Rethinking Substance Use Disorders
Almost 1 in 10 individuals over age 12 has a problem with alcohol or drugs, making substance use disorders one of the most damaging and expensive health problems facing the United States today. Yet many of the specific issues surrounding substance use remain under the radar because of their controversial nature and the highly marginalized and vulnerable populations they often affect.
What’s in a Name? Untangling Health Disparities, the Social Determinants of Health, and Health Equity
Health disparities…social determinants of health… health equity. These phrases are used to talk about differences in health, but what do they mean?
Tackling the Tough Work of Community Change
While somewhat new to health foundations, place-based community change work is not new to philanthropy. Grantmakers who are considering such ventures have to judge how comfortable they are with the roles they might be called upon to play in a community change effort.
Oral Health Disparities: A Shift Toward Policy Work
Oral diseases and disorders occur frequently among all populations, but large disparities exist by region, age, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity. In response, many oral health grantmakers have become more focused on policy solutions to improve oral health.
State and Local Health Departments: Doing More with Support from Foundations
The nation’s public health system is under increasing pressure as state and local health departments are asked to take on more responsibilities with fewer resources. Despite these challenges, there are many opportunities for foundations to work with and strengthen state and local health departments.
Schools as Entry Points for Children’s Mental Health Services
Health grantmakers are in a strong position to support efforts to increase children’s access to mental health services by funding school-based services, building relationships between schools and service providers, disseminating information, and promoting policy change.
Filling a Gap in Care: The Need for Behavioral Health Integration
Primary care is often provided in isolation of behavioral health care, and vice versa. An integrated approach addresses this challenge by systematically coordinating physical and behavioral health services to more fully meet individual needs.
The Importance (and Challenge) of Reaching Obese Adults
Over the past year, adult obesity rates continued to rise in the United States, resulting in an urgent need to lower rates. But much of what got us here will take years of extensive effort to reverse.
Not Your Usual Flu: Preparing Communities for H1N1 and the Fall Flu Season
Each fall, influenza sickens millions of Americans and causes approximately 36,000 deaths. This year, however, could be much worse as scientists and public health experts anticipate that H1N1 influenza will reemerge, perhaps in a more virulent form.
It’s Not Just Black and White: Health Disparities in Other Racial and Ethnic Groups
Though discussions of race often center on the experiences of African Americans, other racial and ethnic groups, such as Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians, have also experienced systematic racism and disparities in health status and health outcomes.