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2017 update on state of children's healthcare in PA
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PA Partnerships for Children has released its annual year-to-year comparison
to provide a data-driven snapshot of children's health care in Pennsylvania - its successes, limitations and challenges - and to help monitor the impact health care reform is having on physical and behavioral health care for children.
Here are key findings from the 2017 report:
- The one-year comparison of the number of uninsured children declined from 139,000 children to 111,000 children, reducing the uninsured rate from 5.2% to 4.1%. In addition, when comparing the most recent year's data with the prior year, the report showed progress in areas such as testing for lead screening and children getting immunized, while most other areas showed no significant change.
- When comparing the most recent data to baseline data from 2010, the number of uninsured children decreased from 144,000 (5.2%) children to 111,000 (4.1%). All areas either showed improvement or had no significant change, except for emergency room visits, which showed a decline in performance, meaning children accessed emergency rooms at an increasing rate.
Congress needs to take action to extend CHIP beyond the September 30, 2017 sunset date when it returns to session after Labor Day.
Without action from lawmakers, funding will begin running out for most states, putting millions of children at risk of losing healthcare coverage. United Way supports a five year extension of the program at current levels to ensure that children retain access to affordable, pediatric centered healthcare.
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Mapping PA's child care desert
The Center for American Progress released a report this week, identifying the issues with finding quality child care throughout Pennsylvania. The report, Mapping America's Child Care Deserts, analyzed child care availability in 22 states, and determined one-half of all Americans live in, what the report refers to as a "child care desert". Some of the key findings in the study include:
- More than half of the population, 51 percent, live in neighborhoods classified as child care deserts.
- 58 percent of rural tracts qualify as child care deserts, while only 44 percent of suburban neighborhoods fit the definition. Urban areas where the median family income is below average also have high rates of child care deserts.
- Hispanic/Latino and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities are disproportionately represented in child care deserts, with roughly 60 percent of their combined populations living in areas with a low supply of child care. More than 75 percent of the rural AIAN population lives in a child care desert.
- Child care deserts have, on average, maternal labor force participation rates 3 percentage points lower than communities where there is adequate child care supply. In communities where median family incomes are below the national average, this maternal employment gap is even wider.
The report found over 59 percent of residents live in a child care desert. This is especially true in rural areas, where up to 73 percent of residents live in areas where there is not enough licensed child care providers. Additionally, in Pennsylvania, the maternal labor force participation rate in child care deserts is 1.6 percent lower than in neighborhoods with adequate licensed child care.
You can read the report
here.
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Inclusion by Design conference
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The conference offers opportunities to:
1) Learn - with 3 keynotes and more than 40 workshops
2) Network - with your colleagues and business partners from around the state
3) Celebrate organizations who have achieved PANO's Standards for Excellence Accreditation and Recognition, and those who achieve self-sufficiency with CAAP's Self-Sufficiency awards
4) Work-cation - take time away from the office to get excited and inspired about your work while enjoying the local activities and landscape of State College.
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United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley designated a Center of Excellence for workplace campaigns
Congratulations to the team at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, which has been selected as a Center of Excellence by United Way Worldwide for best practices in workplace campaigns. The Center of Excellence recognition from United Way Worldwide is focused on strengthening workplace giving and philanthropy, with several others in development for first quarter 2018.
UW GLV hosted guests from around the country for a two-day program led by their senior team. The session also included presentations from UW GLV corporate partners like PPL and Crayola.
UW GLV is recognized as a Center for Excellence based on their success connecting companies and donors to real issues that matter to them. They are midsized United Way raising $12.1 million.
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United2Win Super Bowl Sweepstakes
United Way Worldwide will be launching an initiative with the NFL for the 2017-2018 season. United2Win is a Super Bowl Sweepstakes being offered by United Way and the NFL.
For a $10 donation, supporters of United Way will get a chance to win a Super Bowl experience to include:
- Club-level Super Bowl game tickets
- Pregame Super Bowl sideline access
- Halftime Show dress rehearsal access
- Inner-circle Tailgate Party tickets
- NFL Friday Night Party tickets
- NFL Honors tickets
- NFL PA VIP Party tickets
- Airfare and hotel accommodations
Donations will support the Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way's signature digital program that trains middle school students on how to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships, make good decisions and step in if they see questionable activity.
UWW will provide further details closer to the launch of the Sweepstakes.
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PA's unemployment rate holds steady in July
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate for July was unchanged from June, still sitting a 5 percent. PA's rate remains above that of the average in the U.S., which is currently 4.3 percent. So far over 2017, PA's unemployment rate has declined by one-half a percentage point.
In July, PA's civilian labor force was down by 18,000 and resident employment declined by 16,000. However, PA's nonfarm jobs hit a record high of 5,953,800 jobs in July, up 29,000. The largest sector to add jobs in July was manufacturing, which were up 8,300. Thus far, the largest increase in employment over the last 12 months was in education and health services. The largest decline was in government, which were down 13,500 jobs.
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