Despite remarkable improvements in the overall health of the nation during the past two decades, compelling evidence suggests that the nation's racial and ethnic minority Americans suffer increasing disparities in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and adverse health outcomes compared with white Americans. The 1998…

We assessed parent satisfaction with children's mental health services with a new instrument: The Youth Services Survey for Families (YSSF). The Dillman method was used to administer the survey to a random sample of 1,500 parents of Medicaid youth from Kentucky's 14 community mental health centers (CMHCs). The response rate was 37% (n = 534…

This study examined differences in student access to health services between schools with nurses 2 days/week (n = 7) compared to schools with nurses 5 days/week (n = 7). The study found statistically significant differences in numbers of nurse visits per 100 students. Of the 30 health conditions/activities investigated, 28 were statistically…

This study describes family-based therapy utilization patterns by the entire population of marijuana-abusing adolescents that received services in the State of Florida in 1997 through 1999, using data from the statewide Florida Mental Health and Substance Abuse Measurement Data. The population consisted of 38,281 adolescent admissions. The results…

Background: It has been suggested that persons with an intellectual disability consume a disproportionate amount of hospital services. Policy changes in Ontario in the 1970s and 1980s made it necessary for community health services to accommodate this population that formerly received most of its medical care in the institutions where they lived.…

This Legislative Report Card assesses how California's governor and Legislature have handled bills it says affected racial inequities--or might have if they had been signed into law. The report examines an eclectic collection of bills that addressed the minimum wage, the creation of a single-payer health care system and other issues in education,…

Background: In most countries, the majority of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are undiagnosed. In the United Kingdom, a major barrier to accessing specialist services is the limited recognition of disorders by general practitioners. However, it is unclear whether there are also barriers at other stages of the…

This article addresses the dynamics of parent-child interactions and their potential influence on the development of social competence among children with Down syndrome (DS). The authors argue that a strong parent-child relationship is fundamental for building the social competence of children with DS and the integration and inclusion of these…

The purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of older Canadians with dementia (compared to those without dementia), their use of health care services, and the impact of place (rural/urban) on use of services. Andersen and Newman's Behavioural Model of Health Services Use (1973) guided the study. A cross-sectional design used…

This research agenda examines ways to improve availability and access to public services for individuals living in rural areas. Five articles focus on general conceptual and methodological issues pertaining to research on services, and are applicable to a wide range of services such as health and education. Discussions concentrate on public…

This report examines five major components that affect minority children's access to health care. They are: health status, barriers to access, workforce, organizational response, and the role of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Recommendations are included for each of these components. Health status indicators for minority children…

This report contains selected presentations from the 1993 Urban Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference. Following welcoming remarks by Carolyn Slack, two presentations discuss improving urban maternal and child health (MCH) linkages. "Pittsburgh's Alliance for Infants," by Virginia Bowman, describes a comprehensive in-home…

A hearing was held to consider problems women face in obtaining preventive care or early comprehensive prenatal care. Testimony concerned: (1) the Public Health Service Expert Panel's report on prenatal care; (2) Los Angeles' critical shortage of maternity care providers; (3) new research from Detroit that suggests that even when prenatal care is…

These hearings examine ways of ensuring access to quality health care, especially for low-income persons ineligible for Medicaid. The problems of determining who the economically disadvantaged are, what services they are provided with, and how those services are provided and financed are all addressed. An Urban Institute researcher testifies that…

To increase access to health care, each community must address minority clients' specific cultural mores, which often conflict with those of the health care provider. Three sources of such cultural conflict are (1) language; (2) folk beliefs; and (3) time orientation. (BJV)