Many Nebraska children have already started school and others will do so within the next week or so.

Parents can play a big role in making sure children get a good start in the new school year.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, reminded parents their children need routines. She encouraged reestablishing any routines relaxed during summer vacation.

"Do you have family dinners on a regular basis? I recognize that you can't do that every night; everyone's busy and sometimes running in different directions," Randall acknowledged. "But doing that as often as possible really does create a routine that's predictable and healthy for the child."

In addition to promoting good health, Randall pointed out a healthy sleep routine can help children feel more confident and stable. And she encouraged scheduling well-child checkups. She emphasized parents should be prepared for the family physician or pediatrician to inquire about their child's emotional and behavioral as well as physical well-being.

Dr. Alberto Marcelin, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, added a crucial part of the well-child visit is reviewing immunizations and medications.

"Certain vaccinations are very important based on their grade, such as a tetanus or meningitis," Marcelin recommended. "Also, making sure that the child has his or her inhaler or EpiPen, or whatever other medications they may need for allergies. We are around that time."

When it comes to sleep habits, Marcelin advised restricting caffeine, limiting screen time to two hours a day and keeping television out of the bedroom will help. He also recommended having a "wind-down routine."

"Make sure the room is dark, make sure it's quiet," Marcelin urged. "If you're going to read, if you're going to homework, do so off the bed. Just to get your body in the habit of when you get on the bed, it's time to go to bed. You close your eyes, you relax and you fall asleep."

Encouraging children to be physically active for at least an hour a day will also contribute to good sleep habits, Marcelin added.

The Missouri Foundation for Health has named the first five winners of its new "Spark Prize," an award backing Missourians who are working to promote health equity.

Each winner gets $200,000 in no-strings-attached funding to fuel their vision. Awardees were chosen for their potential to create meaningful, lasting change in the Show-Me State.

Evonnia Woods, a community organizer and movement builder, was one recipient, chosen for her progress and vision to advance racial, reproductive and economic justice across Missouri. She shared why the award from the foundation is unique.

"A lot of foundations, they want to see evidence that you're already doing what you're asking for funds to continue doing," Woods explained. "In this regard, it's like, 'Oh, you believe in me. This is good because I believe in me.'"

Unlike traditional grants, the Spark Prize is flexible and trust-based, given directly to individuals and not organizations. The recipients were selected from more than 170 nominations from diverse backgrounds, regions and sectors across Missouri.

Ciearra "CJ" Walker, founder and CEO of the Community Health Worker Coalition, which has trained more than 300 community health workers in St. Louis and supported more than 600 statewide, was a recipient. Walker, a Detroit transplant, shared the motivation behind starting her organization and her vision for the future.

"What we are hoping to do is to replicate across the country what's possible when we position ourselves," Walker noted. "Not just to extract from our community leaders, but to truly allow them to be architects of the system that they participate in and benefit from them accordingly."

Walker added her coalition also reinvested $30,000 dollars into its members through pay, training and growth support.

More St. Louis County libraries are teaming up with the American Heart Association to offer blood pressure cuffs for checkout, to help people take charge of their health.

Library branches have 100 "Libraries at Heart" kits available to check out. They include a blood pressure cuff, instructions, a tracking sheet, and information on how to manage blood pressure.

Cidney Grimes, community impact manager for the Missouri Chapter of the American Heart Association, explained why they chose libraries for this potentially life-saving initiative.

"The library is a great place to meet people where they are," said Grimes. "The libraries already have the trust of the communities. They're already doing so much community-focused work, and people are already going to be there."

Grimes said the kits can be used at the library kiosk or checked out for home use. The program is supported by a corporate sponsor, Edward Jones.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and many either don't know it or have it under control.

The Heart Association also warns that unmanaged high blood pressure puts extra strain on the heart, arteries, and organs - raising the risk for health problems like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease.

Grimes emphasized that people monitoring their own blood pressure should take two readings, at least one minute apart, and ensure their posture is correct.

"Make sure you're sitting straight up in the chair," said Grimes. "Your feet are touching the ground and you're just calm. You haven't drunk any alcohol or any beverages, anything like that, within 30 minutes of you taking the measurement."

High blood pressure doesn't affect everyone equally. About 56% of Black adults have it, compared to 48% of white adults and 39% of Hispanic adults.

The numbers are even higher for Black women, at around 58%.

Kentucky's newly established Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board convenes for its first meeting this week - on Wednesday June 25th. Lawmakers established the board, which includes citizens, during the 2025 legislative session.

Experts say educating the public on Medicaid is critical amid ongoing threats to cut federal funding for the program.

Dr. Sheila Schuster, licensed psychologist and executive director of the Advocacy Action Network, said Medicaid is the largest source of health care in Kentucky, but few know how it works.

"To really get into the nitty gritty, beyond just the money, but what are the programs?" said Schuster. "How are they run? Who are the providers? Do we have enough providers? How do we keep our healthcare facilities, again, the hospitals, the nursing homes."

The board will dig deep into state Medicaid spending, recommend policies, and stay on top of how federal decisions could impact Kentucky's Medicaid access.

Congress is considering cuts that could affect more than $1 billion in funding for Kentucky Medicaid, but legislators don't need to reduce coverage - said Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health.

"There's a lot we can do to remove wasteful spending on red tape and excessive paperwork from the system without cutting coverage for anyone," said Beauregard, "without reducing services or lowering provider reimbursement rates."

Schuster added that the economic benefits of Medicaid for Kentucky can't be understated.

"Medicaid is a state and federal partnership," said Schuster, "and because we're a poor state, we put up roughly 28 cents and get back 72 cents from the feds to buy every $1 of health care."

Health care providers in eastern Kentucky's fifth congressional district receive more Medicaid funding, as a share of the local economy, than those in any other district, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.




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