Comparing Food Security Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations When Choosing Measures
Food insecurity (FI) is a public health issue in the US. Over the past 25 years, national prevalence of food insecurity – encompassing both low and very low food security – has been consistently over 10 percent, and very low food security alone has persisted at over 3 percent. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic […]
New website helps Massachusetts residents access more federal funding
Sen. Markey to speak at June 10 webinar on maximizing tax benefits BOSTON, MA — The Shah Family Foundation, in partnership with Children’s HealthWatch, Greater Boston Legal Services, Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP), and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), today launched a new centralized website called FindYourFunds.org to help Massachusetts residents access available […]
Allowing Steady Savings by Eliminating Tests (ASSET) Act of 2021
Originally published on Coons.Senate.Gov. “We know that children thrive when their families are able to afford basic needs today and save for a better future tomorrow. Removing asset limits in programs means knocking down barriers for families so children stay healthy and are able to reach their highest potential.” – Dr. Megan Sandel, pediatrician and […]
Childhood hunger before and after COVID
Originally published on SciLine. Food insecurity—a disruption in food access due to lack of resources—as much as doubled in the United States as result of COVID-19. But even prior to the pandemic, more than 10% of U.S. households suffered from insufficient food access, affecting 5.3 million children. SciLine’s latest media briefing covered the health and developmental effects of food insecurity for children, including when […]
Pandemic makes childhood hunger worse experts say; inadequate food threatens children’s health
Originally published on Fox 8. Hungry children are often unhealthy children. Dr. Deborah Frank is a physician who is part of Boston University’s School of Medicine. “Food is medicine,” said Dr. Frank. The organization SciLine assembled Frank and two other scientists to discuss childhood hunger in terms of before and since the pandemic. Dr. Eliza […]
Children’s HealthWatch Submits a Comment to DHS on Identifying Barriers Across USCIS Benefits and Services
On May 19, Children HealthWatch submitted a comment on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Request for Public Input, “Identifying Barriers Across U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Benefits and Services” published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2021. We urge the Department to undergo robust regulatory reform and participate in proactive community outreach […]
Mass. Urged to Follow States on Tax Credit for Immigrants
Originally published on Boston 25 News. BOSTON — After about 18,500 tax-paying immigrant families in Massachusetts missed out on some of the direct COVID-19 relief payments from Washington during the pandemic, some advocates and progressive lawmakers want to make sure they don’t continue to lose the benefit of a state tax credit for low-income families […]
Food insecurity seems to have risen during the pandemic. Why that’s critical for Philadelphia’s early learners.
Originally published on Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Felice Le-Scherban, assistant professor of epidemiology at Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health and the principal investigator for the Philadelphia site of Children’s Healthwatch, said higher levels of food insecurity can affect early learners’ development. “Food insecurity among young children is associated with poor overall health, putting them at developmental […]