TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - La mitad de los niños del país que no cuentan con un seguro médico viven en seis estados, y uno de ellos es Florida. Así lo dio a conocer un reporte publicado este jueves por el Georgetown Center for Children and Families (Centro Georgetown para los Niños y las Familias), en el que se que clasifica al estado en el quinto lugar nacional en cuanto al porcentaje de niños no asegurados.

El Estado del Sol es cualquier cosa menos eso para más de 445 mil niñas y niños que no tienen seguro médico. De acuerdo a un reporte publicado hoy (jueves) por el Centro Georgetown para los Niños y las Familias (GCCF, por sus siglas en inglés) Florida ocupa el quinto lugar nacional en la escala de los estados con mayor índice de infantes no asegurados.

Karen Woodwall, del Florida Center of Fiscal and Economic Policies (Centro de Política Fiscal y Económica de Florida, afirma que una razón de que la tasa esté tan alta es el hecho de que los legisladores de Florida eligen no eliminar el período de cinco años de espera para que los niños que inmigraron legalmente reciban la cobertura del CHIP, como ya lo hicieron otros 22 estados.
 
“Cambiar eso y permitir a esos niños, que están viviendo en el estado, que han seguido las reglas y tienen documentos, pero que están esperando cinco años para tener acceso a este programa.”

A nivel nacional, cuatro de los veinte condados con el más alto índice de menores no asegurados, están en Florida: Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange y Palm Beach. En el país hay dos punto cinco millones de pequeños que no tienen seguro. La mitad de ellos viven en seis estados, incluyendo a Florida y al vecino estado de Georgia. La cantidad de niños sin seguro en la Florida se redujo en un poco más de 30 mil, entre 2011 y 2013.

Joan Alker, directora ejecutiva del Centro Georgetown para los Niños y las Familias (GCCF) afirma que la disponibilidad de los programas existentes también marca una diferencia.
 
“También vemos estados que tal vez no han tomado decisiones de políticas tan agresivas como otros estados, como aumentar la elegibilidad de sus programas CHIP y quitar barreras para inscribirse, y eso es clave para los niños y sus padres.”

En los últimos cinco años, a nivel nacional la cantidad de pequeños no asegurados bajó en 1.7 millones de niños, en parte gracias a Medicaid y al Programa de Seguro Médico Infantil (CHIP, por sus siglas en inglés). El año próximo, el Congreso votará los fondos para el CHIP y Alker afirma que el resultado de ese debate definirá en gran medida el resultado del programa.
 
“Claro que estoy cautelosamente optimista de que el año próximo se funde el CHIP. Por el otro lado, tenemos cierta dificultad en llegar a un acuerdo sobre lo que sea. Espero que el CHIP no quede atrapado en eso.”

De acuerdo a la Fundación de la Familia Kaiser, más de 760 mil floridanos tendrían cobertura si los legisladores eligieran expandir Medicaid.

El vínculo para ver el reporte completo es ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childrens-Coverage-at-a-Crossroads.pdf.


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Everybody loves to get something free and right now, kids aged 12-17 can get a fishing and hunting license at no cost from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The license is good for one year and normally sells for $15.

Bobby Jones, outdoor connection coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said the free licenses are funded by donations to the Nevada Youth License Fund.

"This is actually the third year that the program's been active," Jones explained. "We keep it open as much as possible. We're just limited by the amount of donations that we have. Right now, we have almost 2,000 available and they go fast."

Youth can get a free license on the Nevada Department of Wildlife website or wherever the licenses are sold. Children under age 12 do not need a fishing license. The state said almost two-thirds of the kids who have taken advantage of the program in the past have never had a hunting or fishing license before.

Jones emphasized the program is designed to tempt kids to leave the digital world behind for a short time and enjoy some time outdoors. It could lead them to even consider a nature-based career like wildlife biology, forest management or outdoor education.

"Essentially what we're up against is a lot of kids are engaged in their phones and social media, TV," Jones pointed out. "They're constantly bombarded with things. We're trying to make it a little bit easier for them to enjoy the outdoors."

Some of the most popular fishing spots include Lahontan in the Fallon area, Wild Horse and South Fork in Eastern Nevada, and Lake Mead down south.


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The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.

The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.

Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.

Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."

"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."

Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.

The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.

Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.

"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "

The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.

Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.

Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.

"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."

Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.

The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.

"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."

The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.


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