Believe it or not, we’re more than halfway through 2019. Now is a good time to check in on many of the “hot topics” we reviewed in our January 10 Issues to Watch in 2019 publication and consider how these issues may influence your organizational priorities for the rest of the year. We provide an Read More

A recent National Association of School Boards of Education (NASBE) Policy Update looks at the impact of health on chronic absences and what states can do to address this issue. Chronic absences from school can severely set back academic learning and is considered an early warning sign of school dropout[1]. Untreated health conditions are the Read More

International & Regional Organizations Recognize Advocacy & Communication Solutions (ACS) Advocacy & Communication Solutions (ACS) was recently recognized for its work to design and implement a communication campaign and for its overall business growth. ACS’ work for the Franklin County Department of Job & Family Services received a Gold Hermes Creative Award in the Communication/Marketing Read More

Advocacy & Communication Solutions (ACS) Vice President Rebecca Cohen helped design and facilitate the National Association for School Boards of Education (NASBE) inaugural Early Childhood Education (ECE) Workgroup meeting for state school board members. Twelve state board of education members from 11 states traveled to Alexandria, Virginia for an intensive two-day peer learning session on Read More

Kids who start behind, often stay behind. Unfortunately, that’s particularly true for children of color in Ohio, according to a comprehensive report from Groundwork Ohio. In Cuyahoga County, just 22 percent of African-American and black children and 19 percent of Hispanic children demonstrate kindergarten readiness, as opposed to 52 percent of white children in the Read More

As we discussed in our 2019 edition of 10 Issues to Watch, health care systems and payers are increasing their attention on and investment in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) – conditions like income, employment, education, housing, safety, transportation options, and others that influence individual and population health. In a recent piece, PatientEngagementHIT writer Read More

In 2018, three important pieces of legislation were signed into law that have the potential to move the dial on our nation’s abysmally high maternal and infant mortality rates, as summarized below and by policy experts at the Nurse-Family Partnership. The Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 (H.R. 1218) authorizes and funds administration of new Read More

Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC is pleased to announce Nikki Reiss as our new Senior Strategist. Ms. Reiss will direct and support government relations and advocacy, policy analysis, strategic communication planning, and strategy development for ACS clients in Ohio and across the country. Ms. Reiss brings a sharp legal mind and more than 15 years Read More

Rapid re-housing is a short-term, crisis intervention model that has expanded in recent years to help households quickly, minimize the time spent homeless, prevent a return to homelessness, increase self-sufficiency, and ultimately end homelessness. In October 2018, The Urban Institute released a brief that reviews the evidence to date regarding the effectiveness of rapid re-housing Read More

Several states, including Ohio and Michigan, have recently released study results that show Medicaid Expansion continues to improve health and support employment of their states’ residents. This research showed significant benefits, such as: Michigan has seen financial benefits from its expansion, which now covers more than 650,000 residents. In a paper released by Economist Sarah Read More