Boston hospital report they are seeing more hungry and dangerously thin young children in the ER

[RamboLiberal]

Doctors at a major Boston hospital report they are seeing more hungry and dangerously thin young children in the emergency room than at any time in more than a decade of surveying families.

Many families are unable to afford enough healthy food to feed their children, say the Boston Medical Center doctors. The resulting chronic hunger threatens to leave scores of infants and toddlers with lasting learning and developmental problems.

Before the economy soured in 2007, 12 percent of youngsters age 3 and under whose families were randomly surveyed in the hospital’s emergency department were significantly underweight. In 2010, that percentage jumped to 18 percent, and the tide does not appear to be abating, said Dr. Megan Sandel, an associate professor of pediatrics and public health at BMC.

“Food is costing more, and dollars don’t stretch as far,’’ Sandel said. “It’s hard to maintain a diet that is healthy.’’

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/07/28/ranks_of_hungry_children_swell_worrying_doctors/

[Lint Head]

1. No doubt. Considering republicans think death equates to profits.

[Urban Prairie]

2. I figured that the greater Boston area was relatively better off economically than midwestern cities

like my hometown, Cleveland, or to a lesser degree, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, for example, or maybe parts of New Jersey, guess that I was wrong. Never read anything in the news to lead me to believe otherwise, not like how some midwestern rustbelt cities are often (albeit fairly truthfully) portrayed as burned/hollowed out hellholes in the media.

[SoCalDem]

3. "Better off" as an average is greatly affected by the extreme wealth of the "uppers"

3 houses in a neighborhood.. 2 house unemployed people..one houses a millionaire.. neighborhood "average" would still be $300K + even though two families are eating Ramen Noodles & shopping at Dumpsters r Us

[indepat]

4. RW solutions to RW-created problems is tantamount the flesh of the old, frail, and poor

being eaten by those who slop feverishly at the public welfare teat. :patriot: