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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Maine’S Initiatives In Geriatric Medical Care: Commentary From The Front Lines, Cliff Singer, Roger Renfrew
Maine’S Initiatives In Geriatric Medical Care: Commentary From The Front Lines, Cliff Singer, Roger Renfrew
Maine Policy Review
Cliff Singer and Roger Renfrew write from their perspectives as medical practitioners and leaders in geriatric medicine to examine issues affecting health care and outcomes for older adults in Maine. Focusing on the acute and primary care systems, they highlight issues and policy recommendations they think are most urgent or helpful.
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Maine Policy Review
Incontrovertible evidence of the deadly impacts from both direct tobacco use and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke has led to the institution of smoking bans, first in indoor venues and, more recently, in some outdoor area. This article reviews the science behind smoking bans as well as the history and policy implications of smoking bans with an emphasis on the experience in Maine. As examples we focus on recent outdoor smoking bans in South Portland (parks and beaches) and smoke-free campus rules at a Maine hospital (Franklin Memorial Hospital) and a part of the University of Maine system (University of …
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Hunger and food insecurity is on the rise in Maine as are increases in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, all linked to food choices. Old and young, immigrant and native, rural and urban—Mainers are experiencing a food emergency made graver by the economic recession and rising health costs. Dora Anne Mills writes about “poor nutrition amidst plenty,” its causes, consequences, and the programs and policies that address it
Food Safety, Alfred A. Bushway, Beth Calder, Jason Bolton
Food Safety, Alfred A. Bushway, Beth Calder, Jason Bolton
Maine Policy Review
The authors describe the importance of food safety regulations and practices in this era of global food systems and illustrate some of the challenges facing Maine’s small food producers and processors.
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Maine Policy Review
Reducing children’s exposure to environmental toxins is important for both moral and economic reasons. Mary Davis discusses the economic impact of environmentally related childhood illnesses in Maine, focusing on disease categories with fairly strong evidence connecting environmental pollution to childhood diseases: lead poisoning, asthma, neurobehavioral disorders, and cancer. Lead poisoning and neurobehavioral conditions are the most expensive because they lead to chronic diseases that are largely incurable and not easily treated. She concludes that state funding for initiatives aimed at reducing childhood exposure to environmental pollutants “would be money well spent.”
Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham
Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham
Maine Policy Review
Research by the authors with parents, child care providers, and other service providers found that parents of children with special needs face particular challenges trying to maintain stable employment while balancing work and family. These parents have more difficulty finding and keeping child care for children with special needs, and there is a lack of coordination of therapy with child care programs. Since the study was completed, Maine has taken several steps to begin to address these issues
The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers
Maine Policy Review
Marjorie Withers presents a case study of rural Washington County, Maine, where community-agency partnerships are increasing services for community members and their children affected by exposure to drugs, alcohol, and other risk factors. The Community Caring Collaborative (CCC) is an effective model in part because of its structure. But most important, according to Withers, is the creation of hope and new energy in an area of the state characterized by longstanding feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.
Building On Mainecare’S Success, Lisa Pohlmann, Christine Hastedt
Building On Mainecare’S Success, Lisa Pohlmann, Christine Hastedt
Maine Policy Review
This commentary provides a particular viewpoint on MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program). Lisa Pohlmann and Christine Hastedt critique reform efforts in several states and emphasize the key role of MaineCare in the state’s overall health care system.
Taking A New Look At Mainecare, Paul Saucier
Taking A New Look At Mainecare, Paul Saucier
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s Medicaid program, called MaineCare, provides health care coverage to one in five state residents. Paul Saucier gives an overview of MaineCare’s services, eligibility categories, and financing. He discusses root causes of MaineCare’s continued expansion in breadth and cost, which has prompted reform proposals to rein in what many believe is unsustainable growth. Examining reform efforts in other states, Saucier cautions that we need to learn from these experiments. Finally, he raises important questions for policymakers related to MaineCare’s mission, its complexity, and the stability of its financing.
Mainecare—A Provider Prospective, Erik N. Steele
Mainecare—A Provider Prospective, Erik N. Steele
Maine Policy Review
Dr. Erik Steele in this commentary discusses MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) from a provider’s perspective. He suggests that delays and problems in the state’s reimbursement to providers have led to doubts about the state’s credibility both as a payer and as a health care systems change leader.
Solving Maine’S Health Care Crisis Requires “Tough Choices”, Wendy Wolf
Solving Maine’S Health Care Crisis Requires “Tough Choices”, Wendy Wolf
Maine Policy Review
Wendy Wolf’s commentary discusses the “tough choices” process which invited selected Maine citizens to participate in town hall meeting sessions to provide input on the state’s health plan. She notes that it was easier for participants to agree on health promotion and healthcare delivery processes than for them to make choices about how to pay for healthcare.
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Maine Policy Review
The rapid rise of prescription drug costs in the United States has triggered heated debate at the federal and state levels about how to control costs and expand access for those in need. In part, the United States finds itself in this situation because, unlike most countries throughout the world, the federal government thus far has refused to exact federal price restrictions on pharmaceutical products. James Carroll argues that this has left each state in the difficult position of trying to leverage lower costs and expanded access for its citizens. In this article, Carroll provides an overview of these attempts, …
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Maine Policy Review
In her commentary Deborah Cook, executive director of the Maine Small Business Alliance, discusses Dirigo Health from the viewpoint of small businesses, whose employees and families, along with the self-employed, represent the largest proportion of uninsured in Maine’s population. She notes that rising costs of health care and insurance are a major threat to the viability of small businesses.
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s health care system is in crisis. The state’s health care expenditures represent the third highest percentage of Gross Domestic Product in the nation; state health care spending is projected to top $11 billion per year, or $8,291 per person per year, over the next seven years; businesses in Maine pay 12-23% more for coverage than the national and New England state averages; and, the state’s uninsured and vulnerable populations continue to grow. In this article, Wendy Wolf charts the rising cost of health care in Maine and the implications of these costs for all Mainers. In turn, she looks …
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s pioneering Dirigo Health program aims at reducing health care costs, improving quality, and increasing access by providing health insurance coverage to all of Maine’s currently uninsured population. State senators Sharon Treat and Michael Brennan and co-author Ann Woloson provide an overview of the components, structure and financing of the program. They discuss some of the challenges and opportunities posed in Dirigo Health’s implementation, and give an insider’s perspective on the process by which the program was enacted.
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
Why More Is Required To Address Maine’S Childhood Lead-Poisoning Problem, David Littell
Why More Is Required To Address Maine’S Childhood Lead-Poisoning Problem, David Littell
Maine Policy Review
Although largely hidden from the public eye, childhood lead poisoning has been identified as one of Maine’s leading environmental health problems. Recent data show not only that lead-poisoning levels are unacceptably high among Maine’s children, but also that screening rates are lower than recommended by national health organizations and lower than in other New England states. David Littell discusses why childhood lead poisoning is such a problem in Maine and what can be done to remedy the situation, providing a thorough examination of how children are exposed to lead and the magnitude of the problem. He reviews the state’s existing …
An Interview With Norm Ledwin: Continuous Change In Healthcare Management, Norm Ledwin
An Interview With Norm Ledwin: Continuous Change In Healthcare Management, Norm Ledwin
Maine Policy Review
Managed care continues to enter Maine—a trend that alarms some and is welcomed by others. Norman Ledwin, president and chief executive officer of Eastern Maine Healthcare and Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMH/EMMC), believes managed care has the potential to greatly improve the state’s ability to provide high quality, economical healthcare for its citizens. In a December, 1995 interview with Maine Policy Review Ledwin discussed managed care as well as related healthcare changes underway in Maine.
An Interview With Commissioner Peet: Mental Health System Reform, Melodie Peet
An Interview With Commissioner Peet: Mental Health System Reform, Melodie Peet
Maine Policy Review
Commissioner of the Maine Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Melodie Peet, stands at the center of a revolution in how mental health services are organized, administered, and delivered. Since February, 1995 Peet has been working with providers, families, and consumers throughout Maine to reinvent the state’s mental healthcare system from one that is dominated by state government and large institutions to one largely comprised of community-based systems of care. These changes match national trends yet have stirred great controversy in Maine. In an interview with Maine Policy Review, Commissioner Peet discussed the changing role and shape of …
Start Making Sense: A Legislator Looks At Professional Licensure Reform, Dale Mccormick
Start Making Sense: A Legislator Looks At Professional Licensure Reform, Dale Mccormick
Maine Policy Review
This past summer, the Maine Health Professions Regulation Project and its task force released a report to Governor King and the Maine legislature. The report, "Toward a More Rational State Licensure System for Maine’s Health Professions," represents the best thinking and accomplishments of a nearly two-year project directed by Judy Kany of Medical Care Development, Inc. Dale McCormick’s commentary addresses five aspects of this project: the approach of the task force, why licensure reform is necessary, the relationship between this project and the Maine Health Care Reform Commission, the report issued by the task force, and a brief review of …
An Interview With David Peterson And David Jones: Envisioning The Future Of Rural Healthcare, David Peterson, David Jones
An Interview With David Peterson And David Jones: Envisioning The Future Of Rural Healthcare, David Peterson, David Jones
Maine Policy Review
Managed care and other healthcare changes may impact Maine differently than more urban states. Managed care companies, striving to create economies of scale in healthcare financing, often prefer to fold rural regions into larger plans that emanate from more populous hubs. In much of Maine, many question whether this will be best for the consumers and providers of rural healthcare. Maine Policy Review interviewed David Peterson, president and chief executive officer of The Aroostook Medical Center (TAMC), and family practitioner David Jones who practices at Aroostook Family Practice and is an active member of TAMC's medical staff, to obtain their …