New Jersey / Public News Service

Experts recommended placing limits around kids' screen time and social media use. (Adobe Stock/AI)

NJ parents encouraged to check in on kids’ mental health

Back to school is often a time of anxiety for students of all ages and experts are reminding New Jersey parents to check on kids' mental health…

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics finds there were 220,000 unemployed people looking for work in Dec. 2024 with only 193,000 job openings in New Jersey. There were still 29,000 more job seekers than available jobs, but the state faces numerous workforce shortages. (Adobe Stock)

NJ chosen for program which bolsters short-term credentials

New Jersey is part of a national program to strengthen the workforce and increase education alignment. Lumina Foundation's FutureReady States program …

Shipping pollution also contributes to cardiovascular health issues and cancer in port communities. (Adobe Stock)

Advocate: Shore powered cargo ships help ocean, port community health

June is World Oceans Month, and advocates are warning that industrial shipping pollution hurts both oceans and port communities. At least 31 …

A new annual report found more New Jersey teens are working or in school and fewer kids are living in homes with a higher cost burden. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NJ’s improved economy aids child well-being

A new annual report found New Jersey's economic well-being is helping improve the well-being of its children. The state ranked 7th in the nation in …

Twelve states have laws to end their Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion if federal matching funds drop below 90%. (Jim Vallee / Adobe Stock)

Medicaid cuts projected to eliminate health insurance coverage for millions

With federal budget priorities coming into focus this week, New Jersey advocates are sounding the alarm over cuts to Medicaid. The Congressional …

New Jersey only has half of the recommended minimum number of school social workers, and three-fourths of the recommended minimum number of school psychologists. (Adobe Stock)

NJ improves in school-based mental health policies

A new report finds that states like New Jersey have made progress in providing school mental health services to its students, but work still remains…

In some areas, Medicaid funding pays a portion of the school nurse's salary. (Adobe Stock)

Medicaid cuts could threaten schools supports in NJ

As federal government spending cuts loom, advocates for keeping Medicaid intact are calling attention to how the funding is used in public schools…

Rutgers Law School offers students free legal consultations through the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project. (Adobe Stock)

NJ educators respond to ICE expanded reach on campus

With Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents now permitted to make arrests at colleges and universities, immigrants' advocates are raising …

More than 1.3 million New Jerseyans have a diagnosed mental-health condition. (Adobe Stock)

NJ lawmakers improving mental health access

While New Jersey has recently been proactive in ensuring access to mental-health coverage, whether insurance companies are meeting those needs is a …

A $3.3 million Rutgers University grant was part of a Biden era Department of Education initiative to expand access to school-based mental health services nationwide. (Adobe Stock)

NJ spending on student mental health is up, challenges remain

While New Jersey has made gains in K-through-12 mental health support, advocates said the state needs to do more. In recent years New Jersey has …

The U.S. Energy Information Administration finds most of New Jersey's electricity is generated by natural gas and nuclear energy. Solar energy accounts for 8% of total electricity generation. (Adobe Stock)

NJ gov continues advancing progress on climate goals

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is maintaining the state's clean-energy progress. In his final State of the State Address, Murphy thanked lawmakers for …

Since colonial times, settlers along the coast cut perennial marsh grasses into what they called salt hay. (Naya Na / Adobe Stock)

As saltwater encroaches on farms, solutions emerge from marshes

By Lisa Held for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Brett Peveto for New Jersey News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News S…

A report by the Pew Charitable Trusts calls for a reduction in the misuse of antibiotics and research into developing new, targeted drugs to fight infections. (Adobe Stock)

Experts say 'superbugs' are making antibiotic drugs less effective

Medical researchers said germs are getting smarter and more are becoming resistant to a class of drugs designed to treat infections. Doctors say the …

Around 65% of New Jersey Medicare beneficiaries have a traditional Medicare plan, while the rest are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or other type of plan. (zimmytws/Adobe Stock)

Patients shop around as Medicare open enrollment gets underway

One million, six hundred and fifty thousand New Jerseyites on Medicare - almost 18% of the state - have a big decision to make, because the Medicare …

The latest America's Health Ranking Report finds 10.6% of New Jersey women experience postpartum depression in 2021, slightly below the national average of 12.7%. (Adobe Stock)

NJ taking action to improve maternal mental health

New Jersey ranks poorly for maternal mental health. The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health gave the state a C- due to several factors. A bill …

In 2019, Formosa Plastics settled a $50 million lawsuit after a plant in Texas dumped billions of plastic pellets into Lavaca Bay. (Adobe Stock)

Plastics production highlighted during Pollution Prevention Week

This is Pollution Prevention Week and advocates are renewing their call on one plastics manufacturer to clean up its act. An August demonstration at …

Parents are encouraged to schedule appointments soon, as doctor's offices may be busier than normal. (Adobe Stock)

NJ parents reminded to schedule back-to-school checkups

As summer comes to a close, New Jersey educators and health professionals are encouraging parents to get students an annual health checkup. In …

Experts say addiction treatment outcomes are much better when a health care provider speaks the language and understands the culture of the patient. (Adobe Stock)

Bilingual, multicultural staff needed for NJ addiction treatment

More than 85,000 people are admitted each year in New Jersey to treatment programs for alcohol and drug addiction, and experts say language can be a …

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of emergency room visits related to heat-induced illnesses increased from an average of 151 per 100,000 visits in 2018-2022 to 180 per 100,000 in 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Ways to stay safe as heat-related illness ticks up

As the calendar turns to summer, emergency rooms start seeing more patients due to seasonal injuries and illnesses and expanded virtual health care …

In 2019 the rate of chronic absenteeism nationally was 16%; in 2022 that figure reached 30%. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NJ ranks high in overall child well-being, challenges remain

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has published its annual Kids Count Data Book, and the report shows the impact of the pandemic on educational outcomes…

A 2015 Rutgers-Eagleton poll found 63% of New Jersey residents supported medical aid in dying, compared with 29% opposed. (PolinaZait/Adobe Stock)

NJ's 'medical aid-in-dying' law upheld by state Supreme Court

After a five-year court battle, New Jersey's medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state's Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to …

Over the past ten years, New Jersey and the nation have seen improvements on six of the 11 indicators of child well-being measured in the 2024 Race for Results report. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

NJ ranks high in child well-being, but racial gaps persist

New Jersey kids score higher than the national average for overall well-being but large racial disparities persist, according to a new study…

Feeding America reports over 800,000 people in New Jersey are facing hunger, including nearly 200,000 children. (Oksana Kuzmina/Adobe Stock)<br />

Advocates: WIC funding must be increased to avoid rationing

Groups battling hunger in New Jersey are sounding the alarm about a type of food assistance that needs more funding in the New Year. In one month…

Estimates showed if the House budget is passed, some 750,000 eligible people - primarily toddlers, preschoolers, and postpartum adults - could be turned away from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. (Adobe Stock)

Justice group: Congressional budget cuts will hurt vulnerable New Jerseyans

Economic justice advocates in New Jersey are calling on Congress to avoid deep cuts in the 2024 federal budget proposed by a small group of hard-line …

A new report found in 2021, 12% of New Jersey children under age 6 lived in families in which someone quit, changed, or refused a job because of issues with child care. (Digital Skillet/Adobe Stock)

Report: Affordable Child Care Hard to Find in NJ

Many New Jersey families are having a very hard time paying for child care, according to the new 2023 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey …

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