The Washington Post reports this morning that "Chronic stress from growing up poor appears to have a direct impact on the brain, leaving children with impairment in at least one key area -- working memory." It's been clear for some time that children raised in poverty have health troubles and problems staying in school. But what was the cause? The article by Rob Stein points out that previous research has focused on intelligence, genetics, exposure to environmental toxins and on the effects of being raised in less intellectual environments. 

Cornell University professor Gary Evans knew poor children grew up with much stress. "When you are poor, when it rains it pours," Evans said. "You may have housing problems. You may have more conflict in the family. There's a lot more pressure in paying the bills. You'll probably end up moving more often. There's a lot more demands on low-income families. We know that produces stress in families, including on the children." He measured the presence of hormones produced by stress in a group of children, their blood pressure and their weight, and he tested their short-term memory.

The researcher found that the longer a child lived in poverty, the higher the presence of the stress hormones and the lower these children tended to score on measures of memory. "It's not just 'Read to our kids and take them to the library,' " Evans told the Post. "We need to take into account that chronic stress takes a toll not only on their health, but it may take a toll on their cognitive functioning."

Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, Rosebud Sioux, has been appointed director of the Indian Health Service, within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Well known for her extensive work on diabetes and health policy in Indian country, Roubideaux is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Roubideaux, 46, decided to become a doctor in order to help improve the quality of healthcare for American Indians. She recalls waiting between four to six hours to see Indian Health Services physicians as a child. In a profile by the National Institute on Health, she describes the IHS system as severely underfunded and understaffed.

Roubideaux provided testimony before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in 2000 for the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Republican lawmakers repeatedly voted against the Act during the G.W. Bush administration.  Leaders in Indian country are hopeful that Roubideaux’s appointment will lead to the eventual passing of this legislation.

Roubideaux received her MD from the Harvard Medical School and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She also served on President Obama’s transition team.

A recipient of several awards for her work on diabetes and health policy for American Indians, she was co-editor of the American Public Health Association’s book, “Promises to Keep: Public Health Policy for American Indians and Alaska Native in the 21st Century."

Senators from Iowa and North Carolina say Medicare Advantage is vital for rural communities. But not many rural residents use these plans — and the plans they get are costly and unproven.

President Barack Obama has chosen Mary Wakefield (above) to direct the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency that handles $6.85 billion dollars. Wakefield directs the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota. The Grand Forks Herald published a good biography of the nurse who will be the top advocate for rural health care in the Obama administration.

The agency is charged with helping provide health care to all Americans, particularly the poor, children and pregnant women. The HRSA also helps provide access to health care for rural residents, according to InForum.

InForum reports: "Her first priority, she said, is to disperse the additional $2 billion HRSA will get as part of the economic stimulus package. The second priority, she said, is to help the administration with health care reform. 'I’ll be at Warp 7,' she said. 'I’m not sure my feet will touch the ground.'"