October 2007 No. 41Table of ContentsNord to be IaUW Public Policy VP School integration – 50 years…and counting |
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Lucinda Nord will be the new Indiana Association of United Ways’ Vice President of Public Policy, beginning Oct. 15, announced IaUW president, Roger Frick. Nord will transition from being the Indiana 211 Partnership’s inaugural Executive Director since 2001.
“IaUW has been a major partner in the development of IN211 and will work with the IN211 board for a smooth transition to sustain that organization and the statewide 211 dialing system,” Frick said. “We are happy to have someone who knows Indiana communities, local United Way leaders, and who has been working with state government for the past four years.”
Nord has been actively involved in national 211 priorities and promotions through the national 211 organization and United Way of America. She’s been co-chair of the 2-1-1 National Leadership Council and State 2-1-1 Directors. She is a presenter on 2-1-1 and human services for Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) and its affiliates, United Way, and the 2-1-1 Institute. She became only the fourth person to receive the Distinguished Service Award from AIRS earlier this year.
Nord previously managed Information and Referral and crisis intervention services since 1991 and worked in mental health and other nonprofit human services. She is an active volunteer and board member with other human service organizations around her home community of Nashville, IN.
IaUW is proud to have her on its staff team.
Fifty years ago, three years after the US Supreme Court ruled that “separate but equal” racially-divided school systems were unconstitutional, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect students as Arkansas’ Governor Faubus tried to block their entry into Little Rock Central High School.
Since then, schools across America had to integrate—often against their wills and often at the extra costs of busing, improved facilities, and teachers. In 1970, majority white schools averaged 25% black students. That rose to 35% in ten years, but since 1980 there’s been a slow but persistent re-segregation. While the high-school graduation rates among races has closed, a racial/ethnic gap in the nation’s drop-out rates persists—blacks and Hispanics twice that of whites and Asians. Integration edges back toward 1970 levels. There are many causes—growth of private schools, choice options, and specialty programs—but many Americans fear a return to a past, once rejected.
How many Hoosier adults are way overweight? 27%. Only 8 states have higher rates, with Mississippi #1 at 31% and Massachusetts the healthiest at 20%. Add in those of us that are just “overweight” and you get 62.5% of IN adults, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health.
Hoosier kids (age 10-17) are perhaps not so fat, 15th nationally according to a 2003-4 school year survey, with Utah #1 at 8.5%, IN 15.6%, and the District of Columbia at the bottom at 22.8% overweight. But that report did not give state-by-state rates on obesity. It did however give 2005 stats for low-income IN preschoolers (12%) and for high school students (15%).
A mid-July survey found Americans ready to act:
See http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2007 for the F as in Fat report with many more ideas.
“The number of people with health insurance coverage increased between 2005 and 2006, as did the number and the percentage of people without health insurance coverage.”
Sound contradictory? The U.S. Census Bureau’s recent Consumer Income report gives updates on income and poverty in the USA (more on that later) with a focus on health insurance coverage. The number of uninsured Americans grew from 44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006, up to 15.8%. The number of people with health insurance in 2006 grew slightly to 249.8 million with those covered by private plans and government plans not changing much over 2005.
The Census Bureau report says that the number of uninsured Hoosiers averaged 809,000 from 2004 to 2006 or 13.1%. Nationally, the 3-year average was 15.3% with a low of 8.6% in Hawaii and highs in Texas (24.1%), New Jersey (21%), and Florida (20.3%).
However, the portion of people covered by employer-based health plans dropped a ½% to less than 3-in-5 and those in government plans to less than 1-in-4. Medicaid’s population was unchanged at 12.9%. The number of uninsured youth under 18 years grew nearly 1% to 11.7% in 2006 with 19.3% of those in poverty. The rate for uninsured blacks increased to 7.6% and to 34.1% for Hispanics. For the full report, see www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf.
One Hoosier business made the 17th annual list of Fortune magazine’s fastest-growing companies—those that had at least a 25% surge in yearly profits and revenues. The select group of 100 included not only tech sector businesses but 37 from the energy sector—drillers, refiners, and exploration outfits. But IN’s lone star was Steel Dynamics of Fort Wayne. Founded in 1996, it puts out 5 million tons of steel yearly in mini-mills, ranking 76th on the Fortune list with a 3-year annual earnings-per-share growth rate of 66% and a 38% 3-year revenue growth rate. Its 3,500 workers generated $3.2 Billion in 2006. Congrats!
“A single gripping image,” said researchers at a recent Princeton University conference. Tests found people reacted best to a story about how aid helped one person than stories about two beneficiaries. “We cannot wrap our minds around two people as well as around one,” they said—too much detail! Researchers also found that information on the big gifts of their peers expanded donations and athletic and fitness events were preferred over picnics and gala balls. Check out www.philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=2700 for the full story.
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