|
        |
| |
| |
Public Affairs Update
Red tape stalls rebuilding of New Orleans’ essential infrastructure
. . . . New Orleans may have turned a corner with the unveiling
of its $1.1-billion recovery plan that emphasizes the redevelopment of
targeted commercial corridors to attract private investment. To help
accelerate infrastructure repairs, Congress just approved a provision
to waive Louisiana’s 10 percent match to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency’s infrastructure aid, finally triggering federal
repayment for critical repairs of roads, school buildings, and other
public facilities. Meanwhile, indicators suggest that the rebuilding
of New Orleans’ essential infrastructure is basically stalled as federal
recovery dollars remain mired in red tape. Housing indicators are
mixed at best, but economic indices suggest a notable strengthening
of the New Orleans metro area economy. The progress of the
rebuilding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina is outlined
in Katrina Index: Tracking Recovery of New Orleans and the Metro
Area, which was released by The Brookings Institution Metropolitan
Policy Program in collaboration with the Greater New Orleans
Community Data Center. The Index is produced quarterly and the
next available one will be in November 2007 (visit www.gnocdc.org for a copy).
Work-support spending varies widely across nation . . . . Nationally,
federal and state governments spent $3,264 per person in 2005
on core work-support programs (i.e., Medicaid, State Children’s
Health Insurance Program, food stamps, child-care subsidies, and the
federal and state earned income tax credits), which help nonworking
parents get jobs and stay employed. On a per state basis, the numbers
vary greatly. According to an Urban Institute analysis of 44 states,
low-income families in Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota,
New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont received more than
$4,000 in work supports per person in 2005, more than double what
their counterparts in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah received. State variations,
researchers Sheila Zedlewski and Seth Zimmerman point out
in Trends in Work Supports for Low-Income Families with Children,
reflect the characteristics of states’ low-income families and local
decisions shaping benefit eligibility and access. States have had far
more leeway to define their work supports since 1996’s federal welfare
overhaul. For more information or to download the report, see
www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=901096.
Latest gains and setbacks for nation’s children: Less hunger but
more one-parent households . . . . Want the bad news first? National
statistics reveal an increase in the percentage of children living with
at least one working parent and in the percentage of children living
in physically inadequate or crowded housing or housing that costs
more than 30 percent of household income. Also, the percentage of
low birth-weight infants increased, as did the percentage of births
to unmarried women. The rate at which youth were perpetrators of
serious violent crime increased slightly. The good news is that the
percentage of children living in households classified as food insecure
has declined, high school students were more likely to have taken
advanced academic courses, and the percentage of young adults
who completed high school has increased. Also, the adolescent birth
rate has dropped to a record low. These findings are described in
America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007,
the U.S. government’s annual report that monitors the well-being of
the nation’s children and youth. It presents a comprehensive look at
critical areas of child well-being, including family and social environment,
economic circumstances, health care, physical environment
and safety, behavior, education, and health. See www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/.
New insights on how mental health is influenced by culture and
immigration status . . . . Past research has shown that factors such
as culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and age can significantly influence
overall health, as well as healthcare attitudes and access, and responses
to treatment. A special issue of Research in Human Development
(June 2007) expands on past research and examines current trends in
prevalence and risk factors for mental disorders across the lifespan in
diverse U.S. minority populations. The culturally relevant research
provides clues that may help reduce health disparities. Released by
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the research should
provide a better understanding of the complex role that cultural
backgrounds and diverse experiences play in mental disorders. This
is crucial as mental health professionals strive to create personalized
treatment for those with mental disorders. The five articles in this issue
provide insight into NIMH-sponsored national studies of mental
health among minority populations in the United States, potential
cultural risk factors for suicide among Native American youth, as well
as one of the first major studies of mental illness among ethnically
diverse teens. For more information, see www.nimh.nih.gov/press/new-insights-mental-health-culture-immigration.cfm.
|
|