The vast majority of the 220,000 Canadians who die each year, principally of old age and progressive ill health, do not have access to specialized hospice or palliative care. Hospice and palliative care programs are unevenly distributed across Canada, with existing programs limited in capacity and services varying considerably across programs.…

This guide presents an overview of Medicaid's health programs for children: the Early and Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. Written primarily for Head Start Programs that are interested in increasing access to preventive and treatment services for their Medicaid-eligible children, the purpose of this guide is to…

Focuses upon the role of social work and the social worker within the health care system. Favors a team approach to health care, with medical professionals, social workers, and patients all playing important roles. Emphasizes health education and health planning as future domains of social service practitioners. (GC)

This study measured levels of self-reported social need in a sample of 684 veterans seen in four primary care clinics of a large Veterans Affairs health care system, using the Social Needs Checklist, and calculated levels of social work staffing to meet these needs. Data were obtained on the presence and severity of 15 areas of social needs,…

Health policy researchers have long been interested in the extent to which the provision of formal supports replaces or undermines the informal support system. This study examined the linkages between the formal and informal support system as they are mediated by a health care setting which readily provides patients with access to social services.…

Health insurance is one of the essential enabling resources to gain access to medical care and ultimately increase health status. Over 11 million or one quarter of the nation's uninsured individuals are eligible for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but are not enrolled. Interviews with 368 individuals from 1999…

A former Federal official holds that a national health insurance program is the most comprehensive way to provide physical and mental health care for the elderly, but considers various cost-saving options within the current system. Also stresses the need to integrate older adults into the productive sector of American society. (AOS)

Many older adults are in need of care. Therefore, older people would generally benefit from the use of caring services, notably including home care, residential care, nursing, and medical services. The contributory factors underlying caring services tend to be a caring perspective that aspires to sustain older people's social relationships and…

This report describes clients served by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) from July 1990 through June 1991. The report lists the number of clients served in ten DSHS programs--broken down by county--and the direct service dollars spent on those clients. Researchers also grouped the clients by age and by…

Analyzes demographic and health trends during the Reagan years. Describes the current nature of health care, federal role, effects of the fiscal crisis on health policy, and repercussions of deregulation of the health-care industry. Presents issues that need to be addressed to prevent severe fragmentation of health care. (MW)

This paper discusses how the health care needs of underserved children, particularly urban children, can be met through an ecological model of health care. Ecoprimary care, infant mortality, and the experiences of King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles (California), an example of maximization of resources, are described. (SLD)

The gap in the quality of life between elderly blacks and elderly whites must be closed through the joint efforts of individuals; religious and community organizations; political institutions and the private sector. Solutions are especially needed in urban areas where the minority participation rate in supportive service programs is low and…

The basic needs and services that the vast masses of the population in developing countries must have to improve their quality of life are examined. Chapter 1 of nine chapters discusses implications of rapid population growth for social and economic planning. Rapid population growth in the developing countries is discussed in chapter 2. Food…

Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, and Cheatham counties of Tennessee were the setting for a study that sought to determine the types of health and social services provided to residents of rural areas and to assess the present status of the service delivery system. Interviews with both agency representatives and randomly selected household…

In 1985, the New York City Health Care for the Homeless Program began providing health care and social services to homeless people. The program seeks to provide care to those homeless people with the least access to services, reaching out to them in soup kitchens, shelters, and hotels. This paper summarizes what has been learned since 1985 about…