WARNING – This story details disturbing allegations of child abuse that may be difficult for readers A Kansas City man is charged with a felony count of child abuse or neglect after medical staff at Children’s Mercy Hospital discovered critical injuries to a 3-month-old girl on Saturday. Johnny C. Bonacorso, 29, had custody of the girl overnight from Friday into Saturday morning, according to court records. The infant’s mother discovered bruises on the girl Saturday morning and took her to Children’s Mercy Urgent Care.

Populist threats cannot be averted by knee-jerk reactions and populist responses (“German move to impose border checks ‘reopens old wounds’”, Report, October 7). As recent state elections confirmed, this sort of “populism-lite” policy response increases the social acceptability of neo-nationalism while leaving the underlying challenges unaddressed.

Any sustainable response to migration issues must be based on the explicit recognition that first, conflict and climate are likely to amplify migratory pressures; and second, the economic exclusion of refugees from society encourages the very behaviour that the populist right exploits in its propaganda.

Instead of torpedoing the Schengen system of frictionless travel, one of the main achievements of the European project, it would be helpful to reflect on the experience of societies that have managed to build prosperity on the integration of large numbers of foreign workers while insisting on the primacy of local traditions, with severe penalties for those who break the rules.

For Germany, two changes to existing policies could be the starting point for a migration policy that takes into account the interests of the state, its citizens and incoming migrants alike.

First, when temporary permits are granted, the government and the migrant would sign an individual contract specifying the state’s support and the corresponding expectations of how the refugee should behave. Failure to comply would result in the rejection of any application for residency.

Second, migrants should be allowed to find work in order to (i) become self-sufficient (and reduce their dependence on welfare programmes); (ii) learn the language “on the job” and (iii) be spared the humiliation of being seen as a failure by their families, who often have sponsored their flight in the expectation of future remittances.

This early phase would thus constitute a “probationary period” in which society and the migrants themselves could assess the respective benefits of permanent residence.

Jan-Peter Olters
Managing Director, Olters, Herrnburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

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Two epidemiological studies, from 2021 and 2022, provide new evidence that living near oil and gas extraction sites is hazardous to human health, especially for pregnant mothers and children, as reported by Nick Cunningham for DeSmog and Tom Perkins for the Guardian.

Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) measured the effects of oil- and gas-drilling sites on the health of pregnant women living within six miles of drilling operations during a thirteen-year period. The study, reported in DeSmog in January 2022, was the first that specifically examined the impacts of oil and gas drilling on hypertension in pregnant women.

Based on data for more than 2.8 million pregnant women living in Texas between 1996 to 2009, the OSU researchers found that pregnant women living within one kilometer (~0.6 miles) of a drilling site had a 5 percent greater likelihood of gestational hypertension and a 26 percent higher risk of eclampsia, a rare but serious condition where high blood pressure results in seizures during pregnancy, than pregnant mothers living further from drilling sites. Oil- and gas-drilling sites contaminate water, pollute the air, and produce noise pollution. These consequences of drilling likely increase stress among expecting mothers, contributing to gestational hypertension and eclampsia. The researchers controlled for a variety of potential confounding factors, including household income and proximity to the nearest highway.

Notably, the data in the OSU study predate the widespread development of “fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing, the process of extracting gas and oil from shale beds by injecting fluids at high pressure. Although much research has focused on the negative impacts of fracking, the OSU study shows how more conventional forms of oil and gas extraction impact pregnant women and their babies [Note: On the impacts of fracking, see, e.g., “Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure,” Physicians for Social Responsibility, April 28, 2022; and previous coverage by Project Censored, including Rayne Madison et al., “Fracking Our Food Supply,” story #18, and Lyndsey Casey and Peter Phillips, “Pennsylvania Law Gags Doctors to Protect Big Oil’s ‘Proprietary Secrets,’” story #22, from 2012-2013; and Carolina de Mello et al., “Oil Industry Illegally Dumps Fracking Wastewater,” story #2 from 2014-2015.]

A Yale University study, reported by DeSmog and the Guardian in August 2022, found that children who resided in areas bordering fracking sites were two to three times more likely to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, involved 405 children aged 2–7 diagnosed with ALL in Pennsylvania between 2009–2017, who were compared with an additional 2,080 children, matched on birth year, who did not have leukemia. The researchers found that children residing less than two kilometers (approximately 1.2 miles) from a fracking site were much more likely to develop leukemia, having been exposed to toxins such as radioactive debris, particle pollution, and contaminated water.

Noting that Pennsylvania requires only 500-foot setbacks, while other states have requirements as low as 150 feet, the Guardian reported that the publication of the Yale study coincided with “debate over how far wells should be set from residences.” The fossil fuel industry has fought to block any expanded setback requirements. Based on the study’s findings, one of the authors, Cassie Clark, told the Guardian that existing setback distances are “insufficiently protective of children’s health.”

As of this volume’s publication, no major US newspapers appear to have covered the Oregon State University study on gestational hypertension and eclampsia in mothers living near oil- and gas-drilling sites or the Yale University study on links between acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and proximity to fracking sites. Smithsonian magazine, The Hill, and WHYY, an NPR affiliate serving the Philadelphia region, covered the fracking study. In June 2022, U.S. News & World Report published an article on the states most threatened by oil and gas production, which noted that “more than 17 million people, including nearly 4 million children, live within a half-mile radius” of active oil and gas production facilities but did not mention either the OSU or Yale studies.

Nick Cunningham, “Living Close to Oil and Gas Drilling Linked to Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications, New Study Finds,” DeSmog, January 11, 2022.

Nick Cunningham, “Children Living Close to Fracking Sites Have Two to Three Times Higher Risk of Leukemia,” DeSmog, August 17, 2022.

Tom Perkins, “Children Born Near Fracking Wells More at Risk for Leukemia—Study,” The Guardian, August 17, 2022.

Student Researchers: Grace Engel (Salisbury University) and Ashley Rogers (Drew University)

Faculty Evaluators: Jennifer Cox (Salisbury University) and Lisa Lynch (Drew University)

Girls on the Move Interns at the Mission for Essential Drugs & Supplies (MEDS) Nairobi, during their internship. (Photo Credit: PSA)

Laurine Atieno and Mercy Awuor Odhiambo shared a common goal – they wanted to pursue a career in logistics and supply chain management. However, like many women across Africa, they faced challenges entering and navigating the public health supply chain workforce. 

“There is a gender imbalance in the supply chain sector,” said Recky Kyalo, Program Lead for the Girls on the Move (GotM), a program at Pamela Steele Associates. “Girls are not being absorbed into supply chain management. They were missing key skills that employers were looking for.” 

Despite frequent interactions with the health care system to receive services, they remain underrepresented in the public health supply chain (PHSC) workforce making up only 41% of the workforce and 26% of management positions. 

Bridging the Gender Gap in Supply Chain Careers 

The “Girls on the Move” initiative presents a pioneering approach to enhancing youth employability and fostering professional development among young women. The model is rooted in a blend of innovative strategies tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of participants. ​

These are some of the challenges that The GotM pilot program, conducted in Kisumu, Kenya, sought to address. The program focused on issues of youth unemployment among women and aimed to create a space where women were empowered and prepared for supply chain career opportunities. 

The 8-month-long program was launched in July 2022 with 36 young women and focused on introducing female graduates to career opportunities in the Kenyan supply chain sector to bridge the supply chain skills gap and increase female representation in the workforce. 

For Laurine, GotM gave her hands-on experience in supply chain skills, business skills and leadership. While she interned at Pamela Steele Associates, other program participants had internships in both public and private supply chain organizations, including the public health supply chain. 

Laurine highlighted many benefits to the internship, including free health supply chain management courses and monthly stipends. The program even offered mentorship, which Laurine said, “encouraged me to strive to accomplish more in my career. During the tough times at work when I was almost giving up, my mentor motivated me. The program empowered my personal and professional growth.” 

Laurine is now working at Kentons Pharmaceuticals and spoke to how GotM empowered her career in health supply chain. 

Learning Invaluable Workforce Skills  

This practical experience, as opposed to theory-based learning, was what made GotM an invaluable experience for young women entering the supply chain workforce. 

“In university, you go through theory,” said Recky. “But the workplace is a challenge.”

In addition to learning about time management, CV writing and interviewing skills, the program also focuses on developing interpersonal skills, such as communication, teamwork and building confidence. And for Mercy, this program gave her confidence as she pursued her career in the PHSC.  

“When I came into the program, I had low self-esteem and was afraid to talk to people,” Mercy said. “I’m a completely different person now and I’m consistently the top salesperson at my job month after month.” She now works in the hospitality industry in Kisumu.  

“This program enabled me to gain different skills and values,” Mercy said. “I gained much knowledge in the health supply chain, such as drug storage and dispatch, labeling… I was privileged to work in different sectors and currently in hospitality; this has allowed me to gain lots of experience in the supply chain.” 

Success and Looking Towards the Future  

GotM has seen great success, with 60% of women who completed the program finding work in the supply chain sector.  

“Most of them are doing fine and enjoying their work. Their friends are asking about [GotM]. I already have 50 applications from people waiting just from word of mouth,” said Recky, on the future of the program.    

Though the project ended in August 2023, VillageReach has partnered with Pamela Steele Associates to expand and scale the program in Kenya and other countries. VillageReach aims to train and graduate 500 interns across Kenya and one additional country in the next 5 years in the health supply chain sector.    

“It often takes a woman to perceive what a woman needs,” said Recky. “Having professional women in the supply chain sector, with a deep understanding of what women go through as caregivers both at home and professionally is a critical step to achieving universal health care.”  

Learn more about gender imbalance in the supply chain workforce and contact Rebecca Alban, Senior Health Systems, rebecca.alban@villagereach.org, for more information about GotM and women in the public health supply chain workforce.