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By Glenn Gamboa, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 31, 2021 A few years ago, Dave Isay started worrying about America as he saw the middle ground between the political parties vanish into what he calls “disconnection and a vast void.” “I am not ever concerned about people arguing with each other, because that’s healthy,” Isay said. “But I was concerned with people treating one another with contempt.” Isay, the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, the winner of six Peabody awards, and...

From County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, April 2021 It is a pivotal time in the nation as we face the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed calls for racial justice. For more than a decade, the County Health Rankings have examined the multiple factors that impact how long and how well we live and have shown there are stark differences in health and opportunity by place. COVID-19 has exacerbated these differences. While all are suffering, those who came into the pandemic with the fewest...

By Miriam Pawel, The New York Times, March 31, 2021 More than three decades ago, Cesar Chavez, founder of the first successful union for farmworkers, predicted a future in which the cities of California would be run by people who looked like him. “History and inevitability are on our side,” he said in one of his best-known speeches, an address to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. “The farmworkers and their children, and the Hispanics and their children, are the future in California.”...

By Dylan Scott, Vox, April 1, 2021 After the passage of President Joe Biden’s first Covid-19 relief plan , nearly 7 million additional uninsured Americans now qualify for free health insurance through the Affordable Care Act , according to new federal projections shared exclusively with Vox. The American Rescue Plan (ARP), which takes effect on Thursday, expanded eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s premium subsidies — federal aid to help people pay for insurance plans bought on the...

On February 24, 2021, Dr. Warren Larkin of the UK and Becky Haas of the US launched the first meeting of the Global Resiliency Accelerator. Dr. Andi Clements, of the ETSU Ballad Health Strong Brain Institute chaired the session as well as served as moderator for the Q&A session. Over 60 people from 11 countries joined the event. Among these in attendance were professionals from Lithuania, Australia, Ukraine, Scotland, France, Canada, New Zealand, the US, Dublin and Wales. The...

(Becky Haas and Ben Schoenberg, Co-Authors) A group of like-minded higher education professionals across universities and departments came together on Tuesday, March 23, to explore the impact ACE's and Trauma initiatives have had on campus. This convening was hosted by the East Tennessee State University Ballad Health Strong Brain Institute following their participation in the January CTIPP CAN call which showcased three universities who are doing work around the Adverse Childhood...

By Catherine G. Dennis, M.S., Ed.S Trauma informed practice, ACES and resilience have been the focus of educators the last few years. The idea that trauma was something that happened in the early years and understanding that impact on learning in the long term. But the pause of this past year for all children has delivered another layer to this ever-evolving topic. Now, it doesn't really matter what the situation was at home, collectively, trauma was delivered to all the children that fill...

By Katheryn Houghton, Kaiser Health News, March 30, 2021 Linda Heim knew her dad didn’t plan to wait for the cancer to kill him. For decades, he’d lived in Montana, which they’d thought was one of the few places where terminally ill people could get a prescription to end their life. After two years of being sick, Heim’s dad got the diagnosis in 2019: stage 4 kidney cancer. His physician offered treatments that might extend his life by months. Instead, the 81-year-old asked the doctor for...

I dream that all of our children know they are worthy, capable, and loved by their elders and their community. I dream that we will have resources to share in our collective grief over this pandemic that is not over yet. I dream that we will have the necessary resources to fertilize our physical and cultural environments so that we can reshape our city, state, country, and world to be what we want it to be.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, with Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, left, and First Lady Britainy Beshear, places a flag at the state Capitol to memorialize Kentuckians who have died of complications from COVID-19. In Kentucky and at least three other states, lawmakers are trying to gain control over funds allocated to their state under the latest federal COVID-19 relief package. Photo Credit: Ryan C. Hermens Lexington Herald-Leader via The Associated Press March 31, 2021 With states set to...

When one thinks of meditation some will think of someone sitting cross-legged on the floor, with fingers in a funny position, repeating a simple word or sound such as “ooommm”. However, meditation is much deeper and richer a practice than just the one practice encompassing many forms. This fourth article in the mindfulness, prayer, and meditation series examines meditation, the many forms it can take and its benefits to mental and physical health. Defining Meditation The word “meditate”...