RALEIGH, NC -- Barriers to accessing a federal nutrition program for moms and babies persist in North Carolina, but new research shows loosening the rules during the pandemic improved participants' experience.

Nearly 300 recipients were surveyed across eight counties, and the report says many didn't know about or take advantage of policy changes that would have expanded their benefits.

Study author, Duke University Assistant Professor Dr. Carolyn Barnes, said the pandemic's economic fallout has increased demand for assistance by 30% to 40% -- a surge that has challenged the capacity of many resource-constrained agencies.

"I had workers say that their caseloads had gone up 20 to 30%," said Barnes, "and that they were working overtime to process cases."

The report, from Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy, found allowing remote appointments and more flexibility in the types of food people can purchase, and extending certification periods, made it easier to use the 'WIC' program. In 2019, federal data show North Carolina reached around half of WIC-eligible residents.

The survey also found only 27% of WIC participants surveyed were aware of the greater flexibility in food choices that could have simplified their grocery shopping amid pandemic-related food shortages.

According to Barnes, most women learned about the changes through social media, family and friends, rather than from state agencies. She believes increasing public awareness about these programs can boost participation.

"Your fellow churchgoer or someone you work with, or someone you know personally, your family member that's just lost a job - if you know information about how to sign up for these programs, you can point them to those programs," she advised.

The report also found many households were unaware of the COVID-19 changes to SNAP benefits. Between 20% and 25% said they knew about emergency allotments and extended recertification deadlines. Only one-third of those surveyed were aware they could use their SNAP benefits to shop for food online.

Women in rural areas struggle more with menopause than their urban counterparts, according to a study from the University of Washington.

Rural women reported more symptoms like joint pain and mood swings in one of the first studies to look at menopausal rural-urban discrepancies.

Dr. Susan Reed, program director at the University of Washington Women's Reproductive Health Research Center and an author of the report, said she's not surprised by the results. She stressed the study is a signal medical providers need to do better for the rural population.

"If people transition through this period in a healthy fashion, they live longer," Reed outlined. "They have fewer cardiovascular problems and perhaps better brain aging."

Reed noted other studies have shown women in rural areas are struggling with higher mortality rates and other health issues like higher suicide rates and obesity. She added there is decreased access in rural places because of the long distances people often have to travel to receive care.

"People providing menopause health care in rural areas, many of them are really passionate and do a good job," Reed observed. "There just aren't enough of them."

Reed emphasized there are other factors contributing to poor menopausal care, not just for women in rural areas but urban and suburban areas too. She argued hormonal therapy is a safe and effective treatment and there should be a higher prevalence of its use.

"The challenges there are due to misinformation on the internet, fear of patients," Reed explained. "And then providers not being skilled enough to help people understand risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy."


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The gender gap in Ohio politics persists, and President Donald Trump's new executive order eliminating federal diversity programs is expected to create more challenges for women and other underrepresented groups in public service.

Ohio Women in Government is among the organizations working to bridge this gap by offering scholarships to students who take unpaid internships in state government. The group's vice president-elect, Andrea Harless, said the $1,500 awards are designed to alleviate financial burdens, especially for those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

"There are young women that just do not have the financial means to come to Columbus for a summer and pay to have an unpaid internship, and that does create barriers," she said. "It's very real for a lot of people."

Applications for the current round of scholarships will close today with another round planned for later in the year. More information on the scholarships is online at OhioWomenInGovernment.com.

The elimination of diversity programs has drawn criticism from organizations advocating for equitable representation. Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, argued that women continue to face systemic obstacles in entering and advancing in government, including disparities in campaign funding and policy influence.

"Diversity doesn't mean that we're not inviting people who are very qualified to the table," she said. "It means we're trying to have a diversity of opinions so that, in fact, we can create good public policy that we can address the needs for all the people in the country."

She added that eliminating these initiatives weakens government institutions by limiting diverse perspectives in policymaking.

Ohio Women in Government president-elect Julia Wynn encouraged young women to pursue public service.

"It starts with making sure that young women have faith in themselves to be the decisionmaker for their communities," she said.

Wynn said the more women who rise up and understand the legislative process, the more that can be accomplished.

A long-time New Mexico community organizer is one of several women who have put the state on the map this year for having the largest percentage of women serving as lawmakers.

State Rep. Sarah Silva, a Democrat who represents Doña Ana County and a portion of Otero County, wants lawmakers to address infrastructure in Chaparral, the state's largest unincorporated community, where she said there are long waits for an ambulance, limited fire fighting capabilities and no animal control agency.

"It has anywhere between 20,000 and 26,000 people, it's been growing significantly since 2020 and there's no local government," she said. "So, I've been working with local officials to try and secure $10 million for a public safety facility."

Chaparral is officially part of the Las Cruces metro area, but the 60-square mile region is primarily a bedroom community for the neighboring city of El Paso, Texas.

During President Donald Trump's first term, Silva said, he expressed an appetite for going after immigrants - and she thinks he now has more tools to make that happen. She said she thinks New Mexico's advocacy groups are doing a good job of educating immigrants about their rights, but added that more people need to resist what she called "obeying in advance."

"We need more school administrators, we need more sheriffs, we need more neighbors, we need more churches and congregations standing up for the immigrant community," she said. "Many, many more of us need to start caring and then putting that care into action."

Silva also wants lawmakers to update New Mexico's shield law that protects news reporters - which she said hasn't been revised since 1978.

"So, the definition of a journalist is very outdated," she said, "as is the definition of mediums of communication - that doesn't include anything involving the internet or electronic communication."


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