A World Health Organization report concerning strategies for promoting communication and collaboration between and within the health and educational systems is presented. Changes that are needed to increase communication and collaboration are identified separately for the health services system and the health manpower training system. In addition…

Assesses the complex problem of infant deaths in America and reviews the policy options before the nation. High infant mortality rates have been attributed to population heterogeneity, poverty, or differences in the way health services are organized. Links health policy issues to the larger issue of social and economic equity. (AF)

A study of Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia) medical school primary care residency graduates (n=200) and other specialty graduates (n=371) suggests that the institution's policy of requiring first-year residencies in small community health services may cause more graduates, both primary care and specialists, to choose rural practice locations.…

This publication is a compilation of papers presented at an April 1994 workshop sponsored by the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health and the Bureau-funded Johns Hopkins Child and Adolescent Health Policy Center (CAHPC). The papers are as follows: (1) "Defining the Issues and Planning for Change: Health Care Systems,…

Pediatricians can play a role in promoting family literacy. Boston City Hospital has developed a model program that integrates family literacy into pediatric primary care, and has designed a program of research to evaluate its effects. The program has three components. In the waiting room, volunteers model for parents how to listen, question,…

Outcomes data from seven medical schools with successful special programs to increase the rural physician work force identify three core features: a strong institutional mission, targeted selection of students likely to practice in rural areas, and a focus on primary care, especially family practice. Rural residency programs should collaborate…

Preparation for rural medical practice is adequate in the areas of clinical knowledge and procedural skills, but to increase the retention of rural physicians, more curricular emphasis is needed in the areas of sensitivity to rural social issues, counseling, networking, and fostering self-confidence to function effectively in an environment with…

This publication contains five reports of task groups charged with helping the State University of New York (SUNY) develop specific action agendas for the coming decade and the year 2000. These reports flow from the SUNY 2000 vision of becoming a significantly greater player in helping meet the needs of the state in economic development,…

A discussion of the influence of finances on students' decisions to enter medicine or pursue low-paying careers in primary care or clinical investigation looks at three factors: medical school costs, the magnitude of student indebtedness, and the effects of indebtedness on career choice. (Author/MSE)

Recognizing the needs, deficiencies, and diversity of school health services is prerequisite to any analysis of need. More uniform programs and more equitable access for all school children to whatever minimal standard of health services should be provided: periodic examination, some limited medical care on the school grounds, intensive health…

Community Health Aides and Community Health Practitioners (CHA/Ps), the primary providers of healthcare in rural Alaska, share the importance of story as a culturally respectful way for creating meaning and broadening understanding. Story is woven into the fabric of cancer education courses for CHA/Ps. Between May 2004 and April 2007, 13 week-long…

This report by the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) discusses SUNY's "greatest challenge"--that is, the goal of becoming "a more significant player" in meeting New York State's needs in five crucial areas, namely, economic development, environmental conservation, health, public elementary and secondary…

In this document, the West Virgina Higher Education Policy Commission provides a statistical evaluation of enrollment rates, academic achievement, scholarships and loans, training, and recruitment of students at major health sciences and rural health schools in West Virginia. Some of the highlights from this 2005 Report Card include: (1) Almost…

It is proposed that medical schools recruit students from rural areas, have them choose family practice, and train them in rural settings. Specific recommendations for improving content and context of rural medical care education are made, including merging internal medicine, family practice, and pediatrics as a single primary care specialty.…

Reviews evidence on the state of health of the nation's children and youth, identifying common health problems. Findings indicate the need for policies placing priority on the delivery of primary care services and status measures that reflect the interrelationships among health problems and the impairments associated with them. (SLD)