Chris' Letter October 16, 2015
PUBLICATIONS:
Housing Policy Levers to Promote Economic Mobility
Federal, state, and local policies that provide access to safe, affordable housing can play an essential role in improving the economic well-being of low-income households, a report from the Urban Institute and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation finds. Read the report here.
Beyond Financial Aid: How Colleges Can Strengthen the Financial Stability of Low-Income Students and Improve Student Outcome
Colleges and universities can improve the academic and life outcomes of low-income students by building a broad, integrated financial support system, a report from the Lumina Foundation suggests. Read the report here.
Turnaround Arts Initiative Final Evaluation Report
Implementing high-quality integrated arts education programming into high-poverty, chronically underperforming schools can enhance school-wide reform efforts, an evaluation of a public-private partnership launched by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2012 suggests. Read the report here.
Engaging Philanthropy in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward
Philanthropic organizations should play a direct role in implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by collaborating with UN agencies, civil society organizations, governments, and businesses, a report from the SDG Philanthropy Platform urges. Read the report here.
Obesity Rates Will Soar by 2025 if Governments Fail to Take Action, Says Report. Medical News Today, 10/1/15. Thirteen percent of people worldwide are affected by obesity, the US having the greatest number of severely obese people. Unless more governments take action like introducing strict regulations of marketing unhealthy foods to children and ensuring healthy foods access in schools and communities, the global obesity rate will rise another 4% in just ten years.
Nation’s Ag Co-ops Set Records for Income and Revenue. USDA Release, 10/7/15. A new USDA report shows that the nation’s farmer, rancher, and fishery cooperatives earned a record $6.5 billion in net income and generated $246.7 billion in total revenue last year. This is an increase of 16.5%, compared to a .4% increase in 2013. The co-ops grossing highest in revenue come from Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois.
A Cross-Sectional Study on Health Differences Between Rural and Non-Rural U.S. Counties Using the County Health Rankings
Examines the rural and urban differences in health and healthcare within the U.S. using data accessed from the 2013 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Vital health factors evaluated include mortality, morbidity, health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.
The Difference Between What Poor People and Everyone Else Eats. MyAJC, 10/1/15. Researchers at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity reviewed 25 studies and found that while the nearly 50 million Americans on SNAP are eating as many calories and consuming just as much soda as those without SNAP, those on SNAP are eating significantly less healthy, receiving scores of about 50/100 compared to 58/100 from those without SNAP.
National Advisory Committee Tackles Delivery System Reform, Child Poverty
From September 9-11, 2015, rural experts gathered in rural Minnesota for the 78th Meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS). This group serves as a voice for rural health and human services and is tasked with gathering input at the local, grassroots level and taking what they learn to make recommendations to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.
How ‘Dry’ Are Food Deserts?
Oct 13, 2015 -- Discusses the impact of access to healthy foods on the health of people living in food deserts, particularly those from low-income, low-food-access communities. Provides differing opinions on the causes of poor health for people living in these communities.
Source: The Daily Yonder
MedPAC Discusses Policy Options to Preserve Emergency Care in Rural Areas
Oct 9, 2015 -- A recent MedPAC public meeting included discussion on policy options aimed to preserve access to emergency care in rural communities, including a 24/7 emergency department model and a 24/7 ambulance service model.
Bill Aims to Recruit Doctors at VA Clinics
Oct 2, 2015 -- Describes a proposed bill, the Veterans Access to Care Act, which would designate Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities as health professional shortage areas, thus allowing the VA to offer financial incentives to healthcare professionals who agree to work in a shortage area for at least two years.
Health Resources and Services Administration Strategic Plan, FY 2016 - FY 2018
Identifies five goals that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will focus on in order to address healthcare access and service delivery issues. Includes information on HRSA's work related to rural health.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
How to Finance Transition to Renewable Energy
The question of how to finance a global transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is the most critical and difficult issue in the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations, according to EcoWatch.
LEARNING:
Consortial Leadership to Scale and Sustain Innovation
Scaling change. Short- and long-term impact. Indicators of success. Dissemination. Effect. Sustainability. Foundation officers frequently utter these phrases. In most cases, these words reflect a heartfelt concern for change in the desired area, and, to be sure, big bucks often are put behind such efforts. Still, scaling and sustaining innovation in colleges and universities is challenging work. Consortial leadership can make it easier, yet, as we have found, it is often overlooked and underestimated as a change strategy.
Systems Thinking for Social Change
What makes a good old-fashioned mystery so much fun? In part, the enjoyment lies in the opportunity to gather clues along the way and figure out who committed the crime and why. In his book Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results, systems thinking pioneer David Peter Stroh, a founding partner of Bridgeway Partners and director of www.appliedsystemsthinking.com, draws a parallel between efforts to solve seemingly intractable social problems and the mystery stories many of us love. Instead of asking "Who done it?" however, Stroh suggests that those working to bring about social change should ask, "Why have we not been able to solve the complex social problems that plague us in spite of our best intentions and efforts?"
Women in Agriculture USDA Fact Sheetsdetail the important contributions that women have made in agriculture across the U.S. To continue building the next generation of women in agriculture, the USDA has established a women in agriculture mentoring network. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow the hashtag #womeninag.
EVENTS:
DOE Loan Program Support for Distributed Energy Projects
The US Department of Energy, the American Council on Renewable Energy, Stern Brothers, The Willdan Group and B2BWebinars.com are pleased to announce the upcoming webinar, DOE Loan Program Support for Distributed Energy Projects, taking place on Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 1:00pm Eastern Time.
Food Waste: Current and Emerging Solutions
Hosted by the Institute of Medicine, is a webinar reviewing food waste issues like major contributors; the health, environmental, social, and economic impacts of food waste; and emerging strategies to reduce food waste. The webinar will include speakers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, ConAgra Foods, Wal-Mart, and the USDA. The webinar is October 20, 2015, at 1pm ET. Register at the link.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School Program
Thursday, October 29, 11:00 AM EDT: Join Deborah Kane, Director of the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Office of Community Food Systems, for a review of the USDA Farm to School Program’s accomplishments and to discuss what lies ahead. Topics will include a review of new farm to school resources, preliminary results and plans for the second USDA Farm to School Census, and several new areas of emphasis, including farm to summer, farm to preschool, and incorporating traditional foods into child nutrition programs.
No registration required. To join, on Thursday, October 29 at 11:00 AM EDT:
Dial 1-800-988-0278 with participant passcode 1271320 for audio
This webinar will be recorded and made publicly available on the FNS Webinars and Videos webpage.
Beyond Beauty: The Opportunities and Challenges of Cosmetically Imperfect Produce
Thursday, October 22
3:30 - 4:45pm ET (12:30 - 1:45 PT)
JoAnne Berkenkamp at Tomorrow’s Table and The Real Food Challenge have been exploring the market - from farmer to processor to college foodservice - of produce that is healthful and delicious, if a little imperfect. Looking at "imperfects" from the farmer's perspective, this first phase of their research explores realities on the farm and in the marketplace for fruit and veggies that go beyond beauty.
TOOLS:
USDA-ARS Online Tool to help growers select the right cover crop.
The new chart combines information from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and includes more than 50 cover crop species that can help reduce soil erosion, increase organic matter, and control weeds.
Updated Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) Compass Map shows federal investments in local food across the country and includes data on farmers markets and food hubs. Zoom in on a city or town to see how communities are using federal resources for local food expansion.
