Providing access to high-quality health services for all people is a national problem further compounded when the focus is mental health. Long-term primary prevention strategies and solutions, foundational to best practices in public health, are often considered at odds with short-term profit-driven private sector approaches within the…

It is widely estimated that approximately 25% of school age youth face mental and behavioral health challenges. The vast majority of these youth are insufficiently treated, leaving them vulnerable to negative school outcomes such as attendance, behavioral, and academic problems. One common barrier to treatment is a lack of access to appropriate…

Background: Little is known about access to medicine among immigrant Latinos in the United States (US). This study explored access to, and use of, prescription drugs obtained from nonmedical sources among recently arrived, Spanish-speaking immigrant Latinos in rural North Carolina (NC). Methods: Our community-based participatory research…

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS) among families involved with youth mental health services. Methods: Using NCFAS data collected by child mental health intake workers with 158 families, factor analysis was conducted to assess factor structure, and…

Young adolescents, age 10-15 years, have increasing psychosocial and biomedical health care needs, yet are some of the lowest users of conventional health services. In eastern North Carolina, school-based health centers (SBHCs) provide primary health care to thousands of school-age children in the most rural, medically underserved areas. SBHCs…

A 1991 survey of 135 school districts and 6 specialty schools in North Carolina obtained data on the performance of specific health-related procedures in the school setting. Results indicated a patchwork approach to meeting students' special health care needs, with school personnel, parents, and health professionals all coordinating and performing…

This is a statistical survey of children in the South, designed for the use of public policy makers, child advocates, and human service specialists. Section one presents a general demographic overview that includes birth rates, migration and growth trends, and racial distribution. The second section provides statistics on living arrangements,…