Health

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

woman_working_out_debtIn today’s rundown: While the full-time employment rate in the region has been stable, part-time workers here have faced some of the worst pay losses in the country. | Why climbing out of poverty is nearly impossible for former inmates. | A large number of DCPS students are now getting three meals a day at school. | A new report finds that women are bearing most of the caretaking burden when it comes to Alzheimer’s, and it’s affecting their health.

— “Part-time workers in the Washington region suffered some of the worst pay losses in the nation during the recession,” reports The Washington Post. The median pay for women slipped from the highest in the country to fourth place.

— NPR reports that climbing out of poverty is nearly impossible for former inmates and explores the long-term effects of incarceration.  The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with more than 2 million people in prison.

— D.C. Public Schools are now serving dinner to an estimated 10,000 students, according to The Washington Post. The $5.7 million dinner program is meant to help fight childhood hunger, reduce the rate of obesity among students, and get more children into after school programs.

— A new report on Alzheimer’s finds that women take on most of the caretaking burden.  The Shriver Report on Alzheimer’s finds that the majority of patients and caretakers are women.  More than half of them report serious emotional and physical stress.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer

In today’s rundown: Local women politicians commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. | A look at food stamp recipients whose benefits barely last an entire month. | And one politician asks the federal government to bar food stamp recipients from being able to purchase one type of item.

— Today, D.C.’s Congressional representative Eleanor Holmes Norton will join the City Council’s three women members to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  “D.C. has the highest breast cancer rate in the country, and also has the highest cancer death rate,” reports WAMU.

— Today, WTOP features a story about food stamp recipients who go on late night grocery runs so that they can purchase much-needed items as soon as the benefits go into their accounts at midnight.

–And New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has requested federal permission to ban New Yorkers from using food stamps to buy sugary drinks like soda.  Some public health experts say that the ban could stigmatize people who use food stamps, reports The New York Times. The Agriculture Department denied a similar request from Minnesota in 2004.

Spotlight on Poverty's Weekly Round-Up

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty LogoThe latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 9/17/2010: How sports can help homeless women get back on their feet.  Plus, fundraising helps women fight breast cancer with free treatments.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·Once a single mother living below the poverty line, Janet Gray tells the Californian that she is back on her feet and trying to help those who face difficult financial situations by competing in a triathlon to raise money for Salinas’ Dorothy’s Place,  a homeless shelter.

·Aisling Rose O’Grady, a 21-year-old who has been living in shelters for months, believes she will have a second opportunity to create a better life when she heads to Brazil to compete against other homeless women in the Homeless World Cup, according to the Oregonian.

·The Daily Press interviews Deloris Borum about the Natasha House, a shelter Borum just opened that will house women who have recently become homeless due to job loss or divorce.

·The Orange County Register reports that thanks to money raised by the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, homeless women that have been diagnosed with breast cancer, like Geraldine Watts, are able to receive free treatment.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

Spotlight on Poverty's Weekly Round-Up

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty LogoThe latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 9/10/2010: Meet “Girlzilla,” the robot created by a group of young women in New York.  Plus, an initiative by one women’s fund to raise money and awareness.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·An initiative by the Cincinnati’s Women Fund, 1,000 Women Strong, aims to raise $240,000 in order to create awareness of women’s issues as well as award grants to local women and girls facing homelessness and domestic abuse, as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

·The New York Times interviews a group of young teens about their robot “Girlzilla,” a project sponsored by the Lower East Side Girls Club, which teaches entrepreneurial and technical skills to girls from low-income families.

·The Times-Picayune profiles Keeshler Pittman, who, in honor of her mother’s dedication to helping the homeless, has opened the New Life Women’s Center to assist abused women and their children.

·Patrick and Libby White, two residents at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, have started a program to educate the homeless on health issues at Gateway 180, the largest 24-hour emergency shelter for single women and families in Missouri, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

In today’s rundown: Craigslist suspends activity on its adult services section.  |  Plus, a look at why the drug that protects against the STD that causes cervical cancer is being called a “dud.”

— Craigslist appears to have shut down its adult services section after being pressured by 18 attorneys general around the country and a number of anti-trafficking advocates, including The Women’s Foundation Grantee Partners FAIR Fund and Rebecca Project for Human Rights.  If you go to the online marketplace today, the adult services link has been replaced with the word “censored.”  Click here for more details.

— Four years after Gardasil — known as the cervical cancer vaccine — entered the marketplace, sales have plummeted and the drug is being called a dud.  This CNNMoney.com article takes a look at why the drug that protects against the STD that causes cervical cancer failed to become a best seller.

Spotlight on Poverty's Weekly Round-Up

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty LogoThe latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 8/27/2010: A look at one foundation’s achievements in helping low-income and at-risk girls find confidence and empowerment.  Plus, more than half of babies born into poverty are being raised by mothers who show symptoms of depression.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·The State highlights the achievements of the DIVA Foundation, founded by Monicka Carey-Green to help low-income and at-risk girls find confidence and empowerment.

·A new study recently found that more than half of babies in poverty are being raised by mothers who show symptoms of mild to severe depression, potentially creating problems in parenting and in child development, as reported in The Washington Post.

·In an editorial in the Courier-Post, Donald Norcross criticizes New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for vetoing a bipartisan bill authorizing $7.4 million to help thousands of low-income women and their families receive vital health care services.

·Carrie Morgan Handy, 63, tells the Times-Picayune that after Katrina destroyed her house, she illegally squatted in a foreclosed building for three years until she was discovered by UNITY of Greater New Orleans, who reports that squatters are four times more likely to be elderly and usually choose to avoid shelters.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

In today’s rundown: The impact of the economy on the local housing market has an upside for some residents as a luxury condo building is turned into affordable housing. | Is the marginalization of sex workers contributing to the HIV epidemic? | And how local nonprofits and causes may benefit from a new website.

— Originally intended for luxury condos, a downtown Silver Spring building is being converted into affordable housing after sitting empty for over a year.  The Argent on Blair Mill Road will open next month.  During construction, condos in the building — which was supposed to open in 2009 — were expected to sell for $300,000 or more.  Now, monthly rent will range from $842 to $1,272.  Click here for more details.

— How can we respond to the HIV epidemic both locally and abroad if sex workers are marginalized?  That’s the question Aziza Ahmed is asking on the Open Democracy blog. Ahmed, who works to educate sex workers, says some laws and attitudes impede access to health services for sex workers.

— Earlier this week, TBD.com, a local news website, was launched.  TBD is being called a blueprint for other online news sites because of the amount of community participation involved.  The Social Citizens blog says this could be beneficial for nonprofits and causes, in particular.

Spotlight on Poverty's Weekly Round-Up (Week Ending August 6, 2010)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: A look at why women pay a steep price in pay and promotions.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·Women and mothers who take time-off or are unable to work extended hours pay a steep price in pay and promotions, reports David Leonhart of the New York Times. Low-income mother’s chances of escaping poverty are hurt by the long-term costs of taking time off after childbirth and having little flexibility in their schedules.

·The Chicago Tribune interviews Audrey Thomas, Executive Director of Deborah’s Place, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary of providing services and support to homeless women in Chicago.

·The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a campaign to override the governor’s veto of $7.5 million for women’s health services in New Jersey is likely to fall short because six Senators who previously voted to restore the funding have withdrawn their support.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

Spotlight on Poverty's Weekly Round-Up (Week Ending July 30, 2010)

Posted on by Mariah Craven

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: Budget cuts will close family planning centers in one state.  And resources for women who become the sole caretakers of special needs children.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·New Jersey’s family planning health centers, such as Planned Parenthood, will lay-off staff and close centers after Gov.Chris Christie vetoed a bill to restore $7.5 million for women’s health services, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

·The Cincinnati Enquirer interviews Elizabeth Martin, who sought help from Butler County job and family services after a divorce left her as the sole provider for her special needs child.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

In today’s rundown: A grantee pushes for more affordable housing in Montgomery County. | A free health clinic opens its doors for the day in D.C. | A look at working moms and their places in the workforce. | The nine Cs of women’s philanthropy.

— CASA de Maryland, a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner, is pushing Montgomery County leaders for laws that would keep rent from rising in Silver Spring near the planned light rail Purple Line.  A large number of Hispanic residents live in the neighborhood around the planned construction area.  The Washington Examiner has obtained a letter that CASA wrote to Montgomery County officials warning them that soaring housing prices would displace residents.

— A number of D.C.’s 57,000 residents who don’t have health insurance will be able to get free medical care today at the Washington Convention Center.  Doors to D.C.’s largest free clinic open at 11 a.m.  Patients wi’ll be offered free cholesterol tests, EKGs, diabetes testing and HIV tests.

— In the next decade, 30 million women will benefit from the new healthcare reform law, according to a brief issued by the Commonwealth Fund.  The brief reports that the law will stabilize and reverse health care costs that had been on the rise because insurance industry standards had assessed women as more high-risk than men.

— “Women do almost as well as men today, as long as they don’t have children.”  The New York Times takes a look at men, women and being a parent in the workforce.

— With women earning and controlling more money than ever before, Women & Co. takes a look at women’s philanthropy and the nine Cs of women’s giving.