CBHA Perspectives

Marsha Basloe

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:53:00 GMT

Marsha has spent most of her professional career in the field of education but it took decades to reach the conclusion that early childhood development—the years before elementary school—is the key to it all.

Teresa Rubio and daughter Ana Baltazar

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:53:00 GMT

Teresa tries to guide her daughter, Ana, toward healthy choices – less bread and burgers, more vegetables. But busy parents can’t be with their children every minute of every day.

Dan Gauthreaux

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:19:00 GMT

It all began with a couple of fidgety staffers. Design guru Mitchell Gold was in a meeting and noticed that a few employees seemed more interested in their watches than the conversation. As the minutes ticked toward 5 p.m., the parents in the room were silently fretting that they’d be late for the daily day care pick-up. And if they were late, they’d face extra charges.

Malcolm Hamlett

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:19:00 GMT

Malcolm is the sort of teen who makes everything look easy. Star basketball player. Decent grades. Confident and comfortable – whether he’s goofing around with the little ones or surrounded by a group of suits. But that wasn’t always the case. Back in middle school, Malcolm had difficulty opening up with adults and was afraid to try lifting weights. He worried about his appearance and what other kids thought of him.

Tina Evans

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:19:00 GMT

When Tina first began taking her daughter to the Durham, N.C., YMCA, the goal was to improve Kieria’s grades. Tina, who works full-time in hospital admissions, tried to help Kieria herself. "But we needed somebody outside the family to help her get on track," says Tina, explaining that parents often have trouble filling the role of tutor. In short order, Kieria’s Cs in math and reading became As and Bs.

Ana Barrios and May Caudillo

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:19:00 GMT

It’s not easy being 11. Teachers don’t let you speak your native Spanish, older kids try to lure you into gangs and then there are those pesky siblings, prone to hogging closet space and the family laptop. Sometimes the best thing to do is just go for a run.

The Farrington And Singleton Families

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:45:00 GMT

Beginning at even the youngest ages, the educational, social and other opportunities that children have are strongly linked to their health later in life. Although worlds apart in many respects, two North Carolina families both credit their children's experiences in the same Chapel Hill preschool with providing not only the skills in reading and writing that prepare them for kindergarten, but also the motor and social skills that are also critical for succeeding in school.

The Elkins' Family

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:01:00 GMT

Sheryl and Dean Elkins have spent most of their lives in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where Dean works as a volunteer fire fighter and helps his father run the family printing business. Sheryl is a stay-at-home mom caring for their autistic son, Keith, and caring for her aging mother and aunt. Learn how two generations of this American family have worked hard and struggled to be healthy in a place where obstacles to health abound.

Beverly Davis

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:56:00 GMT

How does one person’s illness affect a family, a community and a society? What toll does it take on a mother? On her young children, their health and their chances for success? See how Beverly Davis, a former member of the U.S. Army and a single mother of two young children, strives to cope and live a successful, healthy life while suffering from a debilitating intestinal disease.

Kenyon McGriff

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:31:00 GMT

It's easy to be healthy in a nice neighborhood, with tree lined streets, sidewalks, good grocery stores and farmers’ markets – but Kenyon McGriff didn’t grow up in a neighborhood like that. Weighing 270 pounds by the time he was in 10th grade, Kenyon learned that his environment, with all of its fast food restaurants, corner markets, and dimly lit sidewalks, was more of a challenge to his health than he had ever imagined.

The Carolina Abecedarian Project

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:30:00 GMT

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Healthy Children: Earlier Rather than Later

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:33:00 GMT

“Better earlier than later.” How often have we heard that expression? Whether the phrase is applied to the detection of disease, applying for jobs, or taking a flight at peak travel times, early action is key. Child development experts in this country have been saying that with regards to children--aged birth to five--for the past 40 years.

An Unprecedented Reversal

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:35:00 GMT

A recent study documents an unprecedented reversal over the past few decades in Americans’ life expectancy. For the first time in nearly a century, rather than increasing, life expectancy for women declined in 180 of the nation’s 3,000-plus counties.

Building a Healthier America Starts with Healthy Choices in our Neighborhoods

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:35:00 GMT

Can Americans be truly healthy in communities overstuffed with fast-food and soda-and-chip corner stores? An important new study says, “Not likely.”

Timely Moment to Seek Solutions

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:20:00 GMT

Solutions to the complex problem of improving health and reducing health disparities will not be simple, but this is a uniquely opportune time to seek them. Widespread recognition – by business, government, and the general public – that medical care costs must be brought under control creates a sense of urgency. Pervasive concerns about global economic competitiveness add to pressures not only to reduce medical care costs but to have a healthier and thus more economically productive workforce.

Enabling America to Reach its Full Health Potential

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:12:00 GMT

Improving health by improving education, housing, job opportunities, and neighborhoods sounds like an enormous undertaking. But I am engaged in this Commission because I am convinced, now more than ever, that there are promising solutions that exist out there.

Improving America’s Health is not all about Health Care

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Clearly, health and the nation’s economy and overall well-being are intertwined. I have to tell you that I am frustrated by the fact that we spend so much on health care, yet so many Americans’ health falls short of what it could and should be. America is not achieving its full health potential. We can do better.