State Category: Kansas
TFAH and Other Leaders Launch Public Health Communications Collaborative to Support and Advance Public Health During COVID-19 Pandemic
(Washington, DC, September 2, 2020) – The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC), launched today, will promote the value of public health to protect Americans’ health and safety as well as the nation’s economy. The collaborative will coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 issues to increase Americans’ confidence in health guidance by communicating the best available science, by positioning public health leaders as expert spokespersons, and by quickly correcting misinformation.
“Unfortunately, misinformation and conflicting messages about COVID-19 have confused the American public at a time when clear guidance about how to protect their health is critical,” said John Auerbach, President, and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “This collaborative will share information that will advance science-based decision making during the pandemic and in doing so will help save lives.”
Founding members of the PHCC are Trust for America’s Health, the CDC Foundation, and the de Beaumont Foundation. Partner organizations are the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Big Cities Health Coalition, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, PATH, and Resolve to Save Lives.
The Public Health Communications Collaborative website will be a hub repository of information and messaging products designed to help state and local public health officials share information with their constituents and navigate the current media landscape. The site will be updated regularly with real-time messaging and resources.
To sign up for email updates from PHCC, visit the website.
Pathways to a Healthy Kansas
Pathways to a Healthy Kansas is the largest community grant program funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas. The Pathways program was established in order to provide community coalitions the resources they need to remove barriers to health and engage communities to live a healthier lifestyle. Grant recipients are required to engage in a cross-sector collaboration in order to address the program’s seven focus areas in order to create sustainable change in communities. The seven areas are community policy, community well-being, food retail, health care, restaurants, schools, and worksites. The focus areas aim to promote active living, healthy eating, and tobacco prevention.
Application booklet (provides more info on the program): https://communityengagementinstitute.org/Documents/Pathways_Application_Booklet_0516.pdf
Main website: https://www.bcbsks.com/AboutUs/blue-health-initiatives/pathways.shtml
New Data Show Few State Policies Require Specific Action for Implementation of Complete Streets
(Washington D.C. – August 20, 2020)
Nearly half of all US states have mandatory Complete Streets policies, according to new data published today to LawAtlas.org.
While many states agree on whom the policy should protect — of the 24 jurisdictions with mandatory Complete Streets policies on July 1, 2020, all address bicyclists, pedestrians, and public transit users, and the majority require consideration for individuals of all ages and abilities — efforts to expedite or ensure implementation vary:
- One-third (seven states and the District of Columbia) of the jurisdictions with mandatory policies include provisions that establish a deadline for implementation of the policy.
- Fewer than half (10 states and the District of Columbia) indicate that existing street design guidelines be revised to include Complete Streets elements.
- New construction will trigger the policy in almost all jurisdictions with mandatory policies. In contrast, maintenance projects will trigger the policy in only 14 such jurisdictions
- Thirteen jurisdictions with mandatory policies include performance measures meant to track implementation success in the policy, but the vast majority do not specify what exactly those performance measures should be. Only Indiana includes the numbers of injuries or deaths as a required performance measure in its policy.
- Sixteen jurisdictions require that justification be provided as a part of the policy’s exemption process. Only four jurisdictions require that justification be made publicly available.
- Twenty-three jurisdictions have policies that assign a specific entity to oversee the implementation.
“These data offer a nuanced look at Complete Streets policies in the United States, and are an important first step in filling a much-needed gap in our understanding about whether these policies are actually addressing the dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and users of public transit,” said Adam Lustig, the manager of the Promoting Health & Cost Control in States initiative at Trust for America’s Health, which is the umbrella project for these data.
“Complete Streets policies can provide a framework to shift roadway infrastructure design to consider the needs of all users, but they need to be evidence-based. We can’t provide effective guidance to policymakers without research.”
The Promoting Health and Cost Control in States initiative’s legal data resources are a collaboration with the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research with Trust for America’s Health and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Complete Streets dataset is the third in a series of datasets on laws and policies that can support cost-savings for states and promote health and well-being.
Access the Complete Streets dataset on LawAtlas.org.
TFAH Applauds the Introduction of the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 by Senator Smith (MN) and Senator Murphy (CT)
(Washington, DC – August 5, 2020) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-partisan, independent public health policy, research and advocacy organization, applauds Senators Tina Smith (MN) and Chris Murphy (CT) for introducing the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020. This critical bill would address the social, economic and environmental conditions that affect the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.
If enacted, the bill would create a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through grants, this program would improve the capacity of public health departments and community organizations to address social determinants of health and reduce health care costs by building multi-sector collaborations and addressing policies that currently inhibit good health. Grants would also be issued to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education to conduct research on SDOH best practices, provide technical, training and evaluation assistance and/or disseminate those best practices. Lastly, the program would coordinate, support and align SDOH activities at CDC.
The President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, congratulates Sen. Smith and Sen. Murphy on the introduction of the bill:
“The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the continued conversations our country is having about racism and racial justice, continue to put a spotlight on the social and economic conditions that contribute to an individual’s health outcomes during their life.
We know that a community’s resources directly impact the health outcomes of its residents. Now is the time to work to address these disparities, including those in housing, employment, food security and education.
This legislation would empower public health departments and community organizations to act as chief health strategists in their communities and lead efforts to convene partners across sectors to build integrated systems and programs that improve health and health equity.
The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 is an important next step in improving health outcomes, would reduce overall healthcare spending and help address health inequities; TFAH is proud to support this bill and urges Congressional support.”
This bill is the Senate companion bill to Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 (H.R. 6561), which was introduced by Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) in April 2020.
TFAH’s summary of the bill can be found here. For more information on The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020, please contact Daphne Delgado at [email protected].
In addition to TFAH, original endorsing organizations include:
1,000 Days
A Vision of Change Inc.
Addiction Professionals of North Carolina
Addiction Connections Resource
All Youth Access, LLC
Aligning for Health
America’s Essential Hospitals
American Art Therapy Association
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
American Association of Birth Centers
American Association on Health and Disability
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American College of Preventative Medicine
American Federation of Teachers
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Institute for Cancer Research
American Kidney Fund
American Medical Student Association
American Public Health Association
Anders & Associates
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
APLA Health
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Minority Health Professions Schools
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Association of State Public Health Nutritionists
Autism Family Services of New Jersey
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Behavioral Health Association of Providers
Berean Wellness & Community Support Center
Better Health Partnership
Bike Cleveland
Blue Shield of California
Bridges Into the Future
Brighter Beginnings
Brooklyn Perinatal Network Inc
Build Healthy Places Network
Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus
California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
CARE ADVISORS
Caregivers of New Jersey
Center for Civil Justice
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Ceres Community Project
ChangeLab Solutions
Chicago Youth Programs, Inc.
Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition
Cleveland Public Library
Coalition for Disability Health Equity
Commission on the Public’s Health System
Common Threads
Community Based Organization Partners (CBOP)- Brooklyn Chapter
Community Catalyst
Community Cup Classic Foundation
Community Engagement Studio of Flint
Community Health Councils
Community Resilience Initiative
Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
Cook County Department of Public Health
Counter Tools
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
Deborah’s Place
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Epilepsy Alliance America
Epilepsy Information Service of Wake Forest
Epilepsy Services of NJ
Epilepsy Services of New Jersey
Equality California
Equality North Carolina
Families USA
Farmworker Justice
Flint Association of Black Social Workers
flint rising
Flint Women’s Study Community Action Network
Florida Institute for Health Innovation
George Washington University Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement
Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Greater Flint Health Coalition
GSK Consumer Healthcare
Health by Design
Health Leadership Legacy Project
Health Outreach Partners
Health Resources in Action
Health Care Improvement Foundation
Healthy Chesapeake
Healthy Kinder International
Hispanic Federation
Human Impact Partners
Human Rights Campaign
Illinois Association of Behavioral Health
Indiana Public Health Association
Impetus – Let’s Get Started LLC
Japanese American Citizens League
Jump IN for Healthy Kids
Justice in Aging
Lakeshore Foundation
Lanai Community Health Center
Latino Coalition for a Health CA
Lutheran Services in America
Maine Public Health Association
March of Dimes
MaryCatherine Jones Consulting, LLC
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network)
Midwest Asian Health Association
MomsRising
MountainCare
Move United
NAACP
NASTAD
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for Rural Mental Health
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of Community Health Workers
National Association of Counties
National Association of County Behavioral Health & Development Disability Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of School Nurses
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Collaborative for Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health
National Council of Jewish Women
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Medical Association (NMA)
National Network of Public Health Institutes
National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Recreation and Park Association
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
National WIC Association
National Working Positive Coalition
Nemours Children’s Health System
NERDS RULE INC
Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials (NJACCHO)
New Jersey Public Health Association
NOELA Community Health Center
North Carolina Alliance for Health
North Central Public Health District
North Dakota Rural Health Association
Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Region
NOVA ScriptsCentral
One Joplin
Oregon Vision Coalition
PacificSource
PFLAG National
Physicians for Social Responsibility, AZ Chapter
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
Piedmont Access To Health Services, Inc.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services
Prevent Blindness
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Prevention Institute
Project for Whole Health Learning in K-12
Population Health Alliance
Public Health Alliance of Southern California
Public Health Foundation
Public Health Institute
Redstone Center for Prevention and Wellness
Respiratory Health Association
RESULTS
RESULTS DC
Silver State Equality-Nevada
SLM Consulting, LLC
Society for Community Research & Action (SCRA)
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Public Health Education
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
tahoe forest Hospital Care coordination
Tennessee Justice Center
The AIDS Institute
The Center for Community Resilience
The Gerontological Society of America
The Health Trust
The Fairfield Group
The Family Resource Network
The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health
The National REACH Coalition
The Participatory Budgeting Project
The Praxis Project
The Pride Center at Equality Park
The Wall Las Memorias Project
Training Resources Network, Inc.
Treatment Action Group
Trust for America’s Health
United Way of Treasure Valley
Valley AIDS Council
Vita Health and Wellness Partnership
Washington State Department of Health
Wayne State University Center for Health and Community Impact
WE in the World
Well Being Trust
West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition
Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative
Wholesome Wave
Wisconsin Division of Public Health
Wright County Public Health
New Data: Overdose Deaths Up Nearly 5 Percent; COVID-19 Creates Additional Stressors for Both Patient and Provider Community
(Washington, DC and Oakland, CA – July 20, 2020) – Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released preliminary data showing an increase in drug overdose deaths in 2019. These provisional data showed an estimated 71,999 Americans died from overdoses last year, a nearly five percent increase in numbers of deaths as compared to 2018 and a reversal of the prior year’s small decrease in such deaths.
The 2019 increase was largely driven by a rise in deaths from synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, and cocaine.
“These new data are a stark reminder that we must fight the dual public health threats of COVID-19 and substance misuse at the same time,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “While understandably focusing attention on the pandemic response, we can’t neglect the devastation caused by substance misuse and overdoses.”
An area of concern is that the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to more substance misuse and overdose deaths. Preliminary data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy has found a substantial increase in suspected overdoses since the start of stay-at-home orders on March 19th, 2020. And a new study, out this week by RTI International, found that alcohol sales have surged nationally during the pandemic.
In response to the pandemic, policymakers have eased certain regulations on the delivery of mental health and substance use services. Telehealth requirements have been altered to allow for increased access through audio-only services and federal authorities have allowed for prescribing of buprenorphine and methadone, drugs t treat opioid use disorder, without an initial in-person examination.
Despite these changes, challenges remain. COVID-19 has made access to substance misuse treatment more difficult for many. Millions have lost or will soon lose health insurance coverage as unemployment rises. Some are fearful of seeking care because of the threat of infection. And relatively little is being done to address the upstream factors that elevate the risk of substance misuse, such as lack of educational and economic opportunities and racial injustice.
“How many more lives must we lose before we take seriously the need for a comprehensive call to action? We are going in the wrong direction and need to prioritize this larger epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Benjamin F. Miller, Chief Strategy Officer for Well Being Trust. “We must begin by investing in solutions that work – those solutions that more seamlessly integrate mental health and substance use disorder treatment into all the places people show up for help.”
Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust co-produce the Pain in the Nation series which has tracked alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths nationally since 2017. For more information visit: http://www.pitn.org/
Trust for America’s Health Mourns the Passing of Congressman John Lewis
(Washington DC – July 19, 2020)
Congressman John Lewis was a living legend and a giant in the fight for justice. At a young age, he risked his life for equality in the civil rights movement as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He inspired millions with his speech at the 1963 March on Washington and by his courageous actions throughout his life. He believed in the importance of government as a force for good which he demonstrated in his more than 30 years as a Congressman serving Georgia’s 5th district. He consistently promoted policies to improve the health and well-being of the American people, to oppose racism, and to create social and economic conditions to uplift all, especially those who were marginalized.
As we strengthen our commitment to advance equity and fairness for all, we can all be inspired by his life, his values, and his actions. We extend our condolences to Congressman Lewis’ family, friends, and colleagues.
Beyond School Walls: How Federal, State and Local Entities are Adapting Policies to Ensure Student Access to Healthy Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 School Closures Put 30 Million Children at Risk of Hunger
Many States with High COVID-19 Infection Rates Also Have Highest School-Meal Programs Participation Rates
(Washington, DC – July 16, 2020) – As COVID-19 infection rates continue to increase in states across the country, many of those jurisdictions are facing the complex dilemma of high infections rates complicating school re-openings and thereby limiting students’ access to school-based meal programs. Among the states with spiking infection rates and a high percentage of students participating in school-based meal programs are Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.
In March schools across the country began closing to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In response, and recognizing the important source of nutrition school-based meals were to millions of American children, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service began approving nationwide waivers to provide school systems flexibility in how meals were provided to students. For example, these waivers enable schools to serve meals in non-congregate settings and outside of standard mealtimes, serve afterschool snacks and meals outside of structured environments, and waive requirements that students be present when meals are picked up.
Over half of all students in elementary and secondary schools across the country depend on the National School Lunch Program, and 12.5 million of those students also participate in the School Breakfast Program. As the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools this spring, these students were placed at risk of not having enough to eat.
A new policy brief, Beyond School Walls: How Federal, State and Local Entities are Adapting Policies to Ensure Student Access to Healthy Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, released today by Trust for America’s Health, reviews steps the federal and state governments have taken to ensure students’ access to healthy meals when schools are closed and what needs to be done to ensure continued meal access as all school systems face uncertainties about how to safely reopen for the 2020-2021 school year.
“School meal programs are the most important source of nutritious food for millions of American children. To the degree possible, school systems, with financial and regulatory relief from the federal government, should continue to be innovative about how to deliver meals to students and should strive to meet or exceed federal nutrition standards for these meals despite product shortages created by the pandemic,” said Adam Lustig, Project Manager at Trust for America’s Health and the brief’s author.
Due to the economic impact the pandemic has had on millions of American families and the numerous uncertainties about how to safely re-open schools, the currently in place program waivers should be extended through the summer and may need to be kept in place during the 2020–2021 school year, the brief says.
Many of the states hardest hit by COVID also have highest school meal programs participation rates
States with some of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections also have high percentages of students who depend on school meals for much of their nutrition. States in which both COVID-19 infection rates are above national medians and school meals program enrollment is high include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
States in which more than half of students are enrolled in school-meals programs are:
Percentage of students enrolled in school meal programs
D.C. 76.4%
Mississippi 75.0%
New Mexico 71.4%
South Carolina 67.0%
Arkansas 63.6%
Louisiana 63.0%
Oklahoma 62.5%
Georgia 62.0%
Nevada 60.8%
Kentucky 58.7%
California 58.1%
Florida 58.1%
Arizona 57.0%
Missouri 52.7%
New York 52.6%
Illinois 50.2%
Alabama 51.6%
Oregon 50.5%
Hunger, poor nutrition and food insecurity can increase a child’s risk of developing a range of physical, mental, behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. Hungry children also get sick more often and are more likely to be hospitalized. Maintaining children’s access to nutritious meals despite school closures not only ensure they do not go hungry, but also promotes children’s health.
“State and federal guidelines waivers have allowed school systems to provide meals to students during the pandemic response, keeping them in place this summer and into the 2020-2021 school year will be the difference between kids who have enough to eat and kids who go hungry,” Lustig said.
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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. Twitter:@HealthyAmerica1
Newly Announced Order for Hospitals to Bypass CDC and Send Coronavirus Patient Information Directly to Washington Database Likely to Worsen Pandemic Response Rather than Improve It
(Washington, DC – July 15, 2020) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the nation’s lead public health agency, is uniquely qualified to collect, analyze and disseminate information regarding infectious diseases. It has been serving in that role since its creation and, in close collaboration with U.S. healthcare facilities nationwide, has developed a health statistics infrastructure that is the gold standard worldwide.
The problems with regard to the COVID-19 data collection have largely been a result of the decentralized and fragmented nature of both healthcare and public health in the United States. Furthermore, hospital data is only one aspect of what we need to know to fight the pandemic. A key role of health departments at all levels of government is to aggregate data to produce a detailed picture of a health problem at the national, state and local levels. Inadequate funding for data infrastructure, at CDC and at the local, state, tribal and territorial levels, is also a contributing factor. That underfunding should be corrected rather than bypassed.
In the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, it is counter-productive to create a new mechanism which will be extremely complicated to build and implement. Another area of concern is that the planning for this new approach did not substantively involve officials at the local, state, tribal and/or territorial levels. This is a time to support the public health system not take actions which may undermine its authority and critical role.
Americans must have confidence in the integrity of health data and its insulation from even the suggestion of political interference. Sending these sensitive data to a newly created entity overseen directly by the White House will not eliminate such concerns, it will increase them.
John Auerbach, President and CEO, Trust for America’s Health
Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives
Lori T. Freeman, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of County and City Health Officials
Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association
Thomas M. File, Jr., M.D., MSc, FIDSA; President, Infectious Disease Society of America
Chrissie Juliano, MPP, Executive Director, Big Cities Health Coalition
William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, Chair, Redstone Center for Prevention and Wellness, George Washington University