|
News
April
2, 2008 - Every Child Matters has conducted a survey on child well-being
in the states. According to their report, “Geography Matters: Child Well-being
in the States,” Nevada ranks 43 out of 50 overall on the 10 Child Well-Being
Indicators.
The 10 Child Well-Being Indicators
are:
- Infant Deaths per 1,000 Births
- Deaths per 100K Aged 1-14
- Deaths per 100K Aged 15-19
- Births to Mothers aged 15-19 per 1,000
- % of Births to Women Receiving Late or No Prenatal Care
- % of Children in Poverty
- % of Uninsured Children
- Incarceration rate per 100,000 juveniles
- Child Abuse Fatalities per 100K
- Per Capita Child Welfare Expenditures
Nevada ranks 47 out of 50 in the number of uninsured
children in the state. Children in the bottom 10 states are 2.8 times as
likely to be uninsured as children in the top 10.
Nevada also ranks 40 out of 50 in child abuse fatalities. Children in the
bottom 10 states are 6.7 times more likely to die from abuse and neglect
as children in the top states.
For child welfare expenditures, Nevada ranks 44 out of 50 with a per capita
welfare expenditure of $33.99. The top 10 states fund programs meant to
treat or prevent child abuse and neglect at 3 times the level per capita
than the bottom 10 states.
In comparison of states using ten indicators of child well-being, children
in the lowest ranking state are:
- Twice as likely to die in their first year as children
in the highest ranking state.
- Three times more likely to die between the ages of 1-14.
- Nearly three times more likely to die between the ages
of 15-19.
- Three times more likely to be born to a teenage mother.
- Five times more likely to have mothers who received late
or no prenatal care.
- Three times more likely to live in poverty.
- Five times more likely to be uninsured.
- Eight times more likely to be incarcerated.
- Thirteen times more likely to die from abuse and neglect.
- Less likely to be protected if abused or neglected: the
top state spends 12 times more to address child abuse and neglect than the
bottom state.
Nevada needs to make child well-being a priority
and start closing the disparities in child well-being among the states.
To end the disparities, Every Child Matters, proposes:
- Congressional hearings to consider the arguments in the
“Geography Matters: Child Well-being in the States” brief. If Congress determines
them to be valid, they should develop a strategy for addressing them.
- Policy positions on children’s issues should be put forward
by the presidential candidates.
- The new administration in 2009, led by the Department of
Health and Human Services, should convene a national conference to examine
the disparities in child well-being among the states and make recommendations
for closing this gap to the new president.
- The national associations that represent state and local
governments—mayors, governors, legislatures, counties—should place differences
in child well-being on their policy agendas for review and action.
- The private-sector—corporations, professional associations,
and foundations—should consider the issue for review and action.
- Scholars and the press should conduct a deeper review of
the issue.
July 2007 -
A new annual report commissioned by the Clark County
Manager’s Office and prepared by the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research
and Policy (NICRP) marks the county’s first effort to track reasons behind
child fatalities and identify prevention measures.
The 2006
report used data gathered from the Clark County Child Death Review Team,
a group made up of 52 members from law enforcement, government and the community.
The team looked at 148 cases of child deaths, which represented 70 percent
of child fatalities, and classified each death according to manner of death.
“This report provides the first comprehensive analysis
of child fatalities that occurred in our community in one year,” said Assistant
County Manager Darryl Martin, who oversees the county’s social service departments.
“Our goal is to better understand the factors involved in child fatalities
so we can work together as a community to prevent these tragedies.”
Denise Tanata Ashby,
executive director of NICRP at the University
of Nevada , Las Vegas said the
report creates an important baseline for the future. "This report for the
first time allows us to analyze trends in child death data at the county
level, which will result in focused, data-driven prevention efforts that
target defined areas of need in our valley."
"Any child fatality is
a tragedy for this community," said Commission Chairman Rory Reid. "This report is the latest of our efforts to better understand
the reasons for child fatalities in our community and how we can collectively
develop prevention measures that support our families, and in turn, protect
our children."
To view the 2006 Clark
County Child Death Review Report, click here.
May 2007 -
NICRP receives a contract from Every Child Matters Education Fund in Washington,
D.C. to assist in making children's issues a priority during the 2008 Presidential
Campaign. For more information, visit www.everychildmatters.org, or
check back on our website for more updates. NICRP is looking for volunteers
and community events...contact Amanda or Denise at 895-1040.
January 2006 -
NICRP receives contract from the Clark County Manager's Office to collect
and analyze data from the Clark County Child Fatality Review Team. A statistical
analysis report of child fatalities in Clark County for 2006 will be available
in June 2007. Check back for more updates!
December 2006
- NICRP completes the Study of the Health, Safety, Welfare and Civil and
Other Rights of Children in Government and Private Facilities in Nevada.
NICRP presented the final report to the Legislative Subcommittee on December
7, 2006. For the full report, click here.
Nevada Public Health Association
2005 Annual Conference
Tara Swanson, Jennifer Personius Zipoy,
and Denise Tanata Ashby
|
