Community health centers that serve millions of poor children are facing shortages of vaccines against common childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella, a new report by the Children’s Defense Fund concludes.
The cdf report, based on a survey of 98 federally funded community health centers in 38 states, found that 71 percent either were experiencing or had experienced shortages of common vaccines. Only slightly more than half said they could afford to buy vaccines at market prices to meet their needs, the survey found.
To end these shortages, the cdf recommends that the federal vaccine-purchasing program, which acquires vaccines in bulk at lower prices, be expanded by $80 million.
Late last year, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee suggested a $50-million increase for vaccines, but did not recommend more funding for comunity health centers. (See Education Week, April 24, 1991.)
Hyperactive boys are more likely to drop out of school than their non-hyperactive classmates, a new study suggests.
The study was conducted by a researcher from Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York and was presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
It followed up on a group of 103 boys who were diagnosed as being hyperactive in the 1970’s, when they were between the ages of 6 and 12. The study included 91 of the original group, as well as 95 of the 100 psychologically healthy children who were the controls. All the participants in the follow-up study were ages 23 to 30.
Nearly one-fourth of the hyperactive boys had dropped out of high school, compared with 2 percent of the control group, the study found.
Although the hyperactive boys were also less likely to attend college or hold high-status jobs, they were more likely to own their own businesses.
Schools need to offer more than a health room, a few hours of health instruction, and a part-time nurse if they want to meet the health needs of their students, a new report concludes.
The report, written by the Council of Chief State School Officers, says that schools should offer comprehensive health education, provide health services directly or access to such services, and a healthy environment. Schools should have a coordinator and a health team to manage and plan these services, the report said.
Copies of Beyond the Health Room are available for $10 each from the Resource Center on Educational Equality, ccsso, Suite 379, 400 North Capitol St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.--ef
