Weekly Insider 05.08.2009

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools Weekly Insider is a web-enhanced newsletter that offers news alerts, grant announcements and general web site updates delivered directly to your email box on a weekly basis. The Center is located at the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.



New Resources
 
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released  America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009,  which provides Federal data on children and families in the hopes of stimulating discussions among policy makers and the public.

The U.S. Oral Health Workforce in the Coming Decade,   a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, which presents the results from a 1-day planning meeting convened by ION to assess the accessibility of oral health services in the US.

Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All – Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected Immigrant Groups in Chicago a recently released publication from the Urban Institute, which recognizes that children with at least one immigrant parent are of particular concern to early childhood leaders and policy makers in Illinois


New from the Center

The Future Is Now: Supporting the Needs of Immigrant and Refugee Children at School by Julia Graham Lear, PhD
This presentation summarizes recent immigration trends nationally and in the state of Maryland. It also describes several projects the Center has been working through the RWJF Caring Across Communities initiative that are developing school-connected programs to provide mental health promotion, early intervention and treatment services for immigrant children and their families. These projects have created a range of services and interventions that address both the academic and emotional needs of these children and they offer lessons that all of us can use.


Important Topic

Sports Injuries in Children

Upcoming Meetings

  • Minneapolis, MN: 14th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health. November 2-4, 2009. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: http://csmh.umaryland.edu/conf_meet/
  • San Diego, CA: 6th Annual Conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association. November 17-18, 2009. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: http://74.43.1.99/index.cfm?pageid=3965 
  • Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children. October 1-3, 2009. For more information and to register for this event, please visit: http://www.ncaeyc.org


Previously Posted Meetings
  • Baltimore, MD: Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorders in Children and Adolescents. October 16, 2009.For more information and to register for this event, please visit: http://www.mspaonline.org/calendar.html
  • Nashville, TN: School Choice and School Improvement – Research in State, District & Community Contexts. October 25-27, 2009. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/upconf.htm#sep09 
  • Cincinnati, OH: Successful Practices: Surviving to Thriving – Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth Conference. November 5-7, 2009. For more information and to register for this event, please visit: http://searchconference.org/index.html


    • Job opportunities

  • City of Fremont – Counselor in Youth and Family Services Division (Fremont, CA)
  • Hesperian Foundation – Communications and Outreach Manager (Berkeley, CA)
  • The Colorado Trust – Senior Project Director (Denver, CO)
  • Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. – Assistant Director for Health/Nutrition (Malden, MA)
  • Jewish Child & Family Services – Quality Improvement Associate (Chicago, IL)
  • Mount Sinai Medical Center – Community Project Coordinator (New York, NY)


    • News Alert

    Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist After Hurricane Katrina, according to GAO
    Congressional testimony by a representative of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on August 4, 2009, reported that barriers to mental health services for children in post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans persist despite support from multiple federal agencies for mental health and related services.  According to a recent GAO survey, stakeholder organizations identified a lack of mental health providers and sustainability of funding as the major barriers to providing mental health services.


    New Resources

    The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009, which provides Federal data on children and families in the hopes of stimulating discussions among policy makers and the public. In 2008, there were 73.9 million children between the ages of 0 and 17 years. 56 percent of these children were White, 22 percent Hispanic, 15 percent Black, 4 percent Asian, and the remaining 5 percent were of other races. 89 percent of children had health insurance in 2007. Also in 2007, 66 percent of children lived in counties where one or more air pollutants were above acceptable levels, though their exposure to second hand smoke dropped. 8 percent of youth 12-17 years had a Major Depressive Episode. Overall, this report describes three demographic background measures and 40 selected indicators.   

    The U.S. Oral Health Workforce in the Coming Decade,  a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, which presents the results from a 1-day planning meeting convened by ION to assess the accessibility of oral health services in the US. The panel discussed the specific oral health needs, challenges and status for various patient populations. For instance, young children ages 0 to 3 years do not receive adequate oral health services because of the prevailing thought that baby teeth are not important since they will be replaced by permanent teeth. Oral health services are particularly important for elementary school children given they are of age to form health habits and permanent teeth are arriving. Interestingly, the report suggests school-based interventions can improve oral health, but such programs may not always help those in most need of oral health services. Further, the report describes the proportion of children receiving dental services; 25 percent of children under the age of 6 years, 50 percent of children 6-12 years, and 48 percent of adolescents 13-20 had dental visits in 2004. More children receiving services have private insurance compared to those covered by public sources or without dental coverage. This resource will be of interest to school professionals, medical professionals, community members, families, and policy makers.  

    Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All – Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected Immigrant Groups in Chicago, a recently released publication from the Urban Institute, which recognizes that children with at least one immigrant parent are of particular concern to early childhood leaders and policy makers in Illinois. For instance, this population of children has grown from 14 to 27 percent between 1990 and 2007. Additionally, many of these children are language learners. To ensure that these children receive a quality early childhood education, the Urban Institute conducted this research to identify the specific challenges facing these children of immigrants. This report looks at a number of factors, including knowledge of preschool programs, transportation, enrollment, cultural responsiveness, and fear of government, and identifies important policy implications from those findings. This report will illuminate important challenges for children of immigrants in receiving a quality preschool education throughout the US.
     

    Job opportunities

    City of Fremont – Counselor, Youth and Family Services Division (Fremont, CA)
    The City of Fremont’s Health Services Department has received funding to expand school-based behavior health services for students in Fremont public schools. This funding will be used to create a mental health team. Responsibilities include providing direct services to students and families, assisting in the formation of school-site service coordination teams, and coordinating the cases assigned to the counseling and case management interns providing clinical services. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.opportunityknocks.org/JobSeekerX/ViewJob.asp?JobID=bp7XeEuKxn9CFrlhTT6NljExuUYl&Keywords=child+AND+health

    Hesperian Foundation – Communications and Outreach Manager (Berkeley, CA)
    Hesperian, a non-profit that collaborates internationally with health workers and grassroots groups to develop materials for community-based health care, is seeking a Communications and Outreach Manager. Responsibilities include leading and coordinating a multifaceted outreach strategy to increase the organization’s visibility, advocating efforts on health issues nationally and internationally, and supervising staff in these areas for coordination. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.opportunityknocks.org/JobSeekerX/ViewJob.asp?JobID=vRQNO%2BA760KMSln74TZ1DfQzFvPx&Keywords=mental+AND+health

    The Colorado Trust – Senior Project Director     (Denver, CO)
    The Colorado Trust is recruiting a Senior Project Director to manage its strategy to raise awareness, understanding, and support to achieve access to health for all Coloradans. Responsibilities include communicating, engaging community members, managing projects, and working with the project team. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://philanthropy.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000605740-01

    Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. – Assistant Director for Health/Nutrition     (Malden, MA)
    The Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. is seeking an Assistant Director for Health/Nutrition. Responsibilities include scheduling, coordinating, and supervising health and nutrition components of Head Start/preschool program serving low-income families. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/347137-233

    Jewish Child & Family Services – Quality Improvement Associate     (Chicago, IL)
    The Jewish Child and Family Services is a national child and family service agency that is seeking a Quality Improvement Associate. Responsibilities include coordinating and carrying out activities related to implementation of the Agency Continuous Quality Improvement Program. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/345146-202
     
    Mount Sinai Medical Center – Community Project Coordinator     (New York, NY)
    The Mount Sinai Medical Center is seeking a Community Project Coordinator to work at the newly-funded Institutes for Clinical and Translational Sciences. The Coordinator will work in the Northern Manhattan and Harlem communities. Responsibilities include building productive relationships and generating interest, enthusiasm, and active partners. Additionally, the position requires leading efforts to organize a partnership board, assisting members of the Board, and mentoring community members. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm (Search Term: The Community Project Coordinator)