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.
The Cost of Chronic Disease
Health care costs are a major concern in the current political debate around health care reform. In 2007 the United States spent $2.24 trillion (15.2 percent of gross domestic product) on health care. Studies have shown that 75 percent of the rise in health care spending is due to the rise in prevalence of treated chronic disease.
School-Based Health Centers: Enabling Health Care Access for Children and Youth “Where They Are”
School-based health centers serve over 2 million students attending U.S. public schools each year and can help reduce health-related absences and support students to be healthy and ready to learn in the classroom.
Behavioral Health and Public Policy
Behavioral health advocates ended a decade-long push for equity within private health insurance plans that cover mental health and addiction services with the passing of a new law that requires group health insurers to offer coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders on the same terms as physical illnesses.
CHIP Reauthorization: Details and Implications
This Issue Focus article summarizes a February 2009 Grantmakers In Health audio conference, which discussed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 and featured Cindy Mann, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.
Establishing Public-Private Partnerships for Maternal and Child Health
Established in 1935 under Title V of the Social Security Act, the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant is one of the largest federal block grant programs and a critical source of flexible funding for public health. Commonly referred to as Title V, the MCH block grant is used to support core MCH public health functions in states, assess needs, and identify and address gaps in services.
Pediatric Medical Homes: The What and Why of It All
The “medical home” encompasses the places, people, and processes involved in providing comprehensive primary care services. Medical homes replace episodic patient care with a holistic approach fostering ongoing physician-patient relationships, systematic care coordination, and addressing the “whole person.” They also must deliver physician-directed patient care that is accessible, family-centered, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective.