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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Children and youth

May 17, 2024 - An analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families showed that Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah had fewer children enrolled in Medicaid at the end 2023 than before the pandemic. States with the largest drops in coverage have large rural areas, where clinician shortages, long drives to care, and poorer health outcomes are common.
Source: Stateline
May 16, 2024 - Texas A&M University-Kingsville's Institute for Rural Mental Health Initiatives is providing training to school personnel in rural counties on what signs to look for and how to report a concern with a student's behavior. The initiative will also assist school counselors and teachers in helping students handle grief and loss.
Source: KRIS 6 News
May 14, 2024 - The Ways and Means Committee of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona heard testimony about concerns of Native American communities, and reaffirmed a commitment to help tribal and rural communities prosper. Topics included lack of access to healthcare, and the need for adopted children to maintain connections to their cultural heritage
Source: House Ways and Means Committee
May 10, 2024 - Describes a Northern Arizona University project to study persistent disparities in autism services for children from underserved communities. The study is funded by a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Source: Cronkite News
May 8, 2024 - Provides overview of childcare shortages across Michigan and highlights the experiences of rural child care providers. Notes that the most severe shortages are concentrated in rural northern Michigan. Examines challenges related to the current public subsidy system and ongoing workforce shortages.
Source: Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan
May 3, 2024 - Summarizes forthcoming research on disparities in access to hospital-based pediatric services among rural and urban children. Discusses the impact of rural hospital closures on children with chronic health conditions.
Source: Medical Xpress
May 3, 2024 - Outlines new bipartisan legislation which seeks to expand access to child care in rural Georgia. Notes that 55% of rural children under 5 live in child care deserts.
Source: Office of Senator Jon Ossoff
Apr 29, 2024 - Highlights increased risk of mental health struggles and suicide among rural youth. Discusses a tech-based service delivery program in South Dakota.
Source: Public News Service
Apr 25, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) finalizing long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemaking. Among other things, this rule phases in added sugars limits for the school lunch and breakfast programs and in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, implements a single sodium reduction in the school lunch and breakfast programs, and establishes long-term milk and whole grain requirements for school meals. Program operators will not be required to make changes to their menus until school year 2025-2026 at the earliest. This rule is effective July 1, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 19, 2024 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) extending the comment period on the December 29, 2023, interim final rule titled "Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs." The interim final rule amends the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option (SSO) regulations to codify the flexibility for rural program operators to provide non-congregate meal service in the SFSP and SSO. This rule also establishes regulations and codifies a permanent summer electronic benefits transfer for children program (Summer EBT) to ensure continued access to food when school is not in session for the summer. Comments are now due by August 27, 2024.
Source: Federal Register