Arizona saw 15,000 more kids get health insurance between 2019 and 2021, thanks to federal dollars which kept them and their families insured during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

In a report from the Georgetown University Center for Family and Children, Arizona still sits more than three percentage points above the national average for the number of kids who are uninsured.

Zaida Dedolph Piecoro, director of health policy for the Children's Action Alliance in Arizona, said racial and ethnic disparities play a role in access to coverage. She pointed out American Indians and Alaska Natives did see important gains, but are not where they should be in terms of health coverage.

Piecoro pointed out Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program often help offset the structural issues produced by lack of funding in the Indian Health Services system.

"Medicaid and CHIP can in particular be a really important stopgap," Piecoro explained. "Especially in Arizona where we see that American Indian and Alaskan Native children are more likely to qualify for one of those types of coverage."

Piecoro realizes the solution is not to enroll everyone in Medicaid, but rather for the federal government to fulfill its commitments to tribal nations, one of which is helping provide adequate health care to tribal members. She added Medicaid and CHIP are only part of the puzzle.

Piecoro noted the pandemic helped to usher in changes to alleviate some of the family burdens contributing to children being uninsured. One of the changes is the "continuous coverage requirement," which meant people could not be dropped from the insurance rolls during the pandemic. But when the public health emergency expires in April of next year, Piecoro expects health care may be one of the things more families go without.

"When it comes to health insurance, it oftentimes kind of falls on the back burner because for many households it is an important way to offset financial risk," Piecoro acknowledged. "But when you're in a situation where every penny counts, you're not thinking about financial risk."

When children experience a lapse in health coverage, Piecoro emphasized it can have immediate effects, but also far-reaching ones. She stressed it is important to know help is out there for enrollment and re-enrollment in programs, and parents should make sure their contact information is up-to-date with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Arizona's public health insurance system.

A proposed Kentucky law would require animal control officers statewide to undergo training on identifying and reporting child abuse.

Kyan's Law is named after Kyan Higgins Jr, a 10-year-old Louisville boy murdered by his mother. Animal control had visited Kyan's home 24 times in the 18 months leading up to his death.

Joye Keeley, founder of the Kentucky Link Coalition, said in 88% of homes with physical abuse, animal abuse is also occurring.

"When you see a dog outside being neglected, or an abused animal, it always helps to expand the call for service," Keeley explained. "To look for other forms of abuse, because you could be saving a life."

After Kyan's death, Keely spearheaded an effort to create a Louisville city ordinance requiring animal control officers there to receive training on the link between animal abuse and child abuse. According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, last year 41 suspected child abuse cases were reported to the police and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services by Louisville's animal control officers.

Jai Hamilton, animal control officer for Lexington-Fayette County Animal Care and Control, said her colleagues are in a unique position. They are often more trusted because they are not law enforcement officers and can help speed up the involvement of Child Protective Services.

"There are some households that may not allow the police inside, but they're more apt to allow animal control inside the home," Hamilton observed.

Kiera Dunk, a student at Oldham County High School and a youth advocate, said the legislation is one tool for combating child abuse, noting the state has more work to do.

"I feel like people need to understand that we are still one of the worst in the nation for child abuse," Dunk emphasized. "We should be doing everything we can to help."

April is National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. The Kosair for Kids Face It Movement is hosting a virtual workshop on the issue Wednesday.



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A Florida bill that would roll back child labor restrictions cleared a Senate panel this week, sparking debate over whether it empowers families or risks pushing vulnerable teens out of school. The proposal, which would allow 16 and 17 year-olds to work longer hours on school nights and in some hazardous jobs, drew sharp criticism from advocates who warn it could worsen chronic absenteeism and dropout rates.

Tsi Smyth, vice president for public relations with the nonprofit advocacy group Voices of Florida, says the changes will affect some students more than others.

"This is going to disproportionately affect students that are growing up in poverty, and you are going to relegate them to a lifetime of poverty," he explained.

Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, sponsored Bill 918 and says it would match state rules with federal standards. It would allow 16 and 17-year-olds work 40 hours a week during school, up from the current 30-hour limit, and allow some currently banned jobs such as roofing. The measure passed along party lines, with Republicans in support. It now moves to the full Senate.

Collins said that most teen jobs are in safe places such as grocery stores, and his measure provides valuable work experience.

"Ultimately, we're not talking about 'The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair. We're talking about them working at Publix, at Piggly Wiggly, or jobs within the industry," he continued. "This is a far cry, I think often we demonize the employer cause it's going to take advantage of the children. This is a parental rights thing. Parents know their kids best."

Opponents including Sen. Carlos Guillermo, D-Orlando, warned it could lead to abuse.

"This bill is going to lead to exploitation of minors, exploitation of children, and I get the parental-rights conversation but there's no reference to parental rights in the bill," he explained.

The House bill faces one final committee vote. With Republican supermajorities controlling both chambers, passage appears likely, making Florida the latest GOP-led state to relax child labor laws. Business groups back the measure, but opponents warn it risks teen safety.

Maryland ranks second in the nation for charging children who have committed crimes as adults. But one expert says a more trauma-informed response in the justice system would better serve those young people. In fiscal year 2023, more than 3-thousand Maryland youth were charged with committing a violent crime - or a nonviolent felony. Another 8-thousand were charged with misdemeanors.

Joseph Ribsam, director of child welfare and juvenile justice policy with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said it's common for juveniles in the justice system to have traumatic experiences. He adds trauma screenings of juveniles before they even head to court would allow the justice system to know the best way to help them.

"Oftentimes, the type of offenses that we think of that would be required to separate a young person from community are also the same types of offenses that are displayed when somebody's engaged in dysregulated behavior, which is the type of behavior that somebody who's been exposed to trauma significantly would engage in," he explained.

A report by Human Rights for Children finds Maryland ranks behind only three other states in the number of people who were imprisoned for crimes they committed as children.

According to a 2021 study, 23% of detained girls and nine percent of detained boys meet the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Ribsam said some actions taken by the justice system do not help address trauma - and at times even exacerbates the problem.

"If you really start to understand what are the drivers of the behaviors, you can find the right solution, and might find that the right solution doesn't even need to involve a justice system at all. It does start with actually understanding the needs, and not always presuming that behaviors are best solved with punitive responses," he continued.

Ribsam added that increased access to treatment and therapy would best serve juveniles in the justice system, too.