Latest news with #AmericanIndian
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Health
- Business Wire
Ontada Unveils Comprehensive Data on Social Determinants of Health and Outcomes of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer at ASCO
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ontada ®, a leader in real-world oncology data and insights, is proud to present its latest research findings in a pivotal oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The study, titled, "Real-world Social Determinants of Health and Outcomes of Early-onset Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis of a Large Nationally Representative US Community Oncology Network," provides critical data on the impact of social determinants on the outcomes of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) patients, and offers one of the largest studies of EO-CRC to date. Over 104,000 patients with CRC were studied, including nearly 15,000 patients with early-onset CRC. Key Data Findings Racial and ethnic disparities: A higher burden of EO-CRC was observed among patients of Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native race and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. Obesity as a risk factor: There was a 5% higher prevalence of obesity among patients with early-onset CRC versus average onset CRC. More advanced stage at diagnosis for EO-CRC: Patients with EO-CRC have an 11% greater likelihood of diagnosis at Stage III or IV disease as compared to average-onset disease. Poorer survival associated with advancing age: At each cancer stage, patients with EO-CRC had a longer overall survival as compared to patients with average-onset CRC, reflecting existing knowledge about cancer survival decreasing with advancing age. Importance of screening and earlier diagnosis: Among all patients with CRC, including early-onset diagnosis, disease stage at diagnosis was the strongest predictor of overall survival, reflecting the importance of earlier detection and screening programs for all. 'Understanding the complex interplay between social factors and cancer incidence and outcomes is crucial for developing effective, patient-centered care strategies, and this research underscores the importance of understanding and then intervening on social determinants of health to improve care for patients with EO-CRC,' said Jessica K. Paulus, ScD, senior director, Real-World Research, Ontada. 'Ontada's data provides a clear and compelling picture of the impact of social determinants on the outcomes of patients with EO-CRC. By leveraging our unique data emanating from the nationally representative The US Oncology Network and our measures of social determinants at scale, we can drive meaningful changes in clinical practice and policy, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.' Study Methodology This retrospective observational cohort study examined adult CRC patients within The US Oncology Network and non-Network practices, encompassing over 2,700 community-based providers treating more than 1.4 million patients annually. All patients diagnosed with CRC between 2000 and 2024 were included; patients were categorized as EO-CRC if they were <50 years at first diagnosis and average-onset (AO)-CRC otherwise. Over 104,000 patients with CRC were studied, including nearly 15,000 patients with early-onset CRC. Patient characteristics were sourced from iKnowMed, an oncology-specific electronic health record system, and descriptively summarized. Overall Survival (OS) was assessed from diagnosis using Kaplan-Meier methods. Other Research at ASCO 2025 Ontada is showcasing its research capabilities at ASCO with 12 accepted abstracts on topics such as using large language models to extract cancer data, accelerating Phase 2 clinical development with real-world data in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, validating real-world event-free survival in early-stage triple negative breast cancer, analyzing outcomes of BRAF-mutated melanoma patients, and providing a descriptive epidemiology of Waldenström Macroglobulinemia. 'At Ontada, we are at the forefront of transforming cancer care through the power of real-world data and insights,' said Christine Davis, president, Ontada. 'Our extensive research at ASCO 2025 underscores our commitment to driving meaningful advancements in oncology. This research will not only highlight the critical role of real-world evidence in improving patient outcomes but also demonstrate our dedication to addressing the complex challenges faced by cancer patients and healthcare providers.' Ontada is a part of McKesson, which has an unmatched portfolio of oncology businesses and partners that provide research, insights, technologies, and services that are helping address barriers and improve cancer and specialty care. At ASCO, McKesson-supported businesses including The US Oncology Network, Ontada, and Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), are part of approximately 170 accepted abstracts and presentations. These are inclusive of oral and poster presentations, educational sessions, late-breaking studies, and early-phase studies. For a comprehensive list of Ontada abstracts and presentations, visit Ontada's ASCO 2025 Site. Additionally, visit the Ontada Booth (#35093) at the McCormick Place Convention Center from May 30 – June 3 to explore the data presented at ASCO 2025 and experience Ontada's solutions firsthand. About Ontada ® Ontada is an oncology technology and insights business dedicated to transforming the fight against cancer. Part of McKesson Corporation, Ontada was founded on the core belief that precise insights – delivered exactly at the point of need – can save more patients' lives. We connect the full patient journey by combining technologies used by The US Oncology Network and other community oncology providers with real-world data and research relied on by all top 15 global life sciences companies. Our work helps accelerate innovation and powers the future of cancer care. For more information, visit About McKesson Oncology and Specialty Solutions It's an unprecedented time for patients living with cancer as life sciences companies race to create new, cutting-edge therapies. With cancer care becoming more targeted, providers, life sciences companies, and payers face a multitude of challenges and complexity in the development of new treatments and making them accessible to patients in need. At McKesson, our unmatched portfolio of oncology businesses and partners provide research, insights, technologies, and services that are helping to address these hurdles and improve cancer and specialty care. McKesson is fueling discovery by helping patients participate in cutting-edge clinical trials closer to home through its joint venture with Sarah Cannon Research Institute. The US Oncology Network and McKesson Provider Solutions are advancing specialty care and high-quality cancer care in the communities where patients live by supporting the practices of thousands of independent, community-based providers. Ontada ®, a McKesson business dedicated to oncology, generates real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE), and provides clinical education and provider technology to inform and improve cancer care. As a leading distributor of oncology and specialty medicines, we are ensuring medicines make their way to those who are counting on them. And through CoverMyMeds, Biologics by McKesson, and GPO services, our work continues to help patients access, afford, and adhere to their medicines.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Grand Forks district to offer stoles to Native graduates next year; parent group still seeks beading on caps
May 27—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Public Schools Native American Parent Committee voted Tuesday to formally ask district administration to consider allowing Indigenous students to wear traditional beadwork on their graduation caps. The meeting came after students were notified beadwork on their mortarboards would not be allowed at their graduation ceremonies this year. It's a longstanding district policy that no adornments are allowed on graduation caps, but parents say students have worn Indigenous beadwork without issue in years past. According to some in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, the notification came too late for some families who had already begun beading their students' caps — a prayerful cultural practice often done by older members of a family for their younger loved ones. Eagle feathers on graduation caps, allowed explicitly by state law, will still be permitted. Assistant superintendents Catherine Gillach and Matt Bakke and Central High School Principal Jon Strandell were on hand for the meeting. Gillach said the district intends to introduce stoles for American Indian students next year that families may bead however they want. The district had intended to provide the stoles to families this year, but ran out of time to have them delivered. Gillach emphasized that the district wants to find a way to celebrate and honor its Indigenous students' cultural heritage, but that by hypothetically allowing some groups to decorate their caps and not others, the district runs the risk of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. At minimum, she said, the district will have to proceed cautiously. "We don't want to be the judge and the jury at the end," she said. "Like this expression is OK, and this one is respectful, this is not." Chad Ward, Native American liaison for the district, said there's nothing wrong with the stoles proposal, but that the district's response to the issue has left many Native American families feeling like something important is being taken away from the ceremonies. He described the profound impacts of colonization and assimilation on Indigenous families, and that beadwork is an important way for many Indigenous people to practice their culture in their day-to-day lives. For many, it holds great significance to incorporate the beadwork into a day as important as a graduation. "At the end of the day," Ward added, "with all due respect, this is Indian Country." In an hourlong dialogue, Indigenous parents discussed the significance of beading the cap specifically. Jayme Davis, a state representative from Belcourt, noted that many Indigenous families choose to bead the graduation cap because it is the symbol of graduation and the completion of a major milestone in the students' lives, much more so than the stoles. "Stoles don't equate the visibility that the cap has. That for me, is the difference between the stole and the graduation cap, is that meaning," she said. "And to me — just for me — if this were coming down, it would say to me, 'Yeah, you can be Native, but not too Native. We don't want it too visible.'" "... It's not just a racial thing, it's a political and cultural thing, and it's specifically for us, because we are the first peoples of this land," Davis continued. "So we're exercising this right, this sovereignty. We're not necessarily asking for privilege to do this. It should be a right for us." Following the NAPC vote, conversations about beading on caps will continue at the district level, Gillach said. Immediately following the NAPC meeting, the full Grand Forks School Board heard an update on Native American student graduation rates in the district. The district is on track to meet and surpass a graduation rate goal set during the 2022-2023 school year, according to Superintendent Terry Brenner. That year, the four-year graduation rate for Native American students in the district was 46%. The district hoped to see that number rise to 80% by September 2028. Last school year, the four-year Native American graduation rate was 73%. Brenner credited the improvement in large part to programs and practices instituted by Ward as the new Native American liaison and funded by the NAPC, including celebration ceremonies for Indigenous students completing kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade and 12th grade. Other interventions, such as counselor tracking of earned credits, credit recovery options and a partnership with UND to match GFPS students with Native American student mentors, were also highlighted as successes. There are still questions in the data, Brenner noted. Across district campuses, while 73% of Indigenous seniors are on track to graduate based on credits earned, only 42% of freshmen, 54% of sophomores and 53% of juniors are on track. (For comparison, when looking at the total student body across campuses, 77% of freshmen, 81% of sophomores, 83% of juniors and 84% of seniors are on track to graduate.) Why do so many Indigenous students appear to spend most of their high school careers not on track to graduate, only to suddenly catch up as seniors? The answer is chronic absenteeism, said district Chief Academic Officer Amy Bartsch. Some 58% of Native American freshmen in the district are considered chronically absent, Bartsch said. Bartsch called chronic absenteeism a "community issue that we all have to rally behind to support our families to make school accessible to all," and Gillach noted that the School Board has discussed issues of transportation in the past. But she also said the district needs to consider how to ensure the school environment itself is conducive to the success of its Indigenous students. Those conversations are already happening at the campus level, she said. "Are we representing our students well enough in the curriculum?" she asked. "We work really hard on relationships, and yet we recognize there are some discrepancies between kids reporting that they feel safe and welcome, and feeling like they truly belong." In other news: * The district is poised to "open the virtual doors" to Grand Forks Virtual High School next school year, according to Gillach. Registration for the fully online program is now closed, and a pilot group of 26 high-schoolers are currently enrolled. They include 13 from Central High School, 11 from Red River High School, two homeschooled students and 10 students currently on Individualized Education Plans. The district has hopes to expand the program in future years. * Lizette Miller, secretary at Community High School, was recognized as the district's Classified Employee of the Year. Community Principal Terry Bohan presented her with the award. Two additional district employees were also recognized as the Certified Employees of the Fourth Quarter. Behavior analyst Brittney Hansen was presented with the award by Special Education Director Elisa Diederich, and Viking Elementary literacy specialist Lisa Spicer was presented with the award by Viking Principal Jolyn Bergstrom. * Discovery Elementary School was recognized as the school of the week during the meeting's "celebrating success" portion. The elementary school is celebrating 10 years since its opening. * District Business Manager Brandon Baumbach presented the general fund financial statement for July 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. During that time, total general fund revenue was $113,584,932 and total general fund expenditures were $94,337,173, resulting in revenue over expenses of $19,247,760.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Think You're Middle Class? You Might Not Be — Surprisingly Most People Are Really Off On What It Takes To Fall Into This Category
Middle class. It sounds safe. Sensible. Maybe even a little smug — like a reliable sedan with a good credit score. For many Americans, it's the label that feels right: not too rich, not too poor. But according to the latest numbers, there's a good chance that what you think is middle class... isn't. A Pew Research Center analysis, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, found that only about 51% of Americans actually fall into the middle-income tier. That means nearly half the country is either above or below the range — and most don't even realize it. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Pew defines the middle class as households earning between two-thirds and double the national median income. For a three-person household, that's anywhere from $56,600 to $169,800, adjusted for cost of living in metro areas. That range might sound wide — because it is. But even within it, the middle class is shrinking in influence. Middle-income households now account for just 43% of total U.S. household income, down from 62% in 1970. Meanwhile, upper-income households have grown their share from 29% to 48%. What's more telling is who falls outside the middle. Pew's breakdown shows that Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations are disproportionately represented in the lower-income tier. For example, 47% of American Indian or Alaska Native households are classified as lower income, compared to just 24% of white households. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Net worth paints an even starker picture. According to the Federal Reserve, middle-income households have a median net worth of $356,300 — a noticeable jump from the $204,100 figure previously cited by Pew, which uses a different methodology. For comparison: Lower-income households: $93,300 Upper-income households: $1,036,200 If that sounds dated, it's not by accident. Most federal surveys — including the Fed's Survey of Consumer Finances — are conducted on a three-year cycle. The data being referenced here is the most recent available, with the next major update expected in yes — you might earn a "middle class" income but still be way off when it comes to wealth. Or you might fall short on income but have accumulated assets that bump you up. If you're trying to figure out where you land, this might be a good time to review more than just your paycheck. Take stock of your full financial picture — savings, debts, home equity, retirement accounts. You may want to consult a financial advisor to see where you really stand, and whether you're building toward the class you think you're in. Because these days, just feeling middle class doesn't mean you are. And assuming you're on track could mean you're ignoring cracks in the foundation. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Think You're Middle Class? You Might Not Be — Surprisingly Most People Are Really Off On What It Takes To Fall Into This Category originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The pool's open. Trump's laid off the team that helps protect swimmers.
Water safety officials usually spend Memorial Day weekend warning families that more toddlers die from drowning than any other cause. This year, fewer people will know about the risk. In April, President Donald Trump laid off the team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responsible for tracking and publicizing drownings. That team also worked with partners like the YMCA and the American Red Cross to get at-risk children into swimming lessons. That collaboration has halted. The cuts come at a perilous moment. Drowning deaths rose during the pandemic, hitting 4,300 in 2023, the most recent data, compared to around 4,000 in 2019. They rose even more among the youngest children, ages 1 to 4, for whom drowning is the No. 1 cause of death — numbers published by the soon-to-be-terminated team. 'I can't tell you how many media calls we got after that report was released, because I think it was a shocking number to people, and they wanted to know what's going on,' said Amy Hill, who works on Chicago's water safety task force, referring to a CDC study released last May. 'When the CDC issues a report like that, people pay attention.' States will continue to report drownings through the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, but the data will no longer have a team to analyze it. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said the Trump administration was not ending its support for drowning prevention efforts and that HHS would continue to support them. Besides the risk to toddlers, the report showed that drowning was one of the three leading causes of death by unintentional injury among people 5 to 34 years old. It also laid bare disparities in drowning deaths, with the highest rates among American Indian, Alaska Native and Black people. Without the team's data, federal officials, water safety experts and medical professionals told POLITICO they worry that key patterns in drowning deaths will go unnoticed. States continue to receive millions in CDC grants for water safety measures, but the agency's leaders are telling staff to prepare for those to go away, too. 'We're actively pulling away the lifelines and resources that we use to keep our kids safe, and that's really terrifying,' said Sharon Gilmartin, executive director of the Safe States Alliance, a non-profit association of injury and violence prevention professionals. The loss of the drowning-prevention team is one that water safety advocates fear will have a direct impact on children's safety. But it's largely gone unaddressed by Democrats as they press Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on other cuts to his department. At a Senate hearing on Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal Tuesday, Kennedy broadly defended downsizing federal health agencies as necessary to stem what he described as bureaucratic bloat that occurred during the Biden administration and to restrain the federal deficit. But he was not asked specifically about the cuts to the drowning-prevention team. 'The safety and well-being of all Americans – especially our nation's children – is a top priority for HHS and Secretary Kennedy,' the HHS spokesperson told POLITICO in an email. 'The Department is strongly committed to preventing tragic and preventable deaths, including those caused by drowning.' The spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question about how HHS would support those efforts. Some researchers have speculated that the increase is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic — when fewer lifeguards were on duty and swimming lessons weren't available because of lockdown guidance — a theory that, without additional reports from the CDC, will remain untested. On Tuesday, Kennedy pointed to America's poor health outcomes, despite Biden-era funding levels, as evidence to justify the proposed cuts. But some of his own staffers disagree. 'The way that this was done means that there was a lot of taxpayer dollars that were wasted here because there was work already in process,' a CDC official granted anonymity for fear of retribution told POLITICO about the layoffs. 'We could have done it in a way that did not undermine all of this critical work, especially for something like drowning, that literally nobody else is working on.' The national numbers, officials said, weren't just used to get the public to pay attention. It also told entities that work on drowning prevention where to focus. Hill told POLITICO that Chicago sees especially high drowning numbers because of its proximity to Lake Michigan — which was the site of more than 50 drowning deaths in 2024. 'We use [CDC data] to plan our own programming,' Hill told POLITICO, noting that without the reports, it will be more difficult to figure out how to 'reach the right people.' The CDC's drowning team was part of the agency's Injury Center, which lost about a third of its staff amid layoffs in April. 'CDC Injury Center is like our North Star in injury prevention,' said Hill, who also serves as director of unintentional injury prevention programs at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Trump's budget request would nix the entire center — which also tracks domestic violence, suicides, car crashes and overdoses — labeling it one of several duplicative or unnecessary departments. Much of the center's work on domestic violence tracking and prevention is mandated by law. As of mid-May, the funding that the center sends states to help them with their own drowning prevention work is still intact. But CDC leaders are warning, according to the CDC official, to plan for the grants to be eliminated as well. 'That is sort of another level of devastation,' the official said. Ryan Greenstein, a water safety advocacy program manager at YMCA of Metro Atlanta, said that the YMCA gets money from CDC to fund its safety around water program and offer free survival classes in areas of the city where people are not likely to get swimming lessons. Greenstein's YMCA joined with Georgia's other YMCAs last month to send a letter to the state's congressional delegation, urging them to help reverse the cuts to the CDC's drowning work and warning that, 'without the data and best practices from the CDC Injury Center, Georgians are at increased risk of death' every time they swim in the state. 'And as far as anyone knows — including people who have been here much longer than me — that's the first time we've ever done a letter, as an alliance, to Congress on a federal issue,' Greenstein told POLITICO. 'This is a big issue for us.' Hill noted that the lack of national data could inhibit localities ability to get grants for drowning prevention from outside the CDC as well, because 'any grant that you write starts with the needs statement.' Two CDC scientists, who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, detailed the drowning prevention work that was left unfinished when the drowning team was placed on administrative leave. In addition to planning to update the agency's website with more recent federal data on drowning deaths this spring, the team was also analyzing emergency department data to better understand the ramifications of non-fatal drowning. The other scientist said that they had been close to publishing data on drowning deaths of children with autism spectrum disorder. A project analyzing a novel data source to find out more information on drowning risk factors was about halfway done, and all of the team's work with external partners — including the YMCA, American Red Cross, and Safe States Alliance — was abruptly halted. 'This work that we were doing to try and understand how to increase engagement among people who have higher rates of drowning — I think that might stop, and that's really unfortunate, because those kids need swim lessons,' the first scientist said.
Politico
26-05-2025
- Health
- Politico
The pool's open. Trump's laid off the team that helps protect swimmers.
Water safety officials usually spend Memorial Day weekend warning families that more toddlers die from drowning than any other cause. This year, fewer people will know about the risk. In April, President Donald Trump laid off the team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responsible for tracking and publicizing drownings. That team also worked with partners like the YMCA and the American Red Cross to get at-risk children into swimming lessons. That collaboration has halted. The cuts come at a perilous moment. Drowning deaths rose during the pandemic, hitting 4,300 in 2023, the most recent data, compared to around 4,000 in 2019. They rose even more among the youngest children, ages 1 to 4, for whom drowning is the No. 1 cause of death — numbers published by the soon-to-be-terminated team. 'I can't tell you how many media calls we got after that report was released, because I think it was a shocking number to people, and they wanted to know what's going on,' said Amy Hill, who works on Chicago's water safety task force, referring to a CDC study released last May. 'When the CDC issues a report like that, people pay attention.' States will continue to report drownings through the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, but the data will no longer have a team to analyze it. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said the Trump administration was not ending its support for drowning prevention efforts and that HHS would continue to support them. Besides the risk to toddlers, the report showed that drowning was one of the three leading causes of death by unintentional injury among people 5 to 34 years old. It also laid bare disparities in drowning deaths, with the highest rates among American Indian, Alaska Native and Black people. Without the team's data, federal officials, water safety experts and medical professionals told POLITICO they worry that key patterns in drowning deaths will go unnoticed. States continue to receive millions in CDC grants for water safety measures, but the agency's leaders are telling staff to prepare for those to go away, too. 'We're actively pulling away the lifelines and resources that we use to keep our kids safe, and that's really terrifying,' said Sharon Gilmartin, executive director of the Safe States Alliance, a non-profit association of injury and violence prevention professionals. The loss of the drowning-prevention team is one that water safety advocates fear will have a direct impact on children's safety. But it's largely gone unaddressed by Democrats as they press Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on other cuts to his department. At a Senate hearing on Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal Tuesday, Kennedy broadly defended downsizing federal health agencies as necessary to stem what he described as bureaucratic bloat that occurred during the Biden administration and to restrain the federal deficit. But he was not asked specifically about the cuts to the drowning-prevention team. 'The safety and well-being of all Americans – especially our nation's children – is a top priority for HHS and Secretary Kennedy,' the HHS spokesperson told POLITICO in an email. 'The Department is strongly committed to preventing tragic and preventable deaths, including those caused by drowning.' The spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question about how HHS would support those efforts. Some researchers have speculated that the increase is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic — when fewer lifeguards were on duty and swimming lessons weren't available because of lockdown guidance — a theory that, without additional reports from the CDC, will remain untested. On Tuesday, Kennedy pointed to America's poor health outcomes, despite Biden-era funding levels, as evidence to justify the proposed cuts. But some of his own staffers disagree. 'The way that this was done means that there was a lot of taxpayer dollars that were wasted here because there was work already in process,' a CDC official granted anonymity for fear of retribution told POLITICO about the layoffs. 'We could have done it in a way that did not undermine all of this critical work, especially for something like drowning, that literally nobody else is working on.' The national numbers, officials said, weren't just used to get the public to pay attention. It also told entities that work on drowning prevention where to focus. Hill told POLITICO that Chicago sees especially high drowning numbers because of its proximity to Lake Michigan — which was the site of more than 50 drowning deaths in 2024. 'We use [CDC data] to plan our own programming,' Hill told POLITICO, noting that without the reports, it will be more difficult to figure out how to 'reach the right people.' The CDC's drowning team was part of the agency's Injury Center, which lost about a third of its staff amid layoffs in April. 'CDC Injury Center is like our North Star in injury prevention,' said Hill, who also serves as director of unintentional injury prevention programs at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Trump's budget request would nix the entire center — which also tracks domestic violence, suicides, car crashes and overdoses — labeling it one of several duplicative or unnecessary departments. Much of the center's work on domestic violence tracking and prevention is mandated by law. As of mid-May, the funding that the center sends states to help them with their own drowning prevention work is still intact. But CDC leaders are warning, according to the CDC official, to plan for the grants to be eliminated as well. 'That is sort of another level of devastation,' the official said. Ryan Greenstein, a water safety advocacy program manager at YMCA of Metro Atlanta, said that the YMCA gets money from CDC to fund its safety around water program and offer free survival classes in areas of the city where people are not likely to get swimming lessons. Greenstein's YMCA joined with Georgia's other YMCAs last month to send a letter to the state's congressional delegation, urging them to help reverse the cuts to the CDC's drowning work and warning that, 'without the data and best practices from the CDC Injury Center, Georgians are at increased risk of death' every time they swim in the state. 'And as far as anyone knows — including people who have been here much longer than me — that's the first time we've ever done a letter, as an alliance, to Congress on a federal issue,' Greenstein told POLITICO. 'This is a big issue for us.' Hill noted that the lack of national data could inhibit localities ability to get grants for drowning prevention from outside the CDC as well, because 'any grant that you write starts with the needs statement.' Two CDC scientists, who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, detailed the drowning prevention work that was left unfinished when the drowning team was placed on administrative leave. In addition to planning to update the agency's website with more recent federal data on drowning deaths this spring, the team was also analyzing emergency department data to better understand the ramifications of non-fatal drowning. The other scientist said that they had been close to publishing data on drowning deaths of children with autism spectrum disorder. A project analyzing a novel data source to find out more information on drowning risk factors was about halfway done, and all of the team's work with external partners — including the YMCA, American Red Cross, and Safe States Alliance — was abruptly halted. 'This work that we were doing to try and understand how to increase engagement among people who have higher rates of drowning — I think that might stop, and that's really unfortunate, because those kids need swim lessons,' the first scientist said.
