On Wednesday, July 26, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 8450, Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. The Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 27 to 20, with no Republicans in favor. This act would update and reauthorize child nutrition programs which include the school and summer
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, Manatt Health and the American Medical Association hosted a webinar to discuss the substance use disorder crisis among youth and adolescents with providers and advocates on the front lines. The expert panelists discussed trends in youth substance use and mental health, barriers to accessing care, and key strategies to address
On July 20, 2022, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-CA) released the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, his Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and other anti-hunger advocates have hailed the legislation, calling it a "comprehensive plan that will increase access to school meals, summer meals, and
A study by University of Kansas researchers and colleagues at two other universities reported every 5% increase in enrollment in the federal nutrition assistance program for low-income families could reduce the number of children a state placed in foster care or protective services from 7.6% to 14.3%. The 50-state study of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
On Wednesday, July 30, 2022, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption institute (CCAI) held their annual Foster Youth Internship Program Congressional Briefing webinar. The FYI program serves as a platform to uplift the voices of current and former foster youth in federal policy to engage and educate Members of Congress on the issues of foster care
On Monday, July 18th, 2022, the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted legislative briefing on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s transition to 988, days after the new mental health hotline number officially launched over the weekend. Secretary Xavier Becerra, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, and other
On Thursday, July 14, 2022, Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust hosted, “Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths,” a national webinar discussing their recently released report titled the same thing. In 2020, deaths associated with alcohol, drugs, and suicide took the lives of 186,763 Americans, a 20
On Thursday, July 14th, 2022 the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) hosted a virtual panel discussion strategies to improve systems and services for families in the child welfare system who are affected by parental substance use disorders. The discussion focused on the importance of collaboration among social service, health, and court
On Saturday, June 25th, 2022, President Biden signed the bipartisan gun safety package into law, the first major gun violence legislation passed in decades. The bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was released by Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Fifteen
The Children's Bureau recently issued the sixth report to Congress on the Regional Partnership Grants program, which support collaboration among child welfare and substance abuse treatment agencies to improve the well-being, permanency, and safety outcomes for children in or at risk of entering foster care due to a parent or caregiver's substance use. The December