News & Notices
This page includes only news listings from SWRnet announcements from September 2013 and on – please go to SWRnet Archives to view postings from all of our previous SWRnet updates.
National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) Blog – Community Coaches: Partnering with Communities to Build a Culture of Health
In the latest NPA blog, Representative Attica Scott (KY-District 41), discusses her work as a Community Coach with the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program.
The Nation’s Health – Community-Based Care Critical for Transgender Health: Working for Access
Historically, community-based initiatives that cater to the LGBTQ population were borne out of a need to fill the gaps in traditional health care. Many providers still lack the training and knowledge necessary to treat transgender patients.
NPR – A ‘Forgotten History’ Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America
Rural Health Information Hub Blog – Community Health Workers Get Trained to Reduce Oral Health Disparities
Black Muslims Face Double Jeopardy, Anxiety In The Heartland
NPR – Black, Latino Two-Parent Families Have Half The Wealth Of White Single Parents
NPR – The Future Of Medicaid May Be Found In Indiana, Where The Poor Pay
NPR – Police, Protesters Clash Near Dakota Access Pipeline Route
The Atlantic – This is Who We Are
November is National Native American Heritage Month
Women Across Frontiers – The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Latinas in the U.S.
RWJF Culture of Health Blog – Parents Need Flexible and Affordable Child Care
Living Cities Blog – Bringing Equality to Health
NIH Director’s Message – Sexual and Gender Minorities Formally Designated as a Health Disparity Population for Research Purposes
NIMHD Director, Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, announced the formal designation of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) as a health disparity population for NIH research. The term SGM encompasses lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations, as well as those whose sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, or reproductive development varies from traditional, societal, cultural, or physiological norms.
September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Click here for more information.
NPR – At The Sacred Stone Camp, Tribes And Activists Join Forces To Protect The Land
Bloomberg – Worker Hours Are More Unpredictable Than Ever
Center for Health Journalism – Q&A: What has health reform meant for rural America?
New York Times – New Clues in the Mystery of Women’s Lagging Life Expectancy
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Blog – How Social Spending Affects Health Outcomes
New York Times – More Older People Are Finding Work, but What Kind?
NPR – The Obamas And The White House’s Slave Legacy
The Commonwealth Fund Blog – Closing the Equity Gap in Health Care for Black Americans
Pew Research Center – Biggest Share of Whites in U.S. are Boomers, but for Minority Groups it’s Millennials or Younger
Twitter Chat on African American Men’s Mental Health
For National Men’s Health Week, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities co-hosted a Twitter chat on June 16, 2016. The transcript of the chat is now available.
Why It Matters That It Was Latin Night at Pulse
May is National Foster Care Month
Health Affairs Blog – Medicare Help At Home
New York Times – The Rich Live Longer Everywhere. For the Poor, Geography Matters
Huffington Post – Why Raising The Social Security Retirement Age Could Hit Latinos Hardest
New York Times – The Return of the D.I.Y. Abortion
Google searches show a hidden demand for self-induced abortion reminiscent of the era before Roe v. Wade. This demand is concentrated in areas where it is most difficult to get an abortion, and it has closely tracked the recent state-level crackdowns on abortion.
The Atlantic – Medicare Is Leaving Elderly Women Behind
Michelle Alexander on Racial Justice, Mass Incarceration and Black Lives Matter
Brookings Institution – The Case for ‘Race-Conscious’ Policies
NPR – New Study Links Widening Income Gap With Life Expectancy
Huffington Post – Seeing is Believing: Unlocking the Power of Senior LGBT Women in Business
February is Black History Month
During Black History Month, we commemorate the ways in which African Americans have helped shape our nation’s history and culture. This year’s theme is “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories.
Time – The Gender Pay Gap Haunts Women in Retirement Too
Women’s retirement income is stretched thinner than men’s because they earn less and live longer.
New York Times – As Population Ages, Where Are the Geriatricians?
Geriatrics is one of the few medical specialties in the United States that is contracting even as the need increases, ranking at the bottom of the list of specialties that internal medicine residents choose to pursue.
NPR – Long Before They Were ‘Apparent Muslims,’ Sikhs Were Targeted In U.S.
Some scholars estimate there are about 100,000 Sikhs in the U.S. and 25 million worldwide. The Sikh Coalition, a nonprofit legal group, has analyzed more than 140 actual or suspected hate crimes against Sikhs in the U.S. between 2001 and 2012. The group says that this past December alone, it received a surge of calls from Sikhs seeking legal help- three times as many as during the same time in 2014.
NPR – Alzheimer’s Disease Underdiagnosed In Indian Country
Justice Department Releases Guidance To Address Gender Bias in Police Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has announced a new guidance to help law enforcement agencies identify and prevent gender bias in their response to sexual assault and domestic violence. The guidance offers eight principles for law enforcement to incorporate into policies and training to ensure that neither implicit nor explicit gender bias will undermine efforts to keep victims safe and hold assailants accountable. The principles include recognizing and addressing biases and stereotypes regarding victims, treating all victims with respect, and encouraging victims to participate in the investigation.
New York Times – An Aging Society Chances the Story on Poverty for Retirees
A typical American worker in the middle rung of the earnings ladder – whose career pay averaged out at about $46,000 a year in today’s money – could retire this year at age 65 with a Social Security benefit worth 39 percent of the career average. But unless something is done to replenish Social Security‘s shrinking trust funds, by 2035 the first pension check for such a worker might amount to as little as 27.5 percent of her career wage, according to calculations published last year by the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration.
Commonwealth Fund Blog – 2015: The Health Care Year in Review
NPR – People Of Color With Albinism Ask: Where Do I Belong?
NPR – After The Mizzou Protests, Students Ask Themselves: Now What?
The Washington Post – Specialty Drugs Now Cost More than the Median Household Income
The average annual retail cost of specialty drugs used to treat complex diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis now exceeds the median U.S. household income.
NPR – For Women, Income Inequality Continues Into Retirement
Huffington Post Black Voices Blog – How Racism is Hurting Our Nation’s Foster Children
As our nation turns to celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Adoption Month in the coming weeks with heartwarming success stories, mass adoption finalizations, and other special events, we should be mindful that much remains to be done to make the foster care and adoption system, renown for bringing people together and crossing social boundaries, a holiday truly inclusive for all regardless of race.
The Atlantic – Where Seniors Go When Their Nursing Homes Close
When assisted-living facilities shut down, their elderly residents often have to scramble for a new home-and health and financial concerns can make it hard to find a fit.
November is Native American Heritage Month
New York Times – New Medicare Rule Authorizes ‘End-of-Life’ Consultations
Opportunity for Public Comment – Soliciting Input for the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) FY 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
Opportunity for Public Comment – The National Institutes of Health FY 2016-2020 Strategic Plan To Advance Research on the Health and Well-Being of Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM)
November 19 is National Rural Health Day
Washington Post – How Social Security Penalizes Working Women
HHS Press Release – HHS awards up to $22.9 million in Planning Grants for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Opportunity for Public Comment – NIH 2016-2020 Strategic Plan to Advance Research on the Health and Well-being of Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM)
Deadline: November 2, 2015
HHS Press Release – 10 Million People Expected to Have Marketplace Coverage at End of 2016
NPR – On Campus, Older Faculty Keep On Keepin’ On
Kaiser Health News – Poll Finds Overwhelming Support For Medicare Paying For End-Of-Life Talks
NPR – Children In Foster Care Aren’t Getting To See The Doctor
The Atlantic – Moynihan, Mass Incarceration, and Responsibility
Washington Post – The stunning and Expanding Gap in Life Expectancy Between the Rich and the Poor
HHS Press Release – HHS Hosts 50-state Convening Focused on Preventing Opioid Overdose and Opioid Use Disorder
National Center for Medical Home Implementation Website Update
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month
IRP Press Release – Interim Report Released on Early Findings from Demonstration Designed to Identify Effective Policies to Help Noncustodial Parents Support Their Children
HHS Press Release – HHS Takes Next Step in Advancing Health Equity Through the Affordable Care Act
NPR – Tracing The Shifting Meaning Of ‘Alien’
PBS – Many Rural Hospitals Remain at Risk Nationwide
New York Times – Gay Couples Are Eligible for Social Security Benefits, U.S. Decides
RWJF Culture of Health Blog – How Food Marketing Can Help Kids Want What’s Good For Them
Commonwealth Fund Blog – The Ramifications of Repealing the Individual Mandate
Health Affairs Blog – Expanding Access To Palliative Care Services: The Tide Is Turning
NPR- 50 Years Ago, Medicare Helped To Desegregate Hospitals
The law creating a national health insurance program for older Americans was signed in 1965 after a long political battle. One big opponent was the American Medical Association. When he signed it into law, President Lyndon Johnson made a point of not inviting the AMA to the ceremony. He did invite the National Medical Association. That was the organization for black doctors. They’d long supported the bill. They saw the potential for Medicare to help desegregate health care for patients and professionals.
New York Times – Helping Patients and Doctors Talk About Death
Medicare announced plans this month to reimburse doctors for talking with patients about what treatments they want – and don’t want – toward the end of life.
HHS Press Release – Aging in 2015: HHS and the White House Conference on Aging
Today’s White House Conference on Aging is focusing on the issues facing every American as they plan for retirement, care for older loved ones, and improving the quality of life for older Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is engaged in the government-wide initiative to develop programs and provide funding and resources to help older adults live independent and fulfilling lives. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security, HHS today is announcing several programs designed to enhance the lives of older Americans and provide resources to their families, friends and other caregivers.
New York Times – Medicare Plans to Pay Doctors for Counseling on End of Life
Medicare, the federal program that insures 55 million older and disabled Americans, announced plans on Wednesday to reimburse doctors for conversations with patients about whether and how they would want to be kept alive if they became too sick to speak for themselves.
Gay And Old: ‘A Special Class Of People?’
Earlier this year, the City of New York helped SAGE (the nonprofit Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders) open five senior centers focused on meeting the needs of LGBT seniors. While many felt it was an important way to reach those who feel discriminated against in conventional senior centers, some were outraged.
New York Times – Supreme Court Allows Nationwide Health Care Subsidies
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that President Obama‘s health care law allows the federal government to provide nationwide tax subsidies to help poor and middle-class people buy health insurance, a sweeping vindication that endorsed the larger purpose of Mr. Obama’s signature legislative achievement.
Office of Minority Health – June is Men’s Health Month
During Men’s Health Month, we are raising awareness about health disparities that affect boys and men of color. And we are also raising the dialogue on efforts to ensure that all men achieve better health outcomes. This June, encourage the men in your lives to take a powerful step towards good health by making healthier food choices, avoiding smoking, staying active, reducing risk for injury and scheduling a check-up.
The Nation’s Health – Q&A with ONDCP’s Botticelli: No other disease requires patients to ‘hit bottom’ before getting care: US drug czar calls for comprehensive care for substance use
Michael Botticelli, MEd, might be uniquely prepared to serve as director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy: When he was sworn into the job in February this year, he had 25 years of sobriety. Botticelli has been open about his own history of alcohol abuse, and how the option for a treatment program, rather than jail, helped set his life’s course for work in public health. Botticelli has worked in prevention, treatment and education about substance use, including with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health before taking over as America’s drug czar.
New York Times – Strengthening Troubled Sibling Bonds to Deal With an Aging Parent
The sibling relationship can become even thornier when dealing with aging or infirm parents. All sorts of issues that can test even the best relationships arise, including differences of opinion on housing, caregiving, medical treatment, estate planning and end-of-life care.
Office of Minority Health Blog – Understanding Diversity and the Power of Inclusion to End Health Disparities in the AANHPI Community
The essence of diversity is brilliantly reflected across the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. Its rich tapestry of history comes from nearly 50 countries and many more ethnic groups, each with distinct cultures, traditions and histories and over one hundred languages and dialects. This diversity brings a complex set of social and economic challenges that impact health outcomes for this vibrant and rapidly growing U.S. population, but we have made progress over the past few decades in addressing the myriad of health needs across this community.
NPR – On ‘Menace II Society’ And ‘Easy Rider’: Why All The Talk On Bikers And Thugs Matters
This week, many have been contrasting the tone the media have used to describe this incident with coverage of protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore.
Office of Minority Health Blog – Better Women’s Health Across the Generations
Across the lifespan, the health status of racial and ethnic minorities has often long lagged behind that of whites, and this is no more plainly evident than with minority seniors who oftentimes battle multiple chronic illnesses. For older women of color, the impact of health disparities can have a greater impact for a variety of reasons including language barriers and access to affordable, healthy food to ensure proper nutrition. Poverty and cultural norms that often differ from their health care providers can be major challenges to promoting health and wellness in their later years.
ChildTrends Blog – Teen Birth Rates are Declining, but the Job is Not Done
Births to U.S. teenagers are at a historic low, but the job is not done; the declines in teen births have not occurred among all teens equally, and some teens in the United States remain at higher risk than do other teens. Notably, there is large variation by place of residence and by race/ethnicity.
Institute for Research on Poverty Podcast – Pollution and Environmental Justice in Low-Income Communities of Color
In this podcast, Professor Dorceta Taylor discusses her book, Toxic Communities, which addresses the state of environmental justice scholarship, and the structural processes by which poor and minority Americans are disproportionately exposed to industrial pollution. Click here to listen to the podcast recording. Click here to read a transcript of the podcast.
PBS – Why African-American seniors are less likely to use hospice
Black seniors are more likely than whites and Latinos to forgo hospice care. Due to deeply felt religious beliefs and a long history of discrimination in the U.S., African-American patients are often reluctant to plan for the end of their lives, and more skeptical when doctors suggest stopping treatment.
Commonwealth Fund Blog – Latinos Have Made Coverage Gains but Millions Are Still Uninsured
Since the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces opened and states began to expand Medicaid eligibility, uninsured rates among Latinos have begun to decline for the first time in decades. Studies of the effects of health insurance suggest that these higher coverage rates will contribute to better access to care, increased use of preventive services, better management of chronic illness and, eventually, longer and healthier lives for many Latinos.
NIMH Science News – A New Look at Racial/Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Service Use Among Adults
New findings on mental health service use by racial and ethnic groups are now available in a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
How Housing Matters – Q&A on How Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are Changing Affordable Housing
The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decision-making tool for policymakers. HIAs help identify and address the health impacts of policies and decisions in non-health sectors.
ChildTrends Blog – Poverty’s Pernicious and Persistent Toll on Young Children
Children are the poorest age group in the country, and among children, the youngest are the poorest. In 2013, 20 percent of all children in the U.S. were poor; 24 percent of children under age three were poor. That’s 2.9 million children. Among black children, 43 percent are poor. Among Hispanics more than one-third are poor.
New York Times – Senate Approves a Bill on Changes to Medicare
The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes in the way Medicare pays doctors, clearing the bill for President Obama and resolving an issue that has bedeviled Congress and the Medicare program for more than a decade.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Blog – Design That Heals: The American Institute of Architects Rewrites the Rules
The South Bronx’s Via Verde, an award-winning affordable housing complex designed around equity and social cohesion, shows us a new era of healthy design is here-and it’s contagious.
RWJF Culture of Health Blog – Data, Meet Curiosity: Finding Bright Spots in Appalachia
There are so many opportunities to connect the wealth of data we have at our fingertips and to start asking new questions. David Krol tells his story about how he took this approach to find bright spots in Appalachia.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Each year, April is designated National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time for raising awareness about child abuse and neglect. In recognition of the importance of ensuring child safety and welfare, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) presents this compilation of publications and resources.
New York Times – House Approves Bill on Changes to Medicare
The House overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the Medicare program on Thursday. The measure, which would establish a new formula for paying doctors, increase premiums for some Medicare beneficiaries and extend a popular health insurance program for children, has already been endorsed by President Obama and awaits a vote in the Senate.
April is National Minority Health Month
We are pleased to announce this year’s theme, “30 Years of Advancing Health Equity; The Heckler Report: A Force for Ending Health Disparities in America,” in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health (also known as the Heckler Report). This theme reflects our collective efforts to accelerate momentum towards achieving a nation free of disparities in health and health care and the ways in which the Heckler Report has served as a driving force for the monumental changes in research, policies, programs and legislation to advance health equity.
National Organization of Forensic Social Work – Short Documentary
View this documentary short entitled, “The social work role in Justice Reform: Cultural Justice, LGBT Rights (Queer Justice), Solitary Confinement.”
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 20, 2015 is National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD).
HHS Press Release – Nationwide nearly 11.7 million consumers are enrolled in 2015 Health Insurance Marketplace coverage
Nationwide, nearly 11.7 million consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace as of Feb. 22, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
New York Times – Psychiatric Drug Overuse Is Cited by Federal Study
Federal investigators say they have found evidence of widespread overuse of psychiatric drugs by older Americans withAlzheimer’s disease, and are recommending that Medicare officials take immediate action to reduce unnecessary prescriptions.
Commonwealth Fund Blog – King v. Burwell: What a Subsidy Shutdown Could Mean for States
Virtually all commentators on King v. Burwell agree that a Supreme Court ruling against the government would be disruptive. But most skip over the potential real-world impact of the loss of health insurance subsides for millions of people, preferring instead to speculate on how Congress, the Obama administration, or the states might stave off insurance market failures. This is the fourth in a series of four posts examining the serious consequences of a decision that would terminate subsidies for residents of the 34 states that have federally run health insurance marketplaces. Today we look at how states would fare under the “Subsidy Shutdown” scenario.
Testimony to Subcommittee on Human Resources and Committee on Ways and Means – Challenges Facing Low-Income Individuals and Families
Testimony by Ron Haskins.
LA Times – Labor Department Extends Caregiver Leave Rights to Same-Sex Couples
Most legally married same-sex couples will be entitled to take up to 12 weeks leave to care for an ailing spouse regardless of whether the state in which they live recognizes their marriage under a rule issued Wednesday by the Department of Labor.
NIA Blog – Supporting Aging Research in Challenging Times
The energy of our robust and growing field is meeting the reality of budgets that have failed to keep pace, in real terms, over time.
HHS awards $386 million to support families through the home visiting program
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced $386 million in grant awards to states, territories, and nonprofit organizations to support the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program). These funds will allow states to continue to expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children.
MacArthur Launches $75M Initiative to Reduce America’s Use of Jails
MacArthur today announced an initial five-year, $75 million investment that seeks to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. The Safety and Justice Challenge will support cities and counties across the country seeking to create fairer, more effective local justice systems that improve public safety, save taxpayer money, and lead to better social outcomes.
The Atlantic – Rural America’s Silent Housing Crisis
Accounting for only 20 percent of the population, residents of more isolated areas struggle to find a safe, affordable place to live-and to make anyone else care.
NPR – Without Help, Navigating Benefits Can Be Overwhelming For Veterans
Back in 2010, a VA survey found that nationwide fewer than half of veterans understood their benefits, whether it was medical care, college tuition or pension and disability payments. There are all sorts of reasons why veterans in one area may not receive as many benefits as veterans in another. Veterans from different eras, such as Vietnam or Iraq, can receive different amounts. Older vets might receive more benefits.
National Institute on Aging (NIA) Blog – Diversity Training and Health Disparities Research at the NIA
Late last year, more than $31 million was awarded to academic institutions to develop and test strategies that address the racial diversity of the United States biomedical workforce.
PBS – Experimental Program Helps Seniors Move Out of the Nursing Home
Using federal funds from a special project, thousands of elderly and disabled nursing home residents have been able to move into their own homes in recent years. The experimental project has reached people in 44 states. It connects people to the medical and living support they need to move into private homes, so that they can live independently.
New England Journal of Medicine Editorial – International Health Care Systems
The New England Journal of Medicine, in collaboration with The Commonwealth Fund, is launching a series of Perspective articles on the health care systems of selected countries around the world. The Journal has commissioned articles on health policies in place or under development in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, and Australasia. Each article will present one or several aspects of a national health care system, chosen by the authors as distinctive, new, innovative, or potentially instructive for other countries.
NPR – New Blood Donation Rules Would Still Exclude Many Gay Men
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration recommended a change in the discriminatory and unscientific policy that effectively prohibited men who have sex with men from donating blood for life. However, the new policy would ban blood donation for men who have had sex with another man for the past year. So the most likely outcome is that the vast majority of gay or bisexual men still won’t be able to donate blood.
NIH Statement on the National Children’s Study
The National Children’s Study (NCS) was envisioned as a longitudinal, observational study examining the effects of a broad range of environmental and biological factors on children’s health and development by following 100,000 children from the womb to age 21. The NIH announced that the NCS as currently designed is not feasible and will be discontinued.
NPR – When Grandma’s House Is Home: The Rise Of Grandfamilies
In a shift driven partly by culture and largely by the economy, the number of grandparents living with their grandchildren is up sharply. According to recent U.S. census data, such families have increased by about a third over the past generation. Click here for more information.
Huffington Post – Aging in Place: An Intergenerational Priority
Increasingly, older adults want to stay in their own homes, neighborhoods, and towns even if this necessitates specialized services to maintain their independence. But “aging in place” will require a shift in the way our society thinks about the role of communities and the way services are delivered to individuals.
NPR – Old And Overmedicated: The Real Drug Problem In Nursing Homes
Almost 300,000 nursing home residents are currently receiving antipsychotic drugs, usually to suppress the anxiety or aggression that can go with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia. Antipsychotics, however, are approved mainly to treat serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. When it comes to dementia patients, the drugs have a black box warning, saying that they can increase the risk for heart failure, infections and death.
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare Training Videos – The Relational Worldview: A Tribal and Cultural Framework for Improving Child Welfare Outcomes
The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, announce the release of The Relational Worldview: A Tribal and Cultural Framework for Improving Child Welfare Outcomes, a two-set training video for professionals and organizations working with American Indian communities. This video series introduces audiences to the Relational Worldview model developed by Terry Cross and NICWA and features Cross, Executive Director of NICWA, along with Sandy White Hawk, Rachel Banks Kupcho, and Bryan Blackhawk. The nine video segments can be used as a whole or in part and are wonderful additions to course lectures, training seminars, unit meetings, and interdisciplinary conversations.
Center for Advancing Health (CFAH) Blog – The Canadian Doctor Who Prescribes Income to Treat Poverty
A Toronto doctor named Gary Bloch has developed a poverty tool for medical practitioners. The tool assesses what patients might need other than prescriptions for the newest drugs. Bloch’s idea was to zoom in on the social determinants of health – food, housing, transportation – all poverty markers linked to bad health and poor health outcomes.
Health Affairs Blog – Reforming Medicare: What Does the Public Want?
Is Medicare adequately meeting the needs of seniors, or are there ways that its core attributes could be improved? Numerous elected officials, policymakers, and other thought leaders have offered perspectives on ways to change the program. Few efforts, however, have been directed at understanding how the public-given accurate information, a variety of options, and a valid structure for weighing the pros and cons-would change Medicare’s basic design.
The Commonwealth Fund Blog – The Supreme Court Decides to Hear King v. Burwell: What Are the Implications?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) entered new and perilous territory once again today when the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided to hear the case of King v. Burwell. King is one of several cases that are challenging the legality of federal subsidies granted to low- and middle-income people who buy health insurance in the 34 federally run marketplaces created under the ACA.
Health Affairs Blog – Social Insurance Is Missing A Piece: Medicare, Medicaid, And Long-term Care
Medicare and Medicaid are partners in providing health insurance protection to older people and people with disabilities. But when it comes to helping the very same people with long-term care-assistance with the basic tasks of daily life (like bathing, eating and toileting)-no such partnership exists. Instead, there’s a gaping hole in protection that leaves people who need care, along with their families, at risk of catastrophe.
NPR – Medicare Concedes, Agrees To Pay For Woman’s Home Health Care
A disabled woman with serious health problems who successfully challenged Medicare for denying her home health care coverage has racked up another win against the government.
APA – Bills by Rep. Harris Would Add Resources to Foster Early-Career NIH Investigators
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., a member of the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, is circulating two draft bills that would add funds for new investigators or “emerging scientists” and mandate that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) enact policies to lower the average age of those scientists to 38 within 10 years. The average age is now between 39 and 42, depending on how “emerging scientists” is defined.
CFAH – Health Care Shortfalls for LGBT Young Women
Young sexual minority women, including those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), were found to have higher elevated odds of adverse health conditions than heterosexual young women and lower odds of receiving a physical or dental examination.
The Commonwealth Fund Blog – Keeping Covered: The Affordable Care Act’s First Reenrollment Period for Marketplace Plans
On November 15, the health insurance marketplaces will open for the 2015 enrollment period. As many as 13 million people may have a plan through the marketplaces by the end of the three-month period. Among those will be people who are continuing their coverage and tax credits from last year. This “reenrollment” will be a first-time experience for the marketplaces and consumers, and it will be administratively complex for everyone.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Blog – New Research Projects to Understand and Improve Responses to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread problem in the United States. In response, ACF’s Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) has recently initiated a project in collaboration with the Office of Family Assistance to strengthen appropriate approaches to addressing IPV in the context of healthy relationship programs, and another project in collaboration with the Family and Youth Services Bureau’s Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services to document how IPV hotlines funded by ACF are linking the public with needed resources.
Wall Street Journal – Without Social Security Income, A Majority of U.S. Seniors Would Be Poor
A majority of U.S. seniors would be poor if Social Security were excluded from their incomes, according to a report on poverty released by the Census Bureau.
Child Trends – New Source for Research on Hispanic Kids and Families
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families has a new Twitter handle: @NRCHispanic where you can find timely research findings related to Hispanic children and families.
HHS Press Release – National Health Service Corps Expands the Primary Care Workforce in Communities that Need Them Most
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today that because of the Affordable Care Act, $283 million has been invested in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in fiscal year 2014 to increase access to primary care services in communities that need it most. Today, more than 9,200 Corps clinicians are providing care to approximately 9.7 million patients across the country.
Huffington Post – New National Study: Five Things You Should Know About Aging and LGBT People
Much has been written about the growing number of older people in this country (as the baby boom generation rapidly ages), as well as the incremental shift in favorable policies and attitudes toward certain segments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. However, less public attention has been placed on the intersection of these two trends: how LGBT people experience aging, beginning in midlife all the way through later life.
The New Social Worker Column – Achieving Racial Equity Through Social Work
Why is achieving racial equity still an important focus for social work? This column will explore this question and provide tools to create change in yourself, your organization, and your community.
HHS Press Release – HHS Awards $3.2 million to Help Support Minority Enrollment in Health Insurance Coverage
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced $3.2 million in grant awards to 13 organizations to help support health coverage enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities. The new Partnerships to Increase Coverage in Communities (PICC) Initiative will help identify, inform and enroll minority populations in the Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace).
NPR – HBCUs Move To Address Campus Sexual Assaults, But Is It Enough?
When it comes to studying sexual violence, college surveys often don’t include students at historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. But one major study found sexual assaults are lower on those campuses than others.
PBS Newshour – Why So Many People Die in Hospitals Instead of at Home
Chronically ill patients in New York and New Jersey spend more time in the hospital during their last six months of life than their counterparts in the rest of the country – an average of 14.4 and 12.9 days, respectively. The national average is 9.8 days.
National Academy of Sciences Press Release – U.S. Health System Not Properly Designed to Meet the Needs of Patients Nearing End of Life
The Elderly Are No Longer More Likely to Be Poor
Poverty has been associated with old age for centuries: To be old also often meant to be destitute. The latest Census report reveals that’s not quite true any more. People older than age 65 are less likely to be poor than people in their prime working years.
Kaiser Health News – One-Quarter Of ACOs Save Enough Money To Earn Bonuses
About a quarter of the 243 groups of hospitals and doctors that banded together as accountable care organizations under the Affordable Care Act saved Medicare enough money to earn bonuses, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday.
September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month – Hispanics: A Legacy of History, a Present of Action and a Future of Success
According to the Library of Congress, “National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to American society and culture and to honor five of our Central American neighbors who celebrate their Independence days in September.”
AIDS Blog – “What’s your story?” Using Social Media to Reach Communities of Color
Health communicators from around the U.S. met last week to share and learn about evolving outreach strategies to connect with at-risk communities, to amplify the experiences of individuals coping with health issues, and to learn how to adapt health information to different social media channels. Click here for more information.
The Wall Street Journal – A Perilous Gap in Health Insurance Literacy
It’s not a news flash that health insurance can be complex and confusing. But the health insurance maze can be a problem, especially if you have never had health insurance before or have not had it for a long time. That’s the case for about half of the uninsured and for many people enrolling in the new insurance marketplaces set up under the Affordable Care Act.
The New York Times – Encouraging End-of-Life Talks
There is reason to hope that a degree of sanity may be returning to the touchy issue of advance planning for medical care at the end of life. Some private and public insurers have begun paying doctors to have end-of-life discussions with their patients.
Market Basket: The Return of Boomer Activism
Workers at the Market Basket supermarket chain just successfully undertook a high-risk job action with potentially historic repercussions. But this was more than just a fight for leadership control. It was also a story about boomers standing up for workplace values.
National Institute on Aging Blog Post – The next generation: what will it take to keep them in research?
This post discusses potential differences in values between experienced aging researchers and emerging scholars in this area.
HHS Press Release – The Affordable Care Act supports patient-centered medical homes in health centers
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced $35.7 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 147 health centers in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to support patient-centered medical homes through new construction and facility renovations.
New York Times – Medicare to Start Paying Doctors Who Coordinate Needs of Chronically Ill Patients
In a policy change, the Obama administration is planning to pay doctors to coordinate the care of Medicare beneficiaries, amid growing evidence that patients with chronic illnesses suffer from disjointed, fragmented care.
Institute of Medicine (IOM) Interactive Infographic – Looking at Policies Through a Health Lens
This interactive tool allows users to explore how public policies can impact physical activity and health.
HHS Press Release – HHS awards more than $106 million to support state home visiting programs
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today $106.7 million in FY 2014 grant awards to 46 states, the District of Columbia, and five jurisdictions as part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program) established by the Affordable Care Act. These funds will allow states to continue and expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children up to age five.
Q&A: APHA Annual Meeting keynoter Isabel Wilkerson: Geography plays important role in health equity: Effects of Great Migration still impact black American health today
The Great Migration of blacks from the southern U.S. is something often not covered in history textbooks. Over the course of several decades, 6 million black Americans left southern states in search of a better life unchained from a caste system that left little opportunity for social, educational and economic advancement – all things that lead to better health. Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson, keynote speaker at the opening general session of APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, authored “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” to capture that history through the lives of three people who migrated from the South.
New York Times – Budget Office Lowers Its Estimate on Federal Spending for Health Care
The growth of federal spending on health care will continue to decline as a proportion of the overall economy in the coming decades, in part because of cost controls mandated by President Obama’s health care law, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.
HHS Press Release – HHS announces availability of $11 million to better integrate HIV services into community health centers
HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today the availability of $11 million, through the Affordable Care Act and the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund, to support the integration of high-quality HIV services into primary care through innovative partnerships between health centers and state health departments in Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York.
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental illness affects one in four adults and one in ten children in America. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that minorities are less likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for their mental illness, have less access to and availability of mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of mental health care. Furthermore, mental illness is a leading cause of disability, yet nearly two-thirds of people with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment, and racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. are even less likely to get help, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
HHS Press Release – DOJ and HHS Call for Action to Address Abuse of Older Americans
Today, leaders in the fight against elder abuse announced a framework for tackling the highest priority challenges to elder abuse prevention and prosecution, and called on all Americans to take a stand against the serious societal problem of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Blog – Building a Culture of Health in America
“What we mean by ‘building a Culture of Health’ is shifting the values-and the actions-of this country so that health becomes a part of everything we do,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), during her keynote address at Spotlight: Health.
Mentalhealth.gov blog – Strengthening the Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce through the National Health Service Corps
Strengthening the mental and behavioral health workforce is a critically important component of our overall efforts to expand the nation’s health care workforce. Far too many Americans live in areas of the country-both rural and urban-with limited access to mental and behavioral health services. The NHSC helps ensure that underserved communities have access to quality health care both today and in the future.
Time – Why Same-Sex Families Lag Straight Families on Retirement Savings
A new survey finds that gays and lesbians with kids have about 20% less saved for retirement than straight couples. One possible reason why these couples may have less saved is that about two thirds of same-sex parents are female.
National Academy of Sciences News – Effectiveness of PTSD Treatment Provided by Defense Department and VA Unknown
A new congressionally mandated report from the Institute of Medicine says that the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should track the outcomes of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) provided to service members and veterans and develop a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to do so.
NPR – How Your State Rates In Terms Of Long-Term Care
In just 12 years, the oldest members of the huge baby-boom generation will turn 80. Many will need some kind of long-term care. A new study from AARP says that care could vary dramatically in cost and quality depending on where they live.
Community Catalyst Statement on Rockefeller CHIP Legislation
Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a bill to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional four years. CHIP, in partnership with Medicaid and the ACA, plays a crucial role in covering children and pregnant women. Unless Congress acts, CHIP will end in 2015 leaving many children and their families struggling to secure affordable, high-quality coverage.
Survey: Social Work Roles and Responsibilities in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
The National Association of Social Workers is compiling information on the activities of social workers in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, this survey is collecting information about social work practice in accountable care organizations (ACOs). If you are involved in an ACO, please take 15 minutes to complete the survey.
The Nation’s Health – Advocates Raise Awareness of Range of LGBT Health Issues: Programs Address Disparities, Needs
While HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment remains a prominent issue in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, staff at health centers such as Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago know it is not the only public health issue of concern to the population.
NPR – Paroled From Life Sentences, Aging Ex-Cons Find World That Didn’t Wait
In the second of a two-part series, NPR’s Laura Sullivan follows a group of aging ex-cons in Colorado. Out from behind bars for the first time in decades, they attempt to make their way in a fast-paced world, still unsure if they deserve that chance.
Tackling Stigma: Fundamental to an AIDS-Free Future
In a new commentary in The Lancet Global Health, experts argue that it is time to put stigma reduction at the forefront of programmatic responses to HIV.
HHS Press Release – New Funding Gives States and Innovators Tools and Flexibility to Implement Delivery System Reform
Intergenerational Family Connections: The Relationships that Support a Strong America
Generations United and the Alliance for Children and Families set out to take America’s temperature on family connections across the generations, commissioning an original Harris Poll survey in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the U.N. International Year of the Family in 2014. Structured around extended family, we explored the relationships and roles across generations that support or inhibit intergenerational solidarity and the transfer of care and resources between family members of all ages. Insight on the importance of connectedness provides a call to action for innovative community supports and policy considerations that not only replicate what is working, but also find solutions for families needing help.
The Commonwealth Fund Blog – The Two Americas: Moving Farther Apart?
The Commonwealth Fund’s recently released Scorecard on State Health System Performance, 2014, finds big differences between states on measures of health care access, quality, costs, and outcomes. What’s more, its authors warn that these differences could very well widen in the future. Many of the lowest-performing states are choosing not to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some also are discouraging eligible uninsured citizens from purchasing subsidized coverage through new ACA marketplaces, though some uninsured are signing up nonetheless.
National Foster Care Month 2014
May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize that we each can play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care. Find resources and information to help ensure that their future is bright.
Through Their Eyes: How Prisoners Make Sense of Their Incarceration
A new theoretical framework looks at punishment from the prisoner’s perspective and reveals how the lived experience of punishment differs from the punishment conceived by lawmakers.
Can You Have College Without the Bottleneck?
The bottlenecks approach is particularly applicable to postsecondary education. Few high-stakes choices are as pockmarked with pitfalls that can throw aspiring students off-track.
National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Strategies To Strengthen Fairness and Impartiality in Peer Review
NIH has a longstanding and time tested system of peer review to identify the most promising biomedical research. The NIH’s Center for Scientific Review is issuing a challenge titled ”Strategies to Strengthen Fairness and Impartiality in Peer Review.” The goal of this challenge is to seek ideas for strengthening reviewer training practices to enhance impartiality and fairness in peer review of grant applications.
Child Trends Hispanic Institute
On June 11, 2014, Child Trends will launch the Child Trends Hispanic Institute to provide timely, research-based information and guidance to improve outcomes for Latino children and youth in the U.S. The Institute will serve as a resource to organizations and individuals whose work affects the well-being of Hispanic children and families in the U.S., including policymakers and public administrators, program practitioners, the media, corporate leaders, and private philanthropy.
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2014 – May 8, 2014
Join SAMHSA, 1,100 communities, and 136 national collaborating organizations in celebration of the 2014 National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day: Inspiring Resilience, Creating Hope. Click here for more information.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Statement on National Minority Health Month
Sebelius discusses the commemoration of April as National Minority Health Month, a time to raise awareness about health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minorities. This year’s theme is Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity.
U.S. Advocates Want Social Security Cap Lifted, Wealthiest to Pay More
Social Security advocates delivered a petition to Congress on Thursday urging legislators to remove a tax cap that allows the U.S.’ wealthiest people to cease payments into the system after a certain threshold is met.
Hunger is a ‘silent crisis’ in the USA
The recession is officially over, but not for millions of working poor who do not always have enough money to buy food for the family, according to a new report by Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity.
Latest Issue of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) webzine, Spectrum
Spectrum offers accessible and relevant information about NIAAA and the alcohol research field. Each issue includes feature-length stories, news updates from the field, charticles and photo essays, and an interview with an NIAAA staff member, alcohol researcher, or liaison member.
Kaiser Health News – Primary Care Shortage? Not For The Insured, Study Shows
National Public Health Week: April 7-14
The American Public Health Association (APHA) champions the health of all people and communities. We strengthen the profession of public health, foster understanding, engagement and support for key public health issues and directly influence public policy to improve global health. During the first full week of April each year, APHA brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.
National Minority Health Month: April, 2014
This year’s National Minority Health Month theme, Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity, emphasizes that prevention is key to reducing the health disparities that disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities.
Youth Economic Opportunities Call for Input on Soft Skills, Skills Measurement, Labor Market Analysis, and Job Placement Measurement
The Workforce Connections project solicits technical input from organizations with interest in contributing to research and tool development in three key thematic areas: soft skills measurement, labor market analysis, and job placement measurement. Respondents should indicate if they (a) have research or tools relevant to these topics that they would like to share, or (b) would like to be informed of public consultations or reporting on these themes.
Statement by HHS Secretary Sebelius: Observing LGBT Health Awareness Week
LGBT Health Awareness Week is an important time to bring attention to the unique health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and to highlight the progress we’ve made in our work to ensure LGBT Americans have the same rights and protections as other Americans, especially through implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Washington Post Article – Latinos Being Left Behind in Health Care Overhaul
Hispanics account for about one-third of the nation’s uninsured, but they seem to be staying on the on the sidelines as the White House races to meet a goal of 6 million sign-ups by March 31.
NPR – With Less Financial Security, Older Workers Stay On The Job
Increasingly, older Americans are staying in the workforce longer. According to census figures, that includes more than 30 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 70.
Center for Advancing Health – Cost of Health Care a Burden for Most U.S. Households
Since 2001, health care costs have become more burdensome for almost all Americans, at every income level and in every geographic area.
New York Times Article: Income Gap, Meet the Longevity Gap
Reclaiming Social Welfare: Because All People Matter
Opportunity for Public Comment: White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Executive Order 13515, signed by the President on October 14, 2009, requires each agency to prepare and submit for approval, a written implementation plan to increase participation and access to federal programs and services for underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
New York Times Article – Little-Known Health Act Fact: Prison Inmates Are Signing Up
In a little-noticed outcome of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, jails and prisons around the country are beginning to sign up inmates for health insurance under the law, taking advantage of the expansion of Medicaid that allows states to extend coverage to single and childless adults – a major part of the prison population.
Social Work Month 2014
March is National Social Work Month! The National Association of Social Workers has chosen the 2014 Social Work Month theme: “All People Matter.” NASW selected this year’s theme and logo to help raise awareness about the American social work profession’s 116-year commitment to improving social conditions and quality of life opportunities for everyone. Social workers across the globe believe that all people have dignity and deserve respect.
President Obama Launches My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to Build Ladders of Opportunity For Boys and Young Men of Color
President Obama is taking action to launch My Brother’s Keeper – a new initiative to help every boy and young man of color who is willing to do the hard work to get ahead. For decades, opportunity has lagged behind for boys and young men of color. But across the country, communities are adopting approaches to help put these boys and young men on the path to success. The President wants to build on that work. We can learn from communities that are partnering with local businesses and foundations to connect these boys and young men to mentoring, support networks, and skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way up into the middle class. And the Administration will do its part by helping to identify and promote programs that work.
New York Times Article: States Struggle to Add Latinos to Health Rolls
So far, enrollment of Latinos has fallen strikingly below the hopes of the law’s proponents, accounting for 20 percent or fewer of those who had signed up on California’s state-run health insurance exchange by the end of December.
HHS: Most Uninsured Latinos Qualify for Discounted Healthcare
In a new report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that nearly eight in 10 uninsured Latinos qualify for some kind of government assistance with their healthcare.
$25 Million College Scholarship Fund Created for Undocumented ‘Dreamers’
A former owner of the Washington Post, a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, and a former Republican cabinet secretary have launched the nation’s largest college scholarship fund for undocumented students who were brought to the United States illegally as children.
Ron Haskins, Co-Director of the Brookings Center on Children and Families and Budgeting for National Priorities Project Testimony – Poverty and Opportunity: Begin with Facts
Ron Haskins discusses the War on Poverty on its 50th Anniversary.
Happy Anniversary, CHIPRA! Why it matters, and what’s next
On the fifth anniversary of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), which extended the authorization for CHIP, Community Catalyst reflects on all the great gains in children’s health coverage that have been made through CHIP and discusses the future of this valuable program.
Marriage Promotion Has Failed to Stem Poverty Among Single Moms
As the United States marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty this month, a new report suggests that federal marriage promotion activities have been a failure because marriage doesn’t provide the same benefits to poor, single mothers as it does for others.
Wait Times for Substance Abuse Treatment Affected by Race and Other Factors
Due to the often long wait for individuals to get into substance abuse treatment programs, many are likely to drop out before they actually receive treatment. Being black, referred by the criminal justice system, and receiving methadone increases one’s chances of waiting longer than a month to enter treatment.
Veterans Affairs to Extend Grant Program for Homeless Vets
Most Uninsured Americans Unaware of Options Under Health Law
A new survey suggests the Obama administration needs to continue informing the public about coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
HHS Press Release: Nearly 2.2 million Americans selected plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace from October through December
The National Academies Press Release: Improved Regulations to Protect Human Research Subjects Would Reduce Burden on IRBs While Better Protecting Study Participants
A new report from the National Research Council says that proposed updates to federal regulations that protect human research subjects need additional clarification when applied to the social and behavioral sciences.
HHS Press Release: HHS strengthens community living options for older Americans and people with disabilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule today to ensure that Medicaid’s home and community-based services programs provide full access to the benefits of community living and offer services in the most integrated settings. The rule, as part of the Affordable Care Act, supports the Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Living Initiative. The initiative was launched in 2009 to develop and implement innovative strategies to increase opportunities for Americans with disabilities and older adults to enjoy meaningful community living.
Statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: 50th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health
Later this month, we will release a new Surgeon General’s Report that will highlight 50 years of progress in tobacco control and prevention, present new data on the health consequences of tobacco use, and detail initiatives that can end the tobacco epidemic in the United States.
Office of Minority Health Press Release: New project aimed at collecting health data for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a new project aimed at improving health data collection for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. The information will be collected through the National Health Interview Survey, which is conducted by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. As a way to increase the number of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander households included in the survey, the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander National Health Interview Survey uses the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which collects data on approximately 3 million households in the United States annually.
Immigration Status Impacts Health, Especially for the Young
Senate Subcommittee Hearing – Dying Young: Why Your Social and Economic Status May Be a Death Sentence in America
HHS announces Affordable Care Act mental health services funding
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it plans to issue a $50 million funding opportunity announcement to help Community Health Centers establish or expand behavioral health services for people living with mental illness, and drug and alcohol problems.
Six out of ten uninsured African Americans may be eligible for Medicaid, CHIP or tax credits in the Health Insurance Marketplace
ChildTrends Blog Post – Homelessness among LGBT Youth: A National Concern
This post focuses on November as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and discusses homeless among youth, particularly LGBT youth. Click here to read the full post.
New York Times Article – Medicaid Help Without Falling Into Poverty
This article discusses Medicaid eligibility, including changes under the Affordable Care Act, and particularly how these regulations impact older adults. Click here to read the full article.
Final Mental Health Parity Rules Released
The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires parity between mental health or substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits with respect to financial requirements and treatment limitations under group health plans and group and individual health insurance coverage. Click here for more information.
Article in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Shows Race a Bigger Health Care Barrier Than Insurance Status
Race appears to be a larger factor in disparities in health care use than whether or not a person has health insurance. Click here for more information.
Opportunity for Public Comment
NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) Draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2014-2018
The Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) has announced the release of a Request for Information to gather broad public input on the ODP Draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2014-2018. The draft plan outlines the priorities that the Office will focus on over the next five years and highlights the ODP’s role in advancing prevention research at the NIH. Interested parties may include, but are not limited to, prevention researchers in academia and industry, healthcare professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific and professional organizations, federal agencies, and other interested members of the public. Click here for more information and to submit comments.
HHS awards Affordable Care Act funds to expand access to care
The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $150 million in awards under the Affordable Care Act to support 236 new health center sites across the country. These investments will help care for approximately 1.25 million additional patients. Click here for more information.
Children’s Bureau Spotlight on National Adoption Month: Call for Mental Health Professionals Trained in Adoption
Members of the adoption triad-birth parents, adoptive parents, and people who have been adopted-often have difficulties finding mental health care providers who understand the complex issues associated with adoption and how those issues shape their identities, their relationships, and other aspects of their lives. A new report from the Donaldson Adoption Institute presents research findings on mental health issues for individuals touched by adoption, outlines barriers to accessing adoption-competent services, and offers strategies for enhancing the adoption competence of mental health professionals. Click here for more information.
Center for Advancing Health Equity Prepared Patient Blog: This Doctor Treats Poverty Like a Disease
This article describes the work of Canadian physician, Dr. Gary Bloch, who advocates for physician interventions around poverty. Click here for more information.
Statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: 2013 National Native American Heritage Month
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has issued a statement related to this year’s National Native American Heritage Month – November. Click here for more information.
Healthier diets possible in low-income, rural communities in America
This article summarizes the results of a two-year randomized, controlled, community- and school-based intervention to prevent unhealthy weight gain among rural school-aged children that was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Click here for more information.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren will speak at the COSSA Colloquium on Social and Behavioral Science and Public Policy
The Consortium of Social Science Associations Colloquium on Social and Behavioral Science and Public Policy will take place on November 4-5, 2013 in Washington, DC. Click here for more information. The theme of the meeting is Societal, Technological, and Scientific Changes. Click here for more information.
Film, Twelve Years a Slave, Is The Story Of A Slave Whose End Is A Mystery
The film tells the story of Solomon Northup, an African-American musician from New York – a free man, until he was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., and sold into slavery. After an unlikely rescue from a Louisiana cotton plantation, he returned home and wrote a memoir, first published 160 years ago. Click here to read and/or listen to the NPR story.
Commentary: Family-Centered Treatment in Hispanic Communities
Click here to read the article from The Partnership at Drugfree.org.
Film – Short Term 12 – offers glimpse into world of foster children
Destin Daniel Cretton, 34, director and writer of “Short Term 12,” told SocialWorkerSpeak.org he decided to do the film to show the public what it is like to be a foster child and to work with foster children. Click here for more information.
Social Work Today article: Substance Abuse in People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – Breaking Down Treatment Barriers
When individuals with I/DD abuse substances, it’s often a hidden problem compounded by a lack of recognition and inadequate treatment options, but social workers are exploring solutions. Click here to read the full article.
NPR Report: Wisconsin Prisons Incarcerate Most Black Men In U.S.
A study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee looked at that state’s incarceration rates and found they were the highest in the country for black men. Click here to listen to the story and/or read a transcript.
HHS Announces Expansion of Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $69.7 million in grant awards to 13 states to expand Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program activities funded by the Affordable Care Act. Click here for more information.
The Commonwealth Fund: Finding Consensus on Policies to Slow Health Spending Growth
The Commonwealth Fund recently asked researchers at George Washington University to identify major areas of consensus among seven prominent proposals advanced in the past year to contain U.S. health costs and transform the health care delivery system. Click here for more information.
HHS 2014-2018 Strategic Plan: Draft for Public and Congressional Consultation
Deadline: October 15, 2013
Every 4 years, HHS updates its strategic plan, which describes its work to address complex, multifaceted, and ever-evolving health and human service issues. Under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act, Federal agencies are required to consult with the Congress and to solicit and consider the views of external parties. We welcome your input on the draft HHS Strategic Plan for FY 2014-2018. Click here for more information.
PBS documentary: Latino Americans
LATINO AMERICANS is a landmark three-part, six-hour documentary series that is set to air nationally on PBS in the fall of 2013. It is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape the United States over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S. Click here for more information.
Presidential Proclamation – National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, September 2013
Rutgers University Breaks Ground on New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health
Quality Matters: Innovations in Health Care Quality Improvement News Briefs
The August/September 2013 issue of Quality Matters (The Commonwealth Fund) looks at how government agencies, health care systems, and private companies are using data drawn from electronic medical records and administrative claims to advance medical knowledge. Click here for the full issue.
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) “Discovery” of Historical Documents
IFSW started with financial support of the IFSW Friend program, a new exciting project to make the Federation’s archives accessible to social workers around the world. After intensive work in Switzerland historical documents have been located regarding the time of the establishment of the International Permanent Secretariat of Social Work (pre-IFSW 1928 – 1950), and the relationship with post-second-world-war industrial social work. A significant book telling the history of the foundation in 1956 was found with a tied up bundle of “old books”. This book includes among others the proceedings of the 8th Assembly of the International Conference on Social Work, the foundation documents and minutes with the constitution of the Permanent Committee. Click here for more information.