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President-elect Trump is now a convicted felon; At least 10 dead and whole neighborhoods destroyed in LA firestorms; Local concerns rise over Ohio's hydrogen project; New MI legislator rings in the new year with the pending new law; Ohio River Basin would get federal protection under the new legislation.

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House lawmakers take aim at the International Criminal Court, former President Jimmy Carter is laid to rest in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and another fight looms over the Affordable Care Act.

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"Drill, baby, drill" is a tough sell for oil and gas companies in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, rising sea levels create struggles for Washington's coastal communities, and more folks than ever are taking advantage of America's great outdoors.

Report: ID Child Well-Being Improves; Mental Health Top Concern

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Wednesday, August 10, 2022   

Idaho has made improvements to help the lives of children, according to a new report.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its annual Kids Count Data Book, measuring state policies for children based on four areas: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. The report ranks Idaho 18th overall.

Christine Tiddens, director of Idaho Voices for Children, notes the report contained positives and negatives for the state.

"We did well, or at least, better than other states, through COVID and the economic downturn," Tiddens pointed out. "But we do have low rankings in several key areas, such as health, that are bringing us down and an area that we're really focusing on."

The data was collected from 2020, the first year of the pandemic. The report ranks Idaho 14th for economic well-being, with the data showing the number of children in poverty in the state has decreased over the past decade to 14%.

But the report also showed mental-health issues increased among children and teens across the country in the first year of the pandemic. In Idaho, one in eight reported experiencing anxiety or depression in 2020.

Tiddens said unfortunately, it is no surprise.

"We know that Idaho youth have struggled with mental health for years," Tiddens acknowledged. "It's just the rising numbers that we've seen over the last couple of years should be a red flag, for all of us who are looking at policies and system investments."

Tiddens added her organization has recommendations for addressing the youth mental-health crisis, starting with increasing care services in schools.

"Getting mental-health professionals on staff, and making sure that we are working with local health providers, to ensure that there's resources and investments available for schools to be able to do this," Tiddens outlined.

Disclosure: The Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, and Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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