InfoNet: Week of 3/17/08

Below are summaries of articles related to child well-being in North Carolina. Also provided are links to each article's full text.

HEALTH
Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080317/POLITICS01/80316035"
Governor candidates tackle mental health"By Jordan SchraderRALEIGH — It may not have the kitchen-table appeal of promises about the minimum wage or the intensity of the immigration debate.But the politicians competing for North Carolina’s top job can’t avoid talking about the intractable problems of the state’s ailing mental health system.Robin Huffman, executive director of the N.C. Psychiatric Association, could see that at a forum last month that brought six Democratic and Republican candidates for governor to the podium."The candidates were a little awkward in talking our talk in our mental-health, developmental-disabilities and substance-abuse world," Huffman said. "But you know what? They’ve never had to talk about this before in order to get elected."For advice on a complex topic, state Sen. Fred Smith has turned to Lanier Cansler, who was deputy health secretary after representing Buncombe County in the North Carolina House. Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue has touched base with the top senator for oversight of mental health, Asheville’s Martin Nesbitt.All major candidates attended the Feb. 25 forum except Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who said a City Council meeting kept him from the daylong event. Mental health providers and advocates have sought candidates’ positions to post at NCmentalhealthVOTE.org, and all but McCrory and lawyer Bill Graham have honored that request.The man they all want to replace, Gov. Mike Easley, has presided over a reform effort that has left mentally ill residents lacking care in their communities.Local providers have closed down or shed workers after repeated regulatory changes. Those in need have struggled to get into the state’s packed psychiatric hospitals, which have faced federal threats because of patient deaths and injuries.Easley called on the General Assembly this month to give his administration more authority over local mental health agencies, saying he can fix the problems before leaving office at the end of the year.Advocates for better care are skeptical."It's all just a bunch of treading water until after (this) year's election," said David Cornwell, of Fletcher, director of N.C. Mental Hope.--------------

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
http://healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=613538
"For Adolescents, Inhalants Are Drug of Choice: But sniffing common household chemicals can be deadly, experts say"
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) --
Inhalants are being used more often than marijuana or prescription painkillers by kids on the brink of being teenagers, a new government report shows.Inhaling common household products such as shoe polish, glue, aerosol air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline and lighter fluid now appears to be the preferred way to get high in this age group, health officials note.In the past year, 3.4 percent of 12-year-olds report using an inhalant, while only 1.1 percent tried marijuana, and 2.7 percent took prescription painkillers. That trend continued with 13-year-olds, with 4.8 percent using inhalants, 4 percent trying marijuana, and 3.9 percent taking prescription painkillers. By age 14, inhalant use dropped behind the use of marijuana, painkillers and other drugs.The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, with sponsorship from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, presented the results of these studies at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Thursday."Our data show that 1.1 million 12-to-17-year-olds acknowledge using inhalants last year," Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse, said Thursday. "Our data also indicate that there are almost 600,000 teenagers [who] start using inhalants annually."However, inhalants can cause neurological damage, along with sudden death from cardiac reactions or lack of oxygen, Clark said. Although many adolescents die from using inhalants each year, an exact number isn't known."The short-term effects are dizziness, nausea, confusion and lack of coordination," he said.In addition, there been a number of reports of teens who have inhaled computer keyboard cleaners and lost control of their cars and crashed into walls and other obstacles, Clark said."Once kids start using inhalants, they are more susceptible to using other drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine as they age," Clark said. "Inhalants can produce psychological effects, but because they're readily accessible they are substitutes for other drugs."--------------
Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080317/LIVING/80315048
"Parents should honestly discuss substance-abuse issues, more often"
By Barbara Blake
You can tell your kids to "just say no" when it comes to drugs.But they probably won’t listen.Young people today live in a world where marijuana, pills, tobacco, alcohol and other legal and illegal substances are firmly entrenched in the culture — on television, on movie and video screens, in the lyrics of music, in the shadows of schoolyards, even on the streets of their own neighborhoods.Keeping children safe, drug-free and grounded with healthy values requires more than a perky cliché. Parents will have a much better chance of warding off the drug culture in their own homes if they have honest, ongoing discussions about substance abuse with their kids, if they are active listeners rather than pedantic preachers, and if they model healthy behaviors with their actions, not just words."Unfortunately, the drug culture has been so pervasive that it has dominated families and dominated our entire culture," said Allen Dunlap, a crime prevention officer with the Asheville Police Department and a former Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer in local schools."Hollywood has a love affair with danger — the danger of drugs and sex — and that's something they show vividly on television and in movies," Dunlap said. "And the young people who may not have been involved start to think that's the way the world does it, that everybody does it. And that's not the case."Start earlySo, how does a mere parent fight an entire cultural phenomenon?Talk to your kids, said Debbie Bryant, coordinator of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program in Buncombe County Schools. And start talking well before they hit their teens, she said."Research shows that the national average age for first-time use of alcohol is 11; for marijuana it's 12," Bryant said. "In our presentations at parent workshops, we encourage them to begin (talking) as early as 9."Talking, she said, doesn’t mean calling an official meeting and preaching to kids about the sins of substance abuse. --------------

digTriad.com
http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=99862&catid=57
"More Children Are Having Sex, Contracting STD's: Health officials see an increase in STD's among children as young as 8-years-old"
By Tracey McCain, Reporter
Piedmont Triad, NC - Doctors are calling it an epidemic among children. A growing number of school age kids are having unprotected sex. The problem is resulting in an increase of 8 to 17 year-old's with sexually transmitted diseases.Many of these children go untreated. In most cases, children don't they have an STD, because they don't understand the changes in their bodies. Or they're embarrassed and don't want their parents to find out. Ultimately, the diseases continue to spread. Health officials say education is key.The McMichael High School teen living course talks about everything on a young teens mind including how to balance freedom with personal responsibility.A new national study shows children are having sex before they enter the 5th grade. Health teacher Melia Cardwell says education has to keep up with the curiosity."It's the case of it's not going to happen to me," said Cardwell. "It concerns me it really does. I don't think they realize that it is such a huge responsibility and it never ends," she said.Cardwell says sex education needs to go beyond the text book and into the home."Everyone has got to be on the same page. It's got to be reiterated when they go home. When they're at home, I don't have control over what decisions they're making," said Cardwell. "Hopefully what they heard and what they read in my class, they'll remember when they're faced with it."--------------

Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/LIVING/80317089/1200/HEALTH
"Adults aren’t the only ones who feel stress; children can be affected as well"
By Linden Veillette, Children's Health and Fitness
Do you think your child is showing signs of too much stress? Stress can affect children just as often as it affects adults. While kids may get to play more than their parents and don’t have to work full-time jobs, they can become just as stressed by different events and parts of their lives.Stress is bad for the body both physically and mentally, no matter what the age of the person feeling it. It can cause feelings of “butterflies” in the stomach, increases in blood pressure, fatigue, sweating, anxiety, trouble sleeping and can even cause difficulty waking up and having plenty of energy throughout the day.While it may be harder for children to reach out to adults about stress, certain signs can help clue in parents. Crying and becoming upset or aggressive over small things are the most obvious signs of stress for your child.Helping your children recognize when they are feeling too stressed and identify what they are stressed about teaches them to handle stress in a healthy way. By teaching children good coping skills, parents can help them conquer stress related to family and school issues, problems with peers and friends, and all of life’s other stressors.-------------------------------

SAFETY
Macon County News
http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2269&Itemid=34
"Seminar warns parents of tragic 'Risky Behaviors'"
By D. Linsey Wisdom, News Editor
Accidental death.It is the third leading cause of death among children in the state of North Carolina.She was 13 years old.She came home from school, played on her trampoline and that night took a bath with her sister. It was like any other day.He was 12.He already knew he wanted to go to West Point and what girl he wanted to marry. He was just that kind of kid.Sarah Beck and Connor Galloway did not know each other. Connor lived in Jackson County and Sarah in Macon. But both of their parents shared an unbelievably painful journey when they experienced the death of their children. Believed to be safe in their rooms, each child had gone there to be alone. Each child decided to try an activity they had heard about from others.They may have even tried before. No one can be sure, except that each child was found dead after accidentally hanging themselves when they tried to play what is commonly called "The Choking Game"......It goes by many names: Space Cowboy, The Passout Game, Airplaning, Funky Chicken, and perhaps most appropriately, Strangulation Roulette.Victims include children that are home schooled, only children of single mothers, children in private schools, children with siblings.In February this year, the Center for Disease Control released figures stating this game has taken the lives of 82 children in the last 10 years. But the World Health Organization has not created any identification tag listing the Choking Game as a cause of death. So there is no real way to track the number. Those 82 youth were identified only through reports in the media.Another organization, G.A.S.P., calculates the unofficial number may be closer to 1,800 deaths.-------------------------------

EARLY CARE
Charlotte Business Journal
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/prnewswire/press_releases/national/Michigan/2008/03/19/DCWFNS1"Education Experts Give Tips on How to Make Family Reading Time More Effective"
LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Parents don't have to be experts in family literacy to read effectively with their children. But, thanks to a national program, they can learn from the experts on how to get better results and build learning skills with their children.For 12 years, the National Center for Family Literacy has awarded the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year to educators who achieve tremendous results in helping families learn together and prepare children for success in school.This year, those winners came together to create a list of the top five ways families can begin traditions and habits that will make a difference in their homes: -- Children imitate and emulate their parents, so it is important that they see parents reading for pleasure and that there are printed materials in the home. -- Parents must be involved in all aspects of their child's educational success -- from reading to them, checking homework, asking how the school day was, knowing who their friends (and bullies) are and advocating for their rights. -- Reading should become a valued routine in the house. Find a quiet area with a time to snuggle and read with mom or dad or both. Make sure there is proper lighting. Practice how to read with enthusiasm (use different voices for different characters or act out the story). -- Reading is not a passive activity. Parents should ask questions to find out what the child thinks will happen next and expand the story to discuss related personal stories, which make reading real to them. -- Parents should create an activity around the book they are reading with their children. Instead of just reading the text of the book, have children look at the pictures and tell the story in their own words or create a song about the book. If the book is about animals, follow up with a trip to the zoo or the park to make the story come alive.-------------------------------

EDUCATION
Burlington Times-News
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/lottery_11525___article.html/bill_formula.html
"Convoluted lawmaking leads to bad policy on lottery"
By Barry Smith, Times-News
RALEIGH - State Sen. Martin Nesbitt hit the nail on the head Thursday during a committee meeting when he talked about the way the school construction formula in the state lottery came into being.A lot of lawmakers, county commissioners and school officials are pretty unhappy about the formula, which favors counties that have a higher-than-average effective tax rate. There's a push going on in the General Assembly to change that formula.Nesbitt, a Buncombe County Democrat, pointed out that a lot of mountain and coastal counties are being short-changed because of their property-tax structure. Some of these areas have lower tax rates because their property valuations are high, he said.He noted that the formula in question wasn't actually a part of the 2005 lottery law that passed the General Assembly. Instead, it was stuck in that year's big budget bill when the Senate was considering that year's spending plan.That's one of the problems with putting substantive policy decisions in a budget bill. Policy decisions, such as whether the state should operate a lottery, should be made on their own merit. They shouldn't be stuck in the budget bill, along with hundreds of pages of spending proposals.It's a convoluted way of making laws.Legislative leaders chose that route in 2005 because they felt like it was the easiest way, if not the only way, of getting a lottery passed that would meet the stipulations of those leaders and Gov. Mike Easley.You may recall, in 2005 the actual lottery bill passed by the narrowest of margins in the Senate, when Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cast a tie-breaking vote in support of the lottery bill.A handful of Democratic senators who were opposed to the lottery found it less distasteful to vote for the convoluted portion in the budget bill since that very same bill contained spending provisions that they championed.Now, going on three years after the General Assembly established a state lottery, lawmakers are trying to satisfy their constituents back home by modifying the school construction formula in the lottery law.-------------------------------

ECONOMIC SECURITY
Raleigh News & Observer
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/984952.html
"Sick at work? Bills push for paid time off: Lawmakers try to get benefit for thousands in N.C"
Sabine Vollmer, Staff Writer
The teacher with the runny nose, the store clerk with the hacking cough, the short order cook with the fever -- one of the most severe flu seasons in years is making it difficult to avoid people who come to work sick.These ailing workers aren't necessarily being thoughtless. Like many people they may not have a choice: Staying at home could mean losing a day's pay or risking getting fired.An estimated 42 percent of North Carolinians have jobs that offer no paid sick leave. The percentage is disproportionally higher among workers at stores, hotels, restaurants, schools and child-care facilities -- public places most prone to spreading germs.Supporters of legislation that would mandate paid sick leave for North Carolina employees hope they can ride the coattails of this winter's severe flu season when the General Assembly returns to work in May.Spearheaded by the N.C. Justice Center, a coalition of advocacy groups and unions representing blue-collar and low-wage workers is pushing for a change in state law.The group envisions a bill similar to the proposed Healthy Families Act, federal legislation sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy that would require businesses with 15 employees or more to provide at least seven paid sick days.--------------

Raleigh News & Observer
ttp://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1000992.html
"Downturn challenges state's economic developers: Expansions and moves slowed, but N.C. is still doing better than much of U.S."
By Jonathan B. Cox, Staff Writer
This has been a topsy-turvy week for the state's labor market.If you're keeping score, North Carolina won four expansions from companies that agreed to create 633 jobs. Two large manufacturers, though, said they would cut more than 1,312 positions. That's a net loss of 679 jobs in just five days.Those developments don't account for all the economic activity in the state, just the major wins and losses. But they are a yardstick for how North Carolina is faring amid the economic downturn. It also puts a spotlight on economic development efforts......The trends are important to North Carolina's economy.Employment growth overall has slowed by about 70 percent compared with a year ago because of the broader economic troubles.Still, the state is better off than most of the country. From January 2007 to January 2008, established businesses added more jobs in North Carolina than in any other state, except Texas and New York.But layoffs are happening at a quickening pace. Just this month in this area, which is among the healthiest in the state, Motricity announced 250 job cuts in Durham. Kroger decided to close a Cary store, affecting 105 workers. In Siler City, Pilgrim's Pride announced this week that it will shut a chicken plant, cutting 836 jobs.That increases the pressure on recruiters. While most job growth comes from incremental increases by existing businesses, new companies help diversify the economy and protect communities when the economy dips.Since 2002, North Carolina has won almost 100,000 jobs and $14.65 billion in investment from business recruitment, according to figures from the N.C. Department of Commerce. Officials here have stepped up use of incentives -- a recent legislative report put the total at $1 billion a year -- which have aided that growth.--------------

Wilkes Journal Patriot
http://www.journalpatriot.com/fullstory.asp?id=241
"Roots, results of poverty examined"
By Karin M. Clack
Understanding the causes and consequences of poverty were topics addressed during a forum Thursday night at the monthly Wilkes Healthy Carolinians Council meeting, held at the Kulynych Family Life Center in Wilkesboro.Annette Snider, Title I parent involvement coordinator for Wilkes County Schools, discussed poverty and the misconceptions among the three distinct economic classes that exist in Wilkes and nationwide.Paul Hugger, Wilkes Healthy Carolinians Council executive director, said, "We have been struggling as a council trying to identify a source of many of the health disparities in our community. We've wondered if they are racial, economical, or if there are other issues that we haven’t been made aware of. We met Annette Snider and learned that she has a wealth of experience in thinking about this issue," said Hugger.Mrs. Snider, originally from Minneapolis, obtained a bachelor’s degree in family studies before she and her family traveled overseas for mission’s work. "The things that I was observing working in urban America were things that I also saw when I was working in a third-world country," said Mrs. Snider.Mrs. Snider returned to Minneapolis and obtained a master’s degree in human development with a focus and concentration on understanding the culture of poverty."This is truly my passion… I love being able to share information like this and to help bring communities together to help bring understanding," said Mrs. Snider.Mrs. Snider gave an overview of what tends to happen, and why people don’t always make connections with families in poverty.Poverty definedMrs. Snider defined poverty as either situational or generational."Situational poverty occurs because a situation has happened to lower the income of that home. For example, a death, loss of job, illness or divorce," said Mrs. Snider."Generational poverty occurs when an individual or a family has received assistance from the government for two generations or more," noted Mrs. Snider."With each type of poverty, there are different attitudes that are prevalent," she said."With situational poverty, the attitude tends to be one of pride," said Mrs. Snider. "What you will hear from people is, 'no thank you, we don’t need your help. We can take care of it ourselves.'"With generational poverty, the attitude a lot of times is one of entitlement, one of 'you owe me this and it is my right—why are you not taking care of me,'" said Mrs. Snider.-------------------------------

CHILD MALTREATMENT
inghampton University, State University of New York
http://urel.binghamton.edu/PressReleases/2008/Tipsheets/Shakenbaby.html
"Child Abuse Prevention Month: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome"
By Mary Muscari, Associate Professor,
Deker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkShaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) refers to the medical findings that result from the violent shaking of an infant or young child. SBS is a form of child abuse that can cause significant permanent brain damage, resulting in learning disorders, severe mental retardation, blindness, paralysis, and even death.The American Association of Neurological Surgeons notes there are an estimated 50,000 cases of SBS per year in the United States. Victims range from the newborns to 4-year-olds, although the majority of cases occur before age 1-year with an average age of 3 to 8 months. Most victims are male, as are most perpetrators. The perpetrator is most often the father, the mother's boyfriend, a female babysitter, or the mother.The most common reason for shaking a baby is inconsolable crying. Many parents become frustrated because they do not know what to expect, and have questions such as: "How much should a baby cry?" "Why won't the baby stop crying?" "Is there something wrong?" "Am I doing something wrong?"Parents should talk to their child's health care provider to get assistance in learning to understand how and why their baby cries.Parents can also use these tips to help deal with crying:...--------------

digTriad.com
http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=100106
"What Are The Signs Of Child Abuse? Child abuse specialists say it is important for people to recognize the signs of abuse and report suspected cases to authorities"
By Kerri Hartsfield, ReporterWinston-Salem --
Unexplained bruises, welts and an inability to communicate with adults are all common signs of child abuse, according to Cynthia Napoleon of the Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Center of North Carolina."It doesn't hurt to inquire," said Napoleon, who encourages people to question children and call authorities when they suspect abuse. "It's not important that they can prove that it happened. That's the Department of Social Services' business to do."Napoleon says children are often afraid to talk about abuse that occurs at home, which is why it is important for adults to speak up for them. "Often people are afraid to do that because they don't want to get in other people's business," she explained. "Someone needs to make sure the children are protected."If you suspect a child is being abused, contact your local Department of Social Services. In the Triad, residents can call 336-703-Abuse. You can also reach a counselor through The National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. -------------------------------

JUVENILE JUSTICE
Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080314/NEWS01/80313135
"Youth justice reforms urged"
By Jonathan Walczak
ASHEVILLE – North Carolina should stop automatically prosecuting suspects as young as 16 as adults, a speaker at a Thursday forum on juvenile justice said.Policymakers should consider easing that rule as part of juvenile justice system reform, youth advocate Sorien Schmidt, of Raleigh, said at the "Steering Youth Away from Crime" community forum held at UNC Asheville.The state is one of only three — the others are New York and Connecticut — with the policy."We are actually charging more minors in the adult system than in the juvenile system," said Schmidt, senior vice president of nonprofit Action for Children North Carolina.More than 30,000 16- and 17-year-olds are charged as adults in North Carolina every year, according to 2004 state data.Some face charges as serious as murder, but most are not charged with violent crimes. Cases like the Thursday arrest of a 17-year-old in connection with shootings of students from UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University are rare."This is one case that has garnered a lot of attention," Schmidt said."But of the 16- and 17-year-olds charged with crimes, only about 5 percent have committed violent crimes."Instead of focusing on punishment, the state should direct funding to programs that help rehabilitate young offenders, said Anthony Jones, chief court counselor for the Buncombe County division of the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention."We must be willing to look beyond the surface and get at the true root of the issues that our children are facing," he said. Jones' division administered $519,004 in funding last year to 12 programs that assisted 812 youths, he said.--------------

Lexington Dispatch
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20080317/APN/803170501
"Latest attempt at NC legislative fiscal review underway"
By Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press Writer
Legislative leaders criticized by some for raising the state's annual budget by nearly 30 percent since 2004 have worked recently to try to show they're serious about trimming fat from state government.Two years ago, they created a special commission charged with the first performance audit of state government in 15 years. Appropriations committees experimented with a new kind of budgeting process last year while the General Assembly created a permanent panel that will regularly review state departments, agencies and institutions......Rep. Alice Bordsen, D-Alamance, said she doesn't like that her superiors in the budget process chose to target the state's Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils.The largest of the programs under review, councils in all 100 counties shared $22.7 million from the state this year. The money is used to match local funds and in-kind contributions so counseling, teen courts and day treatment programs can be provided annually to 30,000 at-risk youth or juveniles already accused of crimes.Juvenile justice leaders say local programs could be disrupted if the Legislature delays approving the money until after the new budget year begins July 1, even if the councils are approved for the same amount as this year."Young people will fall through the cracks," said the Rev. Margaret Blackmon, chairwoman of the council in Pitt County, which received $335,449 this year. "They won't get the services they need. (A few months) is just too long in the span of life of a child who is less than 16 years old."The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention wrote a 151-page report in advance of a March 27 budget hearing, saying that the councils help make communities safer.Bordsen said examining agencies is good but questioned whether threatening funding of a group with such an important mission was wise: "There's a better way than setting all of the JCPC committees into a panic."

Thank you,
Action for Children North Carolina