HARRISBURG, PA (July 8, 2022) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, issued the following statements regarding the final 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins […]
Thriving PA Statement About the Supreme Court’s Ruling Overturning Roe v. Wade
“Thriving PA supports access to comprehensive maternal health care services that meet individual physical and mental health needs. “Restricting access to reproductive health care will deepen inequities and increase maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Between 2013 and 2018, pregnancy-associated deaths increased by 21%, with Black women accounting for 23% of all pregnancy-associated deaths. “We will […]
Pennsylvanians on Medicaid risk losing health coverage when COVID emergency ends
For the past two years, people on Medicaid in Pennsylvania have been guaranteed continued health coverage — even if they’re no longer eligible. That’s because of a provision in the Families First Coronavirus Recovery Act, which requires that states keep everyone on Medicaid as long as the country is under a public health emergency. But that […]
Report: Black women account for 73% of Philadelphia’s pregnancy-related deaths
A report by the Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that non-Hispanic Black women made up 43% of births in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2018 but accounted for 73% of the pregnancy-related deaths. The “Improving Outcomes: Maternal Mortality in Philadelphia” report indicates pregnancy-related deaths in the city from 2013 to 2018 was approximately 20 per […]
Pittsburgh City Council passes lead safety bill aiming to curb potential lead exposure in children
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday adopted a lead safety ordinance that aims to prevent potential lead exposure for city residents, and children in particular.
What We See in the Shameful Trends on U.S. Maternal Health
Compared with its peers, the United States’ trajectory in maternal health has been shameful. Solving this worsening problem requires looking not just at the quality of care a woman receives but the entire environment around her — from her access to health care to the availability of food in her community.
Op-Ed: Public policy must change to protect maternal lives
Since 1980, Maternity Care Coalition has helped more than 145,000 families in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We focus on neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, infant mortality, health disparities, and changing immigration patterns. We work to ensure parents impacted by racial and social inequities in Southeastern Pennsylvania can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy and raise babies […]
Report: Pa. kids show elevated blood levels at more than twice the national rate | Wednesday Coffee
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers. An alarming 5 percent of Pennsylvania children have elevated levels of lead in their blood at more than two times the national rate, a newly released study has found. The research, from JAMA Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association, puts Pennsylvania in the company of just six states nationwide […]
Lead Free Promise Project begins statewide battle against lead poisoning
The fight to end lead poisoning among children in Pennsylvania may happen with the Lead Free Promise Project. Dr. Jeffrey Martin, the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, came up with the idea to help health care providers test children’s blood lead levels. “The purpose of the guide is to really be an […]
State announces plans to extend Medicaid coverage period for new, expecting moms
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced its plans Thursday to extend the health care coverage period for new and expecting moms eligible for Medicaid. “This allows us to provide mothers the care and guidance they need through an important and delicate period in their lives without the additional fear or anxiety of getting an unaffordable bill,” said […]
