HD Committee discusses early childhood, health issues.(National League of Cities' Human Development Steering Committee meeting)(Brief Article) - Nation's Cities Weekly

The National League of Cities' Human Development (HD) Steering Committee focused on the policy issues related to early early childhood development, welfare reform, bioterrorism preparedness and health during its spring meeting June 6-8 in Flagstaff, Ariz.

The meeting was hosted by Flagstaff Council Member Libby Silva and chaired by Indianapolis Councillor Rozelle Boyd.

Early Childhood Development

The HD Policy Committee directed the steering committee to address early childhood development, one of NLC's 2002 priorities and the focus of NLC's First Vice President John DeStefano, mayor of New Haven, Conn.

Bob Garcia, program specialist and regional child care lead from HHS Region 9 located in San Francisco, represented the Bush Administration and addressed the administration's policies on childcare.

Jerry Gomez, the HHS associate director for the child youth development unit, spoke about early childhood and literacy, emphasizing the Bush Administration's proposals on Head Start.

Seobaghn Arambula, the assistant administrator from the Northern Arizona Council of Government's Head Start program, spoke about the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of Head Start.

Carla Ruterbush, a Head Start parent and participant in the Parent Governing Board, gave a parent's perspective on Head Start and early childhood development.

In addition, the committee focused on parenting skills, childcare, cognitive development and learning readiness.

Welfare Reform

In light of the upcoming reauthorization in 2002 of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, the HD Policy Committee overwhelmingly chose welfare reform as a priority topic. Sharon Fujii, the Pacific hub director for the HHS Administration for Children & Families, opened the discussion with an overview of the TANF reauthorization. She stated that non-marital births, particularly among teen mothers, are still a significant reason why children grow up in poor, single parent families.

In light of this concern, Bill Coffin, special assistant for marriage education, HHS Administration for Children & Families, discussed the administration's proposals for marriage promotion.

Patty Jo Angelini, director of the Arizona Coalition on Adolescent Pregnancy & Parenting, talked about the importance of teen pregnancy prevention as part of poverty reduction.

The committee also discussed (1) the need to provide services to 'hard-to place' populations with significant barriers, such as depression or substance abuse; (2) programs that help individuals in making the transition to work; and (3) 'living wage' proposals that allow individuals to make a wage sufficient to support a family.

Bioterrorism Preparedness

Following September 11, and the subsequent anthrax crisis in October, the capacity of the nation's public health system was stretched to the limit.

Captain Christopher Jones, the HHS Regional Emergency Coordinator, working out of the U.S. Public Health Office in San Francisco, provided committee members with comprehensive information about the federal government's current assistance to local governments to prepare their public health systems for any future bioterrorist events.

The committee was supportive of the HHS programs to provide emergency medicine and promote local and state planning, but believed more was needed. The committee directed staff to formulate policy regarding bioterrorism preparedness.

Health

Currently, more than 9 million children and adolescents lack basic health care coverage--with nearly 90 percent of them living in families with parents who work. Children are extremely vulnerable to the long-term effects of not receiving needed health care.

The committee discussed the successes and shortcomings of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) in providing children with health care coverage, particularly regarding outreach, recertification and continuing coverage of eligible children.

The committee also reviewed current NLC policy, which recommends restructuring of the health care system. The committee determined that there are sections of the policy that could be strengthened to support health care coverage for all children.

The committee also discussed the lack of dental care for poor children and the nursing shortage that is affecting hospitals, long term care facilities and other health care providers across the nation.

Committee Members See Flagstaff

Flagstaff City Council Member Libby Silva provided a beautiful Arizona backdrop for the HD meeting.

Committee members were given the opportunity to tour the privately owned Lowell Observatory and look through the same telescope through which the planet Pluto was discovered.

The committee took a tour of the Guidance Center, which provides assistance to individuals with barriers to employment, such as drug or alcohol abuse. This October, the HD Steering Committee will meet in Waco, Tex., to continue its work.