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Helping to understand children's health research, policy & practice
Jan 25, 2024
Philadelphia’s Persistently High Infant and Maternal Mortality Rates Require a Response
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a national increase in infant mortality rates for the first time in 20 years…
Dec 21, 2023
Pennsylvania’s 1115 Waiver Application: An Opportunity to Support Children’s Health in 200 Words
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) recently posted its Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver application, “Bridges to…
Dec 20, 2023
Our Top 5 Blog Posts of 2023
After another busy and exciting year at PolicyLab, we’re taking time to reflect on 2023 by revisiting our most-read blog posts of the year.
Dec 18, 2023
Closing the Treatment Gap for Teens with Eating Disorders
Eating disorders affect more than 28 million Americans and are one of the most lethal psychiatric disorders. Adolescents are among the most at-risk…
Nov 30, 2023
Opill: A Solution for Contraception Access for Adolescents?
In 2022, I was a part of a coalition that led the American Medical Association to declare that access to contraception and abortion is a human right…
Nov 16, 2023
A Call to Reimagine Early Childhood Mental Health in 200 Words
“He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” – Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. I (Wanjikũ) recently had the…
Nov 01, 2023
Addressing Eating Disorders Early is Crucial. Primary Care is a Missing Link.
Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses that impact at least 9% of the world’s population. Despite significant mortality rates,…
Oct 24, 2023
Bullying Prevention in Schools: Equipping Students & Adults with Evidence-based Tools
By the time they graduate high school, nearly all children in the U.S. have had personal experiences with bullying, either as a bully, victim or…
Oct 18, 2023
The Making & Legacy of PolicyLab: A Q&A with Our Co-founders
It’s a significant time of transition here at PolicyLab as we celebrate with our long-time director and co-founder, Dr. David Rubin, as he embarks on…
Oct 09, 2023
A Check-up for 988 One Year After Launch
It’s been just over a year since 988, the national three-digit Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, launched. 988 provides a free, national, centralized…
Oct 05, 2023
Supporting Families in Navigating Behavioral Health Services
Fewer than 50% of children referred to mental health services access them, in part because it can be complicated and confusing for families to…
Sep 25, 2023
Ensuring Solutions to Co-occurring HIV and Substance Use Are Reaching Teens
When I (Tina) met my first patient (they/them) with a history of fentanyl injection, I needed to ensure they and their mother understood the risks of…
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