HealthyState.org - Florida Health News

Gym Class Villains? The Case For Removing PE From Middle School

WUSF — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:46:01 +0000

By Dalia Colón - This isn’t about hating dodgeball or ignoring childhood obesity statistics. It’s about local control. That was the motivation behind the Physical Education in Public Schools bill, which would eliminate the required daily PE class for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Those who want to keep gym class a mandate say education on physical health and behaviors are just as important as math and science. But supporters of the bill say making PE a requirement should be decided by the individual school districts, not the state. So does it make sense to remove gym class from mandatory middle school curricula? HealthyState.org explores the case for making PE an elective and not a requirement. Given that American students’ test scores in math and …

Physical Education Seen As Key To Enable Better Learning

WUSF — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:45:40 +0000

By Kimberly Vlach - Florida lawmakers who seek to remove the physical education requirement from the middle school curriculum argue that it’s a financial burden on cash-strapped schools to provide PE, when there’s no funding mechanism to support the program. But those who want to keep phys ed in grades 6-8 say that physical activity is needed during the day to allow students to release pent-up energy and be able to focus in the classroom. HealthyState.org looks further into the role physical education has in childhood development – physical, mental and social – and how fitness and academics are intertwined. The Legislative Scuffle Constituents of House Rep. Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg) made it clear that they wanted him to vote no on house bill 4057. …

Phys Ed In Action

WUSF — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:45:21 +0000

[VIDEO] By Farah Dosani - Drew Gordon, 11, dribbles his basketball across the Bonita Springs Middle School gym. The sixth-grader starts each school day with physical education this semester. But he may have to get used to the idea of not having the class at all if the Florida Legislature passes a bill to remove the state law requiring physical education in middle schools. HealthyState.org visited a gym class in Lee County to find out what the kids thought of PE and how the teacher and the school district view PE as a component of a student’s total education. If HB4057 and SB1644 passed, the law would allow school districts – not the State of Florida – to decide how to implement physical education into …

Physical Education In Public Schools: By The Numbers

WUSF — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:44:11 +0000

Florida middle schools are required to provide the equivalent of 1 class period per day of physical education to middle school students (grades 6 through 8). Elementary schools are required to provide at least 30 minutes of PE everyday. Take a look at how the numbers stack up surrounding the health and fitness of Florida’s children. 60: Minutes of daily physical activity recommended for children and adolescents 7 hours, 38 minutes: Average daily time American children and teens consumer TV, Internet and other entertainment media 150: Weekly minutes of physical education Florida requires for kindergarten through grade 5 0: Weekly minutes of physical education Florida requires for grades 9 to 12 1,004,872: Students enrolled in Florida schools in 2010-11 80,066: Students statewide whose parents waived …

If Floridians Are Sick, The State’s Future May Be At Stake

WUSF — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:47:51 +0000

By Dalia Colón - There’s a lot of talk swirling about what it’ll take for Florida to remain competitive in the future: Small business tax breaks. High-speed rail. A larger investment in education. But more vital to Florida than any of that, pundits contend, is the health of its citizens. Many warn a proposed Medicaid premium of $10/person/month would force hundreds of thousands of people out of the program because they cannot afford it, thus leaving them without health care. HealthyState.org explores how Floridians’ collective health impacts the state’s education system, the economy, and, ultimately, Florida’s future. ‘Philosophic Stand’ or ‘Pennywise and Pound Foolish’? Proponents of House Bill 7170 argue it would encourage Medicaid enrollees to play a more active roll in their health care. …

Can Florida Ask The Penniless To Share In The Cost Of Health Care?

WUSF — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:47:10 +0000

By Kimberly Vlach - In the 2011 legislative session, lawmakers passed a drastic overhaul to the state’s Medicaid program – and one of those changes includes imposing a monthly premium of $10 per person. While HealthyState.org set out to investigate how a $10 premium would help shore up both the health care program and the state budget, we were met with candid responses from the state: the premium isn’t necessary in keeping Medicaid intact and is more a matter of principle. So changing tack, HealthyState.org looks at the reality that even the poor make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. The fact is, Medicaid participants are poverty-stricken, and the hospitals that help serve them know this all too well. “The problem is right now, …

By The Numbers

WUSF — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:46:12 +0000

Florida’s Medicaid program accounts for over a quarter of the state’s total budget. States across the nation are implementing severe austerity measures to reign in their spending, including budgets for entitlement programs. Meanwhile, with the economy still weak and unemployment high, people are struggling to survive. But even the poor make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Take a look at these numbers giving some stark perspective on Florida’s Medicaid situation.$69.4 billion Florida’s total budget for FY2011-12 $20.3 billion Total dollars spent by Florida on Medicaid program in FY2011-12 3.19 million The number of participants in Florida’s Medicaid 27% Percentage of Florida’s Medicaid population are children 4th Florida’s rank in the nation on the size of its Medicaid population $364 The monthly income limit …

How A $10 Medicaid Premium Can Hurt

WUSF — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:39:07 +0000

[VIDEO] By Sammy Mack - Medicaid recipient Patrina Williams is a single mom with seven kids, ages 19 to 4. Due to the economy, her full-time job was cut to part-time, and now she earns $960 a month. But if state lawmakers have their way and impose a $10 per person per month premium, $70 a month would devastate her family – and likely force them out of the program. To get a sense of what $10 is worth to a person on Medicaid, HealthyState.org followed Williams and her family. “$10 means a lot to me and my life,” Williams said. She recently downgraded her apartment where rent is $550 a month – leaving $410 for food, utilities, transportation, and clothing. At least Medicaid gives …

How Florida Can Create Jobs While Solving Doctor Shortage

WUSF — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:13:56 +0000

By Kimberly Vlach - Florida needs doctors. Florida needs jobs. The health care industry is a breeding ground for employment and economic growth. Two birds. One stone. Seems simple,right? HealthyState.org investigates the economic impact that inadequate health care access has on a community and how the state of Florida could be missing out on an opportunity for growth. Ask an economic developer what he looks for when surveying communities for opportunities, and he’ll tell you he asks: “How are the schools? And how is the health care system?” Chances are, in Florida where the over-65 population beats the national average, access to health care isn’t a second priority to the quality of schools. It’s an equal priority. The reality is, Florida’s 59,000+ physicians are spread …

Grassroots Efforts To Increase Florida’s Crop Of Primary Care Doctors

WUSF — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:13:40 +0000

By Dalia Colón - Florida is running dangerously low on a key resource. And we’re not talking oranges. In much of the Sunshine State, primary care physicians – internists, pediatricians, OB/GYNs and others who work in preventative medicine – are in short supply. That supply grows shorter every day. Meanwhile, as the population continues to grow, the state is heading for a crisis if residents can’t find doctors. HealthyState.org looks into the grassroots efforts in solving this physician shortage. Gateway To The World Any population with a citizen-to-primary-care-provider ratio of more than 3,500-to-1 is considered medically underserved, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. On paper, Florida has a surplus of 9,096 primary care doctors. But while metro areas and suburbs seem to …