Background: This paper considers some economic aspects of a therapy and support service for people with stroke and aphasia. This material was part of a broader evaluation of the service, which is reported elsewhere (van der Gaag et al. 2005, van der Gaag and Mowles 2005). Aims: The purpose of this part of the study was to investigate the…

Problems of access to health care facing Appalachia mountain communities are confounded by unemployment, poverty, low education, and local religious beliefs that barrier people from receiving medical care. This proceedings addresses the issues related to health access and health needs. It contains 20 papers and 12 synopses of presentation. The…

Discusses a study of Blacks who shifted from exclusive use of modern orthodox medical care to use of an alternative natural system of health care known as naprapathy. Suggests that conversion to regular use of naprapathy involves a sequential, dynamic, and reflective experiential process. (Author/MJL)

A concern is raised about the criterion for the interpretation of certain throat culture tests. (JD)

The course of an epidemic of mycoplasma pneumoniae on a college campus is traced. (JD)

Twenty-nine Alabama optometric practices were studied using an optometrist survey, one-week patient flow analysis, and audit of patient records. Results indicate some special facets of the rural practices that may require a different kind of educational preparation. (MSE)

Discussion of decision making focuses on a study that was conducted to examine how policymakers at the local community level use social science information in making decisions. The use of social science information and other information sources in two communities examining health care issues is described. (Contains 18 references.) (LRW)

Examines the relationship between communicative and organizational processes in the medical and financial screening steps of the patient intake process of an urban out-patient clinic. Case studies of conversational routines in medical intake show how these processes elicit and provide information in categories used to reconcile conflicting medical…

Reports on a study of the way children are provided for in Scandinavia and explores those aspects of the child-care system which are potentially adaptable to American needs. Topics include prenatal and health care, parental leave, home child care, and the cost of education. (IAH)

This report presents results and recommendations of a two-year study and information-gathering effort by the New Hampshire Task Force on Homelessness, in compliance with the charge of the State legislature. The report is comprised of five sections. Section 1, "Introduction," presents an overview of the Task Force and a report on the…

In California, school districts are categorized as public health screening centers and are required to have school doctors or school nurse practitioners provide complete physical examination services. A survey was conducted in a school district with an enrollment of about 12,000 students to determine parental attitudes toward this service, and…

In order to suggest policies aimed at preventing underutilization of early intervention services by typically underserved populations, this study reviewed the literature on utilization of health and social services, devised a generic model of service utilization, and examined the national distribution of several of the model's factors. The model…

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations held a public hearing to examine the effects of poverty on the hundreds of thousands of low income Blacks and Latinos under the age of 18 residing in Los Angeles County (California). The Commission's findings, recommendations, and concerns are presented. The following findings are presented: (1)…

In November 1987, a task force met to review the major organizational, structural, and policy-related issues for health care administration professionals related to the growing impact of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on the health care delivery system and to make recommendations on the training needs of persons within the health care…

This paper describes the effect of a person's social network upon his or her use of health services. A "social network" consists of complex strands of affiliations radiating from an individual to his/her close associates (kin and friends) and then to the larger society beyond. Health services include hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, and…