Sweeping changes to the Medicare program embodied in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), including a new prescription drug benefit, changes in payment policies, and reform of the Medicare managed-care program, have major implications for rural health care. The most efficient mechanism for research to…

Background: The Mental Health Service for People with Learning Disabilities (MHSPLD) is a service development in keeping with UK government policy that promotes cross agency working and access to mainstream mental health services for people with intellectual disabilities. We aimed to show whether the service model brought about improvements in…

School absenteeism and school refusal behavior are particularly difficult problems that school health professionals often face. Unfortunately, few recommendations are available to such professionals about how to address this population. In this article, we (1) outline the major characteristics of school absenteeism and school refusal behavior, (2)…

In this component of the evaluation, the Circles of Care grantees assessed the feasibility of their model systems of care. The goal of the Feasibility Assessment was to assure that each model system of care was well designed with careful consideration of project goals, community resources and readiness, cultural competence and measurable outcomes.

This paper presents outcomes and accomplishments of the first round of participating individuals, communities, and grantees of the Circles of Care program (CoC). While accomplishing all CoC program goals, the initiative supported grantees in developing individual service delivery system models and positioned each grantee advantageously for…

In this article, the authors present an extensive literature review and discuss the cultural relevance of indigenous healing practices in promoting psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being in people of color. Suggestions are also presented for ways counselors might work with indigenous healing resources to promote the well-being of people…

This article examines the utilization of a university counseling center's services by non-international racial and ethnic minority students via an archival approach. A total of 242 participants were included. Data were examined utilizing ANOVA, bivariate correlation, and chi-square analyses. Results support previous assertions that minority…

In this article, American Association of Community Colleges member institutions provide information on the collaborative efforts in allied health programs between their colleges and the communities they serve. These are but a fraction of the inventive and unique programs community colleges across the U.S. offer to support the health and wellness…

Once considered an adult onset disease, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in low-income Mexican American children. Studies have suggested that most of those so diagnosed were overweight, reported low levels of physical activity, and were generally unaware of their disease. The Bienestar Health Program was designed to reduce risk…

Objective:: To help close the gap between health promotion research and practice by using systems thinking. Methods: We review 3 national US tobacco control initiatives and a project (ISIS) that has introduced systems thinking to tobacco control, speculating on ways in which systems thinking may add value to health promotion dissemination and…

This lead off article to the special volume on evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) in college and university counseling and mental health centers presents an overview of the topic and outlines the structure of this publication. A focus on EBP research and practice generally, and in institutions of higher education specifically, is provided for…

Comments on three articles (see records EJ733583, EJ733584, and EJ733585) on the status of children's mental health services in the United States, which appeared in the September 2005 issue of the "American Psychologist." The current authors suggest that, although this series of articles provides important information, the articles fall…

The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge base of adolescent substance use by examining the influences of risk and protective factors for specific substance use, namely alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. Participants included 271 adolescents and their primary caregivers referred for mental health services across North Carolina. A…

Underage drinking is a significant problem in the United States: Alcohol is the primary contributor to the leading causes of death among adolescents. As a result, communitywide strategies to prevent underage drinking are more important than ever. Such strategies depend on the involvement and education of adolescents, parents, law enforcement …

Elkind's (1967) theory of adolescent egocentrism proposes two distinct, but related, constructs--the "imaginary audience" and the "personal fable." A corollary to the imaginary audience, the personal fable (PF) yields a sense of invulnerability and speciality commonly associated with behavioral risk-taking. When regarded as a developmental…