September 10, 2024 Harvard University Center Releases New Science X Design Learning Toolkit Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child has released a new learning toolkit for Science X Design users. About Science X Design Science X Design is an open-access, self-paced learning module that is designed to help service providers improve outcomes for young children and their caregivers. Pronounced “science by design,” the toolkit aims to empower service providers in such fields as healthcare, education, and child welfare. It helps to identify new opportunities to improve services in these fields. The toolkit also offers curated information on three design principles informed by the science of early childhood development and guides users in gathering input from the people involved in services. Through an interactive learning, listening, and synthesis process, users can identify opportunities to adapt early childhood programs to support the healthy development of young children and their caregivers. The module takes about four to six weeks to complete and was designed to be completed as a team. A course overview and information on who should participate in the module can be found on Harvard’s website as well as information on how long it will take and what outcomes to expect.
September 25, 2023 U.S. Maternal Deaths Rise as Health Disparities Increase; Local Resources Offer Support A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed significant increases in pregnancy-related deaths across the United States, with disproportionate losses among Black, Native American, and Alaska Native people. About the Study Entitled, “Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States,” the study analyzed state-by-state census data from 1999 to 2019 on pregnant or recently pregnant individuals aged 10 to 54 years, to provide comprehensive evidence on maternal morbidity and to guide policies aimed at preventing maternal deaths. Key Findings Results revealed a stark spike in maternal mortality rates, with pregnancy-related deaths more than doubling among all racial and ethnic groups across the U.S. over the last 20 years, and more than tripling for Native American and Alaska Native people. However, maternal mortality remains the highest among the nation’s Black population, continuing historic trends. Unfortunately, worsening healthcare for Black and BIPOC mothers—a trend typically relegated to southern states—is expanding. According to the study, New York and New Jersey saw an increase in Black and Latina deaths, while more Asian mothers died in Wyoming and Montana. Supporting Information In interviews with study authors and other medical professionals, WESA, an NPR affiliate, revealed the uniqueness of this upward trend, noting that other high-income countries have seen their maternal morbidity rates decline as a result of increasingly accessible healthcare. Consequently, state review committees consider most maternal deaths preventable, as most deaths appear linked to untreated health conditions and complications. Thus, WESA sites researchers are advocating for improved access to care, which Medicaid may allow, as the program pays for about half of U.S. births. Local Maternal Health Resources Local programs and services may help new and expecting mothers in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and Pennsylvania. Some of these resources include: 211 Pennsylvania Prenatal Care Services AHN Pregnancy and Newborn Services Allegheny County Office of Family and Child Health Catholic Charities Roselia Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services HealthCare.gov: Health Coverage If You’re Pregnant, Plan to Get Pregnant, or Recently Gave Birth Healthy Beginnings Plus Healthy Start Pittsburgh Hello Baby: Home Visiting Medical Assistance for Children and Pregnant Women The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health UPMC Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine Learn More Find the status of local maternal health and learn about the state maternal morbidity review committee on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. To learn more, read the NPR and WESA article, “U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.” Sources Information for this post was taken directly from “Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States”—a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)—and the NPR and WESA article, “U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.” Text has been added, paraphrased, and adapted for reproduction, readability, and comprehension, and resources curated from a number of online sources. Related Content & Resources National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Available Prenatal-to-Three Playbook Details State of Child Care in Allegheny County, Shares Resources Resources for May Observances: Mother’s Day PA Receives $1.2 Million to Promote Maternal and Child Health Through 2026
May 25, 2023 Webinar: Navigating Conversations with Families about Childhood Vaccines The topic of childhood vaccines is on parents’ minds more than ever but also has become more sensitive for educators to discuss with families than many other concerns. Penn State Extension Better Kid Care will host a webinar for teachers and caregivers of young children about how to discuss childhood vaccines with families on Wednesday, May 31 at 1 p.m. The webinar will dive into why these conversations are uncomfortable at times and how professionals can approach them in ways that stay true to fact-based information while also preserving their relationships with families. Register Certificates will not be issued for attending the webinar. Attendees will receive a confirmation email as proof of their participation. They must attend from their own device in order to receive the confirmation email.
March 14, 2023 UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation Offering Medical Grants for Children The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) is offering medical grants to families unable to afford child medical expenses not covered, or not fully covered, by commercial health insurance. Families can receive up to $5,000 annually per child ($10,000 lifetime maximum per child), and do not need to have insurance through UnitedHealthcare to be eligible to receive medical grants. About UHCCF Medical Grants UHCCF is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides medical grants to help children gain access to health-related services not covered or not fully covered by their family’s commercial health insurance plan. Grants are available for medical costs incurred within 60 days of application and are good for one year following the month in which they are approved. Families can use medical grants to cover the cost of deductibles, coinsurance, copays, and a variety of non-covered services and supports, including therapies, durable medical equipment, hospital stays, medication, mental health services, and most other standard/FDA approved services. Families cannot use medical grants to pay for insurance premiums, home modifications, and experimental or unproven services. Visit the UHCCF website to find a list of other exclusions. Grant recipients awarded less than $5,000 may re-apply for another grant once the current grant funds have been completely exhausted. Applications not approved by the regional board must wait 12 months before re-applying unless the medical condition and requested items have significantly changed from the original request. Grant Eligibility Families are eligible for UHCCF medical grants if: The child for whom they seek financial support is: facing a health-related challenge 16 years of age or younger at the time of application a United States citizen and resides in the U.S. covered by a commercial health plan individually purchased or provided by a caretaker’s employer receiving care in the U.S. from a a licensed medical professional or receiving treatments in the U.S. prescribed by a Medical Doctor (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) or Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) Care or treatment administered in U.S. territories including U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are not eligible for UHCCF grant coverage. Their maximum annual income, as reported on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 1040 Tax Form, does not exceed: Family Size of two – $55,000 Family Size of three – $85,000 Family Size of four – $115,000 Family Size of five or more – $145,000 They apply in a timely manor. If families seek a grant for treatment or service that occurred more than 60 days prior to the application, their application will not be considered. Apply for a Grant To apply for UHCCF grant: Ask your child’s physician to complete the Physician Certification of Medical Condition Form and obtain an electronic copy of the completed form. Obtain an electronic copy of your IRS 1040 Tax Form. Obtain an electronic copy of the front and back of your current commercial/private insurance card. Complete the online UHCCF grant application, attaching electronic copies of the completed and signed Medical Condition Form, IRS 1040 Tax Form, and commercial/private insurance card. Learn More UHCCF’s funding is provided by contributions from individuals, corporations, and UnitedHealth Group employees. To learn more, visit the UHCCF website.
January 23, 2023 PPC Annual Health Care Report Released Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) has released its annual health care report, “State of Children’s Health.” The 2022 report shows a slight improvement in the child uninsured rate, increasing from 4.4% to 4.6% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase is a result of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act’s continuous coverage provision that prevents states from disenrolling children and families from Medicaid during the public health emergency. About PPC analyzed the most recent Census data to determine the role of Medicaid and other public health insurance programs in providing children and families with comprehensive health coverage and uninterrupted care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Summary of Findings State Findings Pennsylvania has the eighth highest number of uninsured children in the nation. Pennsylvania’s uninsured rate remains lower than the national average of 5.4%. However, all neighboring states, other than Ohio, have better rates than Pennsylvania. The rate of Pennsylvania children without health insurance decreased slightly between 2019 and 2021, from 4.6% to 4.4%. An important reason for these slight gains is the disenrollment freeze in Medicaid that has been in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The uninsured rates improved in 38 counties and worsened in 29 counties over the last two years. The counties with the most significant improvement in lowering uninsured rates were Carbon, Dauphin, Monroe, Westmoreland, and Wyoming. The counties with significantly worse rates than two years ago were Erie, Clinton, Fayette, Franklin, and Somerset. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid enrollment increased by 20%. More than 1.4 million Pennsylvania children currently have Medicaid for their health insurance. Publicly funded or supported healthcare options account for providing health insurance to 47% of children in Pennsylvania, up from 46% last year. About two-thirds of children in Pennsylvania live in families that qualify for free or reduced public health insurance or financial assistance through Pennie™. Disproportionality in Coverage Not all children have experienced equal access to health insurance over the last two years. Hispanic or Latino children, children who identified as Some Other Race, and children who identified as Two or More Races have worse insurance rates now than in 2019. American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, and White children have better rates. The uninsured rate for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander children remained unchanged. In Pennsylvania, Hispanic or Latino children and children who identified as Some Other Race had a disproportionately higher uninsured rate in 2021 than their rate in the general population. American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, and White children were not disproportionately uninsured compared to the general population. Children living in families with lower incomes are more likely to go without health insurance and 6.5% of children living in Pennsylvania who are financially eligible for Medicaid are uninsured. PPC Recommendations Reaffirm commitment to using a 12-month unwinding period, as recommended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Immediately expand the 12-month continuous eligibility policy to children ages 4 through 21 in Medicaid when the public health emergency ends. Learn More To learn more, read the full report.
July 9, 2020 Virtual Service Delivery Webinar Series To support family-facing providers in their online work with children and families, Brazelton Touchpoints Center is offering a series of free one-hour webinars and an online learning community that will explore how to manage the challenges posed by virtual service delivery and share strategies providers have found for building and sustaining strong relationships with families virtually. About In partnership with Parents as Teachers and the Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting (RR-VHV) Collaborative, Brazelton Touchpoints Center will build on lessons learned from virtual home visiting, adapted for all family-facing providers. All professionals who work with families of young children—including those who work in health care, early care and education, early intervention, child welfare, and family support—are encouraged to attend these webinars. Brazelton Touchpoints Center is pairing the webinars with an online learning community where webinar participants can engage with one another and BTC facilitators on topics and strategies discussed in the webinars. Featured Webinars Engaging Families Using a Strengths-Based Approach in the Virtual World Wednesday, July 22 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Partnering with Families Virtually Wednesday, August 5 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Providing Staff Support and Supervision Virtually Wednesday, August 19 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Developmental Screenings on Your Screen Wednesday, September 2 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Challenging Conversations with Families Virtually Wednesday, September 16 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Taking Care of Yourself as a Virtual Service Provider Wednesday, September 30 | 2 – 3 p.m. | Register Registration To register and learn more, visit the Brazelton Touchpoints Center website. Participants can register for the entire series or for individual webinars. More Information For questions, email touchpoints@childrens.harvard.edu.
April 17, 2020 CHIP Will Maintain Enrollment During COVID-19 Crisis On April 15, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that it is “making temporary changes to Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to keep families enrolled in CHIP for the duration of the public health emergency and to ease access to medical services for children being screened or receiving treatment for COVID-19.” What is CHIP? The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is Pennsylvania’s program to provide health insurance to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance. For most families, the program is free. Families with incomes above the free CHIP limits pay low monthly premiums and copays for some services. CHIP covers any uninsured child or teen up to the age of 19 and guarantees 12 months of coverage unless the family no longer meets basic eligibility requirements. There is not a waiting list to enroll in the program. Caregivers must renew their coverage every year to continue receiving services. To learn more and apply, visit the CHIP webpage. Included Changes The following changes to CHIP will be in effect until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency: Families will not be denied or disenrolled from coverage for administrative or financial reasons. An example of an administrative reason would be not being able to provide proof of income. Families will not pay a copay for services that are for COVID-19 screenings, testing, or treatment. Families who cannot provide paperwork to verify information on an application or renewal can provide self-attestation of information by signing the application or renewal. Families will be given more time to pay premiums, if needed. These changes were made due to the economic and financial hardship that many families across the Commonwealth are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, families must still provide verification of information provided on an application and are still responsible for copays for services not related to COVID-19. Families will still be required to pay premiums, if applicable. However, if a family is unable to pay due to a decrease in or loss of income, that family must contact their managed care organization immediately and can request a reassessment because of an income change at any time. More Information For more information, read the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ full press release.
November 8, 2019 Pediatrician For President Educates & Activates Community In October 2019, Pediatrician For President launched his campaign to educate, motivate, and activate supporters and community leaders on early childhood issues. About Are you passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of children in the United States of America? Consider supporting Pediatrician For President in his campaign to engage, entertain, and educate the community on the following concepts: there is a national need to put a greater focus on Kids Health (and everything that impacts health); science and evidence-based medicine is important and should guide our path; and we could all spread more kindness and appreciate the kindness we receive. Pediatrician For President is a project established by Kids Plus Pediatrics. While Dr. Todd Wolynn will be portraying the character of Pediatrician For President, Wolynn is not running for president. About the Issues Pediatrician For President launched his campaign on the following beliefs: 1. Significant changes and investments are needed in Kids Health. Currently, the United States healthcare system is failing kids. “We need care – not coverage!” Moms, dads, caregivers, and community health are suffering and must be addressed to support the healthy development and wellbeing of children. We need meaningful Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) solutions. Human dignity and respect must be given to nurture the best in people. 2. Science is good (not perfect) but continues to improve and is a key to guiding our path. Research is necessary to continue to improve science and its guidance and requires significant support. We must reaffirm what science indicates as fact and dispel myths. Anti-science efforts must be combated and their ulterior motives to monetize, polarize, and politize must be exposed. 3. Kindness is abundant and renewable if we’re mindful and generous. This is not a plea for civility. Rather, the campaign seeks to remind us to keep our hearts open. The campaign will never suggest that people should not be angry. However, the campaign is rooted in a positive approach and with the intention to bring necessary change. We are all human, we are all connected, and compassion is good. Compassion puts us on the path to bring change to resolve suffering. Why Should You Support? Pediatrician For President: is completely aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policies and positions and will frequently direct and refer to AAP policies, statements, and resources; is kind, passionate, and respectful: he will never sling mud, swear, or insult; emulates Mister Rogers’ from his deep, true nurturing of his Congressional testimony combined with ‘Kid President’ matter-of-fact awesomeness; and his superpowers are his Pediatrician’s desire to help kids and families, his trust of the community, and his drive to bring about positive change The Plan Pediatrician For President is a centrist campaign – similarly to how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) achieves bi-partisan support with a “Put Kids First” agenda. The campaign believes that kids, science, and kindness are three issues that many community members are passionate about and are willing to stand behind to make the United States of America and the world a better place. Pediatrician For President will never attack, celebrate, or acknowledge any particular political party or candidate. Rather, he will stay focused on the issues while reminding everyone about what makes us human and connected. Pediatricians, Pediatric Providers, and Pediatric Practices are some of the most trusted professions and organizations in the United States of America. While initial support may come from these groups, the campaign hopes families, friends, and their friends will rally behind this effort to better the lives of children and the community. Follow the Campaign Thus far, Pediatrician For President has stops planned in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, San Francisco, and more! In cities across the United States of America, the candidate will visit healthcare workers, universities, landmarks, and other key opportunities. In fact, he’ll even be shaking a lot of hands, holding babies, and taking selfies with fans. Don’t worry – he will be carrying Purell! If you’re interested in following his progress, follow Pediatrician For President on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There, he will be sharing posts and photo updates about the campaign and his journey. Will you support his campaign to help improve kid’s health and wellbeing?