Para los residentes de Pensilvania con discapacidades, poner fin a las políticas denominadas "DEIA" puede tener efectos secundarios inesperados.

El presidente Donald Trump ha optado por eliminar las iniciativas de diversidad, equidad, inclusión y accesibilidad en las agencias federales y los programas financiados por el gobierno federal.

Su orden ejecutiva firmada en enero caracteriza las políticas DEIA como "discriminatorias".

Pero en Pensilvania, Mallory Hudson, de Keystone Progress Education Fund, dice que se envió un memorando en el que se ordena a la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia para que no presenten nuevas denuncias, mociones de intervención, remisiones acordadas, o declaraciones de interés.

"Eso significa que la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia ha recibido instrucciones de no presentar nuevos casos" dice Hudson. "Y eso incluye las quejas de ADA. Que son, una de las pocas maneras que las personas con discapacidades tienen para proteger sus derechos civiles."

Agrega que el the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) fue aprobada por primera vez en 1990 bajo el mandato del presidente George HW Bush, y su precedente legal se basó en la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964.

Hudson dice que otra posible preocupación es el futuro de la Ley de Reducción de la Inflación bajo la nueva administración.

Señala que el IRA ha permitido a los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid negociar los precios de medicamentos, y muchos se están beneficiando de sus avances, como el copago de $35 dólares para la insulina.

"Los adultos mayores y algunas personas con discapacidades han podido pagar ese copago de $35 dólares, pero para las personas con discapacidad, sigue siendo una cantidad bastante grande." Agrega Hudson. "Pero era mejor que antes, y eso significaba que los contribuyentes pagaban la diferencia."

Hasta ahora se han negociado precios más bajos para 10 medicamentos, lo que ha reducido los costos para los pacientes y ha permitido ahorrar miles de millones de dólares a los contribuyentes.

Se estima que si el IRA se hubiera promulgado en 2023, habría reducido el gasto en medicamentos recetados en un 22%, es decir, aproximadamente 6 billones de dólares.

Ohioans are seeing changes in their water infrastructure as cities work to replace lead service lines, a requirement under federal regulations.

But concerns have risen over the materials being used for replacements.

Teresa McGrath, chief research officer with the group Habitable, said while lead exposure poses significant health risks, she cautions against replacing these pipes with polyvinyl chloride due to its environmental and health implications.

"It's important to get those lead pipes out. Let's prioritize that," said McGrath. "But let's not make a regrettable substitution while we do that."

PVC production involves hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen. However, PVC remains a popular choice because of its lower cost and ease of installation.

Environmental health advocate Yvette Jordan - the chair emeritus of the Newark Education Workers Caucus, and a steering committee member at Lead Free NJ - underscores the importance for Ohioans to be well informed about their environments.

"What is in their home?" said Jordan. "If they have a service line, is it plastic? Copper? What exactly is it and how does that affect their health, their community, and most importantly their families and children who are most affected by this?"

McGrath highlighted specific concerns about PVC and alternative materials that could be safer.

"The best available water pipe that we have evaluated for use inside a home is copper pipes," said McGrath, "and we will be the first ones to tell you that copper pipes are not perfect, but it is the best available."




get more stories like this via email

March is National Nutrition Month and rising grocery costs, and food recalls have consumers revisiting the idea of growing their own healthier and more affordable food. Research from gardening site, Gardenp.com shows the average garden produces $600 worth of produce. Indiana farmer's markets attract large numbers of Hoosiers who want fresh, farm-grown fruits, vegetables, and other staples at reasonable prices.

Philip Hartman, president of InstaFarm, which creates countertop food gardens, said foods grown in the healthiest chemical-free soil will produce optimum crops.

"So your food that you buy at the grocery store, your produce, has typically lost up to around 50% of its nutritional value by the time it gets to the store. Also, you don't know how it was grown. So the quality of your produce is linked to the quality of your soil," he said.

Lower costs, convenience, and fewer pesticides make garden-to-table food even more appealing. Hartman advises beginner gardeners to use healthy, nutrient-rich soil because it improves the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Gardens use a large amount of soil nutrients and when soil is depleted of these necessary nutrients, the crops are affected too.

Hartman works with students from kindergarten through high school and is passionate about helping children understand where their food comes from. He notes children don't get to see a farm or where their food is grown until they are well into their late teens.

"It's amazing, you know, children that don't usually like vegetables, when they engage in the growing process, all of a sudden, they're inspired to eat this and it's a great way to train them about what's good for them and how to recognize healthy foods," he added.

Gardenpals.com says millennials make up 29% of gardener demographics. Indiana is home to over 60,000 farms covering over 19 million acres. The state ranks in the top five for growing corn, soybeans, blueberries, tomatoes and melons, according to the Indiana Department of Agriculture.

A Minnesota Senate committee today will hear testimony about a rare but scary scenario for families: sudden cardiac events in school settings.

A bill calls for staff training requirements for responding to emergencies. The American Heart Association says each year, more than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital and 40% are sports-related.

The proposal would require a school district or charter school to develop a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, so staff know what to do in those critical moments.

Kelly Youland, a Woodbury mother, experienced it firsthand when her baby became unresponsive leaving a Chicago baseball stadium.

"Ultimately, she required CPR for 16 minutes before her pulse came back," Youland recalled.

She and her husband both work in the medical field and had the instincts to help get lifesaving efforts underway. Thankfully, her daughter recovered, inspiring Youland to speak in support of the bill. It includes $2 million to help schools develop plans and secure automated external defibrillators. The Minnesota State High School League testified existing protocols and partnerships already cover this need.

The League did express a desire to work with lawmakers on this measure, citing the need for flexibility amid resource constraints. Youland acknowledged she and her family were lucky but other emergency responses have been slow to come together. She feels such situations can be avoided.

"Our schools prepare for all sorts of emergencies, whether they're fire, weather, lockdown," Youland pointed out. "This is something that our schools need to prepare for."

A bill adopted by the Minnesota Legislature last year called on the Education Department to provide a blueprint for the plans but they remain optional. Last month, a Maple Grove High School track athlete died after going into cardiac arrest following a non-team practice near the school.