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Dietary Supplements And Structure-Function Claims: The Dysfunctional Structure Of Current Regulation, Matthew W. Lindsey

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Twenty percent of Americans report using one of the more than thirty thousand dietary supplement products generated by an estimated one thousand manufacturers, contributing to an industry exceeding twenty billion dollars globally. Fueled by increasing public interest in individual health, dietary supplement manufacturers in the United States (U.S.) continue to exploit the weaknesses in the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates these products. Dietary supplement manufacturers perpetuate the perceived safety of supplements through the advertisement of structure-function claims, which many consumers mistakenly assume to be the same as FDA-regulated health claims.

European Union Food Law Update, Emilie H. Leibovitch

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In June 2009, citizens of the European Union elected a new European Parliament. Some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were reelected while some were not. The majority party is the EPP, the Group of the European People's Party, and the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats has the second majority of the seats. The elections were still governed by the Treaty of Nice, since up until very recently, the future of the Treaty of Lisbon was still uncertain. The Treaty of Lisbon was up until now rejected by a few Member States, who, by their reluctance …

State Medicaid Coverage Of Perinatal Services: Summary Of State Survey Findings, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa A Cox, Lauren Doamekpor

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effective Target Of The Social Security Disability Benefits Reform Act Of 1984, Perry Douglas Singleton

Center for Policy Research

A substantial portion of the rise in Social Security Disability Insurance rolls since 1984 has been attributed to the Social Security Disability Benefits Reform Act. Using data from the National Health Insurance Survey, I examine whom the act effectively targeted. The analysis shows that new enrollees were demonstrably taller than previous enrollees, suggesting that the act expanded eligibility to individuals in better health and socioeconomic circumstances. However, the estimated effect of increased SSDI eligibility on employment is low, suggesting that the act targeted males who would have otherwise been unemployed.

Health Care Fraud, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Nancy Lopez, Scott Stifler

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Adequate safeguards against health care fraud are essential to the proper functioning of any health care system. This analysis examines health care fraud in the U.S., and its findings underscore the importance to national health reform of comprehensive anti-fraud protections covering both public and private health insurance industry. This analysis, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines health care fraud in a national policy context.

Planning For Pedestrians And Bicyclists In North Carolina., Kelly R. Evenson, Semra Aytur, Daniel A. Rodriguez, Sara B. Satinsky

Health Management & Policy

Over the past decade, as obesity has continued to rise among both youth and adults, interest has grown in developing policies to promote community environments that support healthy lifestyles.1 A broad range of local, regional, state, and federal policies under the rubrics of active living, smart growth, and sustainable development share the underlying assumption that they can help people make healthier choices. From a transportation planning perspective, the benefits of pedestrian and bicycle plans resulting from the building of infrastructure to support pedestrian and bicycle travel include improved health (for example, through increased levels of physical activity and reduced obesity), …

Cool Head, Warm Heart: Governance And The Mission Of Microfinance In The Case Of Mc2 Micro-Banks, Cameroon, Claire Ruffing

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The concept of a cool head and a warm heart co-existing is a Buddhist principle which attempts to illustrate compassion and pragmatism as mutually compatible, not mutually exclusive. Without intelligent management, compassion is lost in its ineffectiveness, and without compassion, intelligence is purposeless reason. This equilibrium is exactly the vision of microfinance that drives this paper: an important social and moral idea that is nevertheless affected by the world and environment in which it operates. By examining the governance mechanisms affecting microfinance in Cameroon, namely the Ministry of Finance and the management structure of the firms themselves, an idea emerges …

Understanding Human Services Utilization: Opportunities For Data Sharing Between Federally Funded Programs, Nancy C. Shank

Nancy Shank Publications

In communities across the United States, social service clients face uncoordinated systems of care and delays in services when their information cannot easily be shared among providers. Social service agencies face challenges in sharing information on clients and services between disparate information systems and inefficiencies when multiple, stand-alone systems are used to satisfy operational, funding, or reporting requirements.

This cataloging project arose from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) interest to document standards that may be of relevance to its community partners, particularly those partners working to support local homeless, housing, and community development activities and build …

The Limits Of Paternalism: A Case Study Of Welfare Reform In Wisconsin, Thomas S. Moore, Swarnjit S. Arora

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper uses a pooled sample constructed from the Food Stamp Quality Control data for the fiscal years 1993 to 2006 to assess the effects of welfare reform upon the employment, earnings, income, and poverty trends among poor, single-mother families, both in Wisconsin and nationwide. It finds that the employment and earnings gains of the Wisconsin families exceed those of comparable families nationwide. However, there has been no significant change in the average income of the Wisconsin families, and the number of extremely poor families has increased more rapidly in Wisconsin than in the country as a whole. These findings …

The Built Environment, Neighborhood Safety, And Physical Activity Among Low Income Children, Jessica Greene, Debbie Daniel

TREC Final Reports

There is a growing body of evidence that environmental factors are related to physical activity and active modes of transportation. There is a separate body of research that links neighborhood safety to physical activity. This study used a cross sectional telephone survey of 801 parents/guardians of low income children in Florida to bridge these literatures and examine the independent relationship of the built environment and neighborhood safety on childrens' physical activity.

In multivariate regression models we find that neighborhood safety is a more consistent predictor of low income childrens' physical activity. In neighborhoods where parents reported that there was a …

Food Stamp Participation Among Adult-Only Households, David C. Ribar, Marilyn J. Edelhoch, Qiduan Liu

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Several recent changes in the Food Stamp Program have been directed toward households without children. Some, including new work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), were intended to promote self-sufficiency, while others, including easier application and recertification procedures, were intended to increase participation among underserved groups, such as the disabled and the elderly. Despite their relevance to policymakers, adult-only households have been examined by only a few studies. We use administrative records from South Carolina and event-history methods to investigate how spells of food stamp participation for adult-only households vary with ABAWD provisions, recertification intervals, economic conditions and other …

Health Center Data Warehouses: Opportunities And Challenges For Quality Improvement, A. Seiji Hayashi, Emily Jones, David M. Stevens, Peter Shin, Brad Finnegan, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

This Policy Research Brief reports on a pilot effort to leverage the growing presence of health center data warehouses to advance health care quality improvement through data sharing and exchange. This project builds on a partnership between the Michigan Primary Care Association and The George Washington University's Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative that centers on developing approaches to using existing health center data for quality improvement.

The Ifi And Eu Peace Ii Fund: Respondents’ Perceptions Of Funded Project Success In Promoting Peacebuilding And Community Development In Northern Ireland, Sean Byrne, Chuck Thiessen, Eyob Fissuh, Cynthia Irvin

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article examines the views of ninety-eight study participants on community development and peacebuilding supported by the European Union (EU) Peace II Fund and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI). We elaborate the perceptions of community group leaders, funding agency civil servants and development officers regarding the role of both funds in Northern Ireland. Their experiences of the EU Peace II Fund and the IFI are discussed in the wider context of peacebuilding and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. Furthermore, this article explores the importance of community development and cross-community contact through joint economic and social development …

Transferring Community-Based, Active Transportation Gis Assessment Tools Nationwide, Marc Schlossberg, Nico Larco

TREC Final Reports

“Livability” has recently been declared one of four top priorities by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the USDOT, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have entered into an historic partnership to address the issue. Ultimately, this term refers to the quality of life within one’s community and the ease, comfort, and joy with which one can access places he or she want to go. For most Americans, their neighborhoods have been designed to predominantly accommodate the automobile, and more active forms of transportation such as walking and …

Emergency Department Operations In Top-Performing Safety-Net Hospitals, Lea Nolan, Marsha Regenstein, Donna Anthony, Bruce Siegel

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This report profiles five safety-net hospitals—Boston Medical Center, Denver Health, Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West, and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System—that made improvements to curb emergency department (ED) crowding, reduce long waits, and lower the number of hours spent on ambulance diversion. Hospitals used a combination of interventions, including: reconfiguring the ED to maximize efficiency; devising a pre-diversion system to alert staff of ED crowding; installing an electronic tracking system; designating staff members to be responsible for tracking patients; and developing meaningful performance metrics. To be successful, such interventions need to take place within a broader improvement strategy that …

Community Health Centers In Indiana: State Investments And Returns, Avi Dor, Patrick Richard, Ellen Tan, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Peter Shin, Lee Repasch

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Indiana Community Health Centers (I-CHC), including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and State Funded Health Centers (SFHCs), play a vital role in caring for the state's most vulnerable populations. Although their patient base tends to be poorer and experience greater health challenges than the general population, these health centers have generated substantial health care savings while providing high quality, low cost care. In this brief, key findings are presented from a recent study, conducted for the Indiana State Department of Health by GWU faculty and staff that was designed to estimate the cost savings and benefits generated by the state's …

Strategy Research On The Problems Of Newlandocean Logistics Company, Lubin Liu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study On Opmtimizing The Cold Chain Logistic System In China, Huizhong Chen

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Focal Point, Volume 23 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point highlights a number of successful and innovative efforts to promote youth voice and youth empowerment. Many of the articles are authored by or include contributions from youth who are directly involved in the featured programs.

Improving Medicaid's Continuity Of Coverage And Quality Of Care, Leighton C. Ku, Patricia Mactaggart, Fouad Pervez, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to tens of millions of low-income children, parents, seniors and people with disabilities. Unfortunately, Medicaid enrollment is like a leaky sieve; every year millions of people enroll, only to subsequently lose their coverage, despite still being eligible, because of inefficient and cumbersome paperwork requirements. The interruptions in coverage affect the continuity and effectiveness of health care received. Interruptions also impair quality monitoring and improvement activities because many Medicaid enrollees were not enrolled long enough to assess the quality of their care. The presumption is that people who have been enrolled for less than a year …

Complexity, Cofactors, And The Failure Of Aids Policy In Africa, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

Global AIDS policy still treats HIV as an exceptional case, abstracting from the context in which infection occurs. Policy is based on a simplistic theory of HIV causation, and evaluated using outdated tools of health economics. Recent calls for a health systems strategy – preventing and treating HIV within a programme of comprehensive health care – have not yet influenced the silo approach of AIDS policy.

Evidence continues to accumulate, showing that multiple factors, such as malnutrition, malaria and helminthes, increase the risk of sexual and vertical transmission of HIV. Moreover, complementary interventions that reduce viral load, improve immune response, …

Politics, Policies, And Poverty In Latin America, Jennifer Pribble, Evelyne Huber, John D. Stephens

Political Science Faculty Publications

Why do Latin American countries exhibit stark differences in their ability to protect citizens from falling into poverty? Analysis of poverty levels measured by ECLAC in eighteen countries shows that political factors-including the democratic record, long-term weight of left-of-center parties in the legislature, and investment in human capital-are significant and substantively important determinants of poverty. These findings contribute to the growing literature that emphasizes the importance of regime form, parties, and policies for a variety of outcomes in Latin America, despite the weaknesses of democracy and the pathologies of some parties and party systems in the region.

Healing The Work Place: Wellness Initiative Programs For The City Of Marietta., Odulesi Ololade

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Due to the increase in health care costs and its impact on both employers and employees, the City of Marietta is interested in the wellness programs and how it can be implemented because they serve as good alternatives to reducing health care costs. Thus my main project is to research on the wellness programs, their implementation in other cities, how successful they were and to analyze their cost/benefit and cost-effectiveness in the cities of Lagrange and Atlanta.

Wellness programs consist of a combination of activities designed to increase awareness, assess risks, educate and promote voluntary behavior change to improve the …

Office Of Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, Justin Mullis

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

During the spring semester of 2009 I was fortunate to receive an internship at the office of Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, splitting time between his legislative office, and campaign office. The majority of my time however was spent at his campaign office as a policy advisor to the campaign as well as constituent liaison. It was decided that in order for my previous work experience to be used most effectively that I would be better suited in this compasity. My previous work experience consists of previously serving as a legislative aide with the Georgia House of Representatives majority caucus office …

Georgia's Health Safety Net: A Model Of Excellence: The Good Samaritan Health Center, Erin Hiers

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The state of Georgia continues to struggle with the large amount of people who lack the ability to obtain healthcare when needed. Over a million Georgians have no health insurance, and face a variety of barriers to receiving healthcare. There are many layers to Georgia’s safety net, where each clinic provides primary care in certain areas to a specific population in need. One active member in Georgia’s safety net clinic system is The Good Samaritan Health Center, a privately funded, not for profit 501 (c) 3 organization. The center provides dependable, full-time healthcare for Atlanta’s indigent, working poor, uninsured, and …

Native American Healthcare Needs Assessment: Omaha And Lincoln, Nebraska, Final Report, R. K. Piper, Donna Polk-Primm, Boris Morozov, Loren Ditsch, Jerry Deichert

Past Publications

This executive summary of the final report documents the major findings of an assessment of needs conducted for the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition (NUIHC). The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the problems and unmet healthcare needs of Native American populations in Nebraska’s Douglas and Lancaster counties (approximately 3,700 persons) using a community-based model and innovative data-gathering technology.

An extensive social and health needs questionnaire was developed and delivered to targeted samples of adult, urban Native American populations at least 19 years of age, at community meetings held in Omaha and Lincoln during October-December …

Women's Health And Health Care Reform: The Economic Burden Of Disease In Women, Susan F. Wood, Avi Dor, Rebekah E. Gee, Alison Harms, D. Richard Mauery, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Ellen Tan

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This report estimates the direct and indirect costs of care for women for the major chronic diseases and conditions that women face across the lifespan. It also identifies the key primary care and preventive services that can lead to prevention, early detection or early intervention for these conditions. Health care screening, counseling, early diagnosis, and early intervention health care services are important for women at each stage of their lives. But women typically seek care in primary care settings for family planning services and cancer screening prior to becoming pregnant. As a result, high quality care during the reproductive years …

Health Insurance Fraud: An Overview, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Nancy Lopez, Scott Stifler

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

In 2007, the U.S. spent nearly $2.3 trillion on health care and public and private insurers processed more than 4 billion health insurance claims. The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) has estimated that, conservatively, 3% of all health care spending—or $68 billion—is lost to health care fraud. Other estimates by government and law enforcement agencies place fraud-related losses as high as 10% of annual health care spending; at this rate, the losses in 2007 alone – over $220 billion – would have been enough to cover the uninsured.

This report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, delves into …

Medicaid And Case Management To Promote Healthy Child Development, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Kay Johnson, Emily Jones, Anne R. Markus

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This policy brief presents options for financing and delivering case management services to low-income and special-needs children in Medicaid. The analysis builds on a literature review of case management, a review of the legal underpinnings of Medicaid case management, and consultation with experts in the fields of health care finance and program operations. It aims to inform the policy community about the importance of case management for assuring the health and development of our youngest and most vulnerable children.

Science Education Policy For Emergency, Conflict, And Post-Conflict: An Analysis Of Trends And Implications For The Science Education Program In Uganda, Betty Pacutho Udongo

Dissertations

This study analyzes the impact of armed conflicts on the development of education policy and particularly science education program in Uganda. Since independence from the British colonial rule, Uganda has experienced a series of armed conflicts, with the most devastating being the 21 years of conflict in Northern Uganda.

The research study was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the level of government funding towards improving science education program in Uganda? (2) Have recent initiatives, such as free Primary and Secondary education, compulsory science, and 75% sponsorship for science-based courses, had a measurable impact on the proportion of …