Health Services Research Commons^™

Health Insurance Patterns Among Latinos In Comparative Perspective 2004 — 2007, Rachael Varra

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the rates at which the four major racial/ethnic groups in the United States — Latinos, non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks and Asians — lacked health insurance from 2004- 2006 in the U.S. overall and in the ten states with the largest Latino populations: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia.

Methods: The “lack of insurance data” in this report were derived from Health Statistics Data obtained by the Center for Disease Control from 2004 to 2006. In September 2008 these data became available by race, age and ethnicity/race on a …

Early Childhood Summit On Comprehensive Services For Homeless Children And Their Families, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office, Head Start State Training And Technical Assistance Office For Nevada, Nevada Public Health Foundation

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

On October 23, 2009 the Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office in partnership with the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Head Start State Training and Technical Assistance Office for Nevada and the Nevada Public Health Foundation sponsored the Early Childhood Summit on Comprehensive Services for Homeless Children and Their Families. The Summit brought together 142 professionals working with homeless children and families in Nevada from a variety of different organizations and backgrounds. The goal of the summit was to discuss the problem of families experiencing homelessness and offer solutions to professionals in how to better serve these populations.

Duration Of Untreated Psychosis & Long-Term Outcome Of First Episode, Hospitalized Schizophrenia: Search For A Missing Link In A Linear Correlation, Amresh Srivastava, Nilesh Shah, Meghana Thakar, Larry Stitt, Gurusamy Chinnasamye

Amresh Srivastava

Duration of untreated psychosis & Long-term outcome of First episode, hospitalized schizophrenia: Search for a missing link in a linear correlation Amresh Shrivastavaa,*, Nilesh Shahb, Meghana Thakarc, Larry Stittd, Gurusamy Chinnasamye a Excecutive Director , Mental Health Foundation of India (PRERANA Charitable trust) and Silver Mind Hospital, 209 Shivkripa Complex, Gokhale Road, Thane, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 400 602, Currently: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, The University of western Ontario, & associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario,Canada, E Mail : amresh.edu@gmail.com b Professor of Psychiatry LTMG Hospital, University of Mumbai, Sion, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 400 022 c Clinical psychologist, Silver …

A Community Benefit Reporting Toolkit For Critical Access Hospitals, John A. Gale Ms, Melanie Race Ms

Rural Hospitals (Flex Program)

No abstract provided.

It's Your Life: Building Connections Through Work - Project Summary Report, Sherrie Winton Med

Disability & Aging

This report gives a detailed description of It's Your Life: Building Connections Through Work project from design, to implementation and evaluation of the workshop sessions. It is our hope that you enjoy learning about this project and that professionals working in the rehabilitation field continue to seek out opportunities to provide co-training models, partnering with adults with disabilities to train their peers.

Profiling Maine’S Long Term Support System [Project Brief], Eileen Griffin Jd

Disability & Aging

A recent report by the Muskie School and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services provides a new way of looking at the state’s long term support system. With an emphasis on developing a common approach for description and analysis across programs, the profile reveals that users of long term services and supports in Maine span all age groups and types of service users. In fact, 28% are ages 17 or younger and 29% are between the age of 35 and 64. Long term service users include people with physical impairments, cognitive and intellectual disabilities, and people who need …

Community Demographics And Access To Care Among Us Hispanics, Carole Gresenz, J. Rogowski, Jose Escarce

Carole Roan Gresenz

No abstract provided.

Public Health H1n1 Response Research Protocol, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

This research protocol was developed to analyze local variation in the public health response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak in the United States. The protocol was fielded in North Carolina and Kentucky through practice-based research networks (PBRNs) operating in these states.

Opportunities For Comparative Research In Public Health Pbrns: A Baseline Analysis Of Local Practice Settings, Glen P. Mays, Sharla A. Smith

Glen Mays

This anaysis describes the organizational and operational characteristics of local public health agencies participating in an initial cohort of five (5) public health PBRNs in the U.S. We examine variation in practice settings within and between PBRNs; compare practice settings to state and national norms; and identify opportunities for comparative research that can be conducted through PBRNs

Opportunities For Comparative Research In Public Health Pbrns : A Baseline Analysis Of Local Practice Settings, Glen P. Mays, Sharla A. Smith, Elaine B. Wootten, Sylvia J. Porchia

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This analysis describes the organizational and operational characteristics of local public health agencies participating in an initial cohort of five (5) public health PBRNs in the U.S. We examine variation in practice settings within and between PBRNs; compare practice settings to state and national norms; and identify opportunities for comparative research that can be conducted through PBRNs.

State Report Of Unmet Needs For Quarter 3 Fy '09 (Jan- Mar '09), Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Isp Indicators / Combined Report, Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Overview Of Mapping Applications In Health Research, Helen Hemminger Mmhs

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Gender Differences In Presenting And Prodromal Stroke Symptoms, Eileen Stuart-Shor, Gregory A. Wellenius, Donna Dello Iacono, Murray A. Mittleman

Eileen Stuart-Shor

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Prompt recognition of stroke symptoms is critical to timely treatment and women have increased delay to treatment. Women may be more likely to present with atypical symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been extensively evaluated.

METHODS: We examined gender differences in the prevalence of presenting and prodromal stroke symptoms among 1107 consecutive patients hospitalized with neurologist-confirmed acute ischemic stroke. Patient demographics, clinical variables, and stroke symptoms were abstracted from medical records by trained abstractors using standardized forms. Estimates were age-standardized to the age distribution of men and women combined. Presenting symptoms occurred within 24 hours of incident …

Elder Abuse: A Policy Analysis, Cortni Davis

Undergraduate Research Conference

Elder abuse is a growing social problem in the United States. It takes on many forms, and is prevalent throughout various cultures. Elder Abuse Reporting Laws have been enacted throughout various states to prevent and intervene in elder abuse cases. California’s Financial Abuse Reporting Act of 2005 is one among many laws in the United States which was formed to help ensure social justice for the elderly citizens of America.

Nevada Medicaid And Check Up Programs: Barriers To Enrollment And Utilization, The Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Denise Tanata Ashby, Jennifer Waddoups, Tara Phebus

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

This study offers only a brief look at some of the barriers Nevada children and families face with Medicaid and Nevada Check Up. Strengthening the Medicaid and Nevada Check Up programs is vital to improving children’s health care access and utilization in Nevada. By developing and implementing legislation to improve public health insurance coverage, access, and utilization in Nevada, policymakers can ensure a brighter, happier, and healthier future for Nevada’s children and families.

Initial Research And Evaluation Concepts For Public Health Pbrns, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

Initial research and evaluation activities of the Public Health PBRN Program are intended to provide a descriptive characterization of networks during their early stages of development. This descriptive ‘network analysis’ will provide a baseline for tracking changes in network structure and function over time. The information generated through these activities is intended to be useful for a variety of audiences, including current grantees and others interested in developing or expanding public health PBRNs, as well as policy and practice stakeholders interested in using the evidence and insight to be produced through PBRNs.

Breast Cancer Survival In Ontario And California, 1998-2006: Socioeconomic Inequity Remains Much Greater In The United States, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

This study re-examined the differential effect of socioeconomic status on the survival of women with breast cancer in Canada and the United States. Ontario and California cancer registries provided 1,913 cases from urban and rural places. Stage-adjusted cohorts (1998-2000) were followed until 2006. Socioeconomic data were taken from population censuses. SES-survival associations were observed in California, but not in Ontario, and Canadian survival advantages in low-income areas were replicated. A better controlled and updated comparison reaffirmed the equity advantage of Canadian health care.

Breast Cancer Survival In Canada And The Usa: Meta-Analytic Evidence Of A Canadian Advantage In Low-Income Areas, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

BACKGROUND: This study tested the hypothesis that relatively poor Canadian women with breast cancer have a survival advantage over their counterparts in the USA.

METHODS: Seventy-eight independent retrospective cohort (incidence between 1984 and 2000, followed until 2006) outcomes were synthesized. Fixed effects meta-regression models compared women with breast cancer in low-income areas of Canada and the USA.

RESULTS: Low-income Canadian women were advantaged on survival [rate ratio (RR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-1.15] and their advantage was even larger among women <65 years of age who are not yet eligible for Medicare coverage in the USA (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.18-1.24). Canadian advantages were also larger for node positive breast cancer, which may present with greater clinical and managerial discretion (RR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.30-1.50), and smaller when Hawaii, the state providing the most Canadian-like access, was the US comparator (RR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.20).

CONCLUSIONS: More inclusive health care insurance coverage in Canada vs the USA, particularly among each country's relatively …

Wait Times For Surgical And Adjuvant Radiation Treatment Of Breast Cancer In Canada And The United States: Greater Socioeconomic Inequity In America, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

PURPOSE: The demand for cancer care has increased among aging North American populations as cancer treatment innovations have proliferated. Gaps between supply and demand may be growing. This study examined whether socioeconomic status has a differential effect on waits for surgical and adjuvant radiation treatment (RT) of breast cancer in Canada and the US.

METHODS: Ontario and California cancer registries provided 929 and 984 breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2000 in diverse urban and rural places. Residence-based socioeconomic data were taken from censuses. Cancer care variables were reliably abstracted from health records: stage, receipt of surgery and RT, …

Associations Of Physician Supplies With Breast Cancer Stage At Diagnosis And Survival In Ontario, 1988 To 2006, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

BACKGROUND: The authors examined whether the supply of primary care physicians had protective effects on breast cancer stage and survival in Ontario and whether supply losses during the 1990s were associated with diminished protection.

METHODS: Random samples of the Ontario Cancer Registry, respectively, provided 879 women and 951 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1988 and 1990 (followed until 1996) and 1998 and 2000 (followed until 2006), respectively. Active physician supply data (1991 and 2001) joined to each woman's census division of residence was taken from the Scott's Medical Database.

RESULTS: Protective thresholds were observed among the earlier …

Maximizing Utilization Of Research, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Operations research (OR) can only be judged successful if results are utilized for making decisions to strengthen RH/FP policies and service delivery. How can this best be achieved? How can both process and impact of OR be measured? Drawing from ten years of FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health OR experience, a number of key principles for promoting research utilization, illustrated with documented examples, are presented here. One important first step is clarifying terms used, almost interchangeably, in research utilization, as it incorporates a range of ways in which research can be used for making decisions to strengthen RH/FP policies and programs. …

Capacity Building: Creating A Culture Of Evidence-Based Decisionmaking, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

For research to have significant impact, it is important to have not only trained individuals and institutions capable of conducting research, but also program managers and donors who believe in making decisions based on evidence. The focus on fostering research utilization through capacity building has been a major contribution of the FRONTIERS legacy. The FRONTIERS capacity-building initiative began in 1999 in response to the need for developing-country partners and institutions to conduct research, understand study findings, and develop policies and programs based on evidence. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing major lessons learned in research conducted under the …

2009 Legislative Briefing Book, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Unlv, School Of Public Health, The Children’S Advocacy Alliance, Southern Nevada Area Health Education Center, Denise Tanata Ashby, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Jennifer Waddoups

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The purpose of the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) Legislative Briefing Book is to provide a quick snapshot of some of the most pressing issues facing Nevada’s children in order to provide advocates and policymakers with a stepping stone in creating positive changes to improve the lives of Nevada’s children. While this book will not cover every issue facing our children, it is intended to highlight those of greatest concern, covering issues in education, health, safety and security, and the juvenile justice system. Diligent efforts need to be made during the 2009 Legislative Session to improve policies, …

Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Bill Draft Requests - 2009 Nv Legislative Session, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Reports

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Bill Draft Requests - 2009 NV Legislative Session

Start-Up Activities For Public Health Pbrns, Glen Mays

Glen Mays

Launching a successful public health practice-based research network requires a planned approach to developing the necessary infrastructure, relationships, and scientific direction.

Policy Issues Affecting Maine’S Hospitals, John A. Gale Ms, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs

Rural Hospitals (Flex Program)

Legislators and other policymakers will be continually challenged to balance the needs of hospitals for appropriate reimbursement and oversight with supporting their provision of important services to local communities.

Gender And Reproductive Health Services: Putting Gender Perspective Into Practice, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Promoting gender equity is widely acknowledged as important for improving reproductive health (RH) programs, as gender shapes all aspects of RH service delivery. Thus promoting gender equity—fairness and justice in responsibilities and access to benefits for women, men, girls, and boys—is a major goal for RH programs. But how can programs operationalize the concept of gender perspective when delivering family planning (FP) and other RH services? What impact does this have on use and effectiveness? FRONTIERS projects have improved understanding of the impact of gender issues on RH and have helped identify effective actions for incorporating gender perspective into services. …

Test Of A Multidisciplinary Health Behavior Model Of Medicare Elders' Antihypertensive Acquisitions, Ann Marie Kopitzke

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examined the relative utility of the enhanced Health Belief Model as compared to the proposed Pharmaceutical Acquisition Model for Medicare Elders (PAMME) in describing antihypertensive acquisition with usage intentions for Medicare elders (65 years or older) in Southeastern Virginia. Data collection included record reviews to identify hypertensive Medicare elders. Consenting Medicare elders were randomly selected for invitation, with consenting Medicare elders contacted by telephone or in-person interviews. The survey instrument utilized open and closed ended questions. The target population for this study is Southeastern Virginia Medicare elders enrolled in a Part D plan and prescribed at least one …

Financial Sustainability Of Reproductive Health Services—Understanding Costs: An Essential Skill In Reproductive Health Programs, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Reproductive health (RH) services remain a low priority for most developing country health programs and face continuing reductions in donor funding and competition from other priorities, such as HIV and malaria. Thus, it is important to understand the costs of interventions and to compare them with existing or alternative service-delivery strategies. FRONTIERS studies provide important lessons about measuring costs and effectiveness of public and nongovernmental programs, planning for costing during scale-up, and improving understanding of issues influencing financial sustainability. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing major lessons learned in research conducted under the FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health Program. …