Annual Celebration of Children's Health Luncheon
November 2010 - More than 140 community leaders, including Governor-Elect Chafee, Lt. Governor Roberts, and Senate President Paiva Weed gathered for the 2010 Celebration of Children's Health. State leaders discussed how Rhode Island can increase children's health coverage by stepping up to the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge and celebrated the progress the state has made in achieving positive health outcomes for children. View the Providence Business News article on the event and the event photos, press release and presentation.

Release of RIte Care Results
November 2010 - RIte Care has a 17-year track record of providing access to high-quality health coverage and access to health care for children, pregnant women and parents. View RIte Care Results to learn about the many ways RIte Care works for Rhode Island's children and families.

New England Voter's Guide
October 29, 2010 - The New England Alliance for Children's Health just released results of a regional candidate questionnaire on a variety of issues affecting New England's children and families. To find out where candidates stand on issues affecting children and families, view the Voter's Guide.

Launch of Nurse-Family Partnership
October 26, 2010 - View photos from U.S. Senator Jack Reed's announcement of $2 million over three years for the Rhode Island Nurse-Family Partnership Initiative, an evidence-based home visiting program that helps young, first-time parents succeed. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is coordinating the launch of the Nurse-Family Partnership program with Children’s Friend providing the nurse home visits, and Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center conducting the program.

RIte Care Workshop Materials Available
October 18, 2010 - Download materials from the RIte Care: What's New and What's Ahead Workshop. Topics included updates on RIte Care eligibility for lawfully residing immigrant children, the "generics first" policy for children with special health care needs, and tips and resources for enrolling children and families in RIte Care. Information was provided on the changes in health insurance as national health reform is implemented in Rhode Island, with particular attention to provisions affecting children and families.

Lawfully Residing Immigrant Children are Eligible for RIte Care
May 14, 2010: As of April 1, 2010, immigrant children who have been lawfully residing for less than five years are eligible to apply for RIte Care. This restoration of RIte Care coverage was approved in the FY10 state budget in June 2009. Please see this bilingual Spanish/English information sheet regarding this important step toward covering more of Rhode Island's children.

Factsheet on RI Student Cigarette, Chewing Tobacco, and Illegal Drug Use
March 18, 2010: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has produced a new factsheet on student reports of cigarette, chewing tobacco, and illegal drugs for every school district in the state. Data in the factsheet come from the School Accountability for Learning and Teaching (SALT) Survey, from the 2001-2002 school year through the 2007-2008 school year, for middle and high school students. Click to view the factsheet.

Governor's FY2011 Budget Request Snapshot

February 5, 2010: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has prepared the following documents which examines the provisions contained within the Governor's FY2011 Budget Request. Click to Access The FY2011 Budget Request Snapshot: Implications for Health Insurance Coverage for Children and Families. Governor Carcieri's FY2011 Budget Request Snapshot: Implications K-12 Education in Rhode Island.
 is also available. Snapshots for other issue areas related to child well-being will be available soon!

Diploma Attainment Among Teen Mothers
January 27,2010: New Child Trends research finds that one in three (34%) of young women who had been teen mothers did not earn a high school diploma or GED, compared with only 6% of young women who had not had a teen birth. View the factsheet, Diploma Attainment Among Teen Mothers, to learn more.

"Care, support may be best medicine for preventing premature births"

December 28, 2009 - Felice Freyer's article, Care, support may be best medicine for preventing premature births focuses on premature births in RI and highlights RI's newly launched Nurse Family Partnership program. The article is the sixth and final installment in a series of articles on premature births by Freyer.

For more information on premature births in RI, view the Preterm Births Indicator in the 2009 Factbook.

Healthy Foster Care America
December 22, 2009: The recently launched Healthy Foster Care America website has been created to engage communities and their leaders in supporting children, teens, and their families with an effective, multidisciplinary, integrated and comprehensive continuum of care. Designed to grant users access to the latest tools, resources, facts and figures on the health and well-being of children and teens in foster care, the site has been created by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Foster Care.

New CDC Estimates Indicate Increased Prevalance of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
December 18, 2009: The National Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released new estimates of the prevalance of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) among U.S. children. According to the findings, as many as 1 in every 110 American children has an ASD. Additionally, it was found that as many as 1 in every 70 U.S. boys could have an ASD. ASDs are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by atypical developmen in socialization, communication, and behavior. View more information about the CDC findings.
For further information, access the 2009 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook Indicator Children with Special Needs, which features information on Rhode Island children with ASDs, and the Rhode Island Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Issue Brief.

Celebrating Rhode Island Children's Health
October 19, 2009: Over 100 community leaders gathered today for the ninth annual Celebration of Children's Health, to celebrate the progress the state has made in achieving positive health outcomes for Rhode Island's children. Rhode Island ranks among the top states for high rates of prenatal care, children's health insurance coverage, low rates of child and teen deaths, as well as low rates of teen births. Click to view materials from the event:

• View the Press Release
• View the newly released publication, RIte Care Results
• View the event presentation

Societal Benefits of Lead Paint Abatement
July 2, 2009: While public health initiatives have made great strides, lead poisoning still poses a threat to some at-risk populations. Even at very low levels, lead paint exposure can lead to impaired cognitive and behavioral development, as well as to later health problems and criminal activity. A newly published report from the Economic Policy Institute finds that for every house-by-house abatement, the benefits far outweigh the costs. The report estimates not just increased health benefits, but increased IQ, higher lifetime earnings, tax revenue, reduced spending on special education and crime costs. Access the report here.

RIte Care Outreach Posters Available
May 7, 2009: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has new RIte Care related outreach materials available, designed to help agencies and advocates get the word out to families about applying for RIte Care. These glossy, reversible English/Spanish posters are free and available to the public. Click here to view the flyer and poster, or click here to order the materials.

Children's Defense Fund Releases State of America's Children 2008
December 23, 2008: Accoding to the CDF report, children in America lag behind almost all industrialized nations on key child indicators. Among health indicators, CDF found that in almost every state, Black and Latino babies are less likely than White babies to be born to mothers who received early prenatal care; with Black babies about twice as likely as White or Latino babies to be born at low birthweight. View highlights from the 2008 report, childrens health and health insurance indicators, or view the entire 2008 report.

Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities
December 15, 2008: The health services system has an important role to play in promoting healthy behavior, managing health conditions, and preventing disease during adolescence. Yet health services in the US today are not designed to help many young people during these critical years. Read more in a summary of the newly released report Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities.

Two Recent Studies Examine Children, Youth and Weight
November 21, 2008: The first study indicates that children living in greener neighborhoods experienced slower increase in body mass index (BMI) over a two year period. The study is among the first to look at long term effects of greenspace on children. Researchers concluded that parents and health providers should encourage outdoor play. Click here to access the green space study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A Second study found that many parents incorrectly assess their child's weight astatus, suggesting that more than 40% of parents with overweight and underweight children mistakenly believe their children are of average weight. Access the weight status study here.

 Celebrating Rhode Island Children's Health
November 17, 2008: Over 100 community leaders gathered November 17, 2008 for the eighth annual Celebration of Children's Health, to celebrate the progress the state has made in achieving positive health outcomes for Rhode Island's children. View the event press release here and and the presentation from the luncheon highlighting Rhode Island's achivements.

First Annual Premature Birth Report Card Released
November 12, 2008: The March of Dimes announced the first of what will be an annual Premature Birth Report Card, the nation recieved a "D" and not a single state earned an "A" when comparing actual preterm birth rates to the national Healthy People 2010 objective. Rhode Island ranks 19th best nationally, and along with 23 other states, earned a grade of "D"; the highest grade earned was a "B" in Vermont. The report includes recommendations for expanded federal support for prematurity-related research and improved care and outcomes for preterm infants. View the National Report Card and the Rhode Island Report Card.

Children's Health Coverage is Almost There
October 24, 2008 - Read the recently released report: Almost There: Covering the Remaining Uninsured Children in Rhode Island. According to the report, while fewer children in RI (6.9%) are uninsured than the national average (11.0%), there is more work to be done.With a number of small policy changes, RI can provide all children with the health coverage they need for healthy child development. View the press release.

Materials from September RIte Care Update Now Availible Online
On September 3, over 200 community advocates and health care service providers from across the state gathered for "A RIte Care Update: Training on Changes to RIte Care and Keeping Kids and Parents Insured".  The training  was hosted by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT and The Poverty Institute of the Rhode Island College School of Social Work. Access materials from the training here.

Report Reveals "Substantial Unrealized Health Potential" Among Children in Rhode Island, Nation
October 10, 2008: The Reaching America's Health Potential: How Do States Compare chartbook provides state and national data on two important measures of children's health: infant mortality and children's general health status. The report finds that Rhode Island ranks 16th best in the nation on size of infant mortality gap (comparing differences in infant mortality rates  by mothers' education levels). When it comes to gaps in children's general health status by family income, Rhode Island ranks 29th nationally (where 1st sees the lowest level of difference in children's general health status across income spectrums). The report concludes that if this gap were eliminated, 71% of Rhode Island's population would be affected.

Report Examines Supports to Reduce Dropouts of Pregnant and Parenting Teens
October 1, 2008 - The policy brief, Keeping Pregnant and Parenting Students from Dropping Out: A Guide for Policymakers and Schools, explains how Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 protects pregnant and parenting students' rights to an equitable education. The policy brief, created by Healthy Teen Network and the National Women's Law Center, describes the issue in brief and what the law says. Topics include access to school, classes, and extracurricular activities, absences, and specialized support. Recommendations for policymakers are included.

Implementation of Significant Changes to Health Insurance Coverage for RI Children and Families

Rhode Island is seeking a Global Medicaid Waiver from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Global Medicaid Waiver would include all Medicaid populations and services in one waiver, ending the existing RIte Care waiver, long-term care waivers and other separate waivers.Read the paper "Rhode Island's Medicaid Proposal Would Put Beneficiaries At Risk and Undermine The Federal-State Partnership Could Set Dangerous Precedent for Other States" by Judith Solomon of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

New Data Show Increase Uninsured Children
August 26, 2008 - According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, 6.9% of Rhode Island children were uninsured in the three year period from 2005-2007, compared with 6.4% of children 2004-2006. Rhode Island ranks 11th in the nation for children's health insurance coverage. View the press release, and the data tables on children's health insurance coverage , prepared by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.

Read Cindy Mann's statement  which applauds the decrease in the number of uninsured children in the United States, and calls for further improvement. Mann is the Executive Director of Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute.

Controversial Children's Health Insurance Directive Will Not Be Enforced; Advocates Say Full Rescission Needed
August 18, 2008- The "August 17th directive",  a measure intended to penalize states for enrolling children higher than 250% FPL in federal Medicaid programs, will not be enforced "at this time", according to CMS, the federal agency responsible for administering  SCHIP. Currently, Rhode Island is the only state deemed "in compliance" with the directive. Child health advocates such as the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (CCF), argue that not enforcing only buys states limited time from the directive's potentially harmful consequences to children. CCF has released a statement, arguing that as the "(affordability) gap has been growing this is the time to remove, not impose coverage barriers." They go on to ask for a "full rescission" of the directive. Read the content of the August 17th directive, CCF's analysis, and today's CCF press release.  

Children With Health Insurance Get Needed Care, While Uninsured Children Go Without
August 14, 2008- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the report A Needed Lifeline: Chronically Ill Children and Public Health Insurance. The report shows that among chronically ill children (such as those with asthma or diabetes), having health insurance makes an enormous difference in whether children recieve the care they need. View the press release, download the report, or view an interactive map with state-by-state data.

Report Reviews 40 Years of a Medicaid Pediatric Policy
August 1, 2008- Researchers at Georgetown University's School of Medicine, in association with the Center for Health Care strategies, have released a new report on Medicaid's Early and Periodic Screening Diganostic Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. The report  provides an overview of EPSDT in light of a changing health care system, including changes made possible by the Defecit Reduction Act, and describes current state practices in implementing EPSDT within managed care. View the report, EPSDT at 40: Modernizing a Pediatric Health Policy to Reflect a Changing Health Care System.

Report Places Spotlight on Latino Children and the Health Coverage System.
July 29, 2008- A report published by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) indicates that more than one in five Hispanic children are uninsured- nearly three times the rate of non-Hispanic White children. The report also analyzes the effect of barriers to care and access issues specific to the Latino community, with recommendations for policy makers to address the health coverage gap. View the report in its entirety here.