 weeks gestation) or with a low birthweight (less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds) increased 9 percent between 1995 and 2003, according to an analyses by the March of Dimes.

Babies born at less than 28 weeks gestation accounted for less than 1 percent (0.7 percent) all live births but nearly half (46.4 percent) of all U.S. infant deaths in 2003.

Babies born to Black mothers continued to have the highest rate of infant deaths at 13.5 per 1,000 live births, while Asians had the lowest rate at 4.8.

The March of Dimes "I Want My Nine Months" educational campaign aims to inform women and their doctors what they can do-- even before pregnancy -- to help give babies their full nine months of gestation.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:03 AM

Housing Costs Change List of Top Areas for Poverty

From NYT > National:

A new report that adjusts the poverty line to reflect housing costs says New York, California and Washington, D.C., have the highest percentage of residents living in poverty, surpassing traditionally impoverished regions like the Deep South.
Washington, ranked fifth poorest by the government, vaulted into the top spot, according to the report, with 21 percent of residents in poverty.

Nationwide, 12.7 percent of Americans, or 37 million, lived below the poverty line in 2004, according to the Census Bureau.

"The biggest difference between California and New York and the rest of the United States is a high cost of living," said Ms. Reed, an economist with the policy institute.

"If you live in Mississippi and pay $6,000 for rent and you're at the poverty threshold, you have $13,000 left for everything else.

Some poverty thresholds were higher than the national rate, some lower.

Mr. Besharov said he was not shocked that states with large urban areas could have more people below the poverty line than less developed areas.

The Census Bureau does take into account housing costs when formulating alternate definitions of the poverty line, but does not break down those estimates by state, Ms.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 7:21 AM

Paying for Persistence - Opening Doors to Community College

From MDRC:

Funded by state welfare dollars, two community colleges in the New Orleans area offered performance-based scholarships and enhanced counseling to low-income parents, as part of MDRC's Opening Doors demonstration. These early findings show the program had significant positive effects on academic achievement and rates of retention.
Because they have open admissions policies and relatively low tuition and fees, they are particularly important to the millions of adults who might lack preparation or otherwise be unable to afford college.

At the same time, longitudinal research suggests that nearly half of students who begin at community college do not obtain a degree or enroll in another college or university within six years.

In 1999-2000, the average community college student receiving a Pell Grant (the primary need-based financial aid program) had an unmet need of over $3,000, taking into account Pell and all other federal and state aid received.

This report presents the early results of a program in Louisiana designed to help low-income parents attending community college cover more of their expenses and also provide a financial incentive to make good progress.

The program, known as Opening Doors, operated at two New Orleans-area institutions --- Delgado Community College and Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson --- in 2004-2005, before Hurricane Katrina devastated the region.

The colleges offered students a $1,000 scholarship for each of two semesters, or $2,000 total, if they maintained at least half-time enrollment and a 2.0 (or C) grade point average.

The scholarships were in addition to Pell Grants and any other financial aid for which students qualified and were paid in installments so that college counselors could verify that students stayed enrolled and passed their courses.

Random assignment ensured that the motivation levels and personal characteristics of students in both groups were equivalent at the start of the study.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:42 AM

PTA Parents Rally to Save Arts Education

Thousands of PTA Parents Rally to Save Arts Education.
The artists, comprised of kindergarteners through high school seniors, will take their bows as state winners of the National PTA Reflections Program, an arts recognition and achievement program for students.

At noon, a press conference will be held in the Anaheim Convention Center arena to present California State PTA's immediate response to Friday's May budget revise.

Millions of children may have little or no access to quality music and arts programs if the Legislature does not pass the Governor's $100 Million proposed arts block grant funding for grades K-8.

The California State PTA supports full restoration of the funds owed to California schools and funding for PTA's priority programs in visual and performing arts.

Confirmed press conference speakers include Brenda Davis, President of the California State PTA, Jan Harp Domene, President-elect of the National PTA, Carol Kocivar, a PTA leader and spearhead for many arts programs and legislation throughout California, and Mary Galuska, the Reflections Program Chairman.

Throughout California, 61,581 Reflections entries were submitted and 398 were forwarded to the state level for judging.

The California State PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is the oldest and largest statewide nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to working on behalf of children and the issues that affect them.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 1:14 AM

Tropical depression: Hurricane linked to long-term mental distress

Florida State University sociologists in Tallahassee, Fla. have found that some South Floridians who survived 1992's Hurricane Andrew suffered mental health problems many years later, a finding that has led the researchers to predict even more dire consequences for those who lived through last year's devastating Hurricane Katrina.
The researchers, sociology doctoral student and lead author David Russell and professors John Taylor and Donald Lloyd, presented their findings at the 2006 annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society held recently in New Orleans.

Although the short-term mental health consequences of Hurricane Andrew have been documented, this study of adolescents is the first to show that it had long-term effects on mental health.

"We found that people who experienced prior stressful events and who had pre-existing symptoms of psychological distress were more adversely affected by exposure to hurricane-related stressful events," Russell said.

"Based on our findings, we believe intervention efforts should include assessments of the prior experiences and psychological well-being of disaster victims.

The findings suggest that the mental health consequences of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, will be even greater.

"We believe that victims of Hurricane Katrina will be at an increased risk for mental health problems for many years to come," Russell said.

Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, hit South Florida on Aug. 24, 1992.

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Posted by Michael at 12:45 AM

New Process Benefits Victims of Human Trafficking Seeking College Aid

From Education Newsfeed:

Victims of human trafficking who cooperate with law enforcement officials to prosecute traffickers will benefit from a new, streamlined process to apply for and receive federal financial aid for postsecondary education, announced today by U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:12 AM

California State PTA 107th Convention; Healthy Lifestyle Walk Encourages Physical Fitness

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

Mobilizing the PTA is something Sacramento would love to do, but it's the city of Anaheim that's going to see it happen - if they're up early enough on Saturday, May 13. It isn't the state's budget woes that have all these moms and dads on the march, it's ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:09 AM

May 10, 2006

Bush Backs Monday Deadline For Seniors

President Bush insisted yesterday that the May 15 deadline for picking a Medicare prescription drug plan will stand, even as key Republican lawmakers suggested they may take action retroactively to protect people who miss the Monday cutoff. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:55 PM

CAMY: Alcohol Ads in Magazines Reaching Fewer Underage Youth

Youth exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines declined from 2001 to 2004, but -- largely because of the advertising of a few brands -- youth continued to be exposed more per capita than adults of legal age to advertising for beer, distilled spirits and alcopops. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:41 PM

Youth Seeing Fewer Alcohol Ads in Magazines, CAMY Says

Overall youth exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines is on the decline, but some brands continue to be advertised in publications with large youth readership. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:38 PM

California State PTA Urges More Action with Healthy Lifestyles in Action Walk

WHAT: A walk of over a mile to demonstrate commitment to healthy living and the terrific programs PTAs provide for their communities, including physical education and nutrition programs. The $20 entrance fee supports those programs. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:26 PM

Stanford Business School Research: When Culture Impacts Consumer Behavior

You need a new computer. You log on to the web and spend time thoughtfully perusing various vendor sites to determine the best fit for your needs. You think you've made up your mind. But then you're whizzing down the highway and pass a billboard touting a different computer. You have only a few seconds to absorb the advertising message, but you're swayed in ways you hadn't anticipated. What's going on? Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:16 PM

Stanford Business School Research: Bridging the Culture Chasm Helps Consumers Be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise