Filling your social care toolbox…
April 2021
During National Public Health Week 2021, intensified violence against members of the AAPI community continues.
| We denounce these racist attacks and killings, and applaud these reflections, calls to action and responses (among many others): |
- Violence against Asian Americans worries community members in RI (Providence Journal, Mar. 31, 2021)
- White House announces new measures to counter anti-Asian violence (Reuters, Mar. 30, 2021)
- What you can do to fight violence and racism against Asian Americans (PBS NewsHour, Mar. 18, 2021)
- Statement of Rep. Pressley, MA Elected Officials of Color on Shooting in Atlanta (Mar. 17, 2021)
- AMA statement on Georgia shootings, increased anti-Asian violence (Mar. 17, 2021)
- Stop AAPI Hate: Statement on the Shooting of Multiple Asian American Women in Atlanta (Mar. 16, 2021)
In order to foster inclusion, we must confront exclusion.
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| Samantha Morton CEO |
Check out our new Blog post:
Strengthening Community:
24 Hours at the Virtual DULCE National Forum,
inspired by NPHW’s Building Bridges to Better Health Care theme.
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Key Law & Policy Updates
Housing: Federal Eviction moratorium extended to June 30, 2021!
The national CDC Eviction Moratorium has been extended for an additional 3 months, protecting qualifying tenants who have fallen behind on rent. Check out MLPB’s Digital Digest for more information about problem-solving with Massachusetts renters and Rhode Island renters.
Utilities: States have taken action to extend utility shut-off protection for households!
| For example, Massachusetts and Rhode Island both have utility moratoriums in place that protect eligible customers from utility disconnections based on payments owed. In MA, this extended protection ends on July 1, 2021; Rhode Island’s expires June 25, 2021. Remember: a moratorium does not prevent the accrual of new utility debt; it just defers the obligation to pay. Both states also have some emergency assistance funds available for families who need help paying their utility bills. Care teams in MA can learn more here and RI-based care teams can head here. |
Immigration Eligibility Resources
Public Charge Rule reverts to earlier, less restrictive version!
As of March 15, 2021, USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) can only use the pre-2020 version of the public charge rule, as opposed to the broader rule that took effect in Feb. 2020. Practically, this means – for example – that USCIS cannot hold against a green card applicant the fact that they accessed SNAP or Section 8 housing benefits. Of course, other kinds of fiscal supports can trigger public charge challenges. To learn more about the current state of the Public Charge Rule, check out our Digital Digest federal immigration section. Care teams in MA can learn more about immigration-related community supports here; care teams in RI can find info here.
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Third annual RI Life Index Survey kicked off this week!
- MLPB is proud to serve as a member of the RI Life Index Coalition, a Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island (BCBSRI)-convened group of 12 organizations partnering through an equity lens to contribute to reducing health-related social needs and improving population health.
- The 2021 survey probes drivers of health inequities in BIPOC communities; this year, survey administration features random digit dialing and partnerships with several local nonprofits to expand representation in the survey sample, including speakers of languages other than English.
- Survey results from the first two years have informed BCBSRI’s community investments and philanthropy. The evolving Index will support BCBSRI, as well as community-based and public health stakeholders, to track self-reported perceptions of health and well-being over time.
- For more information on the RI Life Index, the RI Life Index Coalition or the third annual survey that is underway, check out RILifeIndex.org.
New care planning resource available in Rhode Island!
At age 18, adults can make their own healthcare decisions and document those plans and goals in a written health care plan. Are you working with someone who might be interested in this planning? Check out this new Rhode Island Care Planning Toolkit, developed by Honoring Choices MA with support from partners including MLPB.
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Care Delivery and Financing Transformation that Accounts for Social Health
- Navigating the Challenges of Cross-Sector Partnerships to Meet the Needs of Older Adults and People with Disabilities (The Playbook, Mar. 11, 2021)
- Can Community Health Workers and Empathy Improve Inequity and Reduce Disparities (Health Evolution, Mar. 10, 2021)
- Community-based Organizations’ Perspectives on Improving Health and Social Service Integration (BMC Public Health, 2021)
- Multi-Sectoral Alliance Resource Compendium (National Alliance to Impact the Social Determinants of Health, Winter 2021)
Disability Rights & Health
- Physicians’ Perceptions of People with Disability and Their Health Care (Health Affairs Feb. 2021) (subscription required)
Early Childhood & Health
- FrameWorks Institute Report: Reframing Childhood Adversity: Promoting Upstream Approaches (Prevent Child Abuse America, Mar. 22, 2021)
- Leveraging the Biology of Adversity and Resilience to Transform Pediatric Practice (Office Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, February 2021)
Employment, Food & Income
- Oakland Will Give Low-income Families of Color $500 Per Month, No Strings Attached (CNN, Mar. 24, 2021)
- Unemployment: Make Unemployment Insurance Equitable for the Long Haul (Boston Indicators, Mar. 5, 2021)
- COVID Recovery Requires Addressing Economic Inequities (The Hill, Mar. 4, 2021)
Housing & Health
- Eviction and Health: A Vicious Cycle Exacerbated by a Pandemic (Health Affairs, Apr. 1, 2021)
- Federal Funding Charts the Path for Local Eviction Right-to-Counsel Efforts (The Appeal, Mar. 26, 2021)
- Strategies to Address Housing as a Social Determinant of Health (PatientEngagementHIT, Mar. 1, 2021)
- A Social-Return-On-Investment Analysis of Bon Secours Hospital’s ‘Housing for Health’ Affordable Housing Program (Health Affairs, Mar. 2021) (subscription required)
