The Texas Catholic Conference is very concerned about the uninsured in Texas, children in particular. Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured. Despite the recent improvments to CHIP in the 80th Legislature, there remains a threat to this important program. With critical action pending in the U.S. Senate on S-CHIP, now is a good time to share a new resource that we, along with our parnters at The Catholic Health Association of Texas are recommending for parish and family use. We hope that you will help us make the Prayer Tent for Children's Healthcare an effective tool for achieving our goal by using it and advocating for health care reform.

Answering the Callï - Two Layers of Justice
Finding a solution begins with learning more about the plight of our nation's healthcare and thinking about how we have met other national challenges.

• Short-term justice of rescue: By reaching out to help local children obtain health coverage, we will respond with Samaritan care. Contact a local hospital or clinic to hold a fair to enroll children in CHIP at your church or school.
• Long-term system building: By focusing attention on this issue and promoting respectful discussions, we will respond with justice. Tell elected officials we need a better system. Children's healthcare is the place to start.

Starting in August we will have a series of blogs about international policy, focusing on HIV/AIDS and food security issues in Zambia as Jennifer Carr, our Associate Director prepares to serve as a advocacy delegate in an upcoming trip to Zambia with Catholic Relief Services.