Mona Shah
@mona-shah.bsky.social
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📥 40
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Harnessing the power of research to advance
#HealthEquity
| Director of Research @rwjf.org| she/her
pinned post!
Hi Bluesky 👏🏼 Let me introduce myself! I’m Mona Shah, Research Director at
@rwjf.bsky.social
. I care about dismantling structural racism & advocating for health equity. Some things I'll be posting about are healthcare coverage, repro justice, the racial wealth gap, & more. Let’s connect!
8 months ago
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New research from
@itep.org
shows cities could cut child poverty by up to 25% by offering just $1,000 or less per year to families with low incomes. Small investment ➡️Huge return for families, communities, and local economies.
stateline.org/2025/10/24/c...
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Cities could dramatically cut childhood poverty with new tax credits, research finds • Stateline
Child tax credits are becoming more popular across the country, with more than a dozen states offering them as financial relief toward the cost of raising kids. But new research suggests cities could ...
https://stateline.org/2025/10/24/cities-could-dramatically-cut-childhood-poverty-with-new-tax-credits-research-finds/
3 days ago
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Paid leave boosts health, supports infants, reduces postpartum depression, and strengthens the workforce – As a researcher, Whitney Wells knew all of these benefits, but when she became a mom she got to experience it firsthand on a whole new level. Read her story:
progressive.org/op-eds/paid-...
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Paid Family Leave Can Be a Lifeline
I study how paid family leave impacts the health of parents. When I gave birth, I became one of my own statistics.
https://progressive.org/op-eds/paid-family-leave-can-be-a-lifeline-wells-20251022/
4 days ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Akeiisa Coleman
15 days ago
Opt-in apps/web-based tools will not be sufficient to reduce the anticipated loss of coverage expected when Medicaid work requirements are implemented. They also ignore areas with limited or no internet access.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/22/h...
#Medicaid
#healthpolicy
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Officials show little proof that new tech will help Medicaid enrollees meet work rules | CNN
The Trump administration says it’s developing a digital tool to help people prove they’re meeting new Medicaid work requirements. KFF Health News talked to officials from the two states running pilot ...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/22/health/medicaid-work-requirement-apps
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Mona Shah
Family Values @ Work
12 days ago
For years, TV shows have put caregiving on the big screen.. advocates say Hollywood may be the key to achieving national paid leave by showing the reality of work, family, and care. Most recently The Pitt put this story front and center.. What's next? 📺
https://bit.ly/3Wsm3SJ
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Can Hollywood do for paid leave what Congress hasn’t?
TV once made designated drivers mainstream, and 'Will & Grace' changed hearts on marriage equality. Now an effort is underway to get caregiving on screens — and perhaps influence paid family leave pol...
https://bit.ly/3Wsm3SJ
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As the federal shutdown continues, it’s threatening essential support programs like SNAP, which millions of families rely on to put food on the table. The bright spot? States are stepping up to fill the gaps! The Bridge Project is the perfect example ⬇️
6 days ago
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Data should always be a force for good. But right now we are seeing the removal of key public health datasets which not only deepen inequities, but erode community trust in government. With 2030 Census ahead, we must act to protect communities and democracy. Learn more:
www.rwjf.org/en/insights/...
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To Protect Democracy, We Must Protect Public Health Data
Our democracy’s strength depends on robust data. We must protect the next Census to ensure every community remains visible.
https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/blog/2025/10/to-protect-democracy-we-must-protect-public-health-data.html?rid=003VN00000QdLwsYAF&et_cid=2200282
10 days ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
de Beaumont Foundation
17 days ago
We can't wait to see you at
#APHA2025
next month! Get a sneak peek at the sessions, activities, and treats de Beaumont has in store.
https://bit.ly/4nbMYgl
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APHA 2025, Here We Come!
Attending APHA 2025? Add these offerings from de Beaumont to your Annual Meeting schedule.
https://bit.ly/4nbMYgl
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reposted by
Mona Shah
S. Sommers
19 days ago
Today
@uconnaaup.bsky.social
turned out 200+ members and supporters to our contract action in Storrs. The part of the day that I am most proud of is teaching dozens of students about unions, solidarity, and the meaning of academic freedom.
#unionyes
#unionstrong
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reposted by
Mona Shah
The Rural Impact Podcast
22 days ago
@mrbimpact.bsky.social
sat down with three experts from
@georgetownccf.bsky.social
who laid out the facts and realities of the difficult challenges that lie ahead for states and the domino effect for health providers and patients. Listen. Share. Join the Conversation!
https://tinyurl.com/43myhja2
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#OBBBA
favors families with higher income and will reduce spending on programs that support families who need it most. Dive into the data and learn more about how this will impact families in
@taxpolicycenter.bsky.social
’s report ⬇️
taxpolicycenter.org/briefs/one-b...
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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) Shifts Tax Benefits for Children Toward Middle- and High-Income Families
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA’s) changes to the child tax credit (CTC) and other programs, like tax benefits for child care, the adoption tax credit, and tax-advantaged savings accounts for ...
https://taxpolicycenter.org/briefs/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-obbba-shifts-tax-benefits-children-toward-middle-and-high-income
11 days ago
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Last week I participated in the Partnership to Advance Transformation in Higher Ed (PATH) convening. PATH is a powerful coalition fighting to advance equity in the classroom and beyond. I’m grateful to be part of this community of leaders and excited to continue sharing their work.
#OnThePATH
12 days ago
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Data disaggregation is a key piece of the health equity puzzle. Without it, inequities stay hidden. Proud to see NJ as one of only 8 states that require data for AANHPI people to be disaggregated.
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16 days ago
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For Gail, Medicaid was a lifeline when she lost her job and health insurance in the middle of breast cancer treatment. She never thought she’d need Medicaid, but now she can’t imagine what she would have done without it. Medicaid saves lives.
#BreastCancerAwarness
#Medicaid
#HealthEquity
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19 days ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
The Hamilton Project
27 days ago
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act pushes a share of SNAP benefit costs onto states, subjects more participants to work requirements, and limits states’ ability to request waivers.
@laurenhlb.bsky.social
and Diane Schanzenbach explain how these changes will affect the program’s response to a recession:
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SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will significantly impair recession response - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach analyze how SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect the program’s response to recessions.
https://www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/post/snap-cuts-in-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-will-significantly-impair-recession-response/
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ACA enhanced premium tax credits make it possible for millions of Americans to afford healthcare insurance. If credits expire at the end of 2025, nearly 5 million people will lose coverage.
20 days ago
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Decades of research have shown that one of the most powerful tools to combat poverty isn't complex—it's direct cash support. New Jersey has two clear pathways: Expand existing family support programs and create new ones!
24 days ago
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NEW from
@commhsp.bsky.social
: During the 2024 election both parties overwhelmingly painted immigrants and immigration in a negative light. I cannot stress this enough: the narratives we highlight can directly impact public support for or against policies.
commhsp.org/the-one-side...
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The One-Sided Narrative on Immigration and Its Consequences – COMM
https://commhsp.org/the-one-sided-narrative-on-immigration-and-its-consequences/
26 days ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
National Women's Law Center
about 1 month ago
Latinas are still paid just 54¢ for every $1 paid to white, non-Hispanic men. This number reflects all Latinas with reported earnings—including migrant, seasonal, part-time, and gig workers—because organizing for change must include everyone.
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Mona Shah
Urban Institute
about 1 month ago
New analysis estimates that over 600K nonelderly
#veterans
would have subsidized Marketplace coverage in 2026 under enhanced premium
#tax
credits (PTCs). Urban Institute’s recent
#research
brief explores the impact on coverage if PTCs expire.
https://urbn.is/421tt2B
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Mona Shah
Sarah Gollust
about 1 month ago
Just published in
@amjpublichealth.bsky.social
: a collective analysis of the power ecosystem that jeopardizes public health and produces inequity, titled “Why Building Power is Key to Protecting Academic Public Health and Advancing Health Equity”
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Every family deserves the opportunity to thrive. Hispanic and Latino families have always been part of the fabric of this nation, yet too often face barriers to the support they deserve.
www.hispanicresearchcenter.org/research-res...
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Highlights From a Decade of the Center’s Research on Supports for Economic Self-sufficiency Among Latino Families With Children - Hispanic Research Center
Discover highlights from a decade of the Center’s research on supports for economic self-sufficiency among Latino families with children.
https://www.hispanicresearchcenter.org/research-resources/highlights-decade-research-supports-economic-self-sufficiency-latino-families-children/
30 days ago
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A new GAO report on the nation's only Medicaid work requirement program shows Georgia has spent 2X on admin fees than on actual healthcare. The money would be much better spent on providing healthcare rather than creating barriers.
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
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Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement Program Spent Twice as Much on Administrative Costs as on Health Care, GAO Says
Republican lawmakers cite Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage as a national model for federal Medicaid work requirements that are set to take effect in 2027. A new report shows the program has spent at lea...
https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-pathways-medicaid-work-requirement-gao-report?trk=feed_main-feed-card_feed-article-content
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Dr. Avenel Joseph
about 1 month ago
Did you know that 40% of the childcare workforce in DC are immigrants? Many are afraid to go to work for fear of being targeted by ICE, regardless of their immigration status. Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.
19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...
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‘They are hunting us:’ Child care workers in D.C. go underground amid ICE crackdown
In Washington, D.C., where close to 40 percent of child care workers are immigrants, fear has taken hold amid a crime crackdown that has raised ICE presence. Many are missing work, deepening a staffin...
https://19thnews.org/2025/09/child-care-workers-ice-dc-immigration/
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reposted by
Mona Shah
NPR
about 1 month ago
Mississippi recently declared a public health emergency because its infant mortality rate has surged. And with Medicaid cuts coming, experts fear the crisis may worsen in other states.
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What Mississippi's infant mortality crisis says about the risks of Medicaid cuts
Mississippi recently declared a public health emergency because its infant mortality rate has surged. And with Medicaid cuts coming, experts fear the crisis may worsen in other states.
https://n.pr/4q5PTdo
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Mona Shah
FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard
about 1 month ago
💡 We have made enormous strides in elucidating pathways by which past legacies and present realities of racial injustice shape inequities in
#health
and health care. In
NEJM.org
, Drs. Nancy Krieger & Mary Bassett discuss duty to fund work on how structural racism harms health ➡️
tinyurl.com/3z44bnap
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ICE in schools creates a ripple effect.
@weareunidosus.bsky.social
said it best: “This is not just a matter of immigration enforcement; it’s a public health issue, an education issue and community wellness issue.”
nonprofitquarterly.org/protecting-c...
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Protecting Classrooms: What Nonprofits Need to Know About ICE in Schools - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
As ICE enters schools under the guise of “wellness checks,” Laura Vazquez from UnidosUS discusses how nonprofits can fight back and support immigrant communities.
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/protecting-classrooms-what-nonprofits-need-to-know-about-ice-in-schools/
about 1 month ago
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NIH cuts don't just put live-saving research at risk, they cost jobs and economic loss. SCIMaP illustrates the impact of these cuts: Communities in Texas, NC, Michigan & Florida are facing some of the largest hits. 📖Bookmark to track cuts in your area.
scienceimpacts.org
#NIHCuts
#Research
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about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Edwin Park
about 2 months ago
States Are Cutting
#Medicaid
Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit:
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
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States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new ...
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/state-medicaid-cuts-reimbursement-big-bill-north-carolina-idaho-budgets/
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reposted by
Mona Shah
National Collaborative for Health Equity
about 2 months ago
7 Northeastern states + NYC formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative to issue their own vaccine guidance after new federal limits. A bold move to protect access + equity in care. Read more via the NCHE Weekly Bulletin:
www.nationalcollaborative.org/weekly-bulletin/
#PublicHealth
#Vaccines
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Research has shown that heart disease hits South Asians harder & earlier. The MASALA study is finally finding answers why, proving that treatment and prevention shouldn't be one-size-fits-all, and giving hope to families like mine.
www.heart.org/en/news/2023...
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Why are South Asians dying of heart disease? MASALA looks for answers.
MASALA, which stands for Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America, is a pioneering long-term study that's finding data and diversity in one of the country's fastest-growing popul...
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/05/17/why-are-south-asians-dying-of-heart-disease-masala-looks-for-answers
about 1 month ago
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Data show that equitable, inclusive policies promote health. But gaining broad public support for the policies we need requires new narratives about how all of our lives can get better when we prioritize entire communities over individual gain and invest in people over profits.
bit.ly/3VmOnW1
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Tradwives don't say "call your reps"
The narrative infrastructure we need isn't just for policy campaigns
http://bit.ly/3VmOnW1
about 1 month ago
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Everyone should have the safe, respectful, and dignified care and treatment they need to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Yet American Indian and Alaska Native women are 3X as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.
#MaternalHealth
#HealthEquity
#Research
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
about 2 months ago
That wraps up our analysis of the 2024 Census data! For deeper dives into poverty, income, health coverage, and more, follow our expert analysis on these issues here and in other spaces.
www.cbpp.org/blog/analyzi...
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Analyzing the Census Bureau’s 2024 Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Data | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
On Tuesday, September 9, the Census Bureau released data on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage for 2024, and additional health insurance data from the American Community Survey was release...
https://www.cbpp.org/blog/analyzing-the-census-bureaus-2024-poverty-income-and-health-insurance-data
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Texas Conference of the AAUP
about 2 months ago
“We’re going to teach the truth,” Prof. Leonard Bright said. “We don’t know what the consequences of that may be...But we do know that if we were to censor the truth…that’s going to damage our society. That’s going to damage our students.” 👏👏
www.texastribune.org/2025/09/15/t...
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Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom
The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/15/texas-am-professor-firing-melissa-mccoul-academic-freedom/
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Academe
about 2 months ago
Drawing inspiration from the movement to establish mutual academic defense compacts, Shawn Gilmore highlights how
#highered
faculty can “act together, building new coalitions and alternative power structures that are necessary for our moment.”
@gipperfish.bsky.social
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Mutual Defense Across Higher Education in the Second Trump Era
Can a new model for collective support gain traction among beleaguered higher education institutions?
https://www.aaup.org/mutual-defense-across-higher-education-second-trump-era
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Medical debt impacts millions nationwide, but aggregate data hide the unique struggles of
#AANHPI
communities. A new report from
@communitycatalyst.org
uses disaggregated data to uncover the community's challenges and outline solutions. Learn more:
communitycatalyst.org/resource/the...
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The Invisible Impact of Medical Debt in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Communities - Community Catalyst
Medical debt affects individuals and communities across the United States. The burden of medical debt can have profound implications for an individual’s
https://communitycatalyst.org/resource/the-invisible-impact-of-medical-debt-in-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-aanhpi-communities/
about 2 months ago
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In the 1940s, my father got smallpox in India, which led to severe scarring he’s carried his whole life. As the US debates ending vaccine research, programs, and mandates, I'm reminded that vaccine-preventable diseases don't just kill—they leave lasting physical and emotional scars. (1/2)
about 2 months ago
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Congratulations to the grantees! You play such an essential role in creating equitable health systems.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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"I am living the very definition of the American dream — working in Boston on the latest science. Now that is being taken away.” Science, progress, and the pursuit of knowledge make the "American dream" possible. Gutting opportunities for scholars is a devastating loss for all of us.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Gideon Lukens
2 months ago
In a troubling finding, CPS data show that the uninsured rate for Black people rose significantly in 2024, potentially reflecting the fact that Medicaid is a disproportionately important source of coverage.
tinyurl.com/bdfadufc
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Hilary Wething
2 months ago
Some big
#NumbersDay
releases today—Just a reminder that the Census data are incredibly valuable. We get transparent and non-politicized data to make informed decisions about what policies are delivering economic security for working people.
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Mona Shah
New Jersey Policy Perspective
about 2 months ago
🚨 New from
@ptrchn1.bsky.social
🚨 Despite being one of the wealthiest states, 1 in 8 New Jersey children live in poverty. However, New Jersey has the resources to dramatically cut child poverty through direct cash assistance to families. Read more:
www.njpp.org/publications...
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Freedom from Want: An Economic Guarantee for New Jersey's Kids - New Jersey Policy Perspective
Two pathways can dramatically reduce child poverty and ensure all families in New Jersey have what they need through cash assistance programs.
https://www.njpp.org/publications/report/freedom-from-want-an-economic-guarantee-for-new-jerseys-kids/
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International and immigrant researchers and students are being surveilled and criminalized for doing academic work that goes against what authorities want to hear. This is bigger than an immigration issue—it’s a democracy issue.
dailybruin.com/2025/04/13/o...
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Op-ed: Universities must protect political expression, freedom of dissenting speech - Daily Bruin
This post was updated April 15 at 8:01 p.m. When federal agents in plainclothes abducted Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk off the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts, they didn’t just...
https://dailybruin.com/2025/04/13/op-ed-universities-must-protect-political-expression-freedom-of-dissenting-speech
about 2 months ago
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Thanks
@jenniferngandu.bsky.social
! What gives me hope is
@commhsp.bsky.social
's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table.
commhsp.org/tips-for-com...
What brings you hope
@joanalker1.bsky.social
?
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Policies that help people and families participate fully in the economy are shown to help them lead healthier and happier lives. Baby bonds are the next step forward. It’s not just a bold idea. It’s building on what we know works.
2 months ago
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reposted by
Mona Shah
The Kresge Foundation
3 months ago
American research science is facing an unprecedented crisis as federal grants get canceled & scientists are being laid off. A new
@ssir.org
article outlines how foundations can deploy their resources through social investments to stabilize research while building a more resilient system.
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Philanthropy’s Sputnik Moment (SSIR)
A new toolkit to reinforce and reinvent American research science in a time of crisis.
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/philanthropy-funding-scientific-research-now
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reposted by
Mona Shah
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income
2 months ago
We're excited to welcome Howard County Executive Calvin Ball as our newest CGI member this week! Howard County recently launched a new guaranteed income pilot program to look at the impact of 20 families receiving $1,000 a month in unrestricted cash payments for one full year.
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Mona Shah
The Washington Post
2 months ago
President Trump’s massive tax and spending plan cuts Medicaid by almost $1 trillion over the next decade, risking service cuts and closures that could force rural women to travel farther to safely have a baby.
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Medicaid cuts threaten rural hospitals -- and access to maternity care
Medicaid cuts in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill threaten rural hospitals, risking service cuts and closures that could severely limit access to maternity care.
https://wapo.st/4nbaUkx
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Mona Shah
National Women's Law Center
2 months ago
Broadband internet access is a matter of health equity. As the data reminds us: women do not live single-issue lives. Overcoming broadband deserts is critical to ensuring communities everywhere can access reproductive care and the resources they need to thrive. Learn more:
nwlc.org/resource/whe...
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When Women Are Deserted: The Prevalence and Intersection of Abortion Care Deserts, Pregnancy Care Deserts, Broadband Internet Deserts, and Food Deserts in the United States - National Women's Law Cent...
All people deserve access to critical health care, as well as other resources that improve their health and well-being, no matter where they reside. Yet an overwhelming number of individuals in the Un...
https://nwlc.org/resource/when-women-are-deserted-the-prevalence-and-intersection-of-abortion-care-deserts-pregnancy-care-deserts-broadband-internet-deserts-and-food-deserts-in-the-united-states/
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Another day, another setback. I’m disappointed to see SCOTUS uphold the NIH research cuts. Cuts include research around DEI, COVID-19, and transgender health. It’s much more than research on the line—it’s people’s lives.
www.science.org/content/arti...
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Supreme Court upholds Trump cancellation of NIH grants
Justices rule lower court had no authority to compel restoration of more than 800 studies on diversity, transgender health, and other sensitive topics
https://www.science.org/content/article/supreme-court-upholds-trump-cancellation-nih-grants
2 months ago
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