EXECUTIVE BUDGET RELEASED

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Governor Granholm herself joined Bob Emerson, the State Budget Director, to present the Executive Budget recommendation to a packed joint Senate and House Appropriations Committee meeting yesterday.  It was an unusual move for the Governor to provide the commentary, perhaps a response to the criticism she received last year for being too far removed from the budget process.
 
Undoubtedly you can, and probably already have, read the larger themes of the presentation in the newspapers.  Protecting education, establishing a two-year budget cycle, reviewing tax expenditures, expanding the sales tax to services, funding the Pure Michigan campaign... but you may have missed any mention of public health because there wasn't any.  So what details are available on items on our policy agenda?
 
The actual budget line items were just released and require some analysis, but my understanding is public health is proposed to take a $6 million general fund cut.  The good news is none of the cuts come from maternal and child health programs or the Healthy Michigan Fund, the bad news is Children's Special Health Care Services and local public health operations see substantial hits in the proposed DCH budget.   Our other priorities which cross over into the school aid budget -- school and community health centers and hearing and vision screenings -- as well as the 0-3 secondary prevention funding in the DHS budget appear intact at current year levels.
 
The Governor chose her words very carefully during the presentation and it is reflected in the budget she presented.  We will find out over the days and weeks to come how her budget proposal is handled by the Legislature but it seems apparent she will not push for the conversation so badly needed at the highest levels - how to restructure taxes in our state to create a sustainable future.  MCMCH will fight for our priorities and to be the voice for prevention
 
Please join me in making our voice heard as the budget moves from the Governor's desk to the legislative appropriations process. 
 
Thanks -
Amy

Crime Victims' Fee Bills Move with Trauma System Funding Intact

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On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee reported out three bills to increase the fees paid into the state Crime Victims' Fund by individuals convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.
 
Language in these bills also provides the long-sought-after funding for a statewide trauma system.  Specifically $3.5 million would go to fund a trauma system (at year end) after all crime victims' expenses have been paid.  Legislation to create the trauma system was passed in  and department rules were finished last year, but funding was never appropriated.
 
MCMCH supports the bills as we recognize the value of trauma system as well the groundwork that it could lay for reestablishment of perinatal regionalization.  Michigan is one of only three states without a trauma system.
 
The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and the Crime Victims Commission, the primary drivers of the crime victims fee increase, appear to appreciate the nexus between crime victims and persons in need of the best, most appropriate trauma services and are supporting the inclusion of the trauma system funding.  MCMCH submitted a card of support for the bills at the committee hearing along with others in the health care community -- the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, the Primary Care Association and the American Heart Association.
 
The bills numbers are House Bills 5661, 5666 and 5667 and you can view them here. 

HHS Secretary and Surgeon General Join First Lady to Announce Plans to Combat Overweight and Obesity

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First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced plans  to help Americans lead healthier lives through better nutrition, regular physical activity, and by encouraging communities to support healthy choices. HHS released The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation.  In her first release to the nation, Dr. Benjamin highlights the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans, and asks them to join her in a grassroots effort to commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and communities. 

The recommendations in The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation include:
Improving our communities - Neighborhoods and communities should become actively involved in creating healthier environments.  The availability of supermarkets, outdoor recreational facilities and the limitation of advertisements of less healthy foods and beverages are all examples of ways to create a healthier living environment.
Healthy Choices and Healthy Home Environments - Change starts with the individual choices Americans make each day for themselves, their families and those around them. Reducing the consumption of sodas and juices with added sugars; eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; limiting television time; and being more physically active help us achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Creating Healthy Child Care Settings - It is estimated that more than 12 million children ages 0-6 receive some form of child care on a regular basis from someone other than their parents.  Parents should talk with their child care providers about changes to promote their children's health.
Creating Healthy Schools - To help students develop life-long health habits, schools should provide appealing healthy food options including fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, water and low-fat beverages. School systems should also require nutrition standards and daily physical education for students.

Creating Healthy Work Sites - Employers can implement wellness programs that promote healthy eating in cafeterias, encourage physical activity through group classes and create incentives for employees to participate.
Mobilizing Medical Communities - Medical care providers must make it a priority to teach their patients about the importance of good health. Doctors and other health care providers are often the most trusted source of health information and are powerful role models for healthy lifestyle habits.

To view The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation, click here.

Healthy Baby Campaign Uses Texts to Reach Mothers

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Expectant mothers are getting a new tool to help keep themselves and their babies healthy: pregnancy tips sent directly to their cell phones.
The so-called text4baby campaign is the first free, health education program in the U.S. to harness the reach of mobile phones, according to its sponsors, which include Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, WellPoint and CareFirst BlueCross and Blue Shield. Wireless carriers including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have agreed to waive all fees for receiving the texts. Organizers say texting is an effective means of delivering wellness tips because 90 percent of people in the U.S. have cell phones.

Pregnancy Complications May Predispose come Children Born Prematurely with Asthma

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According to a paper published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, chorioamnionitis "inflammation of the fetal membranes and amniotic fluid from a baterial infection," appears to be linked to more than half of pre-term births.  Although the infection wasn't linked to an increased risk of being diagnosed with asthma by age eight in full term births, among preemies the condition was associated with double the risk of childhood asthma in blacks, a 70% increase in Hispanics and a 66% in whites.  Researchers observed these differences even after accounting for other possible risk factors, such as whether the mother smoked or had asthma herself.  Dr. Darios Getahun speculats that the infections -- which can be caused by a wide variety of bacteria -- cause inflammation of the fetal lungs, either injuring the ungs or predisposing them to react more severly to future environmental insults.

Serotonin Level May be Key to SIDS

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Babies who died from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, show lower amounts of the brain chemical serotonin, says a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Levels of serotonin, which regulate a baby's sleep, heart rate and breathing, were 26 percent lower in the brainstems of babies who died of SIDS than in those of babies who died of other causes, the study says.
Researchers believe a low level of serotonin may be the "fundamental abnormality" in babies who die from SIDS. In the brainstem, serotonin acts as an alarm system, waking up a baby when breathing is disrupted. Babies without it can be unaware that they are not breathing enough oxygen, causing them to die in their sleep, according to the study.
The study also found that infants with insufficient serotonin also had low levels of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which is needed to make serotonin. Levels of that were 22 percent lower in SIDS babies.
The next phase of the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, will focus on why some babies lack enough tryptophan hydroxylase to produce serotonin, said the study's author, Dr. Hannah Kinney, who is affiliated with Children's Hospital Boston in Massachusetts.
There is no test to determine which infants may be at risk for SIDS. Kinney told CNN that researchers believe they are decades away from discovering a physical marker of a brainstem problem that could be identified in the blood.
To avoid the risk of SIDS, she and other doctors recommend that parents make sure that babies can breathe uninhibited during sleep: Place babies on their backs to avoid their rolling over, don't over-bundle the baby, and don't leave loose bedding or stuffed toys in the crib.

President's Budget Request for Infants and Children

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President Obama released his FY11 budget request this morning, indicating his priorities for funding for the fiscal year that runs October 1, 2010-September 30, 2011. The $3.8 trillion budget request includes $1.415 trillion in overall domestic discretionary funding. While the budget request largely freezes domestic discretionary funding for the next three years, it does include funding increases for some programs and services, as well as proposes new initiatives the President would like to see enacted by Congress.

Proposed funding and tax credits for infants and toddlers include:

Child Care: An increase of $800 million (and an additional $11 billion over ten years) in mandatory Child Care and Development Funds to allow states to provide child care subsidies to additional working families. In addition, another increase of $800 million is proposed to provide quality improvements through the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Total funding for CCDBG under this proposal would equal $2.927 billion, $137 million of which is targeted for improving the quality of infant-toddler care.
Head Start/Early Head Start: $8.224 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, an increase of $989 million over FY10 funding. The proposed increase in funding is projected to continue providing services to the 64,000 additional children and families served through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Part C: $440 million for Part C Early Intervention Services for infants and toddlers, the same as FY10 funding.
Early Learning Challenge Fund: $625 million in mandatory funding for the President's proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund (ELCF), which passed the House in September and is awaiting action in the Senate. Mandatory funding is automatically allocated and therefore not subject to the annual appropriations process.
Child Care Tax Credit: A near doubling of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which helps working parents afford the costs of child care.
Promise Neighborhoods: $210 million for Promise Neighborhoods, modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, which supports "comprehensive programs that address the needs of children and youth in a targeted area from before the time they are born to their attendance in college.

Parents Speak Up National Campaign

The Parents Speak Up National Campaign ("PSUNC") is a national education campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The goal is to encourage parents and guardians of preteens (9-12 year-olds) to talk to their children about sexuality. Parents, more than the media or peers, have the greatest influence on young people's decisions about sex, but many parents feel uncomfortable talking about this tough topic. PSUNC was developed to give parents the resources and confidence to effectively communicate with their children about sexual issues.
 
The campaign includes TV, radio, print, and online advertising. A major element of the campaign is working with community and member-based organizations that either work directly with parents or work on issues related to teen sex. There are numerous handouts and resources for parents. And at the cornerstone of the campaign is the Ready to Talk train-the-trainer education kit. The kit includes a DVD with videos for organizations and parents, a leader manual, campaign PSAs and multiple handouts for parents. All of the campaign resources are free, and many are available in both English and Spanish.

Special Reports on Michigan's Early Childhood Efforts

The Center for Michigan, a "think-and-do tank" formed in 2006, last week published a two-part special report on the state's early childhood efforts and the funding perils they face.   Read the reports here.