Austin, TX - Un reporte reciente confirma el papel vital que juega Medicaid en los pueblos de las áreas rurales de Texas y de todo el país. El estudio de la Universidad Georgetown muestra que más niños y familias habitantes de las áreas rurales están inscritos en Medicaid, en comparación con quienes viven en áreas metropolitanas. Comentan Stacy Wilson, presidenta de la Asociación de Hospitales Infantiles de Texas (Children's Hospital Association of Texas); y Joan Alker ("AL" rima con "pal"), profesora invetigadora y directora ejecutiva del Centro de la Universidad Georgetown para los Niños y las Familias (Georgetown University Center for Children and Families).

Un reporte reciente muestra que Medicaid es importante para asegurar que las familias rurales de Texas y de todo el país tengan acceso a la atención ¬¬¬que necesitan para mantenerse sanos. El Centro de la Universidad Georgetown para Niños y Familias (Georgetown University Center for Children and Families) encuentra que el 46 por ciento de la infancia rural de Texas tienen Medicaid, comparado con el 41 por ciento en las áreas urbanas. Stacy Wilson, quien encabeza la Asociación de Hospitales Infantiles de Texas (Children's Hospital Association of Texas) dice que estos niños y sus familias corren el riesgo de perder su acceso al cuidado de la salud conforme el Congreso y la Casa Blanca consideran recortes al programa.

"Los ninos con acceso a Medicaid tienen logros educativos mas elevados. Tambien son mas productivos como fuerza laboral, contribuyen a nuestra economia. Darle a los ninos el mejor principio que puedan tener mediante programas importantes como Medicaid y CHIP ayuda a nuestra economia."

Los funcionarios de Texas declinaron expandir Medicaid bajo la Ley de Cuidado Asequible (Affordable Care Act). A pesar de eso, Texas tuvo la mayor reducción en el número de niños no asegurados, con 52 mil casos en pueblos pequeños y áreas rurales que obtuvieron cobertura entre 2009 y 2015. Pero las propuestas actuales cortarían 1.4 trillones de dólares a Medicaid en la próxima década.

Joan Alker, directora ejecutiva del Centro de la Universidad Georgetown para los Niños y las Familias (Georgetown University Center for Children and Families), dice que la investigación muestra que los estados que incrementaron Medicaid vieron un crecimiento significativo en los niveles de cobertura y mejoraron los resultados de salud para las familias rurales.

"Hay un vinculo clarisimo entre el rol del programa Medicaid y la creciente importancia del programa Medicaid, y la reduccion en la tasa de ninos y adultos sin seguro en pueblos pequenos y zonas rurales. Es muy, muy impactante."

Amén de brindar acceso a la atención médica necesaria, Alker dice que Medicaid también mejora la seguridad económica y ayuda a proteger a las familias de deudas médicas y de la bancarrota. Y destaca que el programa es un soporte crucial para comunidades enteras, pues aporta fondos para centros de salud y hospitales.

Un reporte reciente muestra que Medicaid es importante para asegurar que las familias rurales de Texas y de todo el pais tengan acceso a la atencion necesaria para permanecer saludables. Un reporte de Mark Richardson.

1.4 trillones de dolares a Medicaid en la proxima decada.

Wilson puede ser contactada en el 512-320-0910; Alker, en el 202-784-3138. El reporte esta en: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/topic/rural-health/.




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Many of California's 13.5 million children and teens have not bounced back after the pandemic, especially children of color, according to the just-released 2023 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being. The report showcases data from all 58 counties and shows wide disparities in indicators of health, education and more.

Kelly Hardy, senior managing director of health and research at Children Now, said anti-poverty measures during COVID helped a lot, but they were just temporary.

"Thirty-eight percent are in families making less than two times the poverty level, which is around $60,000 a year for a family of four," she said, "so, that's a pretty low bar."

The data show the state has more than 170,000 homeless students, and that the shortage of state-funded child care continues. The report found that in 2017, 2019 and 2021, only one in four working families had access to a space in a licensed child-care facility.

Susannah Kniffen, Children Now's senior managing director of child welfare and government relations, said kids in foster care had alarmingly low scores for access to healthcare and academic achievement.

"These kids are facing distinct challenges that other students aren't," she said, "and they need a very targeted approach to their education if we're ever going to change the numbers, which are fairly dismal."

Vince Stewart, vice president for policy and programs at Children Now, said in terms of education, kids appear to be losing ground as they get older.

"Forty-two percent of third graders met or exceeded standards and reading, 31% of fifth graders met or exceeded standards in science, in 29% of eighth graders met or exceeded standards in math," he said. "And then 11th graders, it's only 27% who are deemed ready for college-level math."

The report does show some bright spots. California children have high rates of health insurance and a high proportion of babies are born at normal birth weight.

Dental hygienists are trying to raise awareness about the importance of oral hygiene, noting dental pain is one of the most common reasons for school absenteeism among children.

Studies show children with dental pain are three times more likely to miss school. In addition, a child or teenager with noticeable dental disorders, such as blackened teeth or tooth loss, can take a negative toll on their self-esteem.

Betty A. Kabel, director of dental outreach for North Florida Medical Centers, sees it all too often, noting for too long, people have treated oral hygiene as a secondary issue instead of a primary concern.

"If a child has a broken arm, they would not be walking around with a broken arm," Kabel pointed out. "Your tooth, if it's an infection, or it's abscess, it's broken, there is a problem, so it's not OK for a kid to be in tooth pain."

Student health is among the top causes for chronic absenteeism, which includes dental pain, vision problems or mental health, according to the Healthy Schools Campaign.

Kabel argued there needs to be more awareness and expanded access for dental care, especially in rural areas.

Kabel stated she hears first-hand from the children she treats who feel embarrassed, and find it difficult to concentrate due to severe pain. She warned there are worse outcomes for untreated dental problems.

"Children die from tooth infections," Kabel stressed. "The infection is right there next to their brain, it's in their bloodstream, so it's a matter of life and death, when you're walking around with an infection in your mouth. "

Florida is among the top states in the nation with individuals living in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, and Kabel noted her organization tries to fill the gaps by working with parents and caregivers to try to treat kids who end up in their school nurse's office with severe pain.

She added there are not a lot of providers who see children, so they do their best to get kids into the ones who do provide care to kids.

Knowing how to approach the grief of others can be difficult, although things can get more complicated when addressing the grief of students in school settings.

Estimates indicate that nearly 7% of children in the U.S. will experience the death of a sibling or parent by the age of 18. Overcoming the cultural taboo around dealing with grief is especially important for teachers and other education personnel.

Gilly Cannon, director of the Children's Bereavement Services at Caring Matters in Gaithersburg, said it's important for educators and families to work together to support a grieving child at school.

"If schools were going to do three things," said Cannon, "they need to show that they care about the students, I want them to show that they can listen deeply without judging, and I'd want them to let the student know that school is a safe place for them to be present in, with their grief."

She said listening without judging involves being able to really hear the other person without needing to share your own experience, or making a judgment about the validity of the other person's feelings.

During these conversations people have to deal with their own impulse to want to fix things for the other person, or put a positive spin on the situation. Cannon recommended against both, and said people should begin by acknowledging what's happened.

"Let them know that you've heard that their person has died, and that you are very sad about that news," said Cannon. "So you're showing them that you are acknowledging it, you're aware of it, what you don't want to then do is to try and make them feel better."

Cannon said she believes that educators need to maintain the institutional awareness of the child's experience of loss, and ensure it travels with them during their school years.

"When a child is grieving," said Cannon, "you need to ensure that as they move from class to class and grade to grade and school to school, that you're passing on that information that this child has had a significant loss, because children revisit their grief as they grow. Their grief morphs and changes as they get older and they have milestones without that person."

Cannon also recommended that people avoid well intentioned clichés such as the idea of the deceased person "being in a better place" or that they wouldn't want to see them cry.

She says these kinds of clichés imply that a grieving person should feel better and hold back their tears, but the message communicated to the grieving person is that their feelings are not valid.

"You don't want to diminish any of their feelings," said Cannon. "You want them to be able to say how they're feeling. And also to know that there's no good or bad feelings, there's feelings. There's no judgment on how they're feeling."