Blog

By Ben Chandler, Betty "B.J." Adkins, and David Finke, Advocate-Messenger, August 13, 2019 Semple Elementary first-grade teacher Christina Carter read a story to her class about a child who faced stressful events every day, making it hard to focus at school. After the story, she gave her students a prompt — if Ms. Carter only knew. Some of the responses were eye-opening. “If Ms. Carter only knew … I get my sister ready in the morning and that’s why we are always late.” “If Ms. Carter only...

By Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, August 15, 2019 Can transgender parents who have had breast surgery breastfeed or chestfeed their infants? Yes. Some transgender parents who have had breast/top surgery may wish to breastfeed or chestfeed their infants. Healthcare providers working with these families should be familiar with medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transitions to provide optimal family-centered care and meet the nutritional needs of the infant. These...

“As a field we continue to deeply entrench ourselves in ways of thinking and funding that are wed to reacting to trauma and damage alone, instead of working to prevent as much of it as we possibly can.” —Jerry Milner, associate commissioner of the Children's Bureau, and David Kelly, special assistant to the associate commissioner I agree. There needs to be a greater focus on the primary prevention of adverse childhood experiences.

New Hanover Resiliency Task Force Chairman Scott Whisnant thanks Executive Director Mebane Boyd for her leadership, and his "Resilient Vision Award." The July 27, 2019 meeting of the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force marked the first year of the group’s work since hiring a coordinator, but the gag gifts handed out in celebration told the real story of the community building, affection, and joy experienced in the members’ work together. New Hanover County’s Chief Planning Officer, Beth...

By Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post, August 13, 2019 An influential group of health experts recommended Tuesday that doctors screen all adults for use of illegal drugs, another step toward curbing the epidemic that claims tens of thousands of lives each year. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that health providers should attempt to determine whether their patients 18 or older are using illicit drugs, including nonmedical use of prescription drugs. But the panel said it did not...

Corey Mitchell, Education Week, August 9, 2019 In the wake of the largest U.S. immigration raid in a decade, educators in Mississippi this week were left to console and support children with detained parents. Now, school administrators and other educators across the country face the prospect that workplace raids could happen in their districts—and must address the fear and uncertainty that is likely gripping millions of their students. Nationally, at least five million children have at least...

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 7, 2019 To advance equitable and inclusive policies, we need greater diversity in policy and law research. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Policies for Action program is launching a new funding and mentorship opportunity for early-career policy researchers. We seek historically underrepresented, post-doctoral scholars to study existing policies and law reform so everyone may have a fair and just opportunity to live their healthiest life. [ Please click...

By Monica Humphries, Nationswell, August 14, 2019 IT’S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN JUST A BAN ON LUNCH SHAMING. AS SCHOOLS STRUGGLE TO FEED CHILDREN WITHOUT PLUMMETING INTO DEBT, LEGISLATORS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE LOOKING AT SOLUTIONS. Stephanie Woodard still remembers the weight of a roll of pennies in her pocket, hoping it would be enough to pay for lunch. The professional learning specialist for Fort Bend International School District recalls sneaking into her father’s bedroom and digging...

Cissy's Note: I work with people who challenge systems and policies, who reform or start non-profits, and who see hope and promise where others see despair or destruction. While some folks shake their heads or shrug indifferently in the face of injustice and suffering, others organize, mobilize, and channel their time and energy towards making a change. Maybe a physician hosts an annual conference bringing trauma-informed approaches to medical practice. Perhaps a woman shares ACEs 101...

By Elizabeth Lawrence and Elinor Aspegren, USA Today, August 14, 2019 Revelle Mast wanted to be an architect when she was a kid. She changed course in high school, deciding to pursue chemical engineering to address the threat of climate change. But, last year, she made another life decision: to go into politics. “I realized about a year ago that was not feasible on the time scale that climate change is happening,” Mast said. “Nine months ago, I quit my engineering job and went full time into...

By Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, August 12, 2019 Sixteen years ago, in 2003, the student newspaper at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a historically black institution in Tallahassee, published a lively column about white people. “I don’t hate whites,” the author, a senior named Ibram Rogers, wrote. “How can you hate a group of people for being who they are?” He explained that “Europeans” had been “socialized to be aggressive people,” and “raised to be racist.” His theory was...

By Alex Leeds Matthews, Center for Health Journalism, August 13, 2019 When reporters talk about socioeconomic status, it’s rarely defined. Usually, we’re thinking of a broad category of measures related to this nebulous idea: income, education, percent of federal poverty level, housing status and others. But all these little pieces that we stitch together into the broader notion of socioeconomic status are not equivalent. For example, while there is a relationship between income and...