DENVER -- El “Plan de Colorado para Acabar con el Hambre” (The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger), publicado ayer, exige una mayor coordinación de agencias estatales y locales, organizaciones sin fines de lucro y comunitarias, para poder asegurar que reciban ayuda los coloradeños que no saben de dónde vendrá su próxima comida.

Una nueva coalición que abarca organizaciones sin fines de lucro, proveedores de servicios de salud, agencias estatales, escuelas y más, lanzó una nueva campaña para acabar con el hambre en Colorado.

Ki段 Powell, Directora de la Oficina de Seguridad Económica en el Departamento de Servicios Humanos (Office of Economic Security Director, Colorado Department of Human Services), dice que actualmente uno de cada seis niños y la décima parte de los adultos mayores de Colorado no saben de dónde saldrá su próxima comida.

Powell dice que el nuevo informe de la coalición “Plan de Colorado para Acabar con el Hambre” (The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger) es sólo el primer paso en la atención a lo que parece ser un problema que tiene solución.

“Sentimos que Colorado está a la altura del desafío de acabar el hambre en nuestro estado, y con los esfuerzos de colaboración -y un plan- esto efectivamente puede hacerse.”

Powell dice que las recomendaciones del plan incluyen la racionalización de los programas, incluyendo el WIC, Servicio de Alimentos y Nutrición para Mujeres, Infantes y Niños (Woman, Infants and Children Food and Nutrition Service), así como el SNAP, antes conocido como “food stamps”.

El plan también pide aumentar el número de personas con acceso a los alimentos a través de servicios basados en la comunidad.

Alexis Weightman, de la Colorado Health Foundation, que fondeó el plan, dice que el hambre es un determinante social clave para la salud.

Menciona estudios que muestran que la gente que tiene acceso confiable a la comida nutritiva tiene menos tasa de condiciones crónicas, incluyendo obesidad, diabetes, desnutrición, alta presión arterial y cardiopatías.

“Quienes experimentan hambre tienen costos significativamente mayores por el cuidado de su salud, y padecen enfermedades crónicas fuera de proporción. Tener seguridad alimenticia reduce también el estrés y los niveles de cortisol durante la vida.”

Bob O’Connor, del grupo Feeding Colorado, dice que el hambre puede ser una discapacidad silenciosa. Que con uno de cada 10 coloradeños en inseguridad alimenticia, lo más probable es que alguien que conocemos tenga problemas.

Dice que para que funcione el plan es importante que las personas se involucren a nivel comunitario y se conecten con la gente que hay tras las estadísticas.

“Es por esos niños que van a su hogar por la noche y no tienen suficiente comida en casa. Al día siguiente regresan a la escuela y tienen que tratar y aprender. Es por esos adultos mayores que deben elegir entre comida y medicina, o comida y calefacción. Esa es la gente real.”

El plan es la culminación del trabajo encabezado por comités directivos de más de 35 organizaciones y de individuos de todo el estado, incluyendo las aportaciones de más de 100 grupos adicionales.

El plan (en inglés) está en EndHungerCO.org.


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Access to reduced-price medication is a necessity for many rural Missourians with low income.

Rep. Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, the Senate Floor Leader, said Big Pharma is trying to confuse legislators with unrelated hot-button topics such as abortion access and illegal immigration in a last-ditch effort to stop the state from joining a program to force drugmakers to sell medicines at a discount.

"Appealing to nuclear topics, which really do not apply in this situation, is a disingenuous way to try to defeat a bill that is actually good for Missouri," O'Laughlin asserted.

O'Laughlin pointed out the program is transparent, and uses the tax money saved to help low-income families deal with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

The drugmakers object to the government forcing them to give significant discounts, arguing hospitals' and for-profit pharmacies' bottom lines, particularly those owned by pharmacy benefits managers, are being exploited. Nationally, 46% of contract pharmacy agreements involve pharmacies linked to the three largest benefits managers.

Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, introduced the 340B contract pharmacy access billand said the lobbying is absurd.

"Federally, 340B program does not allow for abortion drugs," Peters stressed. "Why would any legislation that we're trying to pass in the state allow for that? I mean, the thought of that even being in existence is absolutely ludicrous."

The Missouri Senate passed the bill 27-3 on Monday and it now goes to the House.


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Alabama is running out of time to tackle Medicaid expansion this legislative session.

More than 230 people gathered earlier this month with the group Alabama Arise, urging state lawmakers to prioritize the issue. Their message: Access to health care isn't just a matter of policy, it can be a matter of life and death.

Debbie Smith, Cover Alabama campaign director for Alabama Arise, said as the session winds down, the group will continue to echo the call for increased access to health coverage. She thinks it would not only save lives but revitalize communities across the state.

"Over 80% of our rural hospitals are operating in the red," Smith pointed out. "Not a great stat. About 19 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure, and those are the lifeblood of those communities. They're on life support."

Smith emphasized hospitals at financial risk also put their workforce at risk. Those who are against Medicaid expansion believe it is ultimately unaffordable for the state. However, Smith argued it could save the state nearly $400 million over the next six years. According to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, those savings would be enough to cover the cost.

The council's study also showed Medicaid expansion would generate nearly $2 billion of economic growth. Beyond economic benefits, Smith pointed to the stark disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates in Alabama.

She stressed Medicaid expansion would do more than provide health care coverage during pregnancy or postpartum, it is about ensuring comprehensive coverage.

"We've been lucky enough to expand Medicaid coverage up to 12 months postpartum but we still need to figure out how to cover people before they even get pregnant," Smith asserted. "It's really important for people to have health coverage so they can address any kind of issues they might have, like if they have diabetes or high blood pressure that might affect their pregnancy in the future."

With limited time left in the legislative session, she noted one option could be Gov. Kay Ivey's executive authority to enact Medicaid expansion. Smith added using the power could be the simplest path forward, backed by the promise of additional funding from the American Rescue Plan.

A Connecticut bill would expand the state's paid sick leave law.

The initial 2011 law requires 40 hours of paid sick leave for workers at employers with 50 businesses or more. The new bill covers all workers regardless of their employer's size.

Janée Woods Weber, executive director of the nonprofit She Leads Justice, said the legislation can benefit workers without access to paid sick leave.

"These are people for whom taking a few hours off when their child has a cold or perhaps they need to take themselves to a doctor's appointment are the kinds of challenges that many of us don't worry about, those of us who do have access to paid sick days," Woods Weber explained.

Small businesses were concerned about how the change could affect them. To address worries, the bill has a three-year implementation cycle giving them time to adapt. It also creates a task force studying the feasibility of providing tax credits to businesses with the smallest workforces. The bill passed the House and awaits a vote in the Senate.

An estimated 11% of workers are eligible for paid sick leave under the current criteria. Though expanding the law has taken over a decade, Woods Weber argued it has always been necessary.

"Nobody should be forced to make what is often times a very difficult and sometimes impossible choice between their livelihood," Woods Weber emphasized. "Getting a paycheck and getting to take paid time off to take care of themselves or a loved one if they get sick."

She added that once the bill is passed, the state can build off it by allowing people to earn more than 40 hours of paid sick time. Woods Weber said the isolation requirements during the pandemic forced anyone who got COVID-19 to use their allotted sick time all at once for isolation.


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