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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Health Disparities Growing Among TN Kids

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Thursday, June 25, 2020   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee ranks 48th in the nation for the health of its youngest residents, according to 2018 data released this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Richard Kennedy, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says while the state has made strides in other areas, such as education, red-flag health indicators -- including low birth-weight among newborns, and child and teen deaths -- have increased.

Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, also are on the rise among young people. Kennedy says the Kentucky Department of Health is working to develop a childhood obesity task force, among other efforts.

"And we know that childhood obesity, and obesity in general, continues to be a problem in the state," he added.

According to the Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book, 38% of children ages 10-17 in Tennessee are overweight or obese, compared with 31% nationwide.

Kennedy says access to health coverage continues to be a barrier for many families. Around 83,000 Tennessee children currently lack health insurance, mostly kids of color. He says that's contributing to worse health outcomes among Black and Hispanic kids.

"Health disparities, I know that continues to be a focus with the Tennessee Department of Health, and it continues to be a priority with us at the Commission on Children and Youth," he said.

Research shows children who are covered under a health plan are more likely to receive preventive care and developmental screenings.

Kennedy adds that examining state agency data by race is critical for fleshing out hidden health disparities among certain populations.



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