Ensuring Every Child in America Has Access To Healthy School Meals
Starting in early 2020, every child in the United States became eligible for school meals at no cost, regardless of family income level -- no forms, no questions asked. That policy, along with other interventions, including increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, Children Program benefits, kept millions of children and families from going hungry during the pandemic. But support for school meals ended this September, putting healthy school meals increasingly out of reach for children who rely on them for nearly half their daily calories and a consistent source of good nutrition.
Amid soaring food prices, rising rates of nutrition and food insecurity, and families having a harder time accessing nutritious foods in their communities, advocates at the American Heart Association say that Congress’s failure to extend healthy school meals is already having profound consequences.
For more than two years, the country has seen food insecurity rates stay relatively stagnant. Pandemic-era assistance helped ensure that already high rates of families struggling to feed their kids did not worsen. However, with these policies ending and food costs skyrocketing, early
data from 2022 suggest that food insecurity is quickly on the rise. Food insecurity disproportionately affects households with children (14.8%), Hispanic households (17%), Black households (21%), and households living at or below the federal poverty line (35%). This crisis also comes at a time when households across America are facing delayed health care, barriers to affordable housing, and a general financial squeeze caused by rising prices of consumer goods.
“Providing healthy school meals for students at no charge is a recipe for success that reduces food insecurity, improves children’s diets and academic performance, generates critical revenue for schools, and decreases stigma,” according to Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association.
“Action by the federal government is long overdue. It is a necessity for families and schools to
feed children the healthy meals
they need for success.”
Kids who eat well perform better in school. However, access to food is just part of the issue. The American Heart Association points out that with pre-pandemic numbers of more than 15 million school breakfasts and 30 million school lunches served every day, what children put on their plates has a significant impact on their overall health and well-being.
“Federal programs including SNAP and the Summer Food Service program have been integral to addressing hunger, but many policies focus on improving access to sufficient quantities of food,” says Brown. “While this goal is critically important, especially in mitigating the effects of poverty, we must modernize these policies and programs to also focus on food quality, so people have access to enough nutritious food.”
There are opportunities for the federal government to change course and ensure that every child across the country has access to free, nutritious foods at school. The White House recently released a national strategy to end nutrition and food insecurity and mitigate the effects of diet-related chronic diseases in the United States by 2030, making the recommendation for healthy school meals for all and strong nutrition standards. Additionally, a key committee in
the House of Representatives has passed child nutrition reautho rization bill that protect and strengthen trition standards meals and help children gain access school meals, among dates to child nutrition Advocates at the Association say needs to do its part best chance to succeed.
To learn more,
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passed a reauthothat would strengthen nustandards for school millions of access to healthy among other upnutrition programs. the American Heart that the Senate now part to give children the succeed. more, visit https://act.yourethecure. org/tqmwpbx. Source: StatePoint
Idhini Platform Changing Clinical Trial Participation in BIPOC COMMUNITIES One Study at a Time
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
ecent studies have revealed that approximately 5% of Black Americans participate in clinical trials. Unfortunately, that number proves lower in the overall BIPOC community, and an organization called Idhini works to help improve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color participation.
RTo capture the voice of the BIPOC community and their unique needs, Idhini boasts that it provides access and equitable rewards for participation in health research.
“The main reason is trust,” Gerard Charlot, a principal at Idhini, a national database of BIPOC individuals available to participate in clinical trials, told the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Let It Be Known live morning news show.
Idhini has partnered with There Goes My Hero, a national registry that recently launched the “Color the Registry” initiative to secure more African American donors to help save lives.
Idhini helps recruit and screen individuals to ensure suitable patients participate in trials. In addition, the platform captures attitudes and sentiments toward research and converts sentiments into analysis and reporting.
A Chicago Sun-Times study revealed that patients — particularly Black and Latino Americans — now look for pharmaceutical companies to act as information brokers.
Officials de- signed the platform to provide health information and resources and assist in the health and financial outcomes associated with health literacy.
“Our vision is to have medical research reflect the population it serves,” Charlot stated.
“If we are successful, increased access to healthcare and equitable rewards for participation will create positive health and social outcomes, a more diverse healthcare workforce, and higher financial rewards for health organizations.”
Idhini wants to close the gap in health research within the BIPOC community.
Charlot said the organization reduces the cost of acquiring health-related data and insights from Black and minority communities while increasing the lifetime value of each community member’s interaction with medical research.
He said it’s 100% virtually.
“Why not make the community successful,” Charlot stated.
“The main reason there’s a problem is the lack of trust, not just from Black people, but the BIPOC community in general.”
“Across social media channels, podcasts, and other outlets, they want these companies to take three major actions: help distinguish between false and accurate health care information; be realistic and honest about the realities of diseases and treatments and show what goes on behind the scenes at pharma companies,” the study authors wrote.
The authors concluded that people are reachable in a new way, and the newfound awareness of and interest in the makers of drugs and vaccines offers a pathway to learning.
“People want to hear from pharma companies,” the study authors wrote. “They’re listening and learning. They then bring this information with them to their doctors’ appointments.”
Charlot said that’s the point of Idhini.
“Major pharmaceutical companies use our stuff because it works,” Charlot stated.
“Our approach is not the Gerard way –it’s the right way.
“You have patient-centered research where it’s now all about community research. If you’re not engaging the community, there’s no value.”
Charlot concluded:
“The future of our families is not just about you; it’s about everybody you love. And the reality is that by learning more about it, by having awareness, you empower yourself to be better. You empower your community which makes you feel like you belong, and for yourself to note that you matter.”
Source: National Newspaper Publishers Association
Pandemic Make You More Concerned About Finances? You’re Not Alone
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of people’s lives and, as it turns out, it also impacted their feelings about financial security and life insurance. In a national survey commissioned by Erie Insurance:
• Two-thirds of respondents (66%) said the pandemic made them more concerned about their financial security than they were before.
• Sixty-one percent said the pandemic made them more concerned about how their family would be taken care of financially if they became seriously ill or worse and could no longer provide for them.
• Half (49%) said the pandemic made them question whether they had the right type and amount of life insurance as part of their overall plan for financial security, and a quarter (25%) contacted their insurance agent about it.
If you’re among those who want to make sure your family is taken care of in the event something unexpected happens to you, but you aren’t sure where to start, here are three questions to ask your insurance agent:
1. How do I know whether I need life insurance? If you have family members or loved ones who depend on your income, it is a good idea to have life insurance to ensure they will be taken care of. The mortgage on your house, your child’s college tuition, car loans, and
funds for your final expenses are just a few things that can be paid for with money from your life insurance policy. Even if no one depends on your income, it still may make sense to get a life insurance policy to cover your final expenses and debts — including student loans.
2. How do I figure out how much life insurance to get? There are several factors to consider, including the needs of the people you want to protect and how long they will need financial support. Consider your income, or if you aren’t employed outside the home, what it would cost if those left behind would have to pay for services you currently provide, such as childcare or home maintenance.
3. Which is better, term life insurance or whole life? It depends on where you are. Term life insurance protects you for a specific amount of time. An example would be while you are still paying off a mortgage or paying off your child’s college tuition. Whole life insurance accumulates cash value and allows for your
loved ones to be covered throughout your lifetime. Something else to take into account as you’re considering purchasing life insurance is the value it provides, even if you never actually need to use it.
“One of the best reasons to get life insurance is that it sets your mind at ease to know that your loved ones will be taken care of,” said Louis Colaizzo, senior vice president of Erie Family Life, Erie Insurance.
“In fact, 44% of those who responded to our survey said the pandemic made them appreciate the peace of mind they get from having life insurance even more now than they did before.”
To learn more about life insurance, contact your agent or visit erieinsurance.com/life-insurance.
Amid the uncertainty created by the pandemic, consider channeling your concerns into action by creating a financial safety net for your loved ones.
Source: StatePoint
