Taken From: 4woman.gov
Child Abuse and Neglect
An estimated 906,000 children across the country were victims of
abuse or neglect in 2003 according to national data released on April
1, 2005 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The statistics
indicate that about 12.4 out of every 1,000 children were victims
of abuse or neglect, a rate comparable to the previous year’s
victimization rate of 12.3 out of 1,000 children.
The statistics released, are based on information collected through
the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. The data show that
child protective service agencies received about 2.9 million reports
of possible maltreatment in 2003. Of the 906,000 substantiated cases
of maltreatment of children, the majority involved cases of neglect.
For 2003, an estimated 1,500 children died due to child abuse or neglect,
more than three-quarters of them less than four years of age.
The full report, “Child Maltreatment 2003” is available
at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cmreports.htm.
The Community Resource Packet for child abuse prevention is available
at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/index.cfm.
$50 Million for Energy Aid
The Department of Health & Human Services released an additional
$50 million in emergency funds to be provided to states and territories
from the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP). The money is
designed to help low income families pay their energy bills.
The funds are contingency funds that were made available by the Fiscal
Year 2005 omnibus appropriations bill. The $50 million is over and
above the $1.6 billion states have received so far this season, plus
$100 million in emergency funds last December and an additional $100
million in January.
Each year, LIHEAP helps more than 4.5 million low-income families
across America pay the costs of heating their homes in the winter
and cooling their homes in the summer.
Individuals interested in applying for LIHEAP assistance should contact
their local/state LIHEAP agency or go to www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/liheap/directry.htm.
The directory can help people locate the state office that administers
LIHEAP in communities across the country.
Total Amount of Funding for Region 6
AR = $268,726
LA = $300,293
NM = $212,459
OK = $300,424
TX = $833,998
Healthy Marriage Initiative Grant Announcement
Available financial assistance for demonstration projects to improve
child well-being by removing barriers associated with forming and
retaining health families and marriage in Native communities. Deadline:
June 8, 2005. Additional information at ANA Help Desk @ 877-922-9263.
Tribal Resource Directory of ACF Programs
The Department of Health & Human Services has released its Tribal
Resource Directory of ACF Programs (February 2005). The Directory
provides information on programs for the Administration on Children,
Youth and Families; the Administration on Developmental Disabilities;
the Administration on Native Americans; the Office of Community Services;
the Office of Child Support Enforcement; the Office of Family Assistance;
and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.
The Directory can be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ana
Scholarships Available to High School Students
$1,000 Presidential Freedom Scholarships are available to honor high
school students for outstanding service. Two students from every high
school in the country are eligible to receive $1,000 Presidential
Freedom Scholarships in recognition of their outstanding service to
the community, the Corporation for National and Community Service
announced on March 23, 2005.
The annual college scholarship program, which will award up to 7,800
scholarships, is administered by the Corporation’s Learn and
Serve America program. Since 1997, over 37,000 students from every
state in the nation, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and
Department of Defense oversees schools been recognized. In addition
to the scholarships, students receive a letter of recognition from
President Bush and a President’s Volunteer Service Award silver
pin.
Nominations are open to high school juniors or seniors during the
2004-2005 academic year. The scholarship program provides $500 of
the award, which must be matched with at least $500 from a community
organization, civic group, or business. Students who complete at least
100 hours of community service, either through a school-based service-learning
program or independently through service at a non-profit or faith-based
organization, are eligible to receive the scholarship.
The Learn and Serve America Program provides an “on-ramp”
to a lifetime of civic engagement for more than one million students
each year. The type of learning, called service-learning, improves
communities while improving learning.
The final postmark deadline is July 1, 2005. Information and certification
forms are available at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/scholarships/
Taken From: HHS Office of Disability
Health Care for Women with Disabilities
Women with disabilities continue to be underserved in having access
to primary health care services that are appropriate to their needs.
While the needs are well documented, what are less understood are
the financial and other barriers that may impede provision of and
access to health care services for this large and growing segment
of the population.
More women with disabilities than without disabilities live in poverty,
with incomes below the mean for both women without disabilities and
men with disabilities. Many also belong to ethnic or minority groups
that are traditionally underserved by the health care system. Native
Americans and black women overall have higher disability rates. Twenty-six
percent of women with disabilities live in rural areas, where unemployment
rates are higher than in other more populous areas, and the annual
incomes of women with disabilities are lower on average than the incomes
of women without disabilities.
Although people with disabilities consume more health care services
than the general population, they still have many unmet needs for
care. The standard equipment made available for many routine exams
is often not adequate for women with disabilities, who may need specially
designed chairs or tables in order to be examined. In addition, women
with disabilities often have complex health needs that require care
from multiple specialists and social service providers.
Women with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 44 have almost
2.5 times the yearly health care expenditures of women who are not
disabled; women between the ages of 45 and 64 have more than three
times the average yearly expenditures.
To access this RAND report, see their web site at: http://www.rand.org/publications/WP/WP139/.
Taken From: RAND Corporation
Adoption Public Service Advertising Campaign wins ADDY Awards
The Advertising Council, in partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Health
and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families
and the Adoption Exchange Association, the Collaboration to AdoptUSKids,
announced on April 7, 2005 that their pubic service advertising (PSA)
campaign to promote the adoption of children from foster care was
honored by the American Advertising Federation. The PSA campaign won
four Gold ADDYs including best public service TV campaign.
The ADDY Awards are the advertising industry’s largest, most
representative and arguably toughest competition, recognizing and
rewarding creative excellence in the area of advertising.
Taken From: HHS News, April 7, 2005
Abuse of Women with Disabilities
Violence is a serious problem for many women with disabilities. Two
small studies by the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities
(CROWD) at Baylor College of Medicine found 10 to 13 percent of women
with disabilities reporting being abused within the past year, a rate
similar to that of women without disabilities. But women with disabilities
were more likely to be abused for longer periods of time. They were
also abused by a wider variety of people, such as health-care providers,
strangers, or attendants, in addition to partners or family members.
Women with disabilities experience the types of physical and mental
abuse women in general do. But they also are subject to unique forms
of abuse: caretakers were to have withheld medicines and assistive
devices, such as wheelchairs or braces, or to have refused to provide
essential care.
Women with disabilities need to know about resources that can help
them if they are abused. Few women with physical, visual, or hearing
disabilities use battered women’s services, according to another
CROWD study. The study suggested that many shelters may be accessible
to women with disabilities but may not reach out to them or offer
services such as sign language interpreters or personal care attendants.
Taken From: Center for Disease Control & Prevention,
Women with Disabilities
Organ Donation
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt highlighted April as National Donate Life
Month by calling for greater efforts to educate more Americans on
the importance of organ donation.
Secretary Leavitt says the country is reaching record levels of organ
donors and organ transplants, but the need for more organ donors remains
great. Currently nearly 90,000 Americans are in need of an organ transplant
and every 16 minutes, another person joins the waiting list, and thousands
more are in need of a tissue transplant.
Last year, more Americans gave the gift of life through organ donation
than ever before. Thanks to their generosity, more than 27,000 people
received a life-saving or life-enhancing organ transplant - a new
national record.
Taken From: HHS News Release, April 13, 2005
$7.6 Million for Community Treatment and Service Center
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
announced the availability of Fiscal Year 2005 funds for community
treatment and services centers under the National Child Traumatic
Stress Initiative. These grants will promote the use of best practices
for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.
Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit entities.
Applications for No. SM-05-006 are available at 1-800-789-2647 or
by downloading the application from www.grants.gov. The application
due date is May 17, 2005.
Health Care Extended
HHS announced plans to award 105 new health center grants totaling
more than $63 million. These grants will help an estimated 632,000
Americans, including many without health insurance, obtain comprehensive
primary health care services.
Awards to 17 of the grantees were announced on April 11, 2005 and
will be made in May. The additional 88 grants will be awarded on or
about December 1, 2005 as Fiscal Year 2006 funds become available.
These grants continue President Bush’s five-year initiative
to help communities across the country create or expand access to
comprehensive primary health care services. The funding of these grants
will add 1,200 new and expanded health center sites and increase the
number of people served annually from about 10 million to 16 million
by 2006. Since 2002, including these new grants, HHS has funded more
than 700 new or expanded health centers and increased the number of
patients served annually to 13.2 million (estimate for calendar year
2004).
Health centers deliver preventive and primary care services to patients
regardless of their ability to pay. Almost 40 percent of the patients
treated at health centers have no insurance coverage, and others have
inadequate coverage. Charges for health care services are set according
to income.
The list of Region VI grantees are included below:
New Access Point Grants (May 2005)
| Organization |
City |
State |
Award |
South Texas Rural Health Services, Inc. |
Cotulla |
TX |
$224,032 |
New Access Point Grants (December
2005) |
| Primary Care Providers for a Healthy Feliciana |
Clinton |
LA |
$650,000 |
| Innis Community Health Center |
Innis |
LA |
$775,000 |
| Primary Health Services Center |
Monroe |
LA |
$858,333 |
| Cathoula Parish Hospital District No. 2 |
Sicily Island |
LA |
$666,667 |
| Tensas Community Health Center |
St. Joseph |
LA |
$400,000 |
| Kiamichi Family Medical Center |
Battiest |
OK |
$900,000 |
| Pushmataha Family Medical Center, Inc. |
Clayton |
OK |
$650,000 |
| Fairfax Medical Facilities |
Fairfax |
OK |
$650,000 |
| Community Health Connections |
Tulsa |
OK |
$650,000 |
| Shackelford County Community Resource Center |
Albany |
TX |
$650,000 |
| Alvin Community Health Endeavor |
Alvin |
TX |
$650,000 |
|
New Access Point Grants (December 2005) |
| Fort Worth Northside Community Health Ctr |
Fort Worth |
TX |
$650.000 |
| Spring Branch Community Health Center |
Houston |
TX |
$650,000 |
| Northeast Community Health Clinic |
Houston |
TX |
$650,000 |
| Fourth Ward Clinic dba Good NeighborHealthcare Clinic |
Houston |
TX |
$650,000 |
| Midland Community Healthcare Services |
Midland |
TX |
$650,000 |
| Pasadena Health Center |
Pasadena |
TX |
$622,550 |
| El Centro del Barrio |
San Antonio |
TX |
$271,223 |
Child Support Demonstrations Approved
On March 15, 2005, HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
Dr. Wade F. Horn announced $2,958,184 in federal funding to support
demonstration projects in Georgia, Kentucky and Texas to promote improvements
in child support enforcements efforts.
The grants are awarded under the authority of Section 1115 of the
Social Security Act and require that each project be designed to improve
the financial well-being of children or otherwise improve the operation
of the child support enforcement program. Section 1115 authorizes
states to conduct experimental, pilot or demonstration projects likely
to assist in promoting the objectives of the Social Security Act.
The goals of the demonstration projects include improving the establishment
of paternity and increasing financial support for children as well
as improving fathers’ relationships with both their children
and the mothers of their children. The projects also include efforts
to improve couple relationships and reduce the potential for domestic
violence. The projects are required to screen participants for domestic
violence and refer appropriate individuals for services.
Kentucky will receive $1 million in federal funding. Texas will receive
$998,184 and Georgia will be awarded $960,000. The projects will last
between two and five years and will be supplemented by private funding.
The grants represent additional funding and will not affect the amount
of federal funds available to administer child support programs.
Taken From: HHS News, March 15, 2005
The Region VI Developmental Disabilities Newsletter is issued 6 times
a year by the Region VI Administration for Children and Families
Look for the next Newsletter in July 2005
2005 Region VI DD Institute
The Region VI ACF DD Team is planning to host the 2005 DD Institute
in the Fall of 2005. Please stay tuned for more details.
