Question of the Month ~ CSG Midwest

Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past three decades, leading to a rise in state efforts to combat the trend. And since children spend much of their day in school, new state laws and regulations have focused on the types of foods and levels of physical activity offered at school.

Stateline Midwest ~ April 2013

In response to an ongoing shortage of primary-care providers — coupled with the fact that millions of Americans will be added to Medicaid and private insurance rolls under the federal Affordable Care Act next year — state policymakers are considering how to better train and deploy their health care workforces.

One strategy being considered by at least 12 states is to leverage an asset that already exists, by allowing certain “advanced practice” nurses to open their own practices.

When Molina Healthcare of Michigan noticed the poor immunization rates in the state’s children, it took action. The company, a leading health care provider for financially vulnerable families, launched “Shots for Shorties” to improve the rates of immunization among African-American children, primarily those from low-income families. The program offers a variety of necessary vaccinations, programs and educational materials full of strategies to increase immunization rates for African-Americans. 

Gov. Mary Fallin said in her State of the State address delivered Feb. 4 that both her parents died due to smoking-related illnesses, as do almost 6,000 Oklahomans each year. She called for restoring local control to cities and towns regarding tobacco use in public places.

Despite the accumulation of scientific evidence and years of public education campaigns around the dangers of tobacco use, it is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States according to the CDC. One in every five deaths is related to cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke – 443,000 lives a year. The cost is staggering – reaching nearly $100 billion to treat smoking caused diseases.

The percent of adults who reported smoking in 2011 varied from a low of 11.8 percent in Utah to a high of 29 percent in Kentucky. Along with Kentucky, more than one in four  adults smoke in eight other states – Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia. Nationally, 18.1 percent of adults report smoking. Youth smoking rates are lower – 13.1 nationally – with just six states posting rates of 20 percent or higher.

In early October 2012, health officials discovered an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated batches of steroids used in spinal injections. During the past three months, more than 600 people have been infected across 19 states, and almost 40 people have died as a result of the infection. In addition, it recently was discovered that many people recovering from the outbreak have been struck by a second wave of illness: epidermal abscesses, infections on the spine at the injection site. These outbreaks, attributed to drugs produced by a compounding company in Massachusetts, has prompted widespread concern and call-to-action throughout the public health community. 

An estimated 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, while another 79 million have prediabetes. Policymakers have a real chance to reduce the burden of diabetes on public health care systems, employers and individuals who have the disease. This session  presented a number of promising state policy initiatives, such as partnering with community YMCAs to increase physical activity opportunities, encouraging appropriate care models in schools for children with diabetes and ensuring timely screening for gestational diabetes. State legislators who have championed prevention and treatment, community program managers and others who have joined the battle for better health outcomes spoke during this session.

An estimated 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, while another 79 million have prediabetes. Policymakers have a real chance to reduce the burden of diabetes on public health care systems, employers and individuals who have the disease. This session  presented a number of promising state policy initiatives, such as partnering with community YMCAs to increase physical activity opportunities, encouraging appropriate care models in schools for children with diabetes and ensuring timely screening for gestational diabetes. State legislators who have championed prevention and treatment, community program managers and others who have joined the battle for better health outcomes spoke during this session.