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June 30, 2008Preventing PanhandlingFrom Urban Institute: This guide is designed to equip local merchants and retailers with problem solving strategies aimed at reducing panhandling in and around their properties. Focusing heavily on the value of partnerships with law enforcement, the guide walks readers through the process of understanding their panhandling problem; collecting crime data; identifying potential strategies; and measuring the impact of those strategies. Several promising strategies to reduce panhandling are described, including: providing informational brochures about available social services to panhandlers; requiring all vendors to have permits; initiating civilian patrols to monitor and discourage activity; and prohibiting the sale of single servings of alcohol through a city ordinance. Posted by Michael at 6:36 PM | TrackBack Eating junk while pregnant can harm your babyFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: We all know that smoking and drinking when pregnant can harm the baby, but new research published in The Journal of Physiology suggests that poor diet may also cause long-lasting, irreversible damage in offspring from heart disease to diabetes. Stéphanie Bayol and Neil Stickland at the Royal Veterinary College, London fed female rats a "junk food" diet of crisps, cheese, muffins and other processed foods throughout pregnancy and lactation. The offspring, who were overweight at birth, were born with a taste for junk-food themselves. But even when fed a healthy diet, the junk-food babies had a host of medical problems that lasted beyond adolescence into adulthood. The rats had raised cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- both associated with heart disease. The female offspring were particularly badly affected, expressing high levels of glucose and the appetite-promoting hormone leptin making them very prone to obesity. "It seems that a mother's diet whilst pregnant and breastfeeding is very important for the long term health of her child," says Dr Bayol. "This does not mean that obesity and poor health is inevitable and it is important that we take care of ourselves and live a healthy lifestyle. But it does mean that mothers must eat responsibly whilst pregnant." But will these results translate to humans? "Humans share a number of fundamental biological systems with rats, so there is good reason to assume the effects we see in rats may be repeated in humans," he says. "Our research certainly tallies with epidemiological studies linking children's weight to that of their parents." Posted by Michael at 6:14 PM | TrackBack Nonprofit Job Growth in Maryland Outpaces Private Sector; Nonprofit Organizations Provide Nearly 1 Out of Every 10 Jobs in the StateFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: Nonprofits in Maryland are growing their workforces nearly three times faster than the state's for-profit sector, according to a recent Johns Hopkins University study. Employment in the state's nonprofit sector increased by 2.9 percent during 2006, the latest year for which such data are available. By comparison, employment in the state's business sector grew by only 1.1 percent. "Not only do nonprofits provide critical services and opportunities for cultural expression, but they also play a key role in the state's economy," said Lester Salamon, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies within the university's Institute for Policy Studies and a leading expert on nonprofits. Nonprofit job growth is especially critical given the recent employment declines in other parts of the U.S. economy." "This growth continues a long term trend," said Nancy Hall, senior advisor at the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. - Nonprofit job growth was especially strong in the Washington suburbs (3.8 percent) and the Baltimore suburbs (3.1 percent). This reflects a continuing suburbanization of nonprofit jobs in the state, with nonprofits in the Washington and Baltimore suburbs employing well over half of all nonprofit workers in the state. While the hospital field experienced slightly lower than average job growth, nonprofit hospitals still added 14,449 net jobs over this seven-year period. Posted by Michael at 6:00 PM | TrackBack Education Development Center to Share Open Source Math Curricula on Curriki; Collaboration Offers Teachers New Ways to Use Educational ToolsFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: To start, Curriki will make available EDC's standards-based middle-grades algebra course, allowing teachers to not only access the free curricula, but to add to it or adapt it for use in their classrooms. Starting today, educators will be able to use EDC's online mathematics course Building Algebraic Thinking in the Middle Grades on the Curriki site (http://www.curriki.org/). It was designed and developed by mathematics and curriculum specialists at EDC and funded by the National Science Foundation as part of a research initiative to explore the comparative benefits of online professional development. "Our collaboration with Curriki will allow EDC to make more widely available our research-based curricula and programs in mathematics, science, literacy, and other areas," said EDC President and CEO Luther Luedtke. In addition to facilitating the sharing of courses in the United States, EDC and Curriki are also working together internationally on several initiatives with the goal of greatly expanding access to high-quality research-based educational content. Launch dates for initiatives involving the Ministries of Education in Indonesia, India, Yemen, Senegal, and Mali are expected later this year. "We're so pleased to join with EDC, an organization known for its high-quality materials and its knowledge of the realities of the classroom," said Curriki Executive Director Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" Kurshan. About EDC: Education Development Center, Inc. is one of the world's leading nonprofit education and health research organizations. Posted by Michael at 6:00 PM | TrackBack Great Tips for Finding the Best Child Care ProgramFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: As parents with young children, finding the best possible child care program can be a daunting task. This is the time of year many parents are looking for programs starting in the fall. But what to do? To the rescue comes the Center for Young Children - a laboratory preschool - at the University of Maryland. Director Francine Favretto - who is also a member of the Department of Human Development adjunct faculty in the College of Education - asked her staff for the 10 best suggestions parents can use when searching for a great child care programs. Posted by Michael at 5:58 PM | TrackBack June 29, 2008Report urges new approach to adult education, workforce developmentCharles Stewart Mott Foundation: A new report suggests that the U.S. is losing valuable ground as a world leader in education and workforce development, and is at risk of being left behind in the global economy. "Reach Higher, America: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce" notes that soaring dropout rates among high school students and diminished literacy skills among adults are contributing to an increasingly ill-prepared labor market. "Reach Higher, America" points to job readiness among U.S workers as a growing concern. Many careers that offer growth potential -- such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and alternative energy -- require employees to have increased competency in reading and writing, and at least some education or training beyond high school. However, studies show that one in three young people in this country drop out of high school before earning their diploma, while nearly 30 million adults lack basic literacy skills. The study's director notes that there are an estimated 150 million workers ages 16 years and older in the U.S., many of whom require adult education and workforce development services. The report points to community colleges, which provide a third of the country's adult instructional services, as vital educational forces that can help shape the nation's labor market. The Mott Foundation helped fund the "Reach Higher, America" report through a two-year, $200,000 grant in 2006 to the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, which administers the commission. Posted by Michael at 4:32 PM | TrackBack Innovative Ways to Help Teens Struggling With Drugs, Alcohol and CrimeRobert Wood Johnson Foundation: A national group of project directors today called on communities across the nation to better help teens beat drugs, alcohol and crime using a groundbreaking approach tested at 10 pilot sites. They have issued a national report which shares a six-step model to bring about change, reveals a road map for communities to plan for innovation, and offers step-by-step instructions and examples on how to implement this new way of helping teens in trouble. The project directors oversee Reclaiming Futures initiatives funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Together, they have authored the report, How to Implement a Model to Get Youth Off Drugs and Out of Crime, based on six years of creating and testing new ways to help teens that enter the juvenile justice system and previously received little or no care for their drug or alcohol problems. The report describes how judges, probation officers, treatment specialists, families and community members can take steps right now to improve the future of these youths. "We have learned that there are concrete steps that can be taken to bring communities together to change the way they help teens in the system with drug and alcohol issues," said Benjamin Chambers, project director for Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace in Portland, Ore., who helped write the report. About Reclaiming Futures Reclaiming Futures is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that offers a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. Posted by Michael at 2:12 AM | TrackBack June 26, 2008More than Two-thirds of Mississippi Voters Support Raising Tobacco Tax to Fund MedicaidFrom PR Newswire: A new poll released today shows that Mississippi voters overwhelmingly support a significant increase in the state's tobacco tax to fund vital Medicaid programs and help reduce smoking among kids. Nearly seven out of 10 Mississippi voters (69 percent) support a $1 per pack increase in the state's tobacco tax to fund Medicaid and reduce tobacco use, particularly among kids. The survey of 500 registered likely Mississippi voters was released by Communities for a Clean Bill of Health, a statewide coalition of health organizations and individuals that includes the Mississippi affiliates of AARP, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Children's Defense Fund, the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, and the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. In addition, a tobacco tax increase was far more popular with voters than increasing other taxes, such as the state income or sales tax, which was strongly supported by fewer than two out of 10 voters. In addition, when asked to choose between the two options to help address the Medicaid funding shortfall, an overwhelming 80 percent of voters preferred the $1 per pack tobacco tax increase, with just 8 percent preferring the hospital tax. Again, this strong preference crosses party lines as a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents are more likely to support the candidate who supports the tax. In fact, a candidate who supports the cigarette tax increase will win handily over one who opposes it, regardless of which party's candidate supports the tax. Posted by Michael at 11:20 PM | TrackBack Poor and uninsured patients more likely to experience racial discriminationFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new study in Health Services Research tried to disentangle the impact of a patient's racial and ethnic background, being poor and having no health insurance on the likelihood they would report having experienced racial or ethnic bias in the healthcare they received. First, they found that uninsured Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to report experiencing racial and ethnic bias. Results of the study showed that Blacks and Non-English speaking Hispanics were eight times more likely to report that they had experienced racial and ethnic bias in healthcare than Whites. Good communication between doctors and patients seemed to protect against perceptions of racial discrimination. Quality physician-patient communication was associated with a 71 percent decrease in the odds of reporting racial and ethnic bias during healthcare visits. It affects even individuals who explicitly disavow racial stereotypes, including some physicians and other healthcare providers," the authors conclude. Irena Stepanikova, PhD, of the University of South Carolina and Karen S. Cook, PhD, of Stanford University analyzed data from the 2001 Survey on Disparities in Quality of Healthcare, a nationally representative telephone survey of Black, Hispanic, and White adults who had a regular physician. Irena Stepanikova, Ph.D., is affiliated with the University of South Carolina and can be reached for questions at irena@sc.edu. Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley's Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Posted by Michael at 11:17 PM | TrackBack Treatment for cigarette, alcohol and drug use in pregnancy improves outcomes for mom and babyFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Pregnant women who receive treatment for substance abuse early in their pregnancy can achieve the same health outcomes as pregnant women with no substance abuse, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the Journal of Perinatology. The study, which is the largest to date, examined 49,985 women in Kaiser Permanente's prenatal care program and found that integrating substance abuse screening and treatment into routine prenatal care helped pregnant women achieve similar health outcomes as women who were not using cigarettes, alcohol or other drugs. The study compared 2,073 pregnant women who were screened, assessed and received ongoing intervention during pregnancy through the Early Start program at 21 Kaiser Permanente Northern California outpatient obstetric clinics from 1999 to 2003 to women in three other groups: 156 women who were screened but did not accept assessment or treatment; 1,203 women were screened, assessed and received brief intervention only; and a control group of 46,553 women who showed no evidence of substance abuse. The women who went through the Early Start program had the same statistical risks of stillborn, preterm delivery, placental abruption as the control group of women who did not use any cigarettes, alcohol or drugs during their pregnancy. My message to all pregnant women, as well as women who are trying to conceive, is to stop all alcohol, cigarette and drug use." The program, which is in place in 40 Kaiser Permanente outpatient obstetric clinics in Northern California and being rolled out in other Kaiser Permanente facilities nationwide, screens nearly 40,000 women annually. Kaiser Permanente's research program works with national and local health agencies and community organizations to share and widely disseminate its research data. Posted by Michael at 11:11 PM | TrackBack Researchers study hidden homicide trendFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Gun-related homicide among young men rose sharply in the United States in recent years even though the nation's overall homicide rate remained flat, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Between 1999 and 2005, homicide involving firearms increased 31 percent among black men ages 25 to 44 and 12 percent among white men of the same age. "The recent flatness of the U.S. homicide rate obscures the large increases in firearm death among males ages 25-44, especially black males," said Susan Baker, MPH, co-author of the study and a professor with the Bloomberg School's Center for Injury Research and Policy. The researchers found significant increases in the rate of firearm homicide for white males ages 25 to 34 and for black males ages 25 to 44. "The increases in firearm homicide we measured were almost twice as high among blacks as among whites and they were mostly concentrated in central metropolitan and fringe metropolitan areas," said Webster, ScD, MPH, co-director of the Bloomberg School's Center for Gun Policy and Research. "Further research is needed to ascertain the causes for recent increases in firearm homicides involving men living in urban area. The research was supported by the National Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through grants to the Center for Injury Research and Policy. "Hidden Homicide Increases in the U.S., 1999-2005" was written by Guoqing Hu, PhD; Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH; and Susan P. Baker, MPH. Posted by Michael at 11:02 PM | TrackBack Improving the Use of Medicines for Older People in Long-Term Care: Contrasting the Policy Approach of Four CountriesFrom The Commonwealth Fund: Compared with Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, U.S. nursing homes have been more successful in preventing or reducing the unnecessary use of psychotropic medications, but less so in promoting best practices of overall appropriate medication use, finds a Commonwealth Fund-supported review of nursing home medication policies in four nations. Of the four countries, the United States has "led the way in implementing intense regulation and oversight of care provisions in nursing homes," concluded a multinational research team led by Carmel M. Hughes, Ph.D., a former Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow based at Queen's University in Belfast. The focus on preventing or reducing poor practices has not encouraged appropriate drug use, for example, in heart failure or Parkinson's disease, or in other conditions known to be undertreated in nursing homes. U.S.: The regulatory system, implemented to reduce unnecessary psychotropic medication, may issue sanctions for facilities not meeting regulations and other indices of care. Australia: Australia established an "ambitious and comprehensive framework" for improving use of medicines across the whole community. Medication reviews and guidelines for medication management in nursing homes have been incorporated into accreditation standards. Because of a lack of data, measurement has not been possible. While national minimum standards regarding medication have been adopted, these are seen as a code of practice lacking statutory force. New Zealand: Medication policy has been focused on rationalizing drug expenditures. Nursing home standards, including pharmaceutical review for long-term care residents, were released by the health ministry, but funding and other issues have made such reviews sporadic. While certain antipsychotic and other drugs are restricted to specialist prescribing, use of psychotropic drugs has been high historically. Posted by Michael at 11:01 PM | TrackBack A Year Into the Mortgage Meltdown, New Report Analyzes Housing Market Crisis and Federal ResponseFrom Demos: With millions of American families facing foreclosure and the U.S. Senate moving toward approval of a compromise bill, the public policy center Demos takes stock of the housing market crisis and the federal response to date. "The damage has been as bad as anyone imagined so far," writes Demos senior fellow James Lardner. The market, Lardner finds, could continue further on a downward spiral and pull much more of the economy down with it. The Demos report praises the thrust of legislation approved by the House and moving toward passage in the Senate, which this Tuesday held a key procedural vote to limit debate on the bill. Moodys.com chief economist Mark Zandi, Demos president Miles Rapoport, and Federal Home Loan Bank of New York President Alfred DelliBovi, who was Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under George H.W. Bush, also provided comments on the report as panelists at the National Press Club event. While there are some who claim that this would be an unfair bailout of irresponsible lenders and borrowers, the Demos report outlines how key federal officials and agencies took steps that actually helped unscrupulous lenders at the expense of responsible lenders and borrowers. "Assisting homeowners and the mortgage market in the short run is only the first thing that needs to be done," said Miles Rapoport, President of Demos. "For the long term, we need a set of rules for the mortgage and financial industry that give people confidence that this will never happen again." Posted by Michael at 2:13 AM | TrackBack June 25, 2008Pediatrics review of underage drinking prevention programs led by Iowa State researcherFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Underage drinking is a national concern that led the US surgeon general to issue a "Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking" last year. Now, a new report by an Iowa State University researcher assesses the effectiveness of underage drinking prevention programs and provides a better idea of how to achieve key goals outlined by the surgeon general. Lead author Richard Spoth, director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute (PPSI) at Iowa State, along with co-authors Mark Greenberg and Robert Turrisi of Penn State, published "Preventive Interventions Addressing Underage Drinking: State of the Evidence and Steps Toward Public Health Impact" in the May issue of Pediatrics -- the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Among the interventions that were listed as "Most Promising" for youths 10 to 15 years of age, were three from the Midwest -- the Midwestern Prevention Project/Project STAR, which involved 42 public middle and junior high schools and 3,412 students from Kansas City and Indianapolis; Project Northland, which involved 24 school districts in northeastern Minnesota; and ISU Extension's Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14, which involved 36 public schools and 1,650 students in rural Iowa. "This review indicated that a number of preventive interventions significantly reduced the rate of alcohol use in studied underage populations, as well as bolstered protective factors among children that reduce risks for alcohol use," the authors wrote. The program review responds to the surgeon general's 2007 Call to Action. It was also written as a companion piece to a review by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Underage Drinking Initiative Steering Committee on the causes and consequences of underage drinking for three developmental periods -- less than 10 years of age, 10 to 15 years of age, and 16 to greater than or equal to 20 years of age. Posted by Michael at 10:27 PM | TrackBack Corporate Voices for Working Families Endorses Proposed Legislation to Expand EITC EducationFrom PR Newswire: Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) proposed legislation today to educate employees about the availability of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Corporate Voices for Working Families, a nonprofit corporate membership organization in Washington, D.C., endorses this proposed legislation and views it as an extension of its ongoing work to help low-wage employees take advantage of a host of federal benefits available to them. "Corporate Voices for Working Families has launched an aggressive campaign to assist companies in educating working families about the Earned Income Tax Credit and we welcome this legislation as an important step in educating employees about the Earned Income Tax Credit," Donna Klein, president and CEO of Corporate Voices for Working Families, said. For the past five years, Corporate Voices for Working Families has printed and distributed an Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They've Earned. The guide provides detailed information about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, SCHIP and other federal and state supports. Program (SCHIP), Food Stamps, Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) centers. -- Corporate best practices on how to best use the Employer Guide to help employees access these programs. -- Calendar of important dates to remember when filing for these benefits. -- Facts on the "Stored Value Card," often referred to as the pre-paid debit card. About Corporate Voices for Working Families: Corporate Voices for Working Families is the leading national business membership organization representing the private and public sectors on public policy issues involving working families. Posted by Michael at 10:27 PM | TrackBack Columbia Business School's Institute for Not-for-Profit Management Provides Scholarships for New York Times Company's Nonprofit Excellence Award WinnersFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: The Institute for Not-for-Profit Management (INM), part of Columbia Business School Executive Education will provide scholarships to the four organizations honored by the 2008 New York Times Company's Nonprofit Excellence Awards, announced June 24, 2008. For the second consecutive year, the scholarships granted to the winning organizations can be used for any INM program in management or leadership. This year's winning organizations, Community Health Action of Staten Island, Harlem RBI, Inc., Ifetayo Cultural Arts, located in Brooklyn, and the Institute for Family Health, which serves the greater New York area, will each be able to send an executive manager to participate in one of the 2008-2009 INM programs. The scholarships are in addition to the cash awards granted by the New York Times. "We are proud to join the New York Times and the other Nonprofit Excellence Awards supporters in honoring these outstanding organizations. Each awardee has demonstrated exemplary leadership within the nonprofit sector in New York City," says INM director Francine Lynch. Columbia's nondegree open enrollment programs address individual development needs in leadership and strategy, marketing, and finance, providing executives with an understanding of powerful new academic approaches and their application to achieve results. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations. Posted by Michael at 10:21 PM | TrackBack Implicit political attitudes can predict future voting behaviorFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: In many political elections, undecided voters come to a decision about who they will vote for only a few days before the vote, if not the very same day of the election. A new study in the journal Political Psychology reveals that people's future voting decisions are to a significant degree determined by their current automatic mental associations, even when individuals consciously believe that they are still undecided. Researchers led by Luciano Arcuri of the University of Padua in Padua, Italy surveyed 74 participants about their voting choices one month before an election time. They then administered the Implicit Association Test as an instrument for the detection of automatic, unconscious attitudes and for the forecast of voting behaviors. A clear relation emerged between the implicit attitudes of undecided voters and their subsequent voting behavior. Voters, who on conscious level hadn't made up their minds, did have evaluations towards candidates they were not aware of but that will predict their vote. Participants were asked to send back a questionnaire after the election reporting their voting choice. Posted by Michael at 10:20 PM | TrackBack Hurried doctor visits may leave patients feeling forgetfulFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A University of Rochester Medical Center study disclosed that doctors don't often take the steps necessary to help patients recall medical instructions. The study, published online in this month's Journal of General Internal Medicine, investigated how frequently physicians repeat themselves, write down information, summarize instructions or take other steps to help patients remember the doctor's advice. The results suggest that doctors do not use these tools effectively or consistently. In fact, not one of the 49 doctors who took part in the study summarized their treatment recommendations. "It's common for patients to forget half of what they're told in a medical visit," said the study's lead author, Jordan Silberman, a second-year University of Rochester medical student. Researchers sent unannounced standardized patients (actors trained for this study) into primary care physician practices across Rochester, N.Y., with hidden recording devices. About half of the physicians repeated their recommendations, but some only repeated about 10 percent of the information. Very few of the doctors made sure the patient understood by asking him or her to repeat it back to the doctor -- a technique cited in research literature as one of the best ways to help patients recall medical advice. For example, Silberman said, the doctor might say, "We've talked about a lot of things today and I want to make sure you understand everything. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded the study, which was conducted at the Rochester Center to Improve Communication in Health Care, part of the URMC Department of Family Medicine. Posted by Michael at 10:19 PM | TrackBack FHA AND MINNESOTA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY SIGN AGREEMENT TO HELP MORE MINNESOTANS ACCESS SAFER GOVERNMENT-INSURED MORTGAGESFrom HUD Press Releases: HUD's Federal Housing Administration and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (HFA) today announced a first-of-its-kind agreement to promote safer, affordable government-insured mortgages. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) forges a working relationship and commitment by the federal and state government to help Minnesotans continue to access safer and more secure FHA-insured mortgages. "For many years, people in the industry and in state government have expressed the need for a clear, mutually-agreed upon memorandum of understanding between FHA and states for the financing of single family properties," said HUD's Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner Brian D. Montgomery. "This MOU will help people in need right now by harmonizing the work of FHA and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, and by making FHA loans more available to those who qualify for them." As the housing market changes and credit contracts, the MOU between FHA and the Minnesota HFA will establish a partnership committed to increasing access to FHA-insured mortgages throughout the state. Specifically, the MOU allow FHA and Minnesota Housing to schedule statewide training and information sessions for lenders, realtors and housing counselors designed to increase familiarity and availability of FHA-insured loans. "We have an obligation to do everything possible to help people keep their home or to buy a new home they can afford. This MOU will help people in need right now by harmonizing the work of FHA and the state housing finance agency, and by making FHA loans more available to qualified borrowers," Montgomery stated. Since September 2007, FHA has insured nearly 250,000 refinanced loans nationwide. In July 2008, FHA will expand its FHASecure refinancing product to more homeowners past due on their mortgages using a fair, flexible premium structure. Posted by Michael at 10:18 PM | TrackBack HUD ACCEPTS $350 MILLION MISSISSIPPI PLAN TO PRODUCE THOUSANDS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS FOR WORKING FAMILIESFrom HUD Press Releases: U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today accepted a $350 million plan by the State of Mississippi to produce thousands of affordable housing units for working families who continue to experience a chronic housing shortage in the State. Mississippi's Long Term Workforce Housing Plan will provide grants and loans to local communities, nonprofit organizations and private developers to produce approximately 12,000 affordable homes in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, and Pearl River counties. Mississippi's final plan was provided to HUD for its review on May 30th. The funding to support the plan is part of $5.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) assistance the Department allocated to Mississippi following the Hurricanes of 2005. "It's been nearly three years since Hurricane Katrina wiped out much of the housing stock in South Mississippi and working families continue to struggle to find a decent home," said Preston. The Mississippi plan accepted today is designed to ensure that significant portions of affordable units are created within mixed-income neighborhoods to assist working families. The State intends to create these mixed-income communities by fostering market rate rental units in properties that will also serve a range of low-income households or by supporting single-family homes in the developments with a range of affordable housing. Last September, Mississippi issued a Request for Proposal that sought qualified individuals and non-profits and for profit entities to develop Long Term Workforce Housing programs. HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. Posted by Michael at 10:18 PM | TrackBack Savings help the medicine go downFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new study of state-subsidized pharmacy assistance programs showed that providing prescription drug coverage for low-income seniors reduces Medicaid and Medicare costs. Moreover, needy seniors enrolled in the programs were able to cut their dose skimping and nursing home admissions in half, according to the Brandeis University research. In 2002, Illinois and Wisconsin implemented state pharmacy assistance programs with joint federal funding. Senior citizens with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, but not eligible for Medicaid, could join. The Brandeis study evaluated whether these "SeniorCare" programs increased access to prescription drugs and reduced Medicaid enrollment, said lead author Donald Shepard, a health economist at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis. The study matched 7,699 Illinois and 1,798 Wisconsin so called "buy-in" beneficiaries to similar Ohio controls because the states share many similarities. Since Illinois already had a different prescription program in place its SeniorCare program did not reduce the number of seniors enrolling in Medicaid, but it did reduce how many were admitted to nursing homes and how much enrollees spent on drugs. For example, in the first year of the Illinois program, nursing home entry was 2.4 percent, compared to 4.4 percent for the Ohio controls. Likewise, Medicaid spending averaged $631 over Illinois SeniorCare members, versus $1,605 for Ohio controls, a savings of 61 percent. The study showed that these savings fell slightly short of the state's first-year program costs of $1,394 per enrollee. "Needy elders in both states benefited from the outreach, public subsidies and straightforward design. Medicare Part D plans with similar features might well reduce nursing home admissions and achieve Medicaid savings nationally." Posted by Michael at 10:12 PM | TrackBack Kids connect alcohol odors with mom's emotionsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: How children respond to the smell of alcoholic beverages is related to their mothers' reasons for drinking, according to a new study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center. When asked to choose between the odor of beer and an unpleasant odor, children of mothers classified as 'Escape drinkers' were more likely than children of Non-escape drinkers to choose the unpleasant odor. "Children's responses to odors provide us with a window into their emotions," says study lead author Julie Mennella, PhD, a Monell biopsychologist. "When given a choice between beer and pyridine -- the smell of rotten eggs -- children of mothers who drink to relieve tension and worry choose pyridine as smelling better. In the study, which appears in the journal Alcohol, 145 children between the ages of 5 and 8 years were presented with seven pairs of odors. Mennella notes that because odor information travels directly to areas of the brain that deal with non-verbal aspects of emotion and memory, studying children's responses to odors provides insights into their emotional worlds. Because of this, children of Escape drinkers were exposed to alcohol odors more often. These children also experienced alcohol in a different emotional context, as the questionnaires revealed that their mothers were more tense and more likely to worry and feel guilty about their drinking. "Even before their first taste, young children are learning about alcohol and about why their parents drink. Using a multidisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the areas of: sensation and perception, neuroscience and molecular biology, environmental and occupational health, nutrition and appetite, health and well being, and chemical ecology and communication. For more information about Monell, visit www.monell.org. Posted by Michael at 10:10 PM | TrackBack Low childhood IQ linked to type of dementiaFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Children with lower IQs are more likely decades later to develop vascular dementia than children with high IQs, according to research published in the June 25, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia occurs when blood flow to the brain is impaired. For another group of controls, the researchers made sure that the cases and controls came from families where the fathers had similar types of occupations. "These results point to the importance of reducing the vascular risk factors that can lead to strokes and dementia," said study author John M. Starr, FRCPEd, of the University of Edinburgh. Starr said the findings support the hypothesis that low childhood IQ acts as a risk factor for dementia through vascular risks rather than the "cognitive reserve" theory. This theory speculates that greater IQ and education create a buffer against the effects of dementia in the brain, allowing people with greater cognitive reserve to stay free of signs of dementia longer, even though the disease has started affecting their brains. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as epilepsy, dystonia, migraine, Huntington's disease, and dementia. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. Posted by Michael at 10:09 PM | TrackBack Cities Consider Copying Children's Charity in HarlemIt's 7:30 a.m., and Altheo Serrao's family has just arrived in Harlem from Staten Island, a two-hour journey by bus, ferry and subway. They do this every school day to be part of a program that isn't available anywhere else in New York City - or, for that matter, anywhere else in the country. The zone takes on the same kinds of seemingly impossible urban problems that Baltimore and so many other cities face: poverty, crime, troubled schools, overwhelmed parents. Conceived by Canada, 56, a children's advocate who grew up surrounded by poverty and violence in the South Bronx, the Harlem Children's Zone was born out of his frustration with well-meaning nonprofits that were too narrow in their focus. He pitched the idea - blanket a swath of Harlem with all manner of children's services - to Rheedlen board member Stanley Druckenmiller, a friend from Bowdoin College and billionaire hedge-fund manager. Zone employees say they know how important it is to keep kids busy and off the streets. Many of the programs stretch from early-morning hours until well into the evening, as late as 8 or 9 p.m., and run through the summer. The charter schools also have an open-door policy, serving as safe places for kids any time a staff member is present. Serrao, a petite woman capable of lugging four-book-filled backpacks at once (she is a nursing student at a Harlem community college), volunteers in the mornings, helping teachers prepare for the day. Permission to reprint an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun. Posted by Michael at 12:19 AM | TrackBack June 24, 2008Binge drinking due to 'copying' behaviorFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: The rise in binge drinking in the young is a "fashion phenomenon" where drinkers are copying their associates' behaviour, new research has shown. A study conducted at Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study and Volterra Consulting UK shows that social networking is a key factor in the spread of the rapid consumption of large amounts of alcohol -- binge drinking - which is blamed for serious anti-social and criminal behaviour. Researchers say the findings have major implications for Government policy makers charged with tackling the problem, which has longer-term and costly health implications for the nation. The research team, which estimates there are least one million binge drinkers in the 18-24 year old population participating in 1.5 million binge drinking events each week, used complex modelling techniques and interviews with 504 18-24 year olds to draw their conclusions. Binge drinkers were defined as participants who got drunk on three or more drinks (women) or on four or more drinks (men) at least once a week, or having ten or more drinks but not necessarily getting drunk at least once a week (both men and women). Binge drinkers were more likely to describe their associates, particularly their friends, as fellow binge drinkers. For example, 85 per cent of the binge drinkers thought that all, almost all or most of their friends are binge drinkers, compared to 41 per cent of non-binge drinkers who described all, almost all or most of their friends as binge drinkers. Lead author, Paul Ormerod, of Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study and Volterra Consulting UK, said: "Binge drinking has become widespread among young people in Britain. Posted by Michael at 11:16 PM | TrackBack Assessing domestic violence in custody disputes critical to assure safety in parenting plansFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Custody disputes among separated spouses can become especially difficult when there are allegations of domestic violence. As part of a special issue on domestic abuse, a new article in Family Court Review addresses the need for a new approach to developing parenting plans after separation when domestic violence is alleged. Assessing the level of risk of domestic violence may help match the family to appropriate services and interventions. The level of potency, or the degree of severity and risk of serious injury, is the foremost dimension to be assessed and monitored so that protective orders can be issued and other immediate safety measures taken. "Judges and professionals working in the family justice system need to be thorough in their assessment of domestic violence as a critical factor in determining the best parenting plan after separation for the safety of adult victims and their children," the authors conclude. Family Court Review is published in cooperation with the Center for Children, Families and the Law at Hofstra University School of Law. For over four decades, Family Court Review has served as an interdisciplinary communication forum for all concerned with the improvement of all aspects of the family court system. Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley's Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Posted by Michael at 11:16 PM | TrackBack 'Neglected infections of poverty' in US disable hundreds of thousands of Americans annuallyFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: An analysis published June 25th in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases highlights that diseases very similar to those plaguing Africa, Asia, and Latin America are also occurring frequently among the poorest people in the United States, especially women and children. These diseases --- the "neglected infections of poverty" --- are caused by chronic and debilitating parasitic, bacterial, and congenital infections. While most Americans have never heard of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), the analysis estimates that these infections occur in hundreds of thousands of poor Americans concentrated primarily in the Mississippi Delta (including post-Katrina Louisiana), Appalachia, the Mexican borderlands, and inner cities. "The fact that these neglected infections of poverty represent some of the greatest health disparities in the United States, but they remain at the bottom of the public health agenda, is a national disgrace," says Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, author of the analysis and President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Executive Director of Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Walter G. Ross Professor and Chair of the Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine department at George Washington University. Hotez notes that the common features of these neglected infections include their highly disproportionate health impact on minorities and people living in poverty; their chronic, largely insidious, and disabling features; and their ability to promote poverty because of their impact on child development, pregnancy outcome, and productive capacity. Neglected infections of poverty are understudied and not well known even by physicians and public-health experts. Posted by Michael at 11:03 PM | TrackBack Leading Civil Rights Organizations United in Opposition to NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization ActFrom PR Newswire: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Recess Until Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6239) was not offered as an amendment to the fiscal 2009 appropriations bill for the education, labor, and health and human service departments, thanks in part to the strong opposition of many of the Nation's most important civil rights organizations. The proposed bill would suspend school improvement requirements and send a discouraging message -- that it is acceptable for some children to continue attending substandard schools, the majority of which serve minority and low-income students. "It is a victory that this amendment, which runs counter to the intent of federal policies to improve deficient schools, was not considered by the appropriations subcommittee last week. We will continue to stand united in opposing any future attempts by Congress to approve this devastating legislation," said Peter Zamora, Washington, DC, regional counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). "With its passage, teachers, school administrators, and community leaders working hard to improve the situation in their classrooms would be placed in 'suspended animation.' Joining MALDEF in opposing H.R. 6239 are fellow members of the Campaign for High School Equity: the National Indian Education Association, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Urban League, and the National Council of La Raza. These groups agree that the law, as proposed, abandons the focus on improving education for low-income and minority students and codifies the status quo. Founded in 1968, MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal organization, promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through litigation, advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, and higher education scholarships. Posted by Michael at 12:15 AM | TrackBack University of Minnesota study uncovers the educational benefits of social networking sitesFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered the educational benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. The same study found that low-income students are in many ways just as technologically proficient as their counterparts, going against what results from previous studies have suggested. The study found that, of the students observed, 94 percent used the Internet, 82 percent go online at home and 77 percent had a profile on a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views and communication skills. Data were collected over six months this year from students, ages 16 to 18, in thirteen urban high schools in the Midwest. "What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. Greenhow said that the study's results, while proving that social networking sites offer more than just social fulfillment or professional networking, also have implications for educators, who now have a vast opportunity to support what students are learning on the Web sites. "Now that we know what skills students are learning and what experiences they're being exposed to, we can help foster and extend those skills," said Greenhow. Posted by Michael at 12:14 AM | TrackBack Engaging teachers means engaged studentsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: To encourage and help teachers become more involved and enthusiastic about "inclusive teaching", the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recently funded an action research based project. Action research can be explained as making changes and studying the impact of those changes in order to bring about an environment where students feel included in their learning process. Dr Davies explained "Good action research can enable teachers to see their pupils differently and be a step towards creating a richer pupil--teacher relationship, which challenges the limitations of current teaching methods. For this to happen, there needs to be a model of action research which involves teachers developing shared ownership of an issue, taking action and paying attention to the consequences for pupils' engagement." As part of the ESRC's Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP), the project sought to explore how this approach could be used to assist teachers to put into practice the principle of 'inclusion' i.e. to increase the participation and achievement of pupils who may be marginalised as a result of circumstances such as disability, ethnicity, gender and social disadvantage. The starting point for the TLRP project is that many secondary school teachers are unfamiliar with action research, and may be reluctant to become involved because it can be perceived as unfamiliar and too difficult. the role of school leaders and educational psychologists as the research facilitators is crucial to the success of using action research to stimulate inclusive teaching. The project involved asking questions about the engagement of young people in their learning and then taking appropriate action in terms of the organisation of schools, subjects and lessons. Posted by Michael at 12:12 AM | TrackBack Teagle Foundation Announces Over $3.5 Million in New Grants: Spotlight on Improving Student Learning at the Undergraduate LevelFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: Today, the Teagle Foundation announced 30 new grants totaling over $3.5 million to fund projects involving more than 45 colleges, universities and other institutions in higher education. Fifteen of the grants aim to develop models for advancing student engagement and learning through processes of systematic improvement. "These grants recognize that liberal arts colleges are poised and ready to develop ways of systematically improving undergraduate learning and engagement," said W. Robert Connor, President of the Teagle Foundation. The Foundation's Outcomes and Assessment initiative is based on the belief that nothing has more potential to affect students' educational experiences than programs that build on the information gained through appropriate and systematic assessment of what they learn. The Teagle Awards for Systematic Improvements in Student Learning were developed to assist liberal arts colleges in cultivating exemplary and imaginative programs that advance the way students learn in the classroom. Teagle's Fresh Thinking initiative encourages sustained analysis of ideas and issues that can help strengthen and define the goals of liberal education. Teagle's College-Community Connections program supports partnerships between community-based organizations in New York City and area colleges and universities. These partnerships enable the development of academic programming for young people to better help them prepare for college. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations. Posted by Michael at 12:06 AM | TrackBack June 23, 2008'Feeling fat' is worse than being itFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: The quality of life of adolescents who think they are too fat is worse than for adolescents who really are obese. In the course of the KiGGS study, almost 7000 boys and girls aged between 11 and 17 years were weighed and asked about their self-assessment, ranging from "far too thin" to "far too fat." As a result of their analysis, the scientists established that about three quarters of adolescents are of normal weight. Almost 55% of the girls, but just under 36% of the boys thought that they were "too fat," although only about 18% of the adolescents were actually overweight. The quality of life is lower in obese adolescents. However, this correlates to a large extent with self-evaluation. If adolescents think they are "far too fat," they forfeit a lot of their quality of life, whatever their actual weight. On the other hand, if they consider their weight "just right," their quality of life is the same as if they were of normal weight, even if this is not true. The proportion of adolescents who think they are overweight has been increasing more rapidly in recent years than the proportion of those who really are overweight. In an accompanying editorial, Johannes Hebebrand points out that adolescents are exposed to considerable social pressure to be thin. He thinks that it is remarkable that as many as 40% of the subjects thought that their weight was right, in spite of the ideal of slimness and the stigma of being overweight. Posted by Michael at 11:57 PM | TrackBack Elderly's restless nights helped by ancient martial artFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: More than half of all older adults complain about having difficulties sleeping. Those who do usually turn either to medications, which can lead to other health problems, or behavior therapies, which are costly and often not available close to home. Now, UCLA researchers report that practicing tai chi chih, the Westernized version of a 2,000-year-old Chinese martial art, promotes sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep complaints. At the beginning of the study, participants were asked to rate their sleep based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a self-rated questionnaire that assesses sleep quality, duration and disturbances over a one-month time interval. The study found that the tai chi chih group showed improved sleep quality and a remission of clinical impairments, such as drowsiness during the day and inability to concentrate, compared with those receiving health education. "Poor sleeping constitutes one of the most common difficulties facing older adults," said lead study author Dr. Michael Irwin, the Norman Cousins Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. And for those who do seek help, the usual remedy is a sedative. But sedatives can cause side effects, according to Irwin. "It's not uncommon for older adults to experience daytime confusion, drowsiness, falls and fractures, and adverse interactions with other medications they may be taking," he said. And while most health professionals generally agree that physical exercise enhances sleep quality, given the physical limitations of the elderly, rigorous exercise might not be an option. Posted by Michael at 11:51 PM | TrackBack Study evaluates factors associated with racial disparities in colon cancer screeningFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Blacks and Hispanics appear less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening than whites because of socioeconomic, health care access and language barriers, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, other factors may contribute to screening disparities experienced by Asians. Colorectal cancer screening rates lag behind those for other cancer screening tests, according to background information in the article. "Such disparities in screening may contribute to the higher colorectal cancer incidence and mortality [death] rates observed in racial/ethnic minorities relative to non-Hispanic whites," the authors write. A total of 22,973 adults age 50 and older answered questions about demographics, colorectal cancer screening behaviors and other social and health care factors. Overall, 54.1 percent of the participants were screened for colorectal cancer using either colonoscopy or fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). After adjusting for other factors associated with screening behavior---including demographics, socioeconomic variables, language spoken at home, health care access and self-rated health---disparities between blacks, Hispanics and whites disappeared, the authors note. "Beyond socioeconomic factors, which disproportionately affect minorities, these findings suggest the effect of access and, for Hispanics, language-appropriate care on colorectal cancer screening uptake," they write. "Less acculturated Asian individuals in the United States may have core health beliefs and values that differ from those in the 'Western' health model, leading them to decline FOBT or endoscopy offered in the absence of worrisome symptoms. The findings suggest that different types of programs may improve screening rates in separate minority groups, the authors conclude. Posted by Michael at 11:42 PM | TrackBack New Reading First Data From States Shows Impressive Gains in Reading ProficiencyFrom Education Newsfeed: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced new data from the states showing impressive gains for Reading First students. The achievement data submitted by state education agencies (SEAs) and compiled and analyzed by the Education Department's contractor, American Institutes for Research, showed improvement in nearly every grade and subgroup, including English language learners and students with disabilities. Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education stripped funding for this important program from their 2009 funding bill. "Reading First has done so much to crack the code on how to get kids to read," said Secretary Spellings. "It would be tragic to cut the nation's only reading program when so many policymakers and teachers know it's working to increase achievement." Reading First builds on a solid foundation of scientifically based research and provides struggling students in the nation's highest need schools with the necessary resources to make significant progress in reading achievement. In Grade 1, 44 of 50 SEAs reported increases in the percentage of students proficient in reading comprehension. Thanks to Reading First, schools and teachers finally have the technical knowledge and the practical training to ensure every child, including English language learners and students with disabilities, gets the help he or she needs to excel in reading. In April of this year, an IES Reading First Interim Impact Study did not find significant gains in comprehension by students in Reading First schools; however, that study measured Reading First schools against other schools in Reading First districts---schools that may have implemented the same reforms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
