BE IT NOW THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the Council of State Governments urges states to conduct fingerprint based criminal background checks on all nurse licensure applicants by  enacting a relevant provision in the jurisdiction’s Nurse Practice Act or relevant regulations.

Going to work sick can impact your recovery time, co-workers’ health, and potentially customers depending on the job. Sick food workers, regardless of the location of the worker in the food supply chain, can cause others to get sick. The Food Chain Workers Alliance’s new report shows that more than half of workers go to work sick. Handling food while sick can spread diseases like Hepatitis A, E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella. The CDC estimates that 3,000 Americans die of foodborne disease each year.

Obesity is a growing issue affecting millions of Americans. As we try to combat the negative health effects of obesity there is a push for prevention. Politicians, citizens, and researchers are scrambling to find a cause of obesity. The problem is there is no “magic pill” or perfect solution. Causes of obesity are debated and the search is on for something to blame for the drastic changes in American’s weight. A recent focus has been food deserts. This term describes areas where supermarkets, grocery stores, and other healthy food options are not readily available. To see if your community falls under this category go to The Department of Agriculture’s food desert locator tool below.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/

The diabetes epidemic extends to 26 million Americans, 8.3 percent of the population. The Southern states have the highest rates of diagnosed diabetes, while no particular region of the country stands out with the lowest rates.  As the nation’s population ages, more people are diagnosed with this disease, currently the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S.  African-Americans are two times more likely to die from diabetes that whites.

CSG state policy profiles on sexual health and prevention provide the latest statistics for each state and Puerto Rico on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy.

But more significantly, the profiles provide answers to the question "what can be done?" Effective state policies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are highlighted. Each state's profile reviews whether policies have been implemented in line with these recommendations.

The CSG state profiles are the place for state decision makers to get up-to-date statistics and analysis of research-proven state actions to prevent HIV/AIDS, STIs and teen pregnancy.

Although childhood poverty rates declined throughout most of the 1990s, they have been on the rise again.  Between 2008 and 2009, child poverty jumped 10 percent – the single biggest year-over-year jump in the data’s history.  And from 2000-2009, rates increased in 38 states.  That means 1 in 5 children now live in poverty.

The number of poor children has been on the rise for the past 10 years, although those increases vary across state and racial and ethnic lines.  Higher childhood poverty rates mean bigger costs to states, including future health and criminal justice expenses.  

What isn't new in the report on rural health care from UnitedHealth's Center for Health Reform and Modernization are findings that rural Americans are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions and have greater difficulty accessing quality health care.

More helpful are the recommended solutions to rural health issues. Fully 30 pages are devoted to review of existing models of rural health care delivery, the promise of rural telemedicine, and new models for high-performing rural provider networks.