Dr. Jermane Bond will participate in a panel entitled "Dads Matter: Patneral Involvement in Maternal and Child Health" at the 140th Annual American Public Health Association Meeting.  His presentation is  "Identifying Gaps in Research, Policy, and Practice on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Family Health."

Fathers’ involvement has been recognized as an important but neglected part of MCH programs and policies. In recent years, efforts have been made to expand the evidence base on the impact of fathers’ involvement on pregnancy outcomes and child health. In this session, presenters will share the latest research on the impact of fathers’ support, current gaps in research and policy, and effective interventions to increase the involvement of fathers in maternal and child health.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Bond's panel. For more information on the 2012 APHA conference, including registration, click the REGISTER button to your right.

The calls for an additional presidential debate moderated by (and aimed at) minorities escalated on Friday.

Ralph B. Everett, the chief executive of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research and analysis center that focuses on the socioeconomic status of blacks and other minorities, sent a letter to Janet H. Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates. He urged her to reconsider the commission’s rejection of a plea by Univision to stage a presidential debate moderated by its own Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena, or another host of Hispanic origin.

“It has long been the practice of the television industry to avoid placing people of color in front of the camera,” Mr. Everett wrote. He said he hoped the commission would embrace Univision’s proposal “by adding more debates to the calendar.”

Read more at nytimes.com.

WASHINGTON, DC—Martin Luther King, Jr. (WA) County Executive Dow Constantine has released the  first annual Equity and Social Justice Report, which documents the county’s progress toward creating fairness and opportunity in the lives of all of its residents.   The report notes that despite the county’s exceptional quality of life, strong economy, and overall good health of county residents, not everyone benefits from these opportunities.  The county’s Equity and Social Justice Ordinance, the first of its kind in the country, requires the county to take active steps to remedy these inequities.

“The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies congratulates King County and its leadership for taking bold steps to identify and eliminate inequities in the county that are based on skin color, place of residence, and income,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.  “The report released today confirms the county’s commitment to equity and social justice and points to steps that the county can take to improve life opportunities for all.”

The King County Strategic Plan establishes the principle of "fair and just" intentionally in all the county does in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities.  The effort embeds the “fair and just” principle as a core element in goals, objectives and strategies across county government.  County ordinance 16948, unanimously passed by the County Council in October 2010, establishes definitions and directs implementation steps to achieve the fair and just principle. 

To view the report visit the King County website, here.  The official King County press release can be viewed here.

On Monday August 20th, Dr. Brian Smedley will be a guest speaker on "A Safe Place to Talk About Race" hosted by Sharon E. Davis.  The discussion will focus on the structural factors that lead to and sustain racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States.  The episode,  "Health: Why are Many People of Color in Poorer Health than Whites?",  (synopsis below) will be aired at 4pm EST.   To learn more about "A Safe Place to Talk About Race", click here.

Health: Why are Many People of Color in Poorer Health than Whites?

Many People of Color have poorer health than European-Americans from the cradle to the grave. What are the real causes for these persistent differences? Many people believe that these health inequities are primarily the result of genetic differences, poor health habits, or a lack of access to medical care. Is this true? While these are important, what does the research show about structural factors – such as persistent residential segregation as the root causes of the health gap? What if these problems are not addressed?  Continue reading...

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies supports AT&T’s campaign against texting and driving. The It Can Wait campaign provides statistics, stories, and experiences to create a clear picture of the consequences of texting behind the wheel. Ultimately, It Can Wait reminds drivers, particularly teenage drivers, that sending or receiving one simple message while driving can forever change their lives and the lives of those around them.

As an organization focused on issues surrounding people of color, we are well aware that African Americans and Latinos are some of the heaviest consumers of mobile technology in America. We believe programs like It Can Wait are crucial to keep these communities abreast of safety concerns involving their devices, especially behind the wheel. We applaud AT&T for its efforts to educate Americans on the dangers of texting and driving.

It is becoming abundantly clear that the opponents of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act care little about minority health.

David Bositis, senior research director for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, has observed in the {Washington Post} that about 36 percent of African Americans have no health insurance (compared to approximately 12 percent of Caucasians).

“Because Americans of Color suffer from hypertension, diabetes and cancer at twice the rates of Caucasians,” he notes, “insurance companies, when permitted to do so, exclude us more often from coverage.”

“I wonder,” Mr. Bositis asks rhetorically, “why those who are fighting this law do not care about the high death rate and high rates of the illnesses of black Americans?”

Read more at The Afro.

As a result of the racial and economic segregation of Cook County neighborhoods, life expectancy varies along neighborhood lines, according to a study by The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The study found that residents of neighborhoods with an annual median income above $53,000 live almost 14 years longer than those with median incomes below $25,000.

Those with lower income tend to live in less safe neighborhoods with less access to fresh food and quality health care. Of course the segregation splits the city in half. The census statistics also showed that more than a quarter of Cook County census tracts have experienced persistent poverty, "meaning that at least 20% of households have been in poverty for two decades.

Read more at Chicagoist.

It’s been well documented that in the U.S. poverty helps fuels poor health — obesity, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. And that makes sense, given that more money means better access to quality health care and the ability to afford healthier foods and obtain a gym membership to work out.

But a recent study conducted about people living in Cook County, Illinois, suggests that income doesn’t always explain racial health disparities. According to the report Place Matters for Health in Cook County: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All, researchers from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Study in Washingtonn D.C. found that where you live, especially if your area is racially segregated, is a pretty good predictor of how healthy you will be and how long will you live.

Read more at BET.

Residential segregation has increased by income in 27 out of 30 of America’s major metropolises, according to an analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center.

The analysis finds that 28% of lower-income households in 2010 were located in a majority lower-income census tract, up from 23% in 1980, and that 18% of upper- income households were located in a majority upper-income census tract, up from 9% in 1980.

At the same time, middle income neighborhoods across the U.S. shrank as income inequalities grew.

Despite these trends, neighborhood segregation by income did not outpace that of race segregation, which remains one of the most pervasive residential segregation determinants.

Of all segregated U.S. cities, it’s likely that Chicago reigns supreme, and those differences translate into life and death inequalities.

As The Atlantic highlights a new report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which found that people living in Chicago neighborhoods with a median annual income higher than $53,000 have a life expectancy almost 14 years longer than those living in Chicago communities with average median incomes below $25,000. In Chicago, those with the lowest income are also minorities. The city’s historic segregation of income and race thus serve as proxies for health outcomes in life.

Read more at Smithsonian.com.

We’ve written about how Chicago’s high murder rate is a legacy of segregation. But it’s not just dangerous to live in a poor neighborhood. According to a new study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, it’s also unhealthy. The study looked at the differences in life expectancies between people in, say, Old Town and people in West Garfield Park. Even though the neighborhoods are only a few miles apart, the differences in life expectancy are as severe as the differences between First World and Third World countries.

Read more at NBC5 Chicago.