Health

Philly officials: DHS proposal would penalize legal immigrants for kids’ public assistance ??

From WHYY: The proposed policy would take into consideration the person’s use of non-cash assistance programs, including heating assistance; food assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC; the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); as well as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), among others.
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Health

As awareness of childhood trauma rises, new free therapy program launches for Philly students

Now a new program is trying to break that cycle by offering trauma therapy to children living or attending school in parts of North Philadelphia. Run by the Joseph J. Peters Institute (JJPI), a Philadelphia leader in trauma research and treatment, the program is free to children aged 3 to 18, regardless of parents’ insurance. Philadelphia already has a network of mental health providers offering trauma-informed therapy, but they are only open to Medicaid holders, and none had been based in the 22nd Police District. (Read more.)

Health

Planting the Seeds of a Food Forest in Philadelphia

With its myriad public gardens and 40,000-plus vacant lots, many of which have been transformed into community farms, Philadelphia is already a hub for community gardening. Philly also has a shortage of supermarkets in low income neighborhoods, which has made the city an incubator for novel ideas on getting healthy food into people’s hands, cheap or even free. (Read more.)