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Prevention of Adult Cardiovascular Disease among Adolescents

NIHCM Foundation has released a new paper, Prevention of Adult Cardiovascular Disease among Adolescents: Focusing on Risk Fac...

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Encouraging Adolescents’ Use of Recommended Health Care Services

NIHCM Foundation invites you to participate in a webinar "Encouraging Adolescents' Use of Recommended Health Ca...

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NIHCM Award Winners Announced!

The winners of our annual Health Care Research, Print Journalism, and Television and Radio Journalism Awards have been select...

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Understanding the Uninsured: Tailoring Policy Solutions for Different Subpopulations

NIHCM Foundation has released a new report, Understanding the Uninsured: Tailoring Policy Solutions for Different Subpopulati...

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Robert Greczyn, CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Addresses Chronic Conditions

On March 25, 2008, the Alliance for Health Reform hosted a briefing, "Helping 125 Million Americans: Improving Care for ...

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NIHCM Has Accepted Entries for its 2008 Health Care Research and Journalism Awards.

NIHCM Foundation has accepted entries for its Fourteenth Annual Health Care Research and Journalism Awards and its First Annu...

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Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health

Prevention of Adult Cardiovascular Disease Among Adolescents: Focusing on Risk Factor Reduction, Arik V. Marcell, MD, MPH, The Johns Hopkins University; Marc S. Jacobson, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Nancy M. Copperman, MS, RD, CDN, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System; Jonathan D. Klein, MD, MPH, University of Rochester School of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center; and Kathryn L. Santoro, MA and Hafiza Pirani, MHS, NIHCM Foundation. August 2008. 48 pp. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most prevalent cause of mortality in the United States, contributing to more than half of all deaths – or more than 1.2 million deaths annually. Many of the modifiable risk factors for CVD – lipid abnormalities, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and tobacco use – can and should be addressed during adolescence in order to limit the adverse consequences of CVD in adulthood. This paper examines the prevalence of risk factors for CVD and then explores promising strategies that providers and health plans can take to reduce adolescent risk factors for future CVD.  The discussion is guided by the recommendations for adolescent clinical preventive services and the Healthy People 2010 Guidelines.

NIHCM Foundation would appreciate your comments on the paper. Please take a moment to submit a feedback form, available here . Please email us at if you would like to receive a hard copy of the publication. 

Reducing Health Disparities Among Children: Strategies and Programs for Health Plans, Dana Hughes, DrPH and Mary Kreger, DrPH, U.C. San Francisco, and Kathryn Kushner, MA, Hafiza Pirani, MHS and Diya Surie, NIHCM Foundation, February 2007, 28 pp. Efforts to reduce, if not eliminate, health disparities among children are a vital means of improving the current status of children’s health and securing their continued health into adulthood.  It is important to inform stakeholders, including policy makers, health care professionals, health plans, health care purchasers, and beneficiaries, especially parents and families, about the roots of health disparities and the current state of health disparities among children.  This paper is intended provide a brief overview of health disparities, including the importance and limitations of health insurance to address these disparities, concluding with current health plan efforts focused on eliminating health care barriers and improving the cultural competence of health care delivery.

NIHCM Foundation would appreciate your comments on the paper. Please take a moment to submit a feedback form, available here. Please email us at if you would like to receive a hard copy of the publication.

Young People's Health Care: A National Imperative, Claire D. Brindis, Tina Paul Mulye, M. Jane Park & Charles E. Irwin, Jr., The Public Policy Analysis and Education Center for Middle Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Health (Policy Center) at the University of California, San Francisco, July 2006, 24 pp. Emerging public and private sector efforts recognize the importance of health insurance coverage and service delivery during the critical transition period from adolescence to adulthood. This issue paper highlights the unique health issues faced by this age group, as well as the vastly different socioeconomic, cultural and demographic factors influencing their health status, access to care and utilization of services. The paper advocates for tailored solutions to prevent a crisis in the health status and access to care of young adults and documents current innovative state, county and local programs targeted to meet the needs of the young adult population. The paper also includes an appendix describing current programs addressing young adult health and selected resources for additional information and research.

NIHCM Foundation would appreciate your comments on the paper. You can return a feedback form, available here, by fax to 202-296-4319, or send an email to . Please email us if you would like to receive a hard copy of the publication.

Tackling Childhood Obesity Through Public-Private Collaboration , NIHCM Foundation, April 2006. Evaluation of existing health plan programs is critical in order to effectively combat obesity. To address this critical issue, NIHCM Foundation hosted a Leadership Forum, bringing together obesity experts from the CDC with medical directors, researchers and clinical experts from seven NIHCM member plans.  Discussions from the forum revealed a number of efforts taken by health plans’ in targeting childhood obesity among their enrollees as well as children in the greater communities in which they serve. Recognizing the relevance and importance of this information to members of the maternal and child health community, NIHCM Foundation prepared this Issue Brief.

Women's Health Prevention and Promotion, Virginia Poole, Ph.D., Poole Consulting, LLC, and Kathryn Kushner, NIHCM Foundation, March 2005, 44 pp. This paper provides an overview of data on selected conditions influencing women's morbidity and mortality, discusses disease prevention and detection, and presents recent guidelines for screening.  The topics covered include cardiovascular disease, breast and cervical cancer, mental illness, obesity, healthy behaviors, and special issues such as prenatal care. A resource list of numerous organizations and agencies working on women's health at the federal and state level is also included in the paper, and highlights the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health (CoEs) and the National Community Health Centers in Women's Health (CCOEs).

Children's Mental Health: An Overview and Key Considerations for Health System Stakeholders, Karen Van Landeghem and Catherine A. Hess, Health Policy Consultants, February 2005, 28 pp.  This issue paper is an overview of important considerations for health system efforts to promote and improve the mental health of children and youth. It is also presents key policy considerations for promoting and advancing comprehensive mental health systems for children and youth. A resource list highlighting numerous organizations and initiatives related to children's mental health is included and web-based resources are also available for further guidance.

Childhood Obesity - Advancing Effective Prevention and Treatment:  An Overview for Health Professionals, Debra Kibbe and Richard Offner, ILSI Center for Health Promotion, April 2003, 48 pp. This issue paper provides an overview of pediatric overweight as well as the current treatment and prevention options. Key issues discussed include prevalence and trends, etiologic factors, health and economic impact, and intervention programs. A resource list highlighting numerous health care, school, and community initiatives is included and web-based resources are also available for further guidance.  Effective partnerships and unique strategies are identified as crucial to successfully address this critical public health issue.

Outreach to Children: Moving from Enrollment to Ensuring Access, MB Carpenter and L. Kavanagh, 1998. Commissioned Paper.

Assuring Quality of Care for Children in Medicaid : EPSDT in a Time of Changing Policy , National Institute for Health Care Management, April 1996, 37 pp., (#95-11). This paper is the product of an October 1995 meeting in which representatives from the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), state Medicaid agencies and health plans discussed some of the problems experienced in implementing managed care programs as well as effective managed care strategies that provide high-quality EPSDT services to children. Among the concerns voiced were the difficulties involved with balancing tight budgets, vague requirements, lack of specific data on EPSDT and states' desire for greater flexibility in program design.

 

Action Briefs

Below are links to ACTION BRIEFS, which are summaries of child health forums (.pdf format unless otherwise noted):

Women's Health: Successes and Challenges in Prevention and Promotion- Action Brief 13 (April 2005)

Children's Mental Health: New Developments in Policy and Programs- Action Brief 12 (March 2005)

Childhood Obesity: Advancing Effective Prevention and Treatment - Action Brief 11 (November 2003)

Improving Children's Mental Health: The Bright Futures Approach - Action Brief 10 (March 2002)

Coordinating Efforts on Childhood Obesity - Action Brief 9 (March 2002)

Perspectives on Implementing Bright Futures - Action Brief 8 (Dec.  2001)

Making the Future Bright for Chronically Ill Kids - Action Brief 7 (June 2001)

Preventing Childhood Injuries for a Bright Future - Action Brief 6 (Aug.  2000)

Getting Kids Coverage - Action Brief 5 (March 2000)

Strengthening Health Supervision for Adolescents - Action Brief 4 (Feb.  2000)

Improving Quality of Care for Children - Action Brief 3 (Aug.  1999)

Outreach:  Private and Public Sector Efforts That Work - Action Brief 2 (Nov. 1998)

Bright Futures and Managed Care - Action Brief 1a (March 1998)

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) - Action Brief 1b (March 1998)

 

Women's Children's and Adolescent's Health Updates

On October 5th 2006, NIHCM Foundation expanded it's quartlerly Women's and Children's Health Updates to include a section on Adolescent Health. The new Women's, Children's and Adolescent's Health Update, also distributed quarterly, reports on emerging issues, research and resources relevant to the health of these three groups. The expansion reflects NIHCM's committement to improving adolescent health and is funded through a new HRSA cooperative agreement, "Partners in Program Planning for Adolescent Health (PIPPAH)."

Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health Update 3 (April 2, 2007)

Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health Update 2 (December 21, 2006)

Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health Update 1 (October 5, 2006)

 

Women and Children's Health Updates

In 2003, NIHCM Foundation began distributing an electronic update to report quarterly on relevant issues for women's and children's health. To view archives of the Women's and Children's Health Updates, click on the appropriate link below to download a copy of the newsletter:

Women's and Children's Health Update 11 (July 10, 2006)

Women's and Children's Health Update 10 (April 3, 2006)

Women's and Children's Health Update 9 (December 8, 2005)

Women's and Children's Health Update 8 (August 15, 2005)

Women's and Children's Health Update 7 (March 11, 2005)

Women's and Children's Health Update 6 (November 17, 2004)

Women's and Children's Health Update 5 (September 30, 2004)

Women's and Children's Health Update 4 (June 30, 2004)

Women's and Children's Health Update 3 (February 10, 2004)

Women's and Children's Health Update 2 (August 27, 2003)

Women's and Children's Health Update 1 (February 27, 2003)

To receive the Update, send an email to with JOIN WCHU LIST in the subject field.


Child Health Updates

Below are Child Health Updates, which provide news on various child health initiatives (.pdf format):

Child Health Update 10 (March 2002)

Child Health Update 9 (Dec. 2001)

Child Health Update 8 (March 2001)

Child Health Update 7 (Nov. 2000)

Child Health Update 6 (March 2000)

Child Health Update 5 (March 2000)

Child Health Update 4 (March 1999)

Child Health Update 3 (Dec. 1998)

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