This article describes how in Alameda County, California, the Children's Hospital Oakland (CHAO) Neonatal Follow-up Program and the County Public Health Department have collaboratively addressed gaps in services for premature infants and their families through the Special Start initiative. Mental health specialists, health specialists, and…

Since 1984, October has been recognized in the U.S. as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 1997, the Toxic Links Coalition of the Bay Area, California, began organizing annual "Stop Cancer Where It Starts" tours to counter attempts to obscure the environmentally-linked causes of cancer. By drawing on research including participant…

With the increasing concern over alcohol and other drug use among young people, adults must educate themselves about legal issues. This booklet is a resource for parents and educators to help them learn tobacco, alcohol, and other drug laws in California. The material is organized by type of drug with the legal codes as they apply to that drug…

Examines the increase in AIDS patients in rural California, which is greater than that in urban areas, including AIDS population projections through 1991. Describes differences between AIDS populations in rural and urban areas and relates these to state expenditure patterns and differential needs. (DHP)

Public opinion polls consistently show a strong, bi-partisan consensus on the need to invest in the nation's kids. Yet even as Americans demand a greater focus on children, public investments are shifting away from them. In California, this is leading to children who are increasingly unhealthy yet lack health insurance, failing in school or unable…

This report contains the proceedings of the first of two hearings that explored the risks of environmental toxins to children. Testimony concerned the special vulnerability of children to toxins; the dangers of lead poisoning; instances of childhood cancer, birth defects, and developmental problems; passive smoking; child health in the California…

Although California lags behind other states in insuring children of low-income working families, the state could provide assistance by building on existing public health programs. This report provides a primer on the problems of low-income uninsured children and explores the public policy building blocks needed to adequately and affordably insure…

There is great potential in public health and faith communities partnering to promote health education and research. This article describes lessons learned from the design and implementation of such a partnership, the Los Angeles Mammography Promotion in Churches Program (LAMP). It is feasible, although challenging, to enumerate and survey…

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) increasingly is being used to study and address environmental justice. This article presents the results of a cross-site case study of four CBPR partnerships in the United States that researched environmental health problems and worked to educate legislators and promote relevant public policy. The…

California is experiencing a critical shortage of nurses -- a shortage that is likely to increase in the coming years (Coffman & Spetz, 1999). Although much of the nation is also experiencing similar shortages, California's shortage is more severe than that of any other state in the nation (Bureau of Health Professions, 2002). Most analyses of…

The human response to an environmental hazard can either reduce or exacerbate its impact on health. This article reviews determinants of community-level responses to environmental health hazards. The aim is to identify factors that can enhance a community's capacity to protect itself and to suggest public health strategies that can increase such…

The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986, the National Drug Control Strategy (1989-92), the Five-Year State Master Plan to Reduce Drug and Alcohol Abuse in California (1988-92), and the perspectives of education administrators (n=14) of drug prevention programs in select California public secondary schools (1994-95) were analyzed. The…

The present study documented and evaluated steps taken by public mental health administrators to recruit members of underrepresented ethnic minority populations into treatment. By surveying county-level ethnic program specialists in the decentralized California state system, the study identified strategies considered effective for reaching African…

"Child Care Health Connections" is a bimonthly newsletter published by the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP), a community-based program of the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, Department of Family Health Care Nursing. The goals of the newsletter are to promote and support a healthy and safe environment…

This report details concerns of specific Asian and Pacific American Communities and examines the degree to which government agencies at federal state, and local levels have made efforts to resolve these problems, or, in some cases, contribute to them. The study deals with educational opportunities afforded Chinese American youth; housing and…