July 30, 2008
 

As the month of July comes to a close, the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition is getting ready for our 20th Anniversary Benefit Gala, taking place September 10th. We will celebrate 20 years of successful advocacy and programs that have improved the health and well-being of women, children and families. Our event will take place at the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.
Tickets are now available for purchase through our website for $125/individual and $1000 for a table of ten. Ad space in our program book is also available for purchase and this year’s booklet will be printed in color. Some of our silent auction prizes include a digital video camera, a Garmin GPS system and vacation packages in Jackson Hole, WY, Columbia, SC and Union Pier, MI. E-mail Lilah Handler or call her at 312-491-8161x21 for more information.

State Budget Update

Despite the best efforts of school health center stakeholders and supporters, additional funding for expansion of the school health center model was not included in the final FY09 Illinois state budget.

At the beginning of July, Governor Blagojevich vetoed $2 million in school health center expansions, which was part of a total of $1.4 billion in line-item vetoes the Governor acted upon in order to balance the FY09 budget. The following week, House members attempted to override the vetoes, but only a handful of line-items were restored and did not include the school health center expansion funding.  

Since the House did not pass additional revenue sources, the Senate has not made any indication that they will return to Springfield before the November veto session. As a result, all of the Governor’s line-items vetoes are expected to take effect.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to email, call or visit with your legislator about the need to expand and strengthen the school health center model to improve the health and well-being of children, adolescents and their communities. We will use the next several months to create an advocacy and action plan so that we are prepared for opportunities in upcoming legislative sessions.



Upcoming Faith Luncheon

The Chicago Area Immunization Campaign and the Chicago Department of Public Health invite you to attend our annual faith luncheon “Keeping Our Community Healthy:  The Importance of Adult Vaccinations.” 

Topics to be discussed include information on the flu and pneumococcal diseases and partnership efforts between public health and faith-based organizations to increase immunization rates in the community. 

The event is for faith leaders, congregation members and individuals who work on vaccine outreach and will take place at Villa Guadalupe Senior Services, Inc. at 3201 E. 91st Street on Wednesday, August 13th from 11:00am - 1:00pm. There is no cost for this event and lunch will be provided.  For more information or to RSVP email Melissa Ponce or call her at 312-491-8161x33. 

Health Care Reform Discussion

IMCHC’s Consumer Voices for Coverage project is hosting a health care discussion on Tuesday, August 19th at 1505 W. Morse Street.  Local business owners, faith leaders and residents are invited to attend from 6:30pm - 8pm to share thoughts and learn how to move forward on comprehensive health care reform in Illinois.

Archived Topics

Visit our newsletter archive to read about recently listed articles from past issues. Past topics include:

• IMCHC staff updates

Back to top

New Federal Interagency Report Shows Teen Birth Rate Up by 2.8% in 2006
The teen birth rate in the United States increased for the first time in 15 years, according to a report released by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, which is made up of 22 federal agencies. Advocacy groups have commented that this increase is “a red flag that something has gone wrong.” A more detailed report on teen well-being will be published by the Forum next year.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Health Policy Report – July 14, 2008



Editorial in Texas Newspaper Says Abstinence-Only “Clearly Not Working”

An editorial in the Austin American-Statesman criticized the amount of state money spent on abstinence-only education, which has not helped decrease Texas’ teen pregnancy rate. A recent study conducted by the state found that abstinence-only programs were not “changing the behavior of teenagers” or “preventing them from delaying sex until marriage” according to the editorial.

Texas has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, with a teen birth rate of 64.3 per 1,000 teenage girls; the national average is 41.9.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Women’s Health Policy Report – July 17, 2008



Congress Reacts to Proposed Rule to Limit Access to Birth Control
Over 100 members of Congress signed onto a letter to President Bush to oppose a proposed federal rule that would extend the definition of abortion to include commonly used contraceptive methods and would protect the rights of medical providers who refused to offer them. The proposal would apply to researchers, clinics, medical schools and hospitals that receive federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Women’s health advocates have called this proposal an underhanded way to strip away women’s reproductive choice and access.

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Women’s Health Report – July 17, 2008



Former Iowa First Lady Promotes Program to Reduce Unplanned Pregnancies
Former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack is traveling throughout Iowa to discuss unplanned pregnancies and ways to reduce their numbers in Iowa, which ranks 43rd in the U.S. in family planning funding and 48th in access to contraception. Studies have estimated that teen pregnancies cost Iowa $47 million annually. In 2006, more than 50% of the pregnancies among women 18 to 30 years group were unplanned. 
In January 2008, Vilsack launched the Iowa Initiative To Reduce Unintended Pregnancies, which aims to educate women ages 18 to 30 on family planning options, while also encouraging action and awareness among state lawmakers. Vilsack emphasized five areas that the program will use to try to reduce unplanned pregnancies: research to track the program and measure results; equipping hairdressers with information to share with their clients; using Hispanic soap operas on the radio to pass along campaign messages; utilizing Facebook and MySpace; and advocacy.
Women’s health organizations are being provided with funds to train and recruit more nurse practitioners, increase wages and expand opportunities for access to birth control. "We've been opening clinics on Main Street Iowa," Vilsack said, adding, "We need to get the word out about birth control. We have a problem here with educating people."

Source: National Partnership for Women and Families Daily Women’s Health Policy Report – July 21, 2008



New Study Finds the U.S. First in Health Care Spending Among Industrialized Nations, but has Worst Preventable Mortality Rates
The Commonwealth Fund recently released a report that used 37 criteria to evaluate the health care system of the U.S. with the systems of other industrialized countries. The U.S. system received an overall score of 65 out of 100, which is two points lower than 2006.
Although the report found that the rate of preventable deaths for U.S. residents decreased between 2001 and 2006, the U.S. was ranked last because other countries rates have experienced greater improvements.

The U.S. also ranked very low in usage of electronic health records, which is part of the efficiency category. The report found that only 28% of U.S. physicians had adopted electronic health records in 2006, compared with 98% in the Netherlands and 42% in Germany.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – July 17, 2008



Bipartisan Group of Senators Attempt to Stop Bush Administration Directive on Restricting SCHIP Expansion
A bipartisan group of 41 senators led by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus and Health Subcommittee Chair Jay Rockefeller proposed a resolution to prevent a State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) policy directive issued August 2007 by the Bush administration from taking effect next month.
The August 2007 directive prevents states from expanding SCHIP beyond 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) unless they prove that they have enrolled at least 95% of eligible children under 200% FPL.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – July 18, 2008



House Committee Moves Forward Bill to Extend Medical Leave Coverage for College Students

A House Committee voted without any opposition to approve a bill (HR 2851) that would allow college students to continue to receive health insurance through a parent’s policy for up to one year if they had to leave school for a medical reason.

Federal law allows dependent children who are also full-time college students to be covered under a parent’s policy. 

Back to top

Chicago Area Immunization Campaign’s Annual Faith Luncheon
Wednesday, August 13th
11am – 1pm
Villa Guadalupe Senior Services, Inc.
3201 E. 91st Street in Chicago
RSVP to Melissa Ponce

Rogers Park Health Care Reform Discussion
Tuesday, August 19th
6:30pm – 8pm
1505 W. Morse Street
Anyone interested in health care reform is welcome to attend.
RSVP to Eric Quamme

IMCHC's 20th Anniversary Benefit Gala

If you are interested in sponsorship or host committee opportunities,
please contact Lilah Handler.


IMCHC Chicago Area Chapter Meeting
Wednesday, September 17th
1pm-4pm (note the additional hour alloted for the film screening)
Metropolitan Family Services
1 N. Dearborn, 10th Floor in Chicago
We plan to screen a segment of Unnatural Causes, the PBS documentary that illustrates the connections between race, wealth and health.
RSVP to Lilah Handler


Macy’s “Shop for a Cause” Day
Saturday, September 20th
All day during Macy store operating hours and online at www.macys.com
Macy’s will donate $5 to IMCHC for each shopping pass purchased. Passes are good for up to a 20% discount on most regular, sale and clearance items. Some restrictions apply.
Contact Kathy Chan to purchase the $5 shopping passes or for more information.

Back to top

IMCHC Southern Illinois Chapter Meeting and Legislative Luncheon
Co-hosted by the Southern Illinois Perinatal Program and others from the Southern Illinois region
Wednesday, October 22nd
9am – 2pm*
Rend Lake Resort
11712 East Windy Lane in Whittington
RSVP to Lilah Handler
*Chapter and program updates will take place from 9am-11am. Legislators will be attending the luncheon, which will start at 11:30am.

Back to top