The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, new report found that during June 24-30, 2020, 11 percent of young adults seriously considered suicide. 40 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use during the pandemic, including anxiety/depression systems or trauma or stressor-related disorder symptoms. The CDC's new data included self-reported
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released his party’s counter to the House of Representatives HEROES Act. The rest of last week left the impression that Senate Republicans are not sure about the next steps. The HEALS Act, as it has been labeled, is actually eight different bills from different members
Last week, Arizona provided a directive to foster parents and relative caregivers that when schools reopen, children in foster care should be attending school. The Department has said they will consider some exceptions. The Arizona Department of Child Safety Director Mike Faust said in a public statement that he reached the decision based on consultation
New research from BMJ.Com (British Medical Journal) published in July provided evidence that state policies that limited the sale of handguns to people aged 18 or older (relative to 21 or older) were associated with an increase in the suicide rate among adolescents aged 18 to 20 years of age. The paper, State handgun purchase age
As the end of the week approached, Washington was still waiting for a complete initial package from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on what will be a fifth COVID-19 relief measure. Negotiations that had started within the White House on Monday between the President’s staff and Republican Congressional leaders from the House and Senate
On Tuesday, June 30, 2020, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee gave an update on the progress of the U.S reopening procedures in businesses and education as testifying. Committee members stressed the need for national attention to how school and business reopenings heading into the fall might mean for administrators and shareholders during the
On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a plan to reopen the country’s largest school system this fall. With the President demanding all schools open, the New York city debate shows the challenges. The DeBlasio plan revolves around a schedule that would have some students attend two days of
The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) held a webinar to discuss congregate care and group care for youth and advocating for connected placements during the COVID-19 pandemic. This public health pandemic places youth in congregate care facilities at an increased risk of contracting the virus than youth in family-like settings or foster homes. In
On Thursday, June 18, 2020, by a vote of 5 to 4, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump Administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Court case joined cases that originated in New York, California, and Washington, D.C. The Court decision focused on how the Administration applied the
On Wednesday, June 16, Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), James Lankford (R-OK), and Ben Sasse (R-NE) introduced the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act. The Senate Republican proposed legislation is in response to the national protest movement
