This study from the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research analyzed the long-term consequences of severity, frequency, and timing of food insecurity exposure in childhood on health and health care utilization later in adulthood, based on approximately 20 years of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Study findings highlight how young adults experiencing childhood food insecurity have higher psychological distress, even after adjusting for socioeconomic status, parents’ health, overall health during childhood, and food insecurity during adulthood. The study points out how receiving SNAP benefits during childhood reduces the effects of childhood food insecurity on health when these children become adults.

This joint information bulletin, produced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, provides models to address mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) related treatment services in schools. The bulletin also covers Medicaid state plan benefits that states might use to cover SUD related treatment services, as well as best practice models on implementing quality, evidence-based comprehensive mental health and SUD services for students.

This dataset from the Annie E. Casey Foundation is the 30th annual report that follows and ranks states on metrics related to child well-being. Particular focus is on four larger categories of trend analysis: economic well-being, education, family and community, and health. Additionally, there are individual state profiles with relevant data that are presented as user-friendly fact sheets.

Prepared for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this Abt Associates literature review provides information on literature about housing models that can best serve persons with opioid use disorder who are either homeless or encounter housing instability.

This comprehensive dataset from the University of Kentucky’s Center for Poverty Research profiles state-level data on every state, reflecting numbers, rates, amounts, and/or percentages of population; employed and unemployed individuals; three food insecurity levels; personal income; low-income uninsured children; and recipients receiving workers’ compensation, AFDC/TANF, SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, and EITC credits from 1980 to 2017. This dataset was updated in May 2019 to reflect 2017 in this longitudinal data collection that assembles information from multiple sources into one place.

This Casey Family Programs issue brief looks at the use of peer mentors (“parent partners”) who work with parents entering in and engaging with the child welfare system. These parent partners have already encountered and worked with the child welfare system themselves, and the mentoring that they offer can encourage and instill hope for parents initially interacting with the system. The brief outlines these parent partner programs’ benefits and program research evaluation findings, and provides guidance on how these programs are structured and funded. It also provides brief summaries of three parent partner programs: Parents Anonymous^®, the Kentucky Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START) Program, and Iowa’s Parent Partner Program.

This National Association of Counties report notes that Appalachian counties have experienced an opioid overdose death rate that is 72 percent higher than in non-Appalachian counties. The report presents case studies showing how local leadership has addressed the opioid crisis by being strategic in action, supporting preventive and educational efforts, and expanding access to addiction treatments. Other strategies include initiating a criminal justice response to illegal opioid sales, providing services to those involved with the criminal justice system who experience opioid use disorders, and reducing local economic impacts.

This fact sheet from the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison provides concrete data on how the opioid crisis has grown in Wisconsin. Identification of the rising number of opioid-related deaths, geography of opioid-related deaths (for urban and rural communities), and the increased number of opioid-related ER visits are presented in reader-friendly graphics.

This Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) issue brief is drawn from a jointly funded initiative from the ARC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots.” The brief presents statistics on opioid abuse and deaths in Appalachia, discusses strategies and resources for addressing the opioid crisis in this location, and offers recommendations for further study and program implementation of community-based solutions.

The Administration for Children and Families developed the Prevention Services Clearinghouse to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) of 2018 funded under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. The Clearinghouse evaluates programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. The Clearinghouse rates programs and services in the areas of mental health prevention and treatment options, substance abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parenting programs, and kinship navigator programs. Their Handbook of Standards and Procedures describes the standards used to identify and review the programs and services, as well as the procedures followed by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse staff.