Well-known disparities exist in rates of obesity and drowning, two public health priorities. Addressing these disparities by increasing access to safe swimming and water recreation may yield benefits for both obesity and injury prevention. "Everyone Swims," a community partnership, brought community health clinics and water recreation…

In 1997, American Evaluation Association member George Grob, now retired from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and currently President of the Center for Public Program Evaluation, made a testimony on Medicare home health care fraud and abuse before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. The occasion was to announce the…

This background paper on children's mental health indicates that less than one-third of the children who have mental health problems receive treatment. Types of mental health problems are discussed, including intellectual, developmental, behavior, emotional, psychophysiological, and adjustment disorders. Enviromental risk factors of poverty and…

Summarizes and discusses the implications of a recent national study of public policies affecting the delivery of mental health services to disturbed children and adolescents. Discusses fiscal, administrative, and service inadequacies as well as innovative programming and policy efforts. Addresses implications for the policymaking and…

This National Council on Disability (NCD) report defines or describes financial incentives affecting people with disabilities and presents research findings in key areas of people's lives, such as education and health care. It also describes selected state-level innovations affecting asset development and wealth accumulation. In addition, the…

Mental health services are often unavailable, inaccessible, or inappropriate for the children and families who need them. In order to implement a more effective system of mental health services to children and adolescents, an adequate system of care must be defined and described, and a policy mandate to implement such a system must be developed.…

Conventional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) textbooks rarely address the various political influences exerted on M&E of public health programs. Policymakers are often the largest consumers of M&E information; indeed, the genesis of many public health program evaluation efforts is a need to inform public policy. People define "political…

Perspectives are provided to help evaluators of health promotion programs. Eight papers present critical issues in such evaluations, including: (1) conceptual themes of program theory and context; (2) topics related to measurement, data analysis, and research design; and (3) reports of evaluation studies. (SLD)

As mental health policies and systems become subject to legislative and public scrutiny, more information is needed to evaluate such programs in the United States and abroad. A cross-national survey of 42 countries and provinces compared mental health policies, mental health services, awareness of these services, evaluation, and financing. Notable…

The New York State Governor's Advisory Committee for Black Affairs has published eight policy reports that evaluate State initiatives impacting the lives of black New Yorkers. Special emphasis was placed on the following areas: (1) development of increased opportunities in all aspects of State government; (2) coordination of resources to create…

Fifty-four county mental health authorities in Michigan were surveyed before and after implementation of new policies and funding for support services for disabled individuals and families. Case management assessment, respite care, in-home services, and advisory committees showed significant increases in availability. Length of time that families…

Health needs and health services in rural America are key issues directly related to education as well as community well-being. This report examines rural America's access to basic health care services and discusses options for congressional consideration. The focus is on trends in availability of primary and acute rural health care and on factors…

This book contains seven papers prepared for a 1975 conference which addressed the progress and setbacks experienced during the first decade of the War on Poverty. Included with each paper are two commentaries by conference discussants. The seven papers deal with issues such as the origins of the War on Poverty, its education, health, and…

This theme issue of "Focal Point" offers an overview of a range of children's mental health case management issues. Articles include: "Case Management for Families and Children" (Theresa J. Early); "Expectations of Case Management for Children with Emotional Problems: Parent Perspectives" (Richard Donner and others);…

The overall goal of this project is to better understand the types of youth programs available that may influence the health measures presented in the U.S. Chartbook where American adolescents fare differently--sometimes better, sometimes worse--than their counterparts in other countries. In an effort to do so, the authors reviewed the existing…