Other Populations

As of September 13, 2021, three vaccines to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are available in the United States. The Pfizer vaccine was granted full approval for use in individuals over the age of 16 by the U.S.

COVID-19 pandemic’s social restrictions have prompted a surge in the mental health needs of children of all ages. Nationwide 4.3 million children/adolescents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of August 2021, and many of them have returned to early childhood and school settings. Schools and early childhood programs have long been essential settings for delivery of mental health services.

The COVID-19 crisis has disparately harmed low-income households. Across the United States, systemic inequalities in employment, wage-earning, health, and well-being have been strained for sub-populations facing poverty or near-poverty conditions.

This brief discusses the perspectives of a group of working parents on receipt of federal benefits. Based on focus groups, it examines program design and implementation, participation barriers, and factors that could help working parents more readily reach financial independence. Highlights are:

In focus group discussions with 44 working parents receiving assistance from one or more federal programs, many parents shared the view that increasing earnings involves a number of risks. Participants described the sequence of possible risk events as follows:

In accordance with Section 7062(a) of the SUPPORT Act, in 2019 HHS published the first Status Report on Protecting Our Infants Act Implementation Plan, which included activities through August 2018 on the identification, prevention and treatment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and opioid use disorder in pregnant women.

Virtual human services delivery has the potential to improve long-standing disparities in service access and outcomes. This brief highlights emerging lessons from the field, identifying considerations for programs to advance equity across all elements of service delivery. Related Products

This infographic illustrates the intersection of environmental justice with human services policies and programs. It presents key facts about how participants in human services programs are particularly affected by environmental injustice, and the ways in which these programs can help mitigate the effects of environmental issues, including climate change.

For working-age adults with disabilities, consistent access to health insurance may be critical to continuity of care and good health outcomes. We tracked changes in health insurance coverage for this population from 2010-2018.

This Issue Brief describes changes in the uninsured rate, health coverage, and access to care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and discusses key policies for this population, including how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and invests additional resources in the Indian health care system.