June 30, 2008
 

Although the General Assembly passed a budget that included increases for human services, education and health care, including $2 million for school health center expansions, a final budget will not go into effect unless a $2 billion revenue gap is filled.

Advocates, providers and others who work on behalf of Illinois’ most vulnerable populations call upon legislators to do their part to ensure that critical services remain intact and fully funded. The Senate passed several revenue bills that await action in the House.

You can take action today by contacting your State Representative to ask for support of these revenue bills and to ask him/her to contact party leadership about these pending bills. Legislators are currently in their district offices.

Visit IMCHC’s e-advocacy center for more information and to take action.

CAIC’s Upcoming General Meeting – July 23rd

The Chicago Area Immunization Campaign will have their summer General Meeting on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 from 1:30-3:30pm at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center’s Nazareth Family Auditorium, 1127 N. Oakley in Chicago. 

Garry S. Marshall, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatrics Infectious Diseases from the University of Louisville - School of Medicine will speak about how to address rising concerns from parents about vaccines, including vaccine safety and adverse event reporting. This meeting is made possible through the support of the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute.

For more information or to RSVP, email Melissa Ponce, Project Coordinator with CAIC, or call her at 312-491-8161x33.

IMCHC's Testimony to City Council

IMCHC's Executive Director Robyn Gabel was invited to present testimony to the joint committee of the Chicago City Council’s Human Relations and Health Committees on June 18th. She talked about the physical, financial and emotional toll being uninsured has on individuals and their families. She also urged city council members to fight for affordable, high-quality health care for all at the state and federal levels.

Her testimony can be found on the IMCHC website.

Archived Topics

Visit our newsletter archive to read about recently listed articles from past issues. Past topics include:
• 1,000 Healthy Kids and Families Campaign



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The FY09 budget that includes $2 million in funding for school health center expansions awaits action. However, without legislation that identifies revenue sources, this budget may not go into effect.

The Senate has passed a number of bills that would generate the required revenue to fill the budget gap. Without additional revenue, necessary funding for health care, human services, education and other important programs for Illinois residents will be in jeopardy of being cut.

Visit our e-advocacy center today to urge your State Representative to address this revenue issue.

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School Health Initiatives Midwest Regional Conference – July 23rd and 24th

Registration is now open for the School Health Initiatives Conference “Health Care + Education = Healthy Communities: Why Schools Fit the Equation” which takes place July 23-24 in Indianapolis, IN. Blair Harvey, ICSHC Project Director will present on Illinois’ school health center coalition.

Register on the Covering Kids and Families Indiana website or email Sondra Gardetto or call her at 574-472-4308x216 with questions.

New Study Finds Inadequate Consumer Protections on Individual Health Insurance Market

Families USA, a national consumer health advocacy organization, examined state regulations on health insurance purchased in the individual market and found that most states do not provide enough protection from unfair practices. These unfair practices include:

•    Allowing health insurers to accept only the healthiest applicants
•    Increasing premiums based on health status
•    Limiting coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions
•    Revoking coverage after a policy is issued

The report recommended that more protections should be made at the federal level. It was estimated that 27 million individuals had individual health insurance in 2006.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – June 13, 2008




CDC Report Finds Hospitals Do Not Do Enough To Promote Breastfeeding

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report earlier this month that finds that hospitals and birthing centers are not doing enough to promote breastfeeding, which has been found to reduce the risk of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality. Seventy percent of the surveyed sites reported that they regularly provide women with infant formula samples upon leaving the hospitals, even when the mothers are able and willing to breastfeed.

The Healthy People 2010 objectives call for 75% of new mothers to initiate breastfeeding, 50% to continue for six months and 25% to continue for one year. Presently, Illinois is not one of the four states meeting these guidelines. 

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Health Policy Report – June 13, 2008




Slow Decline in Infant Mortality since 2000 Linked to Poor Health Among Pregnant Women

A new report from Trust for America’s Health links a rise in obesity, hypertension and diabetes in pregnant women to the greater incidents of premature births and low birthweight babies, both of which contribute to infant mortality. About 30% of pregnant women experience some complications during pregnancy, which resulted in about $26.2 billion in health care costs in 2005.

Recommendations from the report include:
•    Changing Medicaid rules to allow for women to be covered for the two years after giving birth.
•    Prioritizing research on perception health and health care.
•    Expanding programs that provide primary care and other services to women of childbearing age including the Healthy Start Infant Mortality Reduction Program, the Title X family planning program and Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grants.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families – June 17, 2008




Surgeon General's Conference Presents Strategies on Preventing Premature Births

The U.S. Surgeon General recently hosted a conference that set out to develop a national strategy to prevent premature births. The number of premature births has increased in the past 20 years with one in eight babies born premature.

The increase in the number of near-term premature babies (born between 34 and 37 weeks) may be the result of medically unnecessary c-sections, based on recent data from a study by the CDC and March of Dimes. These near-term premature births may be at risk of experiencing learning and behavioral delays, breathing and feeding problems and an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families – June 17, 2008
   


Missouri Supreme Court Allows Midwifes to Practice in State

The Missouri Supreme Court reinstated a law that allows certified professional midwives to practice in the state. The Missouri State Medical Association and three other medical groups brought about the lawsuit.

Before the ruling, Missouri was one of 10 states and Washington, D.C., that prohibit direct-entry midwifes, or those without a medical or nursing degree, to practice; Illinois is one of the states that doesn’t allow for licensure. 

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Health Policy Report – June 26, 2008




Employer Health Care Costs Estimated to Increase by Almost 10% in 2008 and 2009

According to a new study, employer health care costs are projected to rise by more than double the annual inflation rates over the next two years, by nearly 10%. Two main factors driving the increase include new hospitals and outpatient treatment centers, as well as cost shifting due to the uninsured.

Public programs Medicaid and Medicare are expected to account for one of every five dollars spent by private insurers in 2009.
 
Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – June 17, 2008




NYT Letter to the Editor Emphasized Women’s “Right To Survive” Pregnancy

Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights recently had a letter to the editor published in the New York Times to help bring attention to the unacceptable racial disparity in maternal mortality. The US has the highest rate of women who die from pregnancy-related complications among all developed countries. 

Northup recommended that comprehensive reproductive health services “from contraception to maternal health care” be properly funded.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families – June 18, 2008

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CAIC Summer General Meeting
July 23rd at St. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
Nazareth Family Auditorium, 1127 N. Oakley in Chicago
1:30pm-3:30pm
RSVP to Melissa Ponce, CAIC Project Associate


Immunization Toolkit Training Sessions
Chicago Area Immunization Campaign/Chicago Department of Public Health
July 25th at IMCHC’s office
9am-3pm (lunch will be provided)
1256 W. Chicago Avenue
RSVP to Melissa Ponce, CAIC Project Associate

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IMCHC's 20th Anniversary Benefit
September 10th at the Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago
If you are interested in sponsorship or host committee opportunities,
please contact Lilah Handler.

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