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Since 2007, health-care prices in the United States have increased by 21.6 percent —more than the general rate of inflation in the economy (17.3 percent). While few dispute that these increases are a problem, the debate over the cause and solution to rising costs rages on. Democrats have doubled down on expanding public insurance; Republicans sought to roll back the Affordable Care Act 's Medicaid expansion and generally envision a smaller role for public insurance programs like Medicaid and...

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the administration's "zero tolerance" policy that calls for separating families who cross the border illegally, saying the undocumented immigrants shouldn't get special treatment. "That's no different than what we do every day in every part of the United States — when an adult of a family commits a crime," she told NPR. "If you as a parent break into a house, you will be incarcerated by police and thereby separated from your family."...

It's no secret that adolescents—and adults who have never emotionally matured beyond an adolescent stage—feel a strong need to conform. In most cases, this isn't particularly problematic. But what happens when one of their peers decides to act with pointless cruelty? Do others follow? Disturbing new research from Eastern Europe suggest they often do—and this tendency is greatly amplified when the victim is a member of a maligned minority group. "Our results suggest that fragile social norms...

Just listened to ACEs Connection & 4CAKids Webinar on state legislation addressing legislation. With Governor Hogan's signing of HB 1582 (a State Health Director for Children within Child Welfare) on May 8, 2018, Maryland became the eighth state to pass ACE-Informed legislation in 2018 according to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)! Many thanks to the lead sponsor of the bill Delegate CT Wilson, the Chairs and Members of the Appropriations and Finance Committee, Members...

For the first time in more than two decades, suicide is killing more teenagers than homicide. Teen suicide is on the rise. Time Magazine reports that anxiety and depression is skyrocketing with an estimated 30% of girls and 20% of boys (about 6.3 million teens) have reported anxiety disorders and three million teens ages 12 to 17 having had at least one major depressive episode. The question we need to be asking is not just “Why?” but “what is the answer to changing the tide that is...

Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker met with members of the Mental Health Liaison Group this morning to talk about advancing trauma informed care and to attend SAMHSA's National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.

People in the military who experience trauma, including sexual trauma, have an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, and conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic pain, according to researchers. Their findings were reported in a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association held May 5-9 in New York City. The poster was titled “ Increased Prevalence of MDD, PTSD, and Medical Conditions With Military...

BALTIMORE — When the man in the teal hoodie mentioned that he had trained as a pharmacy technician, Lachelle Hill’s voice rose in excitement. “Why don’t I see that on here?” the state job counselor asked, pointing at the paperwork on the table between them. Hill was counseling Corey, a 30-year-old jobseeker who didn’t share his last name, at a federally funded job center here on the top floor of a shopping mall, an escalator ride away from a Forever 21 and a Cinnabon. Unemployment insurance...

Scott Barry Kaufman was placed in special education classes as a kid. He struggled with auditory information processing and with anxiety. But with the support of his mother, and some teachers who saw his creativity and intellectual curiosity, Kaufman ended up with degrees from Yale and Cambridge. Now he's a psychologist who cares passionately about a holistic approach to education, one that recognizes the capacity within each child. He recently edited a volume of experts writing about how to...

When Mario Martinez went to Liberty University, a private Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, the affluence astonished him. A student’s car would break down and she’d have a new one within a couple of weeks. “It was mind blowing,” he said. “To see that people can have so much.” And Liberty – with a median family income of about $75,000 a year – isn’t even that rich compared to what you will find at America’s most prestigious private colleges, where incomes are closer to $200,000 a year...

When one of my four preschools celebrated Cinco de Mayo, they held a parade to kick off the fiesta. Since all of my students were marching in the parade, of course, I joined in the fun and provided extra support as we marched 60 students around several city blocks. I was the caboose at the very end of the parade line as we marched two by two in the neighborhood. My partner, 4-year-old Janielys (the name is changed), seemed very excited to be marching with the nurse! My students are primarily...

It was not until her third month of feeling unwell, in the fall of 2016, that Alicia thought to take an at-home pregnancy test. Until then, she assumed her fatigue and nausea were withdrawal symptoms from the Percocets she’d been dependent upon since the year before. “When some days you don’t get enough, you could definitely throw up or wake up feeling sick,” she told me. “It was easily confused with morning sickness.” Alicia, who asked that I use her nickname to protect her privacy, was 26...