Welcome back to Community Health Roundup: you’re source for the latest in health news and information. This week we are going to take a look at the new guidance issued to states regarding Medicaid and work status, how the University of Illinois Hospital is helping the homeless with housing, how to make lawmakers pay attention to social determinants of health, and classes to help prevent falling injuries.
There could be changes in Medicaid policy for some states after a new guidance was issued allowing states to “compel people to work or prepare for jobs in order to receive Medicaid.” This change would be the first of it’s kind in Medicaid’s history and while some are praising the new effort, critics say that it would penalize and disincentive some Medicaid recipients . Read more about the Trump administrations issuance here.
Here is some positive health news after that last story: the University of Illinois Hospital is investing $250,000 in combating social determinants of health through a program titled Better Health Through Housing which will identify homeless individuals who would benefit from housing assistance. Read about Better Health Through Housing here.
Research continues to show that social determinants of health are important factors on a person’s health. The environment we grow up and live in impacts us in ways we don’t even realize. This knowledge has been pushing researchers and advocates to make those in power take notice, but is it working? Are lawmakers paying attention to this growing amount of evidence? And if not, how do we make them notice? These questions and more are covered in this latest piece from Politico.
In the Netherlands, an aging population is making people take notice to an important issue: falling. Now, we all remember the commercial: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Well, one Dutch course is now saying,” Vallen Verleden Tijd” or “Falling is in the past.” Courses in the Netherlands are now being taught to an aging population on how to avoid falling and how to fall properly to avoid injury. With the rest of the world also seeing an increased aging population, it begs the question: should the rest of the world follow the Dutch example and say ” Vallen Verleden Tijd”? Read more about these courses over at the New York Times.
William Jacob Amadeus Pinnock is a Research Coordinator at OCHIN where he assists with the creation, execution, and dissemination of research projects. He graduated with an MS in Communication from Portland State University where he focused on health communication, rural mass media, and qualitative research methods. He has experience working in commercial health insurance, healthcare research, and radio broadcasting. In his spare time, he is an Adjunct Instructor at Portland State University helping students master the art of public speaking.
