“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 […]
‘Lead-Free Promise’ launches new Pa. initiative
PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — The Lead-Free Promise is launching the #paleadfree legislative promise initiative. It is a coalition of more than 53 organizations. Their goal is that each of the 203 state house members are committed to protecting Pennsylvania children by taking a stand against lead paint poisoning. The commonwealth continues to lead the nation in […]
Lancaster City Council hears update on lead hazard ordinance to improve protection for children
When: Lancaster City Council meeting, April 26, held in council chambers and streamed online. What happened: The city is updating the lead poisoning prevention and lead hazard control ordinance to strengthen the response time to children with elevated blood levels as well as expanding requirements for lead safety in homes built before 1978. The new ordinance 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 […]
Under a new threshold, the number of Pa. children with high lead levels is expected to almost double
Data from the 2020 Childhood Lead Surveillance report from the Pennsylvania DOH showed the rate of children with elevated blood lead levels to be about 4.65. This is a rate two times higher than children poisoned in Flint, Mich., at the peak of the city’s crisis, according to a recent statement from the Lead-Free Promise […]
Half of US adults exposed to harmful lead levels as kids
Over 170 million U.S.-born people who were adults in 2015 were exposed to harmful levels of lead as children, a new study estimates. Researchers used blood-lead level, census and leaded gasoline consumption data to examine how widespread early childhood lead exposure was in the country between 1940 and 2015. In a paper published in the Proceedings […]
Maternal mortality rates increased during 1st year of COVID pandemic: CDC
Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. rose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial disparities that existed before the pandemic were perpetuated, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report looked at data from the CDC’s National Centers for Health Statistics and compared 2020 rates to […]
Early Care and Education in Governor Wolf’s 2022-23 State Budget Proposal
HARRISBURG, PA (February 9, 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 Governor Tom Wolf’s 2022-23 state budget proposal. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood […]
New Law Supports PA Students Facing Graduation Barriers
Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill into law on Wednesday to provide direct support to Pennsylvania youth experiencing educational instability, ensuring they have a clear pathway to high school graduation. Senate Bill 324 was introduced by Sen. Wayne Langherholc, R-Bedford County. It provides graduation planning and a smoother transfer of academic credits, among other resources for […]