This article presents challenges facing child mental health services research and the contributions made by the series of papers in this journal issue. The series illustrates two major categories of services research: systems level research and clinical services level research. Methodological issues, particularly for randomized clinical trials in…

Various disparate activities have been defined as outreach, which is an element of social service/disease prevention programs. The history of outreach as a project element within federal social programs, central sources of variations in this element, measures of effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and recurring implementation issues are…

The Refugee Health Education Program was developed to provide refugees from the Soviet Union, Iran, Vietnam, and Cambodia with information on disease prevention, chronic disease management, and effective utilization of New York's health services. Additional goals include health promotion through culturally adpated education and provision of…

For expanded school mental health programs to feature improved access, increased productivity, and improved behavioral outcomes, researchers, school-based mental health service providers, and educators must collaborate to move them beyond limiting constructs and approaches. The paper reviews these issues and offers an example of an ideal approach…

To successfully address mental health and psychosocial concerns in schools, practices must not be marginalized and must be implemented cohesively. Mechanisms and processes are needed to minimize marginalized and fragmented practice, link school and community resources, and develop comprehensive, multifaceted approaches. These include a…

Investigates the health status of 310 homeless and marginally housed people to determine the usefulness of mental health self-help agencies (SHAs) in addressing their physical health needs. Findings indicated that frequencies of health problems among respondents were similar to those of other homeless or marginally housed groups and that the study…

Describes a multifaceted program established in response to the complex psychological and social needs of immigrant children. The program is based in an elementary public school in a joint partnership with a graduate school of social work. Program focuses on Latino immigrant children, although the principles of the program are sufficiently generic…

Interview discusses the formation of a school-based, interagency, mental health team in the Anne Arundel County Public School System in Maryland. Highlights the work of the school counselor within the group, who has assumed a leadership role within the school building for forming collaborative relationships with families and community agencies.…

A study explored the characteristic similarities and differences of 696 children with serious emotional disturbances being served in community-similar urban systems of care as a function of their referral source. Results found the children did not share uniform sociodemographic and psychosocial profiles as a function of the referral agency.…

Study aims to assess the need for a thyrotoxicosis patient education programs and evaluates a group education session. Patients with thyrotoxicosis were surveyed to assess their needs. Determined that people with thyrotoxicosis had limited knowledge about their condition. The offer of a group education program has little effect on that knowledge…

A Monte Carlo study compared performance of linear and logistic mixed-model analyses of simulated community trials having specific event rates, intraclass correlations, and degrees of freedom. Results indicate that in studies with adequate denominator degrees of freedom, the researcher may use either method of analysis, with certain cautions. (SLD)

Discusses the current status of immunizations, the latest immunization recommendations, and the important role of school nurses in ensuring that all students are properly immunized with the correct immunizations at the correct time. An alphabetical listing of immunizations provides specific details. The paper also discusses myths versus facts…

Describes Boundless Adventures, a Canadian outdoor adventure program that offers 5-day trips to clients with mental-health problems. Suggests that the trips inspire hope, but that follow-up is needed to convert that hope into real lifestyle changes. Sidebars present a poem entitled "Hope" and describe the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry…

Describes an approach to introducing performance measurement into a large federal health program, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, in response to the government Performance and Results Act. Also discusses characteristics of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that present unique challenges for performance measurement. (SLD)

Objective: To describe the psychometric properties and test the reliability of a new instrument designed to measure mental health services use within pediatric clinical samples, the Services for Children and Adolescents-Parent Interview (SCAPI), which was developed by the National Institute of Mental Health Multimodal Treatment Study of Children…