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Rural Resources, Publications & News
Newest on top
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Books & Websites
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News |
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), in
collaboration with the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, has
developed a brief technical assistance manual for community coalitions
entitled "Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An Emerging Threat -
Strategies to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse Among Teens in Your
Community." The 12-page manual is available in pdf format at:
http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/resources/teen-rx/CADCA_Strategizer52.pdf
Also, if you have not seen the federal government's anti-meth web site,
go to:
http://www.methresources.gov/
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"What do Montanans need to know to stay informed
and make informed decisions regarding the changing landscape of
health and social service information and resources?" Comments and
suggestions are welcome and encouraged........please take a look at the
items posted so far at:
http://extn.msu.montana.edu/CommRes/newsroom.asp
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If you have an interest in, or
work in, areas of underserved populations,
then you should be aware that the fed gov't has published a 51-page
'Notice
of Rulemaking' in the Feb 29 issue of the Federal Register to revise
the
designation of Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) and Health
Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). No changes are proposed at this
time
with respect to the criteria for designating dental and mental health
HPSAs. Deadline for submitting comments is April 29, 2008.
HRSA Press Release
at:
http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2008/hpsaproposedrule.htm
Federal Register notice at:
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/shortage/hpsafrn022908.pdf
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Montana Battles for Pizza Title
Bolla Wines Launches Regional Pizza
Battle
January 28, 2007 – Who says New York and
Chicago should reign supreme in the pizza world? As part of its 125th
anniversary Bolla Wines, “The Official Wine of Pizza” is inviting
all Montanans to battle it out in the Taste of Your Town Pizza
Contest. To take part in the battle consumers must submit a
pizza recipe that best reflects Montana – whether it incorporates
locally-produced ingredients or the state’s signature dish (think of
a pizza topped with ostrich and feta cheese). And, because wine and
pizza is the perfect pair, entries will need to include a Bolla
varietal to go with the submitted recipe.
Participants have from February 1 to
August 31, 2008, to submit recipes for their region. Competing
regions include: Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Far
West. Regional winners will receive a pizza oven and other Bolla
prizes. The Grand Prize winner will win bragging rights for his or
her region and a trip to Europe to visit Bolla’s winery in Verona,
Italy, and attend the 2009 World Pizza Championships.
“At Bolla we use the best of Italy’s wine
regions to create different varietals - the Tuscan soil rich in
marine fossils is perfect for our Chianti, where the warm climate of
Romagna makes an excellent Sangiovese, ” said Don Freytag, brand
director for Bolla Wines. “We believe this same line of thinking
can be applied to cooking.”
To enter a recipe and wine pairing, pizza
lovers 21 years of age and older can log on to
www.bolla.com/taste.
Contestants are encouraged to use local ingredients in the crust,
sauce and topping. Entries will be judged on creativity, taste, and
their ability to pair well with a Bolla varietal. The best of each
region will be announced at the end of September and the grand prize
winner will be decided via an online vote in October, National Pizza
Month. Full details are available at
www.bolla.com/taste.
Some tips and suggestions for the Ultimate
Montana pizza:
- Sheep producers bring in more than $33 million to Montana.
Sheep’s milk is later turned into feta cheese.
- Sweeten up your sauce. Montana is generally in the top 10
producers of honey in the United States each year, and bees in
Montana typically produce more than 8 million pounds of honey.
- Top your pizza with beef. Livestock contributes to nearly 1
billion (half) of Montana’s agriculture business.
- Looking for a more exotic topping? Try low-fat ostrich meat.
Montana boasts more than 100 ostrich farms.
About Bolla
Bolla, the “Official Wine of Pizza” and a
sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team was introduced in the U.S. after GI’s
returned from World War II, the same time pizza went mainstream.
Bolla’s roots lay in the hillside of the acclaimed Veneto region in
Northern Italy where Abele Bolla started handcrafting his wines at
his small winery in 1883. Today, Bolla’s winemakers hand harvest
grapes from five regions in Italy: Veneto, Lombardia, Friuli-Venezia
Giulia, Tuscany and Romagna.
______________________________________________
Prisoner Reentry Guide for Faith-Based
and Community Organizations
The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, U.S. Department of
Labor has released a 66-page document entitled "Mentoring Ex-Prisoners:
A
Guide for Prisoner Reentry Programs." The guide was developed and
written
by Renata Cobbs Fletcher, Pulbic/Private Ventures, under a grant funded
by
the U.S. Department of Labor. The guide is designed for community-based
and
faith-based organizations interested in establishing or enhancing
prisoner
reentry programs. The guide covers a variety of topics, including
designing
a mentoring component, hiring a mentor coordinator, developing policies
and
procedures, recruiting mentors, training and matching mentors and
providing
supervision and support.
The guide is available at:
http://www.dol.gov/cfbci/20071101Mentoring.pdf
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Free Resources for Parents and
Communities
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is launching a major public
education effort to fight the serious threat of teen prescription and
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.
Though overall teen drug use is down nationwide, more teens abuse
prescription drugs than any other illicit drug, except marijuana - more
than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined. Every day, 2,500 kids
age 12-17 abuse a prescription painkiller for the first time, and more
people are becoming addicted to prescription drugs. Drug treatment
admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 300 percent
from 1995 to 2005.
Help get the word out to parents about what they can do by taking advantage
of these FREE RESOURCES to combat teen Rx and OTC abuse. You can find a
wealth of resources at the Media Campaign's new online section for community
groups, coalitions, and non-profits
http://www.theantidrug.com/resources/
including:
o SPECIAL REPORT: downloadable report on teen prescription drug
abuse titled "Prescription for Danger: A Report on the Troubling Trend of
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse Among the Nation's Teens."
o NEW RX BROCHURE FOR PARENTS: "The Abuse of Prescription and
Over-the-Counter Drugs" is a guide to preventing prescription and OTC drug
abuse among teens. Parents will learn why teens are abusing these drugs,
where they get them, and which drugs are most commonly abused. The brochure
highlights signs and symptoms of abuse and steps parents can take to
safeguard and properly dispose of their medications.
o NEW ONLINE CADCA STRATEGIZER ON RX/OTC: The Media Campaign
partnered with Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of American (CADCA) to create
a Strategizer for community groups titled "Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An
Emerging Threat" with strategies, case studies, and resources for
initiating or enhancing a prescription drug abuse campaign in your
community.
o CUSTOMIZABLE OPEN LETTER ADS: The Media Campaign will run an Open
Letter to Parents in major newspapers and publications nationwide starting
in February. A customizable version of this Open Letter ad, and others
directed at health and education professionals, are available for you to
tailor, add local signatories, logos/names, and distribute in your
community.
ONLINE TOOLS FOR PARENTS: Encourage parents to learn why teens are
increasingly abusing prescription and OTC drugs, the signs and symptoms of
abuse, and which drugs are abused at
http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/drug_info/prescription_drugs.asp. There are
also
easy tips for safeguarding and properly disposing of medications. Parents
can take an online virtual house tour to learn common sources of drugs in
the home by visiting
www.TheAntiDrug.com/dangerzones.
More info at:
http://www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/prescription_drugs.asp |
Researchers Gain Understanding of
How Poverty Alters the Brain
By RICHARD MONASTERSKY
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, Feb 18, 2008
Brain studies of poor children reveal that their neural systems develop
differently from those of other children, a finding that potentially
points
the way toward creating methods for ameliorating the effects of poverty
on
academic achievement.
"Growing up poor is bad for your brain-we've known that for a long
time,"
said Martha J. Farah, director of the center for cognitive neuroscience
at
the University of Pennsylvania. "What's new is that neuroscientists have
begun to try to understand this problem," she said last week at the
annual
meeting here of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
which ends today.
For generations, psychologists have noted that children raised in
poverty
perform poorer on cognitive tests, on average, than do students from
wealthier families. Some researchers have taken those results to argue
that
intelligence is determined for the most part by genetics and that
certain
races are inherently smarter than others. In 1994, Richard J. Herrnstein
and Charles Murray presented that case in their book, The Bell Curve:
Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life.
More at:
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=nKqrvcMdbJvyfvgx5TrgnvgwHxTjRHw3
Billings Gazette
Billings, Montana
February 8, 2008
Gazette Opinion: Montana must reduce suicides
Twenty-four times as many Montanans die of intentionally self-inflicted
harm
as die by homicide. Montana's rate of suicide ranks No. 1 among the 50
states. This tragic statistic cries out for action by public health
authorities and concerned citizens. Montanans must do much more to save
our
friends, relatives and neighbors.
Data released last week by the National Center for Health Statistics
show
that 32,637 Americans died of intentional self-harm in 2005, the most
recent
year for which information is available. That was a rate of 11 suicides
per
100,000 Americans. Montana's rate is twice the national average at 22
per
100,000.
Full opinion available at:
http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/08/opinion/gazette/50-gazetteopinion.txt
EDUCATION'S ROLE IN THE METRO-NONMETRO EARNINGS DIVIDE
Average earnings are lower in nonmetro areas than in metro areas, even
after accounting for differences in the individual characteristics of
nonmetro earners. The nonmetro-metro earnings gap is greater for workers
with more education and more experience. For nonmetro households, lower
earnings may be offset by factors difficult to measure, such as lower
living costs or the value of rural amenities.
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YMCA of the USA launched a key component of
Activate America
http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/ in July 2004 - the
Pioneering
Healthier Communities (PHC) project. This community leadership
initiative
aims to:
(1) raise the visibility of lifestyle health issues in the national
policy
debate, and;
(2) encourage and support local communities in developing more effective
strategies to promote healthy lifestyles.
Since the launch, 46 communities have fielded teams to take on the
challenge of improving the health of their communities and their
residents.
The 'Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community' and more about the the
Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) project is at:
http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/activate_america_leadership.html#2
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Extension Community Resources
http://extn.msu.montana.edu/CommRes/index.html |
Get involved in SHAPE UP MONTANA, a
team wellness program designed to get
Montana to "Shape Up". This program takes health care by the horns by
getting people involved in their wellness. Shape Up Montana works
because
of the team format; making fitness fun and creating accountability.
More
information at:
http://www.shapeupmontana.org/
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Community Voice Mail
Community Voice Mail provides free, 24-hour nationwide voice mail to
people
in crisis - connecting them to jobs, housing and hope - a simple concept
with extraordinary impact.
Community Voice Mail is a charity organization with headquarters in
Seattle
that allows anyone to personalize their own voice mailbox which can be a
useful tool for people struggling to pull themselves out of a crisis
situation. The organization began in 1991 and last year served 41,000
individuals. A five year $2.5 million grant from the
communications-technology company Cisco Systems has helped Community
Voice Mail which has an annual phone bill of $250,000. More information
at:
http://www.cvm.org |
USDA Announces
$389 Million in Funding for Schools, Roads Final Year of Payments
Under the Secure Rural Schools Act
$13 million
for MT
For Press Release go to USDA Newsroom at:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navtype=MA&navid=NEWSROOM
or directly to:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2007/12/0384.xml
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This Issue Brief highlights findings from the Kaiser
Low-Income Coverage
and Access Survey on the current role that insurance plays in
facilitating
access to care for low-income adults and in protecting against
financial
burdens.
Uninsured low-income adults are least likey to have access to either
preventative care or medial attention for more urgent health care needs.
They often go with out doctor's office visits and prescription drugs,
resulting in poor health outcomes. When they finally do get care, it is
often very expensive with serious financial consequences.
Full brief at:
http://www.kff.org/uninsured/7705.cfm
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Bootstrap Marketing Loan
Program
TechRanch
910 Technology Blvd, Ste. A
Bozeman, MT 59718
Phone: 406-556-0272
Fax: 406-556-0969
Bootstrap Montana Program Details, Seminar Curriculum, Loan
Application Questions
Jessica Watson, Director of Finance
jwatson@techranch.org
_____________________________________________________________________
YMCA of the USA launched a key component of Activate
America
http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/ in July 2004 - the
Pioneering
Healthier Communities (PHC) project. This community leadership
initiative
aims to:
(1) raise the visibility of lifestyle health issues in the national
policy
debate, and;
(2) encourage and support local communities in developing more effective
strategies to promote healthy lifestyles.
Since the launch, 46 communities have fielded teams to take on the
challenge of improving the health of their communities and their
residents.
The 'Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community' and more about the the
Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) project is at:
http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/activate_america_leadership.html#2
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For those affected by home foreclosures,
a call to the "Hope Now Hotline"
(888-995-HOPE or 4673) is a good place to start.
This hotline is helpful in locating a
"HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency."
People can also call 800-569-4287 directly
to connect with a Counseling Agency.
Additional resources can also be looked into at:
· · www.fha.gov
· 800-Call-FHA (800-225-5342)
· ·
www.hud.gov |
Web site on federal grants, loans and contracts debuts
The Office of Management and Budget rolled out a new Web site in
December
that will provide information on all major federal grants, loans and
contracts. The new site, dubbed USASpending.gov, is dedicated to
improving
transparency by providing the public with information on all major
federal
transactions.
The launch fulfills one of the key requirements of the 2006 Federal
Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act, which requires full disclosure on a
Web site maintained by OMB of all organizations receiving more than
$25,000
in federal funds.
USASpending.gov eventually will provide a full
searchable database of all
federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans. He said OMB has received
data from 21 of 24 agencies, representing about 90 percent of government
spending. The site will be updated every two weeks. OMB will post the
data,
but it's up to agencies to keep their databases current.
The new website is at:
http://www.usaspending.gov/
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USA Today Examines Efforts To Offer
Health Care
Services to Low-Income and Uninsured U.S. Residents in Gathering Places
[Jan 02, 2008]
AP/USA Today on Tuesday examined efforts by health officials and
specialists nationwide "to address glaring disparities in U.S. health
care"
by expanding health screenings and lifestyle education programs to
places
where uninsured and low-income residents most often gather. A number of
states are conducting education programs for barbers and beauticians to
help them teach their clients about stroke symptoms and the importance
of
screenings, while many churches are hosting blood pressure exams and
health
education fairs.
The Medical College of Wisconsin in a partnership with Columbia St.
Mary's
Hospital in Milwaukee recently launched a nine-month study to determine
whether chronic disease management services offered at food pantries can
improve the health of patrons, according to AP/USA Today. The $450,000
charity-sponsored project will continue for three years and will target
common chronic ailments including diabetes, obesity and high blood
pressure. It aims to offer screenings to 2,500 patients.
Patients will be required to pay for a part of the services and
medications, and those who are seriously ill will be referred for
advanced
care. Jim Sanders of MCW said that for $4 or $5, patients can receive a
month's supply of low-cost generic hypertension or cholesterol drugs.
Health care officials also will register qualified patients for Medicaid
and other health care programs, AP/USA Today reports.
Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association said, "The
most
important principle here is going where the people are," adding, "There
no
reason you can't do immunizations there, no reason you can't do
nutritional
counseling there. ... It makes a lot of sense" (Neergaard, AP/USA Today,
12/25/07).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=49617
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The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector has
released "Principles for Good
Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations."
The Guide represents the first time that charities and foundations
reflecting a broad cross-section of the American nonprofit community
have come together to develop principles of ethical conduct,
accountability, and transparency that they aspire to and encourage all
organizations to follow.
The Guide outlines 33
practices designed to support board members and
staff leaders of every charitable organization as they work to improve
their own operations. The Panel encourages these leaders to examine the
Principles carefully and determine how best they should be applied to
their own operations.
To download the 32 page guide and/or free print copies, go to:
http://www.nonprofitpanel.org/
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USDA Community Nutrition Map (CNMap)
Check out the revised USDA Community Nutrition Map (CNMap) that provides
user-friendly information on food and nutrition indicators by
state-compared to national levels-for nutritionists, researchers,
educators
and consumers.
Easy-to-read customized tables and color-coded maps can be accessed by
anyone on the Internet. Indicators include data on estimated nutrient
intakes, eating patterns, physical activity, body weight, demographics
and
food security. Food security is defined as an individual's ability to
access enough food to lead an active, healthy life. Policy makers and
public health workers can use these profiles to investigate diet and
health
issues that may be of concern both at the local and state level.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15656
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Farm-to Table efforts go high tech
By Cindy Mullet
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
Information about Glendive's Farm-to-Table project is now available to
anyone with a computer and Internet access.
Americorps VISTA volunteer Rachel Williams has been working on a Web
site for the project through a Web site design class at Dawson Community
College and now has the site on line at
www.farmtotablecoop.com.
The site will provide consumers in the region with information on the
availability of locally grown and produced food, reach out to potential
members of an agriculture marketing co-op, and, hopefully, bolster the
stature of the Farm-to-Table project for seeking funding.
Farm-to-Table targets the area within a 150-mile radius of Glendive.
Consumers will be able to click on any county or town in the area and
access a list of local resources. The site will also include a form that
growers or groups who want to be included on the site can download, fill
out and return to Williams who will then add their information to the
site, she said.
Growers who use the site will be able to obtain information about the
agriculture marketing co-op that is being formed to market products on
behalf of member growers and producers. The co-op will act as a broker
for producers, charging a 25 percent brokerage fee to members and a 35
percent fee to non-members. The extra 10 percent charged to non-members
will accrue into a membership. Membership is $500, the Web site
explains.
Farm-to-Table works collaboratively with all sectors of the local food
economy, including growers, value-added producers, restaurants, stores,
institutional food services, and individual consumers to achieve the
goal of a local food system. |
MT State Population
Estimates Released Dec 27, 2007 - one page at:
http://ceic.mt.gov/Publications/Highlights/highlights_statepop2007.pdf
Sustainability Toolkit:
10 Steps to Maintaining Your Community Improvements
Discover how to sustain the improvements you've made in your community's
health and/or quality of life.
This toolkit takes you through a 10-step process for determining which
efforts should be maintained and deciding how to successfully continue
them.
The Sustainability Toolkit contains:
* Examples and stories from communities throughout the nation
* Activities you can complete, which are included on a CD-ROM
* Sample plans, timelines, and completed activities
* Tips and resources
http://www.civicpartnerships.org/docs/publications/
sustainability_toolkit.htm
_________________________
Ag News |
Montana Youth Leadership Forum (MYLF)
For Students with Disabilities
Carroll College, Helena, MT
July 14-18, 2008
Applications: Must be postmarked by April 4, 2008
Description: The delegates are chosen through a statewide competition
that
seeks students with disabilities who have leadership potential. Each
applicant submits a standard form, an essay, and letter of
recommendation.
The group that is selected is representative of the state in terms of
geographic, gender, economic status, ethnicity, and types of
disabilities.
More info & Forms at:
http://www.montanaylf.org/?p=applicationforms
______________________
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The AdvantAGE Initiative
The AdvantAge Initiative helps counties, cities, and towns prepare
for the growing number of older adults who are "aging in place"
while creating livable communities for people of all ages.
http://www.vnsny.org/advantage/index.html
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Take Charge
http://www.seta.iastate.edu/takecharge/
Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: An Interactive
Workbook
http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/Community_Success/about.html
Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition in Afterschool
Settings:
Strategies for Program Leaders and Policy Makers
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/fitness_nutrition.pdf
Healthy Choices Afterschool
http://www.niost.org/publications/healthy%20choices%20afterschool.pdf |
Why Epidemiologists Cannot Afford to Ignore
Poverty"
By Nancy Krieger
Epidemiology Vol 18 No 6 November 2007, p658-663
http://tinyurl.com/234dah
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Rural America at a Glance, 2007
Overview of social and economic conditions in rural areas, including
statistics on employment, poverty, population, and more.
Organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Date: 10 / 2007
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB31/EIB31.pdf
Rural Prosperity: A Longitudinal
Study of Rural Communities and Rural
Low-Income Families
Overview of the Rural Families Speak project, a multi-state study
examining
rural low-income families. Provides a summary of the findings from three
topical areas: labor force, health, and social support.
http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NRICGP%20Final%20Report.pdf |
"Bright Futures for Families" is a
national initiative for
families and communities to promote and
improve the health and well-being of children of all ages.
http://www.brightfuturesforfamilies.org/home.htm
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More than two and a half years ago the
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts,
and Letters set out to create a "new vision for agriculture and rural
life"
in the state. This week, the academy released its lengthy report, "The
Future of Farming and Rural Life in Wisconsin: Findings,
Recommendations,
Steps to a Healthy Future."
Full story at:
http://www.dailyyonder.com/wisconsin-takes-long-look-future-rural-communities
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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Reclaiming Futures initiative was
designed to enhance the coordination and effectiveness of substance
abuse
services for youth in the juvenile justice system. Managed by Portland
State University in Oregon, Reclaiming Futures worked with 10
communities
across the United States to develop and then implement the Reclaiming
Futures Model, a performance-based guide to improving the integration of
juvenile justice and substance abuse services. Researchers from the
Urban
Institute and Chapin Hall collaborated in evaluating the impact of the
initiative. The results suggest that Reclaiming Futures is a useful
model
for promoting effective partnerships between justice agencies, treatment
providers, and community groups.
Download Reports at:
http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1446 |
Do We Have Real Poverty in the United States of America?
by Paula Braveman, MD, MPH
Preventing Chronic Disease
October 2007; 4(4); pgs 1-4
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/oct/07_0124.htm?s_cid=pcd44a84_e
The Topography of Poverty in the United States: A Spatial
Analysis Using County-Level Data From the Community Health Status
Indicators Project
James B. Holt, PhD, MPA
Preventing Chronic Disease
October 2007; 4(4); pgs 1-9
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/oct/07_0091.htm?s_cid=pcd44a111_e |
Rural Mothers More Likely To Work, But At Lower Wages
A new study by the Carsey Institute shows that rural
mothers with children under age 6 have higher employment rates than
their urban counterparts, but have higher poverty rates, lower wages,
and lower family income.
News release and report available at:
http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/092407ruralmoms.htm
or directly at:
http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/FS_ruralmoms_07.htm |
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State Statistics on
Income, Poverty & Health Insurance Puts MT below neighboring states
:( May 2005 statistics
comparing Montana and the surrounding states: We are highest in
poverty although have gone down since 2004 but still 37th from lowest
poverty state. Our income ranks us at 47% nationally and $3500
below our closest neighbors. MT has 17.1% of its population
without health insurance, the worst of all surrounding neighbors. |
Parenting Education and
the Cooperative Extension System: Resources for Partnership and Practice
Parenting education strengthens families by providing relevant
information and educational opportunities to assist parents in making
decisions that are in the best interest of their children. USDA s
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service supports
parenting education through partnership with the Cooperative Extension
System at land-grant universities throughout the nation. In this
presentation, Dr. Caroline
Crocoll, National Program Leader for Family Science at USDA, will
provide an overview of Cooperative Extension at the federal, state and
local level and will share Extension parenting education practices,
resources, and partnering opportunities with conference call
participants.
For background information on these programs, please visit:
<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/familyscience.html
www.csrees.usda.gov/familyscience.html |
The Senate Finance Committee on 9/13/07 by
voice vote approved a
bill (S 1200) that would revise and reauthorize the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act through 2017 at a cost of $16 billion over five years
and
$35 billion over 10 years, CQ Today reports.
The legislation would allow American Indian health care organizations to
participate more fully in Medicare and Medicaid and would limit premiums
for tribal members. In addition, the bill would allow American Indian
health care organizations to participate in SCHIP for the first time.
The
Senate Indian Affairs Committee in May approved the legislation, and
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said that he would hold a floor
vote on the bill (Armstrong, CQ Today, 9/12).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=47482
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Rural America: Invisible voters
Residents say their central issues are off candidates' maps
By Karen E. Crummy, Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/09/2007 03:57:38 PM MDT
"There is no respect for agriculture. No planning for our
infrastructure. No understanding of the long distances people have to go
to access medical care."
That sentiment has many political and rural experts predicting a bitter
battle between the political parties to capture the votes of rural
America.
Full article at:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6840338#
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Rural Definitions
The ERS, USDA has selected NINE alternative rural definitions and
compared
social and economic indicators across the nine definitions. Data
documentation, methods and results are located at:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/RuralDefinitions/
|
High Cost of Care Causing Financial
Strain for Farmers, Ranchers
Kaiser Family Fdn [Sep 10, 2007]
The high cost of health care premiums and out-of-pocket expenses
are
causing financial difficulties for more than 25% of family farmers and
ranchers, according to a report released on Thursday, the AP/Des Moines
Register reports. For the 2007 Health Insurance Survey of Farm and Ranch
Operators, researchers from the University of North Dakota's Center for
Rural Health, Brandeis University and The Access Project analyzed
responses
from telephone surveys of more than 2,000 farmers and ranchers in Iowa,
Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The report found that 90% of those surveyed had health insurance. Twenty
percent of farmers and ranchers had outstanding medical debt, and one in
six postponed physician visits either because of cost, high medical debt
or
a heavy workload, the study found. Ten percent of respondents said that
at
least one family member was uninsured at some point during 2006, and of
those people, most said that the period of uninsurance was because of
cost.
About 36% of farmers and ranchers surveyed said they have private
insurance
policies; 10% said they are enrolled in a public insurance program; and
54%
said they receive health insurance through other employment or a spouse.
Alana Knudsen, a co-author from the rural health center, said that
policy solutions are needed "to ensure that farm and ranch operators and
other small-business owners are able to pay for
health care services in their rural communities" (AP/Des Moines
Register, 9/6).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=47397
|
Approximately 26% of women living in rural
areas have disabilities. They
face two additional risks for depression: having a disability and living
in
a rural setting.
http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/health/Depression.htm
|
Low Income Subsidy Outreach Toolkit
Toolkit for organizations interested in helping Medicare beneficiaries
who
qualify for the low income subsidy (LIS) to learn about and apply for
extra
help in paying for prescription drugs.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Partnerships/Toolkits/itemdetail.asp?itemID=CMS1188820
|
Rural Caregivers
Helps bridge the information gap and assist in creating a web support
community for rural caregivers. Provides online resources,
organizations,
state contacts and more.
http://cobweb.ecn.purdue.edu/~agenhtml/ABE/Extension/BNG/Caregiving/index.html
_______________________________
A new way to keep seniors in their homes
SHAWNE K. WICKHAM New Hampshire Sunday News
The Union Leader (Manchester NH) July 22, 2007
http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/50281.html |
The Every Child Matters Education Fund's new
document, Homeland Insecurity- Why Children Must Be a Priority in the
2008 Presidential Campaign, is a 20 page report which makes the case
for new investments in children, youth and families. It provides data
comparing the well-being of children in the U.S.to other rich
democracies and marked differences in child
well-being among the 50 states. It also includes six questions that
should
be answered by the presidential candidates.
This is part of our non-partisan initiative to spark public debate about
the role of government in addressing the needs of children.To download
report and how you can participate, clickhere:
http://www.everychildmatters.org/2008/HomelandInsecurityBooklet.pdf
To learn more about the Every Child Matters Education Fund, click on:
http://www.everychildmatters.org/ |
Update on Foundation Giving to Rural
Communities
http://www.ruralstrategies.org/projects/philanthropy/
RuralPhilanthropy2007UPD.pdf
|
A
Way Out of Poverty for Children - It takes a Family
Graduates of an intensive early childhood education program for poor
children showed higher educational attainment, lower rates of serious
crime
and incarceration, and lower rates of depressive symptoms than did
non-participants in the program.
Full NIH News Release at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2007/nichd-07.htm
|
The Key to Good Health That No One Is
Talking About
By Brydie Ragan YES! Magazine, Wednesday 25 July
2007
The public generally believes that poor lifestyle choices, faulty
genes and infectious agents are the major factors that give rise to
illness. Here's the rest of the story.
Research now tells us that lower socio-economic status may be more
harmful to health than risky personal habits....
I recently saw a billboard for an employment service that said, "If
you think cigarette smoking is bad for your health, try a dead-end job."
This warning may not just be an advertising quip: public health research
now tells us that lower socio-economic status may be more harmful to
health than risky personal habits, such as smoking or eating junk food.
In 1967, British epidemiologist Michael Marmot began to study the
relationship between poverty and health. He showed that each step up or
down the socio-economic ladder correlates with increasing or decreasing
health.
Over time, research linking health and wealth became more nuanced.
It turns out that "what matters in determining mortality and health in a
society is less the overall wealth of that society and more how evenly
wealth is distributed. The more equally wealth is distributed, the
better the health of that society," according to the editors of the
April 20, 1996 issue of the British Medical Journal. In that issue,
American epidemiologist George Kaplan and his colleagues showed that
the disparity of income in each of the individual U.S. states, rather
than the average income per state, predicted the death rate.
Continued at:
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/072507HB.shtml |
Peripheral
Artery Disease (P.A.D.) affects 8-12 million Americans, especially
those over 50 years of age. Early diagnosis and intervention can
prevent a number of adverse consequences including disability. In
Chapter 2 of the Community Action Tool Kit there is a 16 slide PPt
presentation.
P.A.D.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/
heart/pad/index.html
Campaign materials:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/pad/
materials/index.html
Community Action Tool Kit:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/pad/
materials/community_action.html
________________________________
Rethinking Human
Services
by Tom Corbett, Ph.D.
Attacking Poverty in America?
http://www.raconline.org/newsletter/web/summer07.php#corbett |
Join with up to
2,000 adults and youth who gather each year for Search
Institute's Healthy Communities . Healthy Youth Conference this November
in
Rochester, New York. Designed for people who work with or care about
youth,
this one-of-a-kind conference brings together people from different
community sectors nationally and internationally who share a common
goal:
to work together to promote positive youth development through asset
building. This year for the first time, the conference features a
special
track on spiritual development, sponsored by the Center for Spiritual
Development in Childhood and Adolescence.
More info at:
http://spiritualdevelopmentcenter.org/Display.asp?Page=2007HCHYSpiritTrack
Dept. of Corrections pilot program
working well:
Farmers, inmates
happy; a second crew will be out in the fields today
Margie Wood, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
The Pueblo Chieftain (Colorado)
July 11, 2007
http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/47641.html
|
|
http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa_06/healthstat/0300hs.htm
CHILDREN IN POVERTY
In 2004, just over 13 million children under 18 years of age lived in
households with incomes below the Federal poverty threshold ($19,307 for
a family of four); this represents 17.8 percent of all children in the
United States. Children represented over one-third of people in poverty,
but only one-quarter of the population.
Poverty affects many aspects of a child's life, including living
conditions, access to health care, and adequate nutrition, all of which
contribute to health status. Black and Hispanic children are
particularly vulnerable to poverty. A much higher proportion of Black
(33.6 percent) and Hispanic (28.9 percent) children under age 18 were
poor than were their non-Hispanic White counterparts (10.5 percent).
Children in single-parent families are particularly likely to be poor:
of children under age 6 living with a single mother, 52.6 percent lived
in poverty, approximately five times the rate of their counterparts in
married-couple families. Although they compose only 18 percent of all
families in the United States, female-headed households represent about
half of all families in poverty.
http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa_06/popchar/0203cp.htm
|
Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Grants
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=15175
Tribal Connections,
Univ of WA
Tribal Connections provides a portal to a variety of health resources
and training opportunities to minimize isolation and improve access to
physical and mental health resources.
Check it out at:
http://www.tribalconnections.org/ehealthinfo/index.html
|
Investing in Children, Youth, and
Families: Why Community Matters
Cynthia "Mil" Duncan.Professor of Sociology, Director, The Carsey
Institute, U of NH
Cynthia "Mil" Duncan gave the opening keynote address at CYFAR 2007. The
purpose of the 4-H Family Strengthening Distinguished Lecture is to
share research from the land grant university system that supports the
role of families in positive youth development.
Exploring the implications of living in poor communities for young
people's "cultural tool kit," Duncan reviewed the lessons from research
on poverty and community and discussed what we know about how
communities' civic culture and core institutions can
provide opportunities for upward mobility for children at risk.
Cynthia's keynote Power Point is available at:
http://www.cyfernet.org/cyfar07/keynotes.html
|
|
Making a Difference in
Schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based
Mentoring Impact Study
Executive Summary by Carla Herrera, Jean Baldwin Grossman, Tina J. Kauh,
Amy F. Feldman and Jennifer McMaken with Linda Z. Jucovy
August 2007, 8 pages
Serving almost 870,000 youth nationwide, school-based mentoring is one
of
the fastest growing forms of mentoring in the US today. Making a
Difference
in Schools presents findings from a landmark random assignment impact
study
of Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring-the first national
study
of this program model. This executive summary highlights nine key
findings
from the full report and outlines several recommendations for policy and
practice.
Full Report and Executive Summary available at:
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/youth/youth_publications.asp?section_id=7#pub220
|
Montana makes headlines
in
The Chronicle of
Philanthropy.
This article is available online at this address:
http://philanthropy.com/temp/email.php?id=
7hot2up31fozga95dlol85nd8wy9015a
The Power of Technological Innovation in
Rural America
The advantages of innovation are often well within the reach of rural
America.
http://www.kansascityfed.org/RegionalAffairs/
Mainstreet/MSE_0707.pdf
|
Missoula's Daniel Kemmis to Chair Prominent
Northwest Area Foundation Board
of St. Paul, Minn.
July 21, 2007
Daniel Kemmis of Missoula was named chair of the 13-member Northwest
Area Foundation Board http://www.nwaf.org
during its recent annual meeting in St. Paul, Minn.
Kemmis is a senior fellow at The University of Montana's O'Connor Center
for the Rocky Mountain West
http://www.crmw.org. A Harvard graduate, he has served as minority
leader and speaker in the Montana House of Representatives and is a
former Missoula mayor.
The Northwest Area Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant
requests.
For more information, visit
http://www.nwaf.org or call 651-224-9635.
http://www.matr.net/article-24837.html
http://news.umt.edu/index.asp?sec=1&too=100&eve=8&dat=7/20/2007&npa=1729 |
|
Chasing Smokestacks, Stranding
Small Business: Rural Minnesota's Crisis
The Case For Using What We Have To Do More In The Places That Need It
Most
by Lee Egerstrom, Fellow, Minnesota 2020
The state is failing rural Minnesota. Today, the State of Minnesota's
economic development policy is oriented towards large projects and
larger cities. Efforts to aid rural areas are fragmented, unfocused or
nonexistent.
Current state agency infrastructure and resources, particularly those
administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic
Development (DEED), can be easily retasked to better serve Minnesota's
80,000 smallest businesses. At present, little state effort is directed
to aiding these entrepreneurs.
Business data suggest that a modest policy shift, realized though state
agencies, will yield substantive dividends.This research project
identifies four public policy initiatives that will result in a stronger
small town business climate.
* Entrepreneur business skill building and research
* Business development resource coordination
* Development and marketing
* Capital formation and micro-lending
By leveraging existing resources and making rural economic development a
priority, Minnesota could realize a boundless future.
http://www.mn2020.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BFF75B182-80F5-46E5-8CC8-89BA4EB32157%7D&DE |
Center for Collaborative Solution's
Developing Exemplary Practice
Guide for After school Programs
This guide, funded by the Network for a Healthy California (USDA Food
Stamp Nutrition Education) and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation,
is designed to help afterschool program leaders and their partners join
in the fight against the obesity epidemic facing our children and youth
today in a
systematic and effective way.
Guide available at:
http://www.ccscenter.org/?mvcTask=article&pageId=7eb4f8593359619ebeaf9f2f88d18bfa
|
Religious Groups Push Farm Policy
Reforms to Combat Poverty
Congress this week takes on a task it faces every five years: rewriting
the nation's Farm
Bill - a hefty and always politically sensitive law that covers almost
every
imaginable policy on agriculture, land use and feeding programs in
America. Among
the varied groups of competing interests over the bill are
interdenominational religious
organizations that have entered the scene with a strong and savvy show
of organizing,
coalescing and lobbying. They are drawing connections between farm
policies and the
larger issues of poverty and nutrition.
In practical terms, they believe that goal can be forwarded by making
subsidies available to smaller farmers, increasing the eligibility and
numbers of people
receiving food stamps, increasing investments to combat rural poverty,
and expanding
international food aid. Faith-based reformers also want stronger
emphasis on land conservation.In pushing for such reforms, the religious
groups are at times at odds with
agriculturallobbies who advocate that Congress maintain what they refer
to as a
financial "safety net" for farmers in years of reduced production and
low market prices.
http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/newsletters/article.cfm?id=6756
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspxPage=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=273 |
|
Community
Organizing and Development (4th Edition) (Paperback)
by Herbert J. Rubin & Irene S. Rubin
The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the wide variety of
approaches that guide social change, social activism, and community
building work. Community Organizing and Development links various
theories of organizing to the techniques and tactics of practice. It is
vividly illustrated by dozens of real-life practice examples. The book
describes and illustrates the skills and organizational techniques
needed to undertake successful community projects, such as converting a
former crackhouse into safe, clean, affordable housing. Designed for
social workers or community program coordinators.
New to This Edition A largely rewritten revision emphasizing
community empowerment (Part II), organizing within multicultural
communities, and reflecting new theories and strategies of community
organizing.
A new chapter on support organizations that help community groups
(Chapter 19) and a description of the importance of social capital in
communities
(Chapter 5). Introduction of the Progressive Organizing Model,
which explicitly links values to social actions and provides an
integrative theme for the entire text.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0205408133/ref=pe_pe_606_5954060_pe_ar_t6
|
Americans Misinformed about
Poverty
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=273
|
Healthy Places Leading to
Healthy People:
Community Engagement Improves Health for All
"The places where people live, work, learn, and play will protect and
promote their health and safety, especially those people at greater risk
of health disparities." - Overarching CDC Healthy Places Goal
CDC's Healthy Places goals
examine a broad spectrum of health issues associated with communities,
homes, schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, institutions, and
transportation and recreational facilities. This approach seeks to
address the potential human health impacts of physical space and
environmental exposure.
More at:
http://www.publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/places/index.htm
|
The
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has recently
published a new report that examines the interrelationship between
education and a state's competitiveness and prosperity.
"The Emerging Policy Triangle:
Economic Development, Workforce Development, and Education"
includes a discussion of
international comparative data and offers profiles for all 50 states.
The report is 130pages and available in pdf at:
http://wiche.edu/policy/Ford/EPT_May2007.pdf
|
Center for Rural Strategies
http://www.ruralstrategies.org/default.html
click on projects
______________
http://www.ruralstrategies.org/campaign/images/flash.swf
This quick video good for visioning exercises |
Poverty and RURAL in the news
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/jul/pdf/07_0002.pdf
|
|
School Employee
Wellness:
A Guide for Protecting
the Assets of Our Nation's Schools
From the Directors of Health Promotion and Education, this
comprehensive
guide provides information, practical tools and resources for school
employee wellness programs. It will help schools, school districts and
states develop and support the implementation of school employee
wellness programs that promote employee health, improve workforce
productivity and reduce the costs of employee absenteeism and
healthcare.
Includes:
* Lessons from established school employee wellness programs, as well as
other worksite wellness programs
* Steps to establish a school employee wellness program
* Tips for obtaining administrative support
* Suggestions for recruiting allies who can contribute to your program's
success
* Responsibilities of a school employee wellness coordinator
* Tools to identify the interests and needs of employees
* Tips for culturally competent planning
* Ideas for wellness program activities
* Strategies for sustaining a program
* Additional resources, including potential funding sources
Guide can be downloaded at:
http://www.schoolempwell.org |
Healthy Places Leading to Healthy People:
Community Engagement Improves Health for All
"The places where people live, work, learn, and play will protect and
promote their health and safety, especially those people at greater risk
of health disparities." - Overarching CDC Healthy Places Goal CDC's
Healthy Places goals examine a broad spectrum of health issues
associated with communities, homes, schools, workplaces, healthcare
facilities, institutions, and transportation and recreational
facilities. This approach seeks to address the potential human health
impacts of physical space and environmental exposure.
More at:
http://www.publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/places/index.htm
____________________________________________
http://prevention.mt.gov/resource/
Hot_news/files/Board.pdf |
Rural
Disadvantaged Middle School Kids
Middle school is at time of transition into adolescence, as students
undergo significant physical, emotional and psychological changes, as
well
as a critical juncture for academic decisions regarding post-secondary
education. A recent Middle School Poll prepared by the Natioanl
Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and Phi Delta Kappa
(PDK) carries the following statements in the Executive Summary:
"Information on whether a school is located in an urban, suburban or
rural
environment was gathered in this survey by asking students to classify
their schools as on of the three. Based on the student's
classifications,
some findings emerged that show rural students are at a disadvantage in
several areas when compared to students in urban and suburban schools.
For
example, rural students
- tend to grade their schools lower
- use the Internet less
- are less confident will attend college
- are more likely to have parents with a high school education
or less."
In conclusion, the report states: "As is most often the case,
social-economic status (represented by parents level of education),
middle
school grades, and sometimes urbanicity or geographic region can affect
their chances for success."
The Executive Summary and full report are available at:
http://www.pdkintl.org/ms_poll/07ms_poll.pdf |
|
USDA Rural
Passenger Transportation Technical Assistance Program
The Rural Passenger Transportation Technical Assistance Program, funded
through a Rural Business Enterprise Grant by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), is designed to assist rural communities enhance
economic growth and development by improving community transportation
services. Public transit can help support a wide range of other economic
development initiatives. Program objectives include helping small and
emerging businesses and stimulating economic development through new and
improved transportation programs. The program provides planning
assistance
for facility development, transit service improvements and expansion,
new
system start-up, policy and procedure development, marketing,
transportation coordination, training and public transit problem solving
activities.
More information
at:
http://www.ctaa.org/techassist/usda/projects/rpttap_brochure.asp |
WICHE Policy Alert 5/22/07
The United States is producing far too few college graduates to remain
competitive with other developed nations in the growing global economy,
according to a new report prepared for Making Opportunity Affordable, a
major national initiative on college quality, cost, and access. The
report, 'Hitting Home: Quality, Cost, and Access Challenges Confronting
Higher Education Today', says that this "degree gap" - the difference
between expected U.S. degree production and degree production needed to
compete with best-performing nations and threatens the nation's ability
to maintain its economic competitiveness.
The nine-page report, dated March 2007, pdf format at:
http://www.collegecosts.info/wp-content/file_uploads/Hitting_Home_030107.pdf
|
RE:
Carsey Institute Policy Brief - Rural Children Increasingly Rely on
Medicaid and State CHIP for Medical Care
A greater share of children in rural areas (32%) than in urban areas
(26%)
were insured by Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance
Program
(CHIP) in 2005, according to a new study by the University of New
Hampshire's Carsey Institute. That's largely because a greater share of
rural children lived in low-income families, the study adds. According
to the study, nearly 4 million children in rural areas depended on
public-sector health insurance in 2005.
The ten-page report is available in pdf at:
http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/documents/RuralChildHealth_final.pdf
Non-Profit Board Training
FREE
June 15 - Shelby June 16 - Havre
http://prevention.mt.gov/resource/Hot_news/files/Board.pdf |
Health Benefits of Volunteering
Over the past two decades we have seen a growing body of research that
indicates volunteering provides individual health benefits in addition
to
social benefits. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater
functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than
those who do not volunteer. Older volunteers are the most likely to
receive greater benefits from volunteering, whether because they are
more likely to face higher incidence of illness or because volunteering
provides them with physical and social activity and a sense of purpose
at a time when their social roles are changing. Volunteers who devote a
"considerable" amount of time to volunteer activities (about 100 hours
per year) are most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes.
News Release at:
http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=687
Full Report at:
http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf |
hope for Children in Poverty:
Profiles and Possibilities
by Ron Sider (Editor), Heidi Rolland Unruh (Editor)
Judson Press
Available May 2007
Most children living in low-income families face obstacles and
challenges
unknown to their middle and upper class peers. Editors Sider and Unruh
draw together the expertise of academics, activists, pastors, and social
service professionals to consider the lives and special concerns of
children living in poverty.
|
Connection Between Childhood Obesity & TV Time
The Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at CDC has just made
available the highlights report, "Reducing Children's TV Time to Reduce
the
Risk of Childhood Overweight: The Children's Media Use Study."
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/pdf/TV_Time_Highligts.pdf
___________________________________________________________
Policy
Options for a Changing Rural America
Rural communities have changed dramatically since 1990 due to increased
population from urban areas, shifts in age and ethnic composition, and
economic and industrial restructuring. Increasing competition from
abroad
and sectoral shifts in employment present new challenges and
opportunities
in the worldwide economy and raise the question - how can rural
communities
successfully build on their economic base and other assets to retain and
attract population and employment. And, when, where, and under what
circumstances will rural development strategies be most successful?
Strategies to generate new employment and income opportunities, develop
local human resources, and build and expand critical infrastructure hold
the most promise for enhancing the economic opportunities and well being
of
rural America. Released Tuesday, May
1, 2007
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/May07SpecialIssue/Features/Policy.htm |
|
Welfare Down But Poverty and Needs Up,
Faith and Civic Leaders Warn Congress
Requests from the poor, particularly for emergency services, have grown
faster than resources in the last several years and are straining
Catholic Charities USA, the social service agency's president told
Congress last week. Larry Snyder, president of one of the nation's
largest private networks of 1,500 social service agencies serving 7.4
million people annually, said the organization is receiving increased
requests from working families, single parents and grandparents. Demand
is growing in all types of communities, and more people are seeking
basic services such as housing, shelter and food.
The House Committee chairman, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), has
suggested that Congress set a goal to reduce poverty by half in the next
10
years. Last week's hearing highlighted different approaches to achieve
that goal. Witnesses endorsed a list of solutions for congressional
consideration including more and better early childhood and college
education, improving and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit that
aids low-income workers, extending benefits and job training for single
men, offering childcare tax credits, and increasing the minimum wage.
http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/newsletters/article.cfm?id=6398 |
Community Directed Leadership Programs in Wyoming
Journal of Extension
April
2007
Abstract: Efforts to increase local support for community leadership
programs have led Wyoming to develop a very heavy emphasis on local
direction and delivery. The Wyoming concept features programs led by a
volunteer steering committee and guided by general parameters.
http://www.joe.org/joe/2007april/iw3.shtml
|
Definition of Rural -
Please Comment
Those of you who have worked with the federal government on 'rural'
grants,
contracts and/or cooperative agreements probably know that the
government
has more than one definition for 'rural' -- in fact at last count the
federal gov't had 15 different definitions for 'RURAL' among all federal
programs. The federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), HRSA, has
long
sought to identify a clear, consistent and data-driven method of
defining
rural areas and has funded the development of Rural-Urban Commuting Area
(RUCA) codes. Now HRSA is seeking comments on ORHP's use of RUCAs to
better target Rural Health funding projects. The Request for Public
Comment on Use of RUCAs appeared in the Federal Register on
Thursday, May
3, 2007, pages 24589-24591.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-8492.pdf
The deadline for submission of written comments on the report and its
recommendations is JULY 2, 2007.
|
You Are What You Grow
Interesting take on poverty
The New York Times
By MICHAEL POLLAN
April 22, 2007
How is it that today the people with the least amount of money to spend
on food are the ones most likely to be overweight?
For the answer, you need look no farther than the farm bill. This
piece of legislation, which comes around roughly every five years and is
about to do so again, sets the rules for the American food system -
indeed, to a considerable extent, for the world's food system. Among
other things, it determines which crops will be subsidized and which
will not, and in the case of the carrot and the Twinkie, the farm bill
as currently written offers a lot more support to the cake than to the
root. Like most processed foods, the Twinkie is basically a clever
arrangement of carbohydrates and fats teased out of corn, soybeans and
wheat - three of the five commodity crops that the farm bill supports,
to the tune of some $25 billion a year. (Rice and cotton are the
others.) For the last several decades - indeed, for about as long as the
American waistline has been ballooning - U.S. agricultural policy has
been designed in such a way as to promote the overproduction of these
five commodities, especially corn and soy.
That's because the current farm bill helps commodity farmers by cutting
them a check based on how many bushels they can grow, rather than, say,
by supporting prices and limiting production, as farm bills once did.
The result? A food system awash in added sugars (derived from corn) and
added fats (derived mainly from soy), as well as dirt-cheap meat and
milk
(derived from both). By comparison, the farm bill does almost nothing to
support farmers growing fresh produce. A result of these policy choices
is on stark display in your supermarket, where the real price of fruits
and vegetables between 1985 and 2000 increased by nearly 40 percent
while the real price of soft drinks (a k a liquid corn) declined by 23
percent. The
reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest
is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow.
FULL STORY AT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnlede.t.html?ex=1178251200&en=e287785d15206f07&ei=5070
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A National
Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half
April 25, 2007
Contact: Daniella Gibbs Léger
Phone: 202.682.1611
Email: dleger /@\ americanprogress.org
Washington, DC-Today the Center for American Progress
http://www.americanprogress.org/ released a new report from its Task
Force
on Poverty-From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut
Poverty
in Half. CAP formed the task force over a year ago to tackle the
persistent
problems of poverty. With one in eight Americans living in poverty, and
inequality at record highs, the time for action is now. The report
recommends that the United States set a goal of cutting poverty in half
over the next 10 years. This strategy should be guided by four
principles:
1. Promote Decent Work.
2. Provide Opportunity for All.
3. Ensure Economic Security.
4. Help People Build Wealth.
The report recommends 12 key steps that will reduce poverty in half in
10
years:
http://www.americanprogress.org/pressroom/releases/2007/04/poverty_taskforce.html
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Embracing Health: Tools and Systems for Health Promotion and Disease
Prevention
http://www.rethinkwellness.com/
This report was created from the consensus of more than 200 physicians,
healthcare thought leaders, policymakers, patients and payers. It
challenges the status quo of the existing healthcare system by calling
for the alignment of incentives to help prevent the onset of chronic
disease - the nation's number one killer. It also provides the elements
of a national preventive health system and calls for Americans to
rethink the very definition of wellness to include everyone, regardless
of health status, age or the presence of disease or disability. [Healthways,
4-3-07]
http://www.healthways.com/articles/press/2007-04-04_Outcomes_Summit.html |
focus on 'kids' and 'community'
www.catchinfo.org
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Counting the Poor
It's not official, but it's virtually indisputable. Poverty in America
is
much more widespread than has been previously acknowledged. According to
the Census Bureau, nearly 37 million Americans Â- 12.6 percent of the
population Â- were living in poverty in 2005. That means that four years
into an economic expansion, the percentage of Americans defined as poor
was higher than at the bottom of the last recession in late 2001, when
it was 11.7 percent. [The New York Times, 4-17-07]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/opinion/17tue4.html |
| The
Tennessee Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health has
initiated a partnership with BlueCross to encourage physical activity in
elementary schools. The BlueCross Walking Works for Schools program
teaches children the benefits of proper exercise as part of a healthy
lifestyle. The regimen calls for students and staff to walk a minimum
of five minutes per day for a period of 12 weeks in the fall and spring.
The program generates more than five minutes per session and the
staff has noticed how the activity helps students stay focused back in
the classroom.
http://www.walkingworksforschoolstn.com/ |
MT Extension Service
http://extn.msu.montana.edu
|
Guns in Homes
Strongly Associated with Higher Rates of Suicide
In the first nationally representative study to examine the relationship
between survey measures of household firearm ownership and state level
rates of suicide in the United States, researchers at the Harvard School
of
Public Health (HSPH) found that suicide rates among children, women and
men of all ages are higher in states where more households have guns.
The study appears in the April 2007 issue of The Journal of Trauma. [ASPH
Friday
Letter, 4-13-07]
http://fridayletter.asph.org/article_view.cfm?FLE_Index=5253&FL_Index=1460</A!
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SPARK Workshops for kids to provide strategies and tips to increase
the quantity and quality of physical education/activity classes; and
promote the maintenance of physical activity away from class as part of
a healthy lifestyle. SPARK uses a variety of advanced pedagogical
skills to move physical education/activity programs and their teachers
forward with a unique, "obesity prevention approach" to instruction.
http://sparkpe.org/workshops/about.jsp
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Health Policy issues
www.policysynthesis.org |
Rural
Policy Research Intitute
"Poverty continues to be a profound challenge in rural communities, but
it
manifests itself more silently than in urban core cities and neighboring
suburbs. Poverty rates are highest in our nation's most remote rural
areas,
and high poverty and persistent poverty are disproportionately rural.
340
of our nation's 386 persistent poverty counties are in rural America and
the nonmetro poverty rate is nearly 2 ½ points higher than the
metropolitan
rate.
http://www.rupri.org/panelandnetworkviewer.php?id=10
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In the National
Trust’s Forum News, March/April 2007
“Doors Open”: A Way to
Promote Heritage Assets to Local Residents by
Suzanne Copping, NPS assistant national coordinator for heritage
areas, she notes “… Doors
Open events are collaborative efforts between diverse
government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits.” It turns
residents into tourists in their own backyard. The Doors Open
events raise residents’ awareness of distinctive local places –
places they might easily return to with family and guests, and
may continue to support. In addition, Doors Open events can
bring heritage resources to the attention of local leaders, and
show how they contribute quality-of-life as well as economic
benefits.
A few
examples:Doors Open Brookings, SD in April
http://www.downtownbrookings.com/eventcalendar.htm
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www.techsoup.org
Get tech software and
hardware for non-profits at a fraction of retail.
-----------------------
Your Online Source for Credible Health
Information Visit
Center for Disease Control
www.cdc.gov
newly revised/user friendly
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Montana County-Based Data
The Montana Kids Count 2006 Data Book is available electronically and
provides data for each Montana county on demographics, economic status,
health & mental health, education, safety and early childhood info -
available at: http://www.bber.umt.edu/content/?x=2019,1161
Montana DPHHS has county health profiles available electronically
that features two pages of parameters and health indicators for each county
- available at:
http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/PHSD/health-profiles/health-profiles-2004.shtml
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Capacity Benchmarking Tool
Improving capacity - an organization's ability to carry out its mission -
has become a "hot topic" for many nonprofit leaders and funders.
Increasingly, private and public funders are encouraging nonprofit leaders
to: (1) assess their organizations' capacity, (2) identify priorities for
capacity improvement, and (3) design and implement capacity building
strategies.
Staff and board leaders can use this new "Capacity
Benchmarking Tool" to establish priorities for strengthening an
organization's infrastructure and identify the most important next steps
needed to build capacity. This tool can be re-used to track progress and
focus the organization on achieving new capacities
See "Capacity Benchmarking Tool" at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccf/resources/benchmarking_tool/cpct_toc.html |
16 Million Americans in Poverty-
study shows Hometown Competitiveness
success stories
from Heartland Center for
Leadership Development
www.htcnebraska.org/success.
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Something to yodel
about
Horizons celebrates ideas and community at action forum
BOULDER - Promoting education garnered the most votes at
Tuesday's Horizons
Program action forum in Boulder, but celebrating community was the
overwhelming theme of the evening.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/03/29/helena/a07032907_04.txt |
Healthy Schools, Healthy People
Healthy Schools, Healthy People offers a free Toolkit to teach
children how to decrease the spread of germs.
Check out their website at:
http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/teachers_nurses.asp
|
Renewing the Countryside websites of
pilot communities |
Farm to Table Project
If you want to see what can happen with an
idea developed through the Horizon's process here is a link to the front
page of the Dec. 1, 2006 issue of the Billings Gazette:
Farm to Table program -
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/12/01/news/state/25-farm.txt |
VERBT It's what you do
"VERBT It's what you do" is a national, multicultural, social marketing
campaign that encourages young people ages 9-13 (tweens) years to be
physically active every day. The campaign combines paid advertising,
marketing strategies, and partnership efforts to reach the distinct
audiences of tweens and adults/influencers. The VERB campaign is
coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
More information is available on the VERB web site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/index.htm |
Great book - "Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense
of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient, and Rewarding for All" by Robert
Egger ISBN 0-06-054171-7 |
Montana Prisons Predicted Fastest
Growing in USA HELENA - Montana will see the
fastest prison population growth rate in the nation over the next five
years unless it changes its current sentencing and prisoner release
practices, a new study released Wednesday predicted.
Nine of the top 10 states with the fastest projected inmate population
growth rates are in the West.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/02/15/news/mtregional/news08.txt
A full report by the Public Safety Performance Project of The Pew
Charitable Trusts:
http://www.pewtrusts.com/ideas/index.cfm?issue=51 |
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Horizons
Across Montana
