KCHC April Newsletter

Kentucky Coalition For Healthy Children Newsletter

Issue 11 | April 2023

Working collaboratively on policies and practices in and around schools that promote equity and improve the physical, social, and emotional health and well-being of children, youth, and families.

The opinions and viewpoints expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the positions of all coalition partners.

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KCHC Member Highlights

Advocacy Series | ThriveKY Regional Advocacy for Thriving Communities Series

KVH & the coalition of ThriveKY partners will provide in-person around the Commonwealth events this year, April through November, with updates on state and federal policies that impact the health and wellbeing of Kentuckians. Speakers will discuss how to advocate for a stronger safety net through public assistance programs designed to support thriving communities. The series includes important updates on the economy, Medicaid, KCHIP, SNAP, housing, transportation, childcare, public health, behavioral health and others. They provide tools to assist community members with meeting basic needs and tips on being a more effective advocate in your community. Click here for more information.

Virtual meeting | ThriveKY Monthly Advocacy Series: State & Federal Policy Updates | April 4

Summit | 2023 Groundswell Summit

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has announced the 2023 Groundswell Summit for June 14^thand 15^th. The Groundswell Summit is a networking and resource gathering opportunity for Kentucky educators, families, administrators, and other community leaders who are seeking new and innovative ideas for increasing student success. Click here for registration and information.

Virtual Training | Anthem QPR Suicide Prevention & Awareness Training.

Join Anthem Medicaid for an upcoming QPR Suicide Prevention & Awareness Training. This training will cover how to Question someone who may be having suicidal thoughts, Persuade someone to get help, and Refer someone in crisis. Click here for registration. More information is available on the training flier.

Recording | Bounce Grand Rounds

The Bounce Coalition, a Steering Committee member, held a Bounce Grand Rounds around secondary trauma and self-care. The cross-sector panel included Dr. Austin Griffiths, Western Kentucky University, Christina Shay Johnson with Jefferson County Public Schools, Melissa Mather, MHP with Family Health Centers, and Dr. Julia Mitchell, Smoketown Family Wellness Center. For those who could not attend, a recording of the event has been made available, and the small group notes can be found here.

Workshop | School Gardens

The Kentucky Farm to School Network is hosting two School Garden Educator Workshops in April. The workshop will introduce educators to school gardens and best practices and have a hands-on learning component. This is a free event for educators, but a limited number of spots are available. The two workshops and links to registration are as follows:

April 19 at 4:30pm (2nd Street School-Frankfort)

April 22 at 9am (W. Jessamine Middle-Nicholasville)

Campaign & Webinar | "Raise Your Guard, Kentucky"

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky partnered with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to launch a campaign that encourages Kentuckians to stay up-to-date on immunizations, eat well, minimize stress, and more. You can read all about the campaign here. A webinar will be held on April 11 at 2:30 pm ET to dive deeper into some of the campaign topics and share new resources for advocates. Register here.

Kickoff | 2023 Mental Health Month |April 28

Join Mental Health America of Kentucky the last Friday of April kicking off May as Mental Health Month. The event will consist of lunch and short programing outlining the events and information for Mental Health Month. Register here.

What's New in Children's Health

Study | FARMacia Program and Childhood Obesity

A new study examined a mobile food pantry program (FARMacia) for people experiencing food insecurity and its impact on childhood obesity. Food FARMcia was developed as a collaboration between Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and West Side Campaign Against Hunger's Choosing Healthy Active Lifestyles for Kids (CHALK) program. Children age < 6 years with household food insecurity were eligible for the Food FARMacia program that included a selection of groceries aligned with USDA dietary guidelines twice monthly for up to five household members.

The 44 children in Food FARMacia had smaller increases in age-adjusted, sex-specific body mass index outcomes compared to matched counterparts.
Parents in Food FARMacia reported decreases in food insecurity and frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption over the 6-month study

More information about the project can be found here: Columbia newsroom story.

Report | Youth Mental Health and the Pandemic

While concerns about mental health and even what is considered a crisis in children's mental health existed before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 survey on anxiety and depression in teens), the Pew Research Center has published a report, Mental Health and the Pandemic: What U.S. Surveys Have Found, with data from their surveys and others conducted by other organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), showing just how strongly mental health was impacted by the pandemic.

Among the data contained in the report, the CDC's survey indicated that from January to June 2021, 37% of students at public and private high schools said their mental health was not good most or all of the time during the pandemic, that included roughly half of girls (49%) and about a quarter of boys (24%).

Report | The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on Child and Youth Health

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have published a full report on the unprecedented impact on the lives of children and their families from the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing challenges such as illness and death, school closures, social isolation, financial hardship, food insecurity, poor mental health effects, as well as difficulties accessing health care. The report also signals how in almost every outcome related to social, emotional, behavioral, educational, mental, physical, and economic health and well-being, families identifying as Black, Latino, and Native American, and those with low incomes, have disproportionately borne the brunt of the negative effects of the pandemic. The full report can be accessed here.

Take Action!

The 2023 Kentucky Legislative Session has come to a close. Two priority bills for the Kentucky Coalition for Healthy Children were passed and signed into law. Please take a moment to contact your legislators and thank them for their work to improve healthcare workforce and maternal mental health.

Find your legislator and email or leave them a message at 1-800-372-7282.

HB200

Bill summary-

Establish the Kentucky healthcare workforce investment fund to enable the CPE, healthcare programs, and healthcare providers and facilities to match public and private dollars for the purpose of awarding scholarships to eligible students and healthcare incentives to eligible healthcare programs, among others.

Suggested language-

Dear X, I am writing to offer my sincere thanks for your vote in support of HB200, which will improve access to workforce training and education opportunities for those interested in pursuing a healthcare career.

SB135

Bill summary-

Maternal Mental Health Bill. Create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to make information on postpartum depression and a postpartum assessment tool available on its website; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to develop and implement a collaborative program aimed at improving the quality of prevention and treatment of postpartum depression.

Suggested language-

Dear X, I am writing to offer my sincere thanks for your vote in support of SB135, which will ensure greater access to information and resources related to postpartum depression and other related mental health disorders before and after the birth of a child.