Communities in Action

Communities in Action
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2017-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309452961

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Building Community Capacity

Building Community Capacity
Author: Robert J. Chaskin
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
Total Pages: 284
Release:
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780202364469

This book focuses on a gap in current social work practice theory: community change. Much work in this area of macro practice, particularly around "grassroots" community organizing, has a somewhat dated feel to it, is highly ideological in orientation, or suffers from superficiality, particularly in the area of theory and practical application. Set against the context of an often narrowly constructed "clinical" emphasis on practice education, coupled with social work's own current rendering of "scientific management," community practice often takes second or third billing in many professional curricula despite its deep roots in the overall field of social welfare. Drawing on extensive case study data from three significant community-building initiatives, program data from numerous other community capacity-building efforts, key informant interviews, and an excellent literature review, Chaskin and his colleagues draw implications for crafting community change strategies as well as for creating and sustaining the organizational infrastructure necessary to support them. The authors bring to bear the perspectives of a variety of professional disciplines including sociology, urban planning, psychology, and social work. Building Community Capacity takes a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to a subject of wide and current concern: the role of neighborhood and community structures in the delivery of human services or, as the authors put it, "a place where programs and problems can be fitted together." Social work scholars and students of community practice seeking new conceptual frameworks and insights from research to inform novel community interventions will find much of value in Building Community Capacity.

Improving Health in the Community

Improving Health in the Community
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 497
Release: 1997-05-21
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309055342

How do communities protect and improve the health of their populations? Health care is part of the answer but so are environmental protections, social and educational services, adequate nutrition, and a host of other activities. With concern over funding constraints, making sure such activities are efficient and effective is becoming a high priority. Improving Health in the Community explains how population-based performance monitoring programs can help communities point their efforts in the right direction. Within a broad definition of community health, the committee addresses factors surrounding the implementation of performance monitoring and explores the "why" and "how to" of establishing mechanisms to monitor the performance of those who can influence community health. The book offers a policy framework, applies a multidimensional model of the determinants of health, and provides sets of prototype performance indicators for specific health issues. Improving Health in the Community presents an attainable vision of a process that can achieve community-wide health benefits.

Implementing Mental Health Promotion

Implementing Mental Health Promotion
Author: Margaret M. Barry
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 587
Release: 2019-10-31
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 303023455X

This book offers a comprehensive overview of current research, policy, and practice developments in promoting mental health and well-being. It offers guidance on developing and delivering mental health promotion interventions across a variety of settings internationally. Chapters outline key mental health promotion concepts, implementation processes, and outcomes through empirical findings, practical advice based on successful evidence-based approaches, and templates for action. In addition, chapters answer key “how” questions on practical implementation as well as the “whys”, providing rationales for mental health promotion and identifying the key factors and underlying principles that make these interventions work. The book includes examples of evidence-based practice with 17 case studies of innovative interventions from different international settings. These case studies illustrate the practical aspects of intervention development and delivery and the realities of implementing policies and programes outside of controlled research conditions. Topics featured in this book include: · Interventions that promote gender equality. · Community empowerment models of mental health promotion. · Mental health promotion in the home for children and parents. · Promoting social and emotional learning in schools. · Addressing stress and promoting mentally healthy workplaces. · Mental health promotion within primary health care. · Re-orienting mental health services to mental health promotion for service users and caregivers. Implementing Mental Health Promotion, Second Edition, is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and policymakers as well as graduate students across such interrelated disciplines as health promotion, public health, child and school psychology, social work, clinical psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, health psychology, educational policy and practice, school nursing, occupational therapy, school counseling, and family studies.

Health Promotion: A Psychosocial Approach

Health Promotion: A Psychosocial Approach
Author: Stephens, Christine
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0335222080

'Health Promotion' provides a critical and theoretical basis for practice in social and community approaches to health promotion.

A Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health

A Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2016-10-14
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309392659

The World Health Organization defines the social determinants of health as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life." These forces and systems include economic policies, development agendas, cultural and social norms, social policies, and political systems. In an era of pronounced human migration, changing demographics, and growing financial gaps between rich and poor, a fundamental understanding of how the conditions and circumstances in which individuals and populations exist affect mental and physical health is imperative. Educating health professionals about the social determinants of health generates awareness among those professionals about the potential root causes of ill health and the importance of addressing them in and with communities, contributing to more effective strategies for improving health and health care for underserved individuals, communities, and populations. Recently, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to develop a high-level framework for such health professional education. A Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health also puts forth a conceptual model for the framework's use with the goal of helping stakeholder groups envision ways in which organizations, education, and communities can come together to address health inequalities.

Complexity and Healthcare Organization

Complexity and Healthcare Organization
Author: David Kernick
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 387
Release: 2018-04-19
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1498793401

Statistics and evidence-based medicine are assessed in most postgraduate and undergraduate medical examinations and degrees in health sciences. All clinicians have to acquire skills in this area. This book aims to provide a brief overview of basic medical statistics and the numerical aspects of evidence-based medicine to give realistic worked examples to illustrate the interpretation of studies relevant to clinical practice and to allow examination practice. It aims to cover all major topics covered in the undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Each chapter begins with an overview and summary of the main points followed by worked examples and exercises with full answers. It will be ideal for all postgraduate medical examination candidates. Other clincians and undergraduate students in medicine and health sciences will also find it useful.

Organisational Capacity Building in Health Systems

Organisational Capacity Building in Health Systems
Author: Niyi Awofeso
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2013
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0415521793

Capacity building - which focuses on understanding the obstacles that prevent organisations from realising their goals, while promoting those features that help them to achieve measurable and sustainable results - is vital to improve the delivery of health care in both developed and developing countries. Organisations are important structural building blocks of health systems because they provide platforms for delivery of curative and preventive health services, and facilitate health workforce financing and functions. Organisational capacity building involves more than training and equipment and this book discusses management capacity to restructure systems, structures and roles strategically to optimise organisational performance in healthcare. Examining the topic in a practical and comprehensive way, Organisational Capacity Building in Health Systems is divided into five parts, looking at: What health organisations are and do Management and leadership in health organisations How to build capacity in health systems Building capacity in a range of health system contexts Dealing with challenges in building capacity and evaluating work Looking at how to effectively design, implement and evaluate organisational capacity building initiatives, this book is ideal for public health, health promotion and health management researchers, students and practitioners.

Gender Equity in Health

Gender Equity in Health
Author: Gita Sen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2009-10-16
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1135238162

This volume brings together leading researchers from a variety of disciplines to examine three areas: health disparities and inequity due to gender, the specific problems women face in meeting the highest attainable standards of health, and the policies and actions that can address them.