Featured Issue Briefs
The Battle on the Home Front: Jonathan Gadsden's Story
Marine Lance Corporal's story reflects the growing need for new antibiotics that can treat dangerous diseases, against which most drugs are useless. Read More
Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo Reform
The de novo process -- which requests lower-risk reclassification of medical devices and entry into the marketplace -- as it exists now is not achieving its purpose and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements. Read More
Food Products Recalled by FDA
Since President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law, at least 149 FDA-regulated food products have been recalled due to potential pathogenic contamination. Read More
More Issue Briefs
| Date | Issue Briefs | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2008 |
Overview of Child Welfare Services in Ohio StateOhio's child welfare system is state-supervised and county-administered. A number of recent developments and converging trends may have a significant impact on child welfare financing in Ohio. More info |
Health Topics |
| Dec 6, 2007 |
Overview of Child Welfare Services in MontanaChild welfare services in Montana are administered by Child and Family Services Division (CFSD) within the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Recent events and initiatives of note are the federal CFSR in 2002 and resulting PIP, completed successfully in 2006, and a study of the child welfare system in the summer of 2006 by the legislative Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee. Both of these events have focused attention on child welfare in Montana. More info |
Health Topics |
| Oct 1, 2007 |
Overview of Child Welfare Services in Michigan StateMichigan is experiencing severe economic and fiscal problems due primarily to a downturn in the automobile industry, resulting in a budget deficit of approximately $856.4 million at the end of the state's 2007 fiscal year (September 30). Because of these issues, many of the state's budget bills are still being debated as of the date of this memo. The human services budget bill, SB 232, was passed by the Senate on August 22, 2007. The House passed an amended version of the bill on September 6, 2007. The bill is currently in conference committee. This memo will summarize those provisions in the bills that are relevant to reform of federal child welfare financing. When a budget is finally approved and signed by the Governor, this memo will be updated. More info |
Health Topics |
| Sep 3, 2007 |
Overview of Child Welfare Services in Tennessee StateTennessee's child welfare system has undergone dramatic changes over the past few years. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, child welfare in Tennessee was under-funded and fragmented among six state agencies that failed to communicate with one another or coordinate their efforts. In 1996, a single state agency, the Department of Children's Services (DCS) was created by executive order to house child welfare and juvenile justice services. In 2000, Children's Rights, a national non-profit that advocates for children in foster care, filed a class action lawsuit, claiming over-utilization of emergency shelters and large group facilities, untrained caseworkers, high levels of placement instability, inadequate efforts to achieve permanency, inadequate educational services and disparate treatment of African-American children in foster care. More info |
Health Topics |
| Jul 2, 2007 |
Overview of Child Welfare Services in Washington StateCompared to other states, child welfare is high on the list of legislative priorities in Washington. This high level of legislative activity can be attributed in part to a number of recent events that are briefly described below. In addition, the legislature, particularly the House, has a number of experienced champions of children's issues, including Rep. Ruth Kagi, chair of the House Early Learning and Children's Services Committee, and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, chair of the House Human Services Committee, among others. More info |
Health Topics |
| Jan 28, 2004 |
Statement of The Honorable Bill Frenzel, Chairman, Pew Commission on Children in Foster CareFor the last nine months, I have been privileged to chair the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, a task I share with my colleague, former Representative Bill Gray. This independent, nonpartisan commission, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, includes some of the wisest and most experienced individuals in the field of child welfare. You heard from one of them this morning, New York City Commissioner William Bell. The other members of our Commission are no less impressive. More info |
Health Topics |
| Nov 29, 2012 |
Letter From Pew and Medtronic to HHS Regarding the Physician Payments Sunshine ActThe Pew Health Group and Medtronic, Inc. file a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Provision, which will require that manufacturers of drugs, devices,biologics or medical supplies report to the agency payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals. More info |
Medical Safety |
| Jun 22, 2012 |
Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo ReformThe de novo process as it exists now is not achieving its purpose of streamlining the path to move new devices onto the marketplace and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements. More info |
Medical Safety |
| Jun 22, 2012 |
Improving Medical Device Safety Through Better SurveillanceIn 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the Sentinel Initiative, a national electronic system designed to “track the safety of drugs, biologics, and medical devices once they reach the market.” By proactively monitoring data from electronic health records and other sources rather than relying on spontaneous reporting from manufacturers and health care providers, the Sentinel system can more quickly identify safety issues. More info |
Medical Safety |
| Aug 18, 2011 |
Helping School Meals Make the GradeThe National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs provide meals to tens of millions of children each day, accounting for up to one-half of those students’ daily calories. However, more than 90 percent of schools serve meals that do not even meet the minimum national school meal standards. More info |
School Food |
| May 24, 2011 |
Replacing Deep Fat FryersThe Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project conducted a pilot survey among food service directors in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and Wisconsin), finding that schools lack the resources and equipment to provide healthy school food to students. More info |
School Food |
| May 23, 2011 |
Changing the Menu in ChicagoIn an effort to improve the quality of foods served in its schools, CPS debuted new breakfast and lunch menus in the 2010-2011 school year which are now among the healthiest in the country. More info |
School Food |
| Apr 4, 2011 |
Tools to Improve School MealsThe meals schools serve to students are an important source of nutrients kids need to grow, learn and succeed. Yet many schools don’t have the necessary tools to prepare safe and healthy meals. More info |
School Food |
| Apr 4, 2011 |
Serving Up School Meals that Make the GradeThe nutrition standards for school meals have not been updated for more than 15 years. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences set forth recommendations for making school meals healthier. More info |
School Food |
