Macey Shambery On March 14, the Children’s Home Society of America hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill. Panelists included Nancy Young, Executive Director of Children and Family Futures; James Madison, President and CEO of Beech Acres Parenting Center; and Terry and Jean Childs, Grandparents and Legal Guardians. Nancy Young started off the panel with a
he Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has released research on the relationship between increased substance abuse (especially opioids) and the increasing foster care numbers. The ASPE study, Substance Use, the Opioid Epidemic, and the Child Welfare System: Key Findings from a Mixed Methods Study takes a much deeper look at the
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data last week showing that opioid overdoses went up by 30% from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states. That overall statistic was dwarfed by statistics in the Midwest that showed increases of 70 percent. The CDC released the information through
At the same time that ASPE released the earlier referenced study they also took a closer look at the child welfare caseload and the impact of substance use in a second report, The Relationship Between Substance Use Indicators and Child Welfare Caseloads. This report takes a much deeper look at the data at the county
Shaquita Ogletree & Macey Shambery The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee held the sixth hearing on the opioid crisis with testimony from Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and Governor Kate Brown (D-OR) to look at leadership and innovation in the states. Chairman Alexander (R-TN) opened the meeting with the latest statistics from the
Last week the President became the latest President to mark a top priority by declaring war on it. Mr. Trump declared a war on opioids saying, “When confronting a crisis of this magnitude, the most important factor—and one where government too often falls short—is making sure that every dollar is used effectively. To this end,
Funding for the current fiscal year expires on March 23. It is not expected to be a problem as that short term CR was designed to allow appropriators to allocate funding provided under the February 9, 2018 budget deal (PL 115-123). That deal agreed to raise the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) caps for both
A significant first step in the implementation of the Families First Act (read a CWLA description here) will come on October 1, 2018. Under the legislation the Department of Health and Human Services is directed to release the practice criteria required to define prevention services or programs. They are also directed to provide a pre-approved
Shortly before the President’s Day break, Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, introduced the Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act, HR 4998. The legislation fixes a flaw in the ACA that extends Medicaid coverage to age 26 for any young person who exited foster care. With the Affordable
On Wednesday, February 14 of The Hill newspaper sponsored another forum on “Americas Opioid Epidemic.” Some of the featured speakers included Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman David Joyce (R-OH). In addition, participants heard from Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Senator Whitehouse, who has played a prominent role in crafting some of the recent legislation around both