Assessing the Network of Agencies in Local Communities that Promote Healthy Eating and Lifestyles among Populations with Limited Resources.

PubMed

An, Ruopeng; Khan, Naiman; Loehmer, Emily; McCaffrey, Jennifer

2017-03-01

We assessed the network of agencies in local communities that promote healthy eating and lifestyles among populations with limited resources. Network surveys were administered among 159 Illinois agencies identified as serving limited-resource audiences categorized into 8 types: K-12 schools, early childhood centers, emergency food providers, health-related agencies, social resource centers, low-income/subsidized housing complexes, continuing education organizations, and others. Network analysis was conducted to examine 4 network structures - communications, funding, cooperation, and collaboration networks between agencies within each county/county cluster. Agencies in a network were found to be loosely connected, indicated by low network density. Reporting accuracy might be of concern, indicated by low reciprocity. Agencies in a network are decentralized rather than centralized around a few influential agencies, indicated by low betweenness centrality. There is suggestive evidence regarding homophily in a network, indicated by some significant correlations within agencies of the same type. Agencies connected in one network are significantly more likely to be connected in all the other networks as well. Promoting healthy eating and lifestyles among populations with limited resources warrants strong partnership across agencies in communities. Network analysis serves as a useful tool to evaluate community partnerships and facilitate coalition building..

Assessment of women, infants and children providers' perceptions of oral health counseling and availability of associated resources.

PubMed

Mendryga, Tiffany A; Gwozdek, Anne E

2014-01-01

Children from low-income families and ethnic minority groups are associated with an increased risk of developing dental disease and are often enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutritional program. It has been an intention of the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Oral Health Program (OHP) to collaborate with WIC to provide preventive oral health resources and education to their population. This project focused on achieving the goals outlined in the Michigan 2010 State Oral Health Plan. An 18 question survey was designed to identify gaps existing in oral health counseling in Michigan WIC agencies. The survey was disseminated to 56 MI WIC agencies. WIC providers perceive oral health risk assessment to be important and are asking oral health questions during certification and re-certification appointments. Seventy-nine percent of participants indicated they never had training in oral health counseling, and 79% are interested in learning more about oral health. Agencies are interested in obtaining oral health education resources for their clients. The 2010 State Oral Health Plan's goals recognized the need for oral health related resources and education within community-based programs like WIC. The results of the survey support the need for additional oral health counseling and associated resources in WIC agencies. This information will be used to help the MDCH OHP find ways to address these gaps. Copyright © 2014 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Information needs of health technology assessment units and agencies in Spain.

PubMed

Galnares-Cordero, Lorea; Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea, Iñaki

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the information needs of Spanish health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and units to facilitate access to the resources they require to substantiate their reports. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among HTA bodies to ascertain the actual situation of subscriptions to information resources and what information specialists from these bodies considered would be the ideal subscription situation. Their information needs were then studied, and the resources that best met these needs were put forward. Following this definition, a subscriptions policy was adopted with suppliers and publishers. The survey showed that HTA bodies share a minimum of core subscriptions that includes open sources (MEDLINE, DARE) and sources that the government subscribes to for the health community (ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library Plus). There was no common approach to determining which databases to subscribe to (UpToDate, EMBASE, Ovid EBMR, CINAHL, or ECRI). After identifying the information needs, a list of resources was proposed that would best cover these needs and, of these, subscription to the following was proposed: Scopus, Ovid EBMR, Clinical Evidence, DynaMed, ECRI, and Hayes. There are differences in the way that HTA agencies and units access the different resources of biomedical information. Combined subscription to several resources for documentation services was suggested as a way of resolving these differences.

Partnerships in natural resource agencies: a conceptual framework

Treesearch

Catherine V. Darrow; Jerry J. Vaske

1995-01-01

To meet financial constraints while maintaining or improving programs, natural resource managers have increasingly turned to partnerships with other public agencies or private businesses. The process of developing a successful partnership, however, is rarely chronicled, much less empirically studied. By using the available natural resource and business management...

Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement.

PubMed

Hayes, Sara L; Mann, Mala K; Morgan, Fiona M; Kitcher, Hilary; Kelly, Mark J; Weightman, Alison L

2011-06-15

evidence that inter‑agency collaboration, compared to standard services, leads to health improvement. A few studies identified component benefits but these were not reflected in overall outcome scores and could have resulted from the use of significant additional resources. Although agencies appear enthusiastic about collaboration, methodological flaws in the primary studies and incomplete implementation of initiatives have prevented the development of a strong evidence base. If these flaws are addressed in future studies (for example by providing greater detail on the implementation of programs, using more robust designs, with integrated process evaluations and measurement of health outcomes) it could provide a better understanding of what might work and why.When updating this review, we will analyse any partnership or process evaluations of our included studies to try to identify markers of success in local collaborative partnerships that could inform policy developments in the future.

New partnership for health? Business groups on health and health systems agencies.

PubMed Central

Bradbury, R C

1983-01-01

The experience of the Central Massachusetts Health Systems Agency (CMHSA) and the Central Massachusetts Business Group on Health (CMBGH) demonstrates the feasibility of cooperation between HSAs and BGHs. Objectives and strategies of the two groups in carrying out community health planning and working for health systems change are compared. Nearly two decades of government-sponsored community health planning programs, first through comprehensive health planning agencies and then through HSAs, have had less impact than many had anticipated because neither the technical nor political basis for such planning was sufficiently established. The CMHSA experience is typical, although it is credited with developing a hospital systems plan that is based on sound planning methods and statistical data. It is in the implementation of plans that the CMHSA has made slow progress, reflecting its inadequate community power base. The CMBGH, 1 of more than 90 groups that have developed recently across the country to attack high health care costs, was formed in 1981 by business leaders to address these rising costs. The principal strategy adopted by the CMBGH involves fostering a competitive health care market by creating a critical number of competing health plans. The providers in each plan will then have incentives to provide effective care in an efficient manner to keep the premium competitive and attract enrollees. Cooperation between the CMBGH and CMHSA is based on each organization's emphasizing its strengths. The CMHSA's data base and analyses have been the primary resources used by the CMBGH to identify problems. Each organization has developed its own set of goals and objectives, while keeping in mind those of the other organization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:6419277

Health capabilities and diabetes self-management: the impact of economic, social, and cultural resources.

PubMed

Weaver, Robert R; Lemonde, Manon; Payman, Naghmeh; Goodman, William M

2014-02-01

While the "social determinants of health" view compels us to explore how social structures shape health outcomes, it often ignores the role individual agency plays. In contrast, approaches that focus on individual choice and personal responsibility for health often overlook the influence of social structures. Amartya Sen's "capabilities" framework and its derivative the "health capabilities" (HC) approach attempts to accommodate both points of view, acknowledging that individuals function under social conditions over which they have little control, while also acting as agents in their own health and well-being. This paper explores how economic, social, and cultural resources shape the health capability of people with diabetes, focusing specifically on dietary practices. Health capability and agency are central to dietary practices, while also being shaped by immediate and broader social conditions that can generate habits and a lifestyle that constrain dietary behaviors. From January 2011 to December 2012, we interviewed 45 people with diabetes from a primary care clinic in Ontario (Canada) to examine how their economic, social, and cultural resources combine to influence dietary practices relative to their condition. We classified respondents into low, medium, and high resource groups based on economic circumstances, and compared how economic resources, social relationships, health-related knowledge and values combine to enhance or weaken health capability and dietary management. Economic, social, and cultural resources conspired to undermine dietary management among most in the low resource group, whereas social influences significantly influenced diet among many in the medium group. High resource respondents appeared most motivated to maintain a healthy diet, and also had the social and cultural resources to enable them to do so. Understanding the influence of all three types of resources is critical for constructing ways to enhance health capability, chronic

Recovery stories: An anthropological exploration of moral agency in stories of mental health recovery.

PubMed

Myers, Neely Anne Laurenzo

2016-08-01

Moral agency has been loosely defined as the freedom to aspire to a "good life" that makes possible intimate relationships with others. This article uses ethnographic research to further the discussion of the role of moral agency in mental health recovery. This article attends to the ebb and flow of moral agency in the life stories of three people diagnosed with a serious psychiatric disability at different stages in their individual recoveries to illustrate particular aspects of moral agency relevant for recovery. From these, a more complex notion of moral agency emerges as the freedom not only to aspire to a "good life," but also to achieve a "good" life through having both the intention to aspire and access to resources that help bring one's life plans to fruition. Each storyteller describes an initial Aristotelian peripeteia, or "breach" of life plan, followed by an erosion of moral agency and sense of connection to others. The stories then diverge: some have the resources needed to preserve moral agency, and others attempt to replenish moral agency that has been eroded. In these stories, the resources for preserving and nourishing moral agency include the ability to cultivate the social bases of self-respect, autobiographical power, and peopled opportunities. These stories cumulatively suggest that without such resources one's attempts to preserve or nourish the moral agency needed for recovery after the peripeteia, which is often perpetuated by the onset and experience of serious mental illness, may fall short. © The Author(s) 2016.

[Health education in the French Regional Health Agencies in 2012: observations and analysis].

PubMed

Baudier, François; Destaing, Lara; Michaud, Claude

2013-01-01

This paper examines the role of health education in the French Agences régionales de santé (ARS, Regional Health Agencies) in 2012. A survey was conducted among public health managers working in the ARS. Most of the participants reported that health education plays an important role in their agency, notably through their regional health plan and the activities of the organizations responsible for promoting democracy in health care. This is also true of the links with the Institut national de prévention et d'education pour la santé (INPES, the National Institute for Health Prevention and Education) and the network of Instances régionales d'éducation et de promotion de la santé (IREPS, the Regional Authorities for Health Education and Promotion). However, the answers to the open-ended questions and the results of the interviews suggest that these results must be interpreted with caution. The study focuses on a number of factors that must be taken into account when considering the results of the quantitative analysis. These factors include: the subjective (or interpretive) dimension of the term "health education" emphasized by many of the participants (a term involving an emphasis on either health promotion or preventive medicine); the limited emphasis on health education in the ARS (beyond therapeutic patient education) compared to other issues such as health monitoring and security, health care and medico-social problems; the limited resources allocated to health education and the bleak budget outlook; the relationships with the main operators; and the need to develop, promote and apply knowledge of good practice. Finally, the study shows that the role of health education is dependent on individuals' willingness to promote it and, in particular, on the commitment of ARS managers.

Home Health Agency Work Environments and Hospitalizations

PubMed Central

Flynn, Linda; Lake, Eileen T.; Aiken, Linda H.

2014-01-01

Background: An important goal of home health care is to assist patients to remain in community living arrangements. Yet home care often fails to prevent hospitalizations and to facilitate discharges to community living, thus putting patients at risk of additional health challenges and increasing care costs. Objectives: To determine the relationship between home health agency work environments and agency-level rates of acute hospitalization and discharges to community living. Methods and Design: Analysis of linked Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data and nurse survey data from 118 home health agencies. Robust regression models were used to estimate the effect of work environment ratings on between-agency variation in rates of acute hospitalization and community discharge. Results: Home health agencies with good work environments had lower rates of acute hospitalizations and higher rates of patient discharges to community living arrangements compared with home health agencies with poor work environments. Conclusion: Improved work environments in home health agencies hold promise for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing use of expensive hospital and institutional care. PMID:25215647

Home health agency work environments and hospitalizations.

PubMed

Jarrín, Olga; Flynn, Linda; Lake, Eileen T; Aiken, Linda H

2014-10-01

An important goal of home health care is to assist patients to remain in community living arrangements. Yet home care often fails to prevent hospitalizations and to facilitate discharges to community living, thus putting patients at risk of additional health challenges and increasing care costs. To determine the relationship between home health agency work environments and agency-level rates of acute hospitalization and discharges to community living. Analysis of linked Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data and nurse survey data from 118 home health agencies. Robust regression models were used to estimate the effect of work environment ratings on between-agency variation in rates of acute hospitalization and community discharge. Home health agencies with good work environments had lower rates of acute hospitalizations and higher rates of patient discharges to community living arrangements compared with home health agencies with poor work environments. Improved work environments in home health agencies hold promise for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing use of expensive hospital and institutional care.

U.S. Geological Survey; North Carolina's water resources; a partnership with State, Federal and local agencies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winner, M.D.

1993-01-01

For more than 80 years, the Federal-State Cooperative Program in North Carolina has been an effective partnership that provides timely water information for all levels of government. The cooperative program has raised awareness of State and local water problems and issues and has enhanced transfer and exchange of scientific information. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts statewide water-resources investigations in North Carolina that include hydrologic data collection, applied research studies, and other interpretive studies. These programs are funded through cooperative agreements with the North Carolina Departments of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; Human Resources; and Transportation, as well as more than a dozen city and county governmental agencies. The USGS also conducts special studies and data-collection programs for Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that contribute to North Carolina's water information data base. Highlights of selected programs are presented to show the scope of USGS activities in North Carolina and their usefulness in addressing water-resource problems. The reviewed programs include the statewide data-collection program, estuarine studies, the National Water-Quality Assessment program, military installation restoration program, and groundwater flow model-development program in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont provinces.

[Investigation of the allocation of equipment among the major research agencies for occupational health and medicine].

PubMed

Zhang, Lin; Wu, Zhi-Jun; Zhang, Shuang; Qin, Jian; Zhang, Xing

2011-08-01

To understand the allocation of instruments and equipment in major research institutions for occupational health and medicine in China. Questionnaire was designed for collecting the information of the equipment used in occupational health and medicine research. Questionnaires were distributed to 78 research agencies to investigate the situation of allocation of instrument and equipment. There was a great diversity of allocation in investigated agencies. The features in three kinds of agencies are different. The occupational health agencies in universities fit out the biological equipment in laboratories. The occupational health laboratories in CDCs were equipped with the chemical analytical devices. The institutes of occupational medicine were equipped with the clinical inspection instruments. The protocol of sharing resource and predominance complementation should be established among research institutions for occupational health and medicine in the same region or neighboring provinces.

Natural resource manager perceptions of agency performance on climate change.

PubMed

Lemieux, Christopher J; Thompson, Jessica L; Dawson, Jackie; Schuster, Rudy M

2013-01-15

An important precursor to the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies is to understand the perceived capacity to implement and operationalize such strategies. Utilizing an importance-performance analysis (IPA) evaluation framework, this article presents a comparative case study of federal and state land and natural resource manager perceptions of agency performance on factors influencing adaptive capacity in two U.S. regions (northern Colorado and southwestern South Dakota). Results revealed several important findings with substantial management implications. First, none of the managers ranked the adaptive capacity factors as a low priority. Second, managers held the perception that their agencies were performing either neutrally or poorly on most factors influencing adaptive capacity. Third, gap analysis revealed that significant improvements are required to facilitate optimal agency functioning when dealing with climate change-related management issues. Overall, results suggest that a host of institutional and policy-oriented (e.g., lack of clear mandate to adapt to climate change), financial and human resource (e.g., inadequate staff and financial resources), informational (e.g., inadequate research and monitoring programs) and contextual barriers (e.g., sufficient regional networks to mitigate potential transboundary impacts) currently challenge the efficient and effective integration of climate change into decision-making and management within agencies working in these regions. The IPA framework proved to be an effective tool to help managers identify and understand agency strengths, areas of concern, redundancies, and areas that warrant the use of limited funds and/or resource re-allocation in order to enhance adaptive capacity and maximize management effectiveness with respect to climate change. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 35285 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an...

78 FR 73200 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an...

78 FR 41407 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an...

78 FR 41405 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an...

78 FR 76309 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an...

Public health emergencies and responses: what are they, how long do they last, and how many staff does your agency need?

PubMed

Posid, Joseph M; Bruce, Sherrie M; Guarnizo, Julie T; O'Connor, Ralph C; Papagiotas, Stephen S; Taylor, Melissa L

2013-12-01

Responding to outbreaks is one of the most routine yet most important functions of a public health agency. However, some outbreaks are bigger, more visible, or more complex than others, prompting discussion about when an "outbreak" becomes a "public health emergency." When a public health emergency is identified, resources (eg, funding, staff, space) may need to be redirected from core public health programs to contribute to the public health emergency response. The need to sustain critical public health functions while preparing for public health emergency responses raises a series of operational and resource management questions, including when a public health emergency begins and ends, why additional resources are needed, how long an organization should expect staff to be redirected, and how many staff (or what proportion of the agency's staff ) an organization should anticipate will be needed to conduct a public health emergency response. This article addresses these questions from a national perspective by reviewing events for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redirected staff from core public health functions to respond to a series of public health emergencies. We defined "public health emergency" in both operational and public health terms and found that on average each emergency response lasted approximately 4 months and used approximately 9.5% of our workforce. We also provide reasons why public health agencies should consider the impact of redirecting resources when preparing for public health emergencies.

The health systems agency: a new bureaucracy.

PubMed

Meredith, S; Meredith, G

1977-07-01

A Federal law signed by President Ford in 1975 (PL 93-641) mandates the establishment of Health Systems Agencies across the country. The major intent of the law is to provide local direction and control of health care planning. Each Agency shall have a professional staff under the aegis of a board of directors composed of a majority of consumers and a minority of providers. Data identifying health care needs shall be translated into a Health Systems Plan, which is a statement of goals for each Agency; an Annual Implementation Plan shall be developed as a statement of objectives, projects, and strategies requisite to achieving the Health Systems Plan. The concept of the Health Systems Agency has correlate state and federal bureaucratic strata to facilitate health care planning coordination.

INTERGRATING SOURCE WATER PROTECTION AND DRINKING WATER TREATMENT: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S WATER SUPPLY AND WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Supply and Water Resources Division (WSWRD) is an internationally recognized water research organization established to assist in responding to public health concerns related to drinking water supplies. WSWRD has evolved from...

INTEGRATING SOURCE WATER PROTECTION AND DRINKING WATER TREATMENT: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S WATER SUPPLY AND WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Supply and Water Resources Division (WSWRD) is an internationally recognized water research organization established to assist in responding to public health concerns related to drinking water supplies. WSWRD has evolved from...

"1970" Inter-Agency Health Meeting (Navajo).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs, Phoenix.

An inter-agency health meeting regarding health services for Navajo Indians is reported on in this document. The meeting, sponsored by the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs, involved agencies such as the U.S. Public Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Navajo Tribe. Included in the proceedings are reports and remarks by…

Public reporting and market area exit decisions by home health agencies.

PubMed

Jung, Kyoungrae; Feldman, Roger

2012-01-01

To examine whether home health agencies selectively discontinue services to areas with socio-economically disadvantaged people after the introduction of Home Health Compare (HHC), a public reporting program initiated by Medicare in 2003. We focused on agencies' initial responses to HHC and examined selective market-area exits by agencies between 2002 and 2004. We measured HHC effects by the percentage of quality indicators reported in public HHC data in 2003. Socio-economic status was measured by per capita income and percent college-educated at the market-area level. 2002 and 2004 Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS); 2000 US Census file; 2004 Area Resource File; and 2002 Provider of Service File. WE FOUND A SMALL AND WEAK EFFECT OF PUBLIC REPORTING ON SELECTIVE EXITS: a 10-percent increase in reporting (reporting one more indicator) increased the probability of leaving an area with less-educated people by 0.3 percentage points, compared with leaving an area with high education. The small level of market-area exits under public reporting is unlikely to be practically meaningful, suggesting that HHC did not lead to a disruption in access to home health care through selective exits during the initial year of the program.

Health information given by Swiss travel agencies.

PubMed

Schwitz, Fabienne M; Haley, Timothy J L; Stat, C; Hatz, Christoph F R

2006-01-01

Many of the 1 million Swiss traveling to tropical or subtropical countries book their trip through travel agencies every year. These agencies are thus an important source of information about malaria and other important health risks and little is known about the appropriate health information provided by these. A study was conducted to assess health-related information in members of the Swiss Federation of Travel Agencies in the metropolitan area of Zurich, Switzerland. A covert investigator (F.M.S.) visited these agencies and requested information on a package holiday for 2 or 3 weeks to Kenya. Following an in-person interview, the investigator recorded any health-related information provided on a pretested form. If none was mentioned, the agent was prompted using a standardized procedure. A total of 88 agencies were visited. Spontaneous health advice was given in 44% of all visits. After prompting, 99% of all travel agents mentioned preventive measures against malaria, but only 69% indicated the need for vaccinations against other diseases. Spontaneous advice on malaria risk and vaccinations was better than advice given upon prompting. One fifth of all travel agents neither mentioned malaria prevention measures spontaneously nor recommended seeing a health specialist. Overall, travel medicine knowledge of travel agents in the Zurich area needs improvement as many tended to draw attention to health risks only when prompted. Attitude, personal knowledge, and experience of individual travel agents were key to the health information given. Up-to-date and readily available information on health risks should be provided to travel agencies and structured training given in collaboration with health professionals.

Investigating the role of state permitting and agriculture agencies in addressing public health concerns related to industrial food animal production.

PubMed

Fry, Jillian P; Laestadius, Linnea I; Grechis, Clare; Nachman, Keeve E; Neff, Roni A

2014-01-01

Industrial food animal production (IFAP) operations adversely impact environmental public health through air, water, and soil contamination. We sought to determine how state permitting and agriculture agencies respond to these public health concerns. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with staff at 12 state agencies in seven states, which were chosen based on high numbers or rapid increase of IFAP operations. The interviews served to gather information regarding agency involvement in regulating IFAP operations, the frequency and type of contacts received about public health concerns, how the agency responds to such contacts, and barriers to additional involvement. Permitting and agriculture agencies' responses to health-based IFAP concerns are constrained by significant barriers including narrow regulations, a lack of public health expertise within the agencies, and limited resources. State agencies with jurisdiction over IFAP operations are unable to adequately address relevant public health concerns due to multiple factors. Combining these results with previously published findings on barriers facing local and state health departments in the same states reveals significant gaps between these agencies regarding public health and IFAP. There is a clear need for regulations to protect public health and for public health professionals to provide complementary expertise to agencies responsible for regulating IFAP operations.

New partnership for health? Business groups on health and health systems agencies.

PubMed

Bradbury, R C

1983-01-01

The experience of the Central Massachusetts Health Systems Agency (CMHSA) and the Central Massachusetts Business Group on Health (CMBGH) demonstrates the feasibility of cooperation between HSAs and BGHs. Objectives and strategies of the two groups in carrying out community health planning and working for health systems change are compared. Nearly two decades of government-sponsored community health planning programs, first through comprehensive health planning agencies and then through HSAs, have had less impact than many had anticipated because neither the technical nor political basis for such planning was sufficiently established. The CMHSA experience is typical, although it is credited with developing a hospital systems plan that is based on sound planning methods and statistical data. It is in the implementation of plans that the CMHSA has made slow progress, reflecting its inadequate community power base. The CMBGH, 1 of more than 90 groups that have developed recently across the country to attack high health care costs, was formed in 1981 by business leaders to address these rising costs. The principal strategy adopted by the CMBGH involves fostering a competitive health care market by creating a critical number of competing health plans. The providers in each plan will then have incentives to provide effective care in an efficient manner to keep the premium competitive and attract enrollees. Cooperation between the CMBGH and CMHSA is based on each organization's emphasizing its strengths. The CMHSA's data base and analyses have been the primary resources used by the CMBGH to identify problems. Each organization has developed its own set of goals and objectives, while keeping in mind those of the other organization. The CMBGH adopted a subset of theCMHSA's goals-those that focus on hospital capacity and utilization. Although the CMHSA's regulatory strategies differ greatly from the CMBGH's competition strategies, they do not necessarily conflict

Understanding inequities in home health care outcomes: staff views on agency and system factors.

PubMed

Davitt, Joan K; Bourjolly, Joretha; Frasso, Rosemary

2015-01-01

Results regarding staff perspectives on contributing factors to racial/ethnic disparities in home health care outcomes are discussed. Focus group interviews were conducted with home health care staff (N = 23) who represented various agencies from three Northeastern states. Participants identified agency and system factors that contribute to disparities, including: (a) administrative staff bias/discretion, (b) communication challenges, (c) patient/staff cultural discordance, (d) cost control, and (e) poor access to community resources. Participants reported that bias can influence staff at all levels and is expressed via poor coverage of predominantly minority service areas, resulting in reduced intensity and continuity of service for minority patients. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Comparing maternal child health problems and outcomes across public health nursing agencies.

PubMed

Monsen, Karen A; Fulkerson, Jayne A; Lytton, Amy B; Taft, Lila L; Schwichtenberg, Linda D; Martin, Karen S

2010-05-01

To use aggregated data from health informatics systems to identify needs of maternal and child health (MCH) clients served by county public health agencies and to demonstrate outcomes of services provided. Participating agencies developed and implemented a formal standardized classification data comparison process using structured Omaha System data. An exploratory descriptive analysis of the data was performed. Summary reports of aggregated and analyzed data from records of clients served and discharged in 2005 were compared. Client problems and outcomes were found to be similar across agencies, with behavioral, psychosocial, environmental and physiological problems identified and addressed. Differential improvement was noted by problem, outcome measure, and agency; and areas for enhancing intervention strategies were prioritized. Problems with greatest improvement across agencies were Antepartum/postpartum and Family planning, and least improvement across agencies were Neglect and Substance use. Findings demonstrated that public health nurses address many serious health-related problems with low-income high-risk MCH clients. MCH client needs were found to be similar across agencies. Public health nurse home visiting services addressed important health issues with MCH clients, and statistically significant improvement in client health problems occurred consistently across agencies. The data comparison processes developed in this project were useful for MCH programs, and may be applicable to other program areas using structured client data for evaluation purposes. Using informatics tools and data facilitated needs assessment, program evaluation, and outcomes management processes for the agencies, and will continue to play an integral role in directing practice and improving client outcomes.

Vulnerability, Health Agency and Capability to Health.

PubMed

Straehle, Christine

2016-01-01

One of the defining features of the capability approach (CA) to health, as developed in Venkatapuram's book Health Justice, is its aim to enable individual health agency. Furthermore, the CA to health hopes to provide a strong guideline for assessing the health-enabling content of social and political conditions. In this article, I employ the recent literature on the liberal concept of vulnerability to assess the CA. I distinguish two kinds of vulnerability. Considering circumstantial vulnerability, I argue that liberal accounts of vulnerability concerned with individual autonomy, align with the CA to health. Individuals should, as far as possible, be able to make health-enabling decisions about their lives, and their capability to do so should certainly not be hindered by public policy. The CA to health and a vulnerability-based analysis then work alongside to define moral responsibilities and designate those who hold them. Both approaches demand social policy to address circumstances that hinder individuals from taking health-enabling decisions. A background condition of vulnerability, on the other hand, even though it hampers the capability for health, does not warrant the strong moral claim proposed by the CA to health to define health as a meta-capability that should guide social policy. Nothing in our designing social policy could change the challenge to health agency when we deal with background conditions of vulnerability. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Health system strengthening in Myanmar during political reforms: perspectives from international agencies.

PubMed

Risso-Gill, Isabelle; McKee, Martin; Coker, Richard; Piot, Peter; Legido-Quigley, Helena

2014-07-01

Myanmar has undergone a remarkable political transformation in the last 2 years, with its leadership voluntarily transitioning from an isolated military regime to a quasi-civilian government intent on re-engaging with the international community. Decades of underinvestment have left the country underdeveloped with a fragile health system and poor health outcomes. International aid agencies have found engagement with the Myanmar government difficult but this is changing rapidly and it is opportune to consider how Myanmar can engage with the global health system strengthening (HSS) agenda. Nineteen semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with representatives from international agencies working in Myanmar to capture their perspectives on HSS following political reform. They explored their perceptions of HSS and the opportunities for implementation. Participants reported challenges in engaging with government, reflecting the disharmony between actors, economic sanctions and barriers to service delivery due to health system weaknesses and bureaucracy. Weaknesses included human resources, data and medical products/infrastructure and logistical challenges. Agencies had mixed views of health system finance and governance, identifying problems and also some positive aspects. There is little consensus on how HSS should be approached in Myanmar, but much interest in collaborating to achieve it. Despite myriad challenges and concerns, participants were generally positive about the recent political changes, and remain optimistic as they engage in HSS activities with the government.

State health agencies and the legislative policy process.

PubMed

Williams-Crowe, S M; Aultman, T V

1994-01-01

A new era of health care reform places increasing pressure on public health leaders and agencies to participate in the public policy arena. Public health professionals have long been comfortable in providing the scientific knowledge base required in policy development. What has been more recent in its evolution, however, is recognition that they must also play an active role in leading and shaping the debate over policy. A profile of effective State legislative policy "entrepreneurs" and their strategies has been developed to assist health agencies in developing such a leadership position. Based on the experiences of State legislative liaison officers, specific strategies for dealing with State legislatures have been identified and are organized into five key areas--agency organization, staff skills, communications, negotiation, and active ongoing involvement. A public health agency must be organized effectively to participate in the legislative policy process. Typically, effective agencies centralize responsibility for policy activities and promote broad and coordinated participation throughout the organization. Playing a key role in the agency's political interventions, the legislative liaison office should be staffed with persons possessing excellent interpersonal skills and a high degree of technical competence. Of central importance to effective legislative policy entrepreneurship is the ability to communicate the agency's position clearly. This includes setting forward a focused policy agenda, documenting policy issues in a meaningful manner, and reaching legislators with the proper information. Once a matter is on the legislative agenda, the agency must be prepared to negotiate and build broad support for the measure. Finally, public health agencies must be active policy players. To take advantage of new opportunities for action, the public health (policy) leader must monitor the political environment continually.By working to anticipate and formulate

Total quality management: managing the human dimension in natural resource agencies

Treesearch

Denzil Verardo

1995-01-01

Stewardship in an era of dwindling human resources requires new approaches to the way business is conducted in the public sector, and Total Quality Management (TQM) can be the avenue for this transformation. Resource agencies are no exception to this requirement, although modifications to "traditional" private enterprise versions of TQM implementation...

Resolving disputes over science in natural resource agency decisionmaking

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruell, Emily; Burkardt, Nina; Clark, Douglas R.

2010-01-01

Natural resource agencies make decisions involving public resources in which the public, by definition, have a stake. These resources are often finite. Thus, different viewpoints, interests, or beliefs may conflict when parties are perceived to be interdependent or one party is perceived to block or oppose other parties' use of a scarce resource. These confl icts may occur regard less of whether there are any real differences between the parties or whether one party's actions actually affect the other (Thomas 1992; Robbins 1994; Appelbaum et al. 1999). Conflicts are defined here as "a process of social interaction involving a struggle over claims to resources, power and status, beliefs, and other preferences and desires" (Appelbaum et al. 1999, 63). Such conflicts can occur at multiple stages or levels of decisionmaking and can be embedded within other conflicts.

A data-driven allocation tool for in-kind resources distributed by a state health department.

PubMed

Peterson, Cora; Kegler, Scott R; Parker, Wende R; Sullivan, David

2016-10-02

The objective of this study was to leverage a state health department's operational data to allocate in-kind resources (children's car seats) to counties, with the proposition that need-based allocation could ultimately improve public health outcomes. This study used a retrospective analysis of administrative data on car seats distributed to counties statewide by the Georgia Department of Public Health and development of a need-based allocation tool (presented as interactive supplemental digital content, adaptable to other types of in-kind public health resources) that relies on current county-level injury and sociodemographic data. Car seat allocation using public health data and a need-based formula resulted in substantially different recommended allocations to individual counties compared to historic distribution. Results indicate that making an in-kind public health resource like car seats universally available results in a less equitable distribution of that resource compared to deliberate allocation according to public health need. Public health agencies can use local data to allocate in-kind resources consistent with health objectives; that is, in a manner offering the greatest potential health impact. Future analysis can determine whether the change to a more equitable allocation of resources is also more efficient, resulting in measurably improved public health outcomes.

A case study of enterprise historic resources information management in large transportation agencies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

Historic resources are in some way managed by every transportation agency in the nation. Transportation agencies manage historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, buildings, structures, objects, routes, landscapes, and districts to prevent damage...

78 FR 23233 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; IEPS International Resource...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-18

...; Comment Request; IEPS International Resource Information System (IRIS) AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary... System (IRIS). OMB Control Number: 1840-0759. Type of Review: a revision of an existing information... reporting system, International Resource Information System (IRIS) that IFLE uses to collect annual...

A review of health resource tracking in developing countries.

PubMed

Powell-Jackson, Timothy; Mills, Anne

2007-11-01

Timely, reliable and complete information on financial resources in the health sector is critical for sound policy making and planning, particularly in developing countries where resources are both scarce and unpredictable. Health resource tracking has a long history and has seen renewed interest more recently as pressure has mounted to improve accountability for the attainment of the health Millennium Development Goals. We review the methods used to track health resources and recent experiences of their application, with a view to identifying the major challenges that must be overcome if data availability and reliability are to improve. At the country level, there have been important advances in the refinement of the National Health Accounts (NHA) methodology, which is now regarded as the international standard. Significant efforts have also been put into the development of methods to track disease-specific expenditures. However, NHA as a framework can do little to address the underlying problem of weak government public expenditure management and information systems that provide much of the raw data. The experience of institutionalizing NHA suggests progress has been uneven and there is a potential for stand-alone disease accounts to make the situation worse by undermining capacity and confusing technicians. Global level tracking of donor assistance to health relies to a large extent on the OECD's Creditor Reporting System. Despite improvements in its coverage and reliability, the demand for estimates of aid to control of specific diseases is resulting in multiple, uncoordinated data requests to donor agencies, placing additional workload on the providers of information. The emergence of budget support aid modalities poses a methodological challenge to health resource tracking, as such support is difficult to attribute to any particular sector or health programme. Attention should focus on improving underlying financial and information systems at the country

Resource allocation processes at multilateral organizations working in global health.

PubMed

Chi, Y-Ling; Bump, Jesse B

2018-02-01

International institutions provide well over US$10 billion in development assistance for health (DAH) annually and between 1990 and 2014, DAH disbursements totaled $458 billion but how do they decide who gets what, and for what purpose? In this article, we explore how allocation decisions were made by the nine convening agencies of the Equitable Access Initiative. We provide clear, plain language descriptions of the complete process from resource mobilization to allocation for the nine multilateral agencies with prominent agendas in global health. Then, through a comparative analysis we illuminate the choices and strategies employed in the nine international institutions. We find that resource allocation in all reviewed institutions follow a similar pattern, which we categorized in a framework of five steps: strategy definition, resource mobilization, eligibility of countries, support type and funds allocation. All the reviewed institutions generate resource allocation decisions through well-structured and fairly complex processes. Variations in those processes seem to reflect differences in institutional principles and goals. However, these processes have serious shortcomings. Technical problems include inadequate flexibility to account for or meet country needs. Although aid effectiveness and value for money are commonly referenced, we find that neither performance nor impact is a major criterion for allocating resources. We found very little formal consideration of the incentives generated by allocation choices. Political issues include non-transparent influence on allocation processes by donors and bureaucrats, and the common practice of earmarking funds to bypass the normal allocation process entirely. Ethical deficiencies include low accountability and transparency at international institutions, and limited participation by affected citizens or their representatives. We find that recipient countries have low influence on allocation processes themselves

Resource allocation processes at multilateral organizations working in global health

PubMed Central

Chi, Y-Ling; Bump, Jesse B

2018-01-01

Abstract International institutions provide well over US$10 billion in development assistance for health (DAH) annually and between 1990 and 2014, DAH disbursements totaled $458 billion but how do they decide who gets what, and for what purpose? In this article, we explore how allocation decisions were made by the nine convening agencies of the Equitable Access Initiative. We provide clear, plain language descriptions of the complete process from resource mobilization to allocation for the nine multilateral agencies with prominent agendas in global health. Then, through a comparative analysis we illuminate the choices and strategies employed in the nine international institutions. We find that resource allocation in all reviewed institutions follow a similar pattern, which we categorized in a framework of five steps: strategy definition, resource mobilization, eligibility of countries, support type and funds allocation. All the reviewed institutions generate resource allocation decisions through well-structured and fairly complex processes. Variations in those processes seem to reflect differences in institutional principles and goals. However, these processes have serious shortcomings. Technical problems include inadequate flexibility to account for or meet country needs. Although aid effectiveness and value for money are commonly referenced, we find that neither performance nor impact is a major criterion for allocating resources. We found very little formal consideration of the incentives generated by allocation choices. Political issues include non-transparent influence on allocation processes by donors and bureaucrats, and the common practice of earmarking funds to bypass the normal allocation process entirely. Ethical deficiencies include low accountability and transparency at international institutions, and limited participation by affected citizens or their representatives. We find that recipient countries have low influence on allocation processes

77 FR 32127 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects being...

Local public health agency funding: money begets money.

PubMed

Bernet, Patrick Michael

2007-01-01

Local public health agencies are funded federal, state, and local revenue sources. There is a common belief that increases from one source will be offset by decreases in others, as when a local agency might decide it must increase taxes in response to lowered federal or state funding. This study tests this belief through a cross-sectional study using data from Missouri local public health agencies, and finds, instead, that money begets money. Local agencies that receive more from federal and state sources also raise more at the local level. Given the particular effectiveness of local funding in improving agency performance, these findings that nonlocal revenues are amplified at the local level, help make the case for higher public health funding from federal and state levels.

State Health Agencies' Perceptions of the Benefits of Accreditation.

PubMed

Kittle, Alannah; Liss-Levinson, Rivka

The national voluntary accreditation program serves to encourage health agencies to seek departmental accreditation as a mechanism for continuous quality improvement. This study utilizes data from the 2016 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Profile Survey to examine the perceived benefits of accreditation among state health agencies. Respondents answered questions on topics such as agency structure, workforce, and quality improvement activities. Frequencies and cross tabulations were conducted using IBM SPSS (version 21) statistical software. Results indicate that among accredited agencies, the most commonly endorsed benefits of accreditation include stimulating quality and performance improvement opportunities (95%), strengthening the culture of quality improvement (90%), and stimulating greater collaboration across departments/units within the agency (90%). Policy and practice implications, such as how these data can be used to promote accreditation within health agencies, as well as how accreditation strengthens governmental public health systems, are also discussed.

Payment reform will shift home health agency valuation parameters.

PubMed

Hahn, A D

1998-12-01

Changes authorized by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 have removed many of the payment benefits that motivated past home health agency acquisition activity and temporarily have slowed the rapid pace of acquisitions of home health agencies. The act required that Medicare's cost-based payment system be replaced with a prospective payment system (PPS) and established an interim payment system to provide a framework for home health agencies to make the transition to the PPS. As a consequence, realistic valuations of home health agencies will be determined primarily by cash flows, with consideration given to operational factors, such as quality of patient care, service territory, and information systems capabilities. The limitations imposed by the change in payment mechanism will cause acquisition interest to shift away from home health agencies with higher utilization and revenue expansion to agencies able to control costs and achieve operating leverage.

42 CFR 484.245 - Accelerated payments for home health agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Accelerated payments for home health agencies. 484... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION HOME HEALTH SERVICES Prospective Payment System for Home Health Agencies § 484.245 Accelerated payments for home health agencies. (a) General rule...

42 CFR 484.245 - Accelerated payments for home health agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Accelerated payments for home health agencies. 484... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION HOME HEALTH SERVICES Prospective Payment System for Home Health Agencies § 484.245 Accelerated payments for home health agencies. (a) General rule...

42 CFR 484.245 - Accelerated payments for home health agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accelerated payments for home health agencies. 484... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION HOME HEALTH SERVICES Prospective Payment System for Home Health Agencies § 484.245 Accelerated payments for home health agencies. (a) General rule...

77 FR 45363 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...)--[Revision] The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB...

Accessing the Health Care Financing System: A Resource Guide for Local Education Agencies. Bulletin No. 91298.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison.

This guide is intended to assist Wisconsin school districts in accessing the health care financing system as a means of supporting specialized services. Topics covered include: determination of a local education agency's potential for third-party covered services; the need to become a certified provider dependent upon the funding source;…

Mental health services for homebound elders from home health nursing agencies and home care agencies.

PubMed

Zeltzer, Barry B; Kohn, Robert

2006-04-01

This study examined the practices of home care agencies and home health nursing agencies in the management and treatment of homebound clients with behavioral problems, dementia, and undiagnosed mental illnesses. A survey was mailed to all 54 directors of agencies in Rhode Island in 2003; 53 responded, either by mail or telephone. Data indicated a lack of psychiatric services, a reluctance to address behavioral problems, and a failure to identify undiagnosed disorders. There was also a bias against accepting individuals with primary psychiatric disorders. Although the population of homebound elders with mental illness is increasing, their needs are not being met by these agencies.

The structure of state health agencies: a strategic analysis.

PubMed

Ford, Eric W; Duncan, W Jack; Ginter, Peter M

2003-03-01

Leaders in public organizations are adopting many private sector management practices to control costs and increase efficiency. Nowhere is this more evident than among state health agencies. State health agencies were encouraged to change the way they operate by the 1988 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on The Future of Public Health. This report portrayed public health as being in disarray. To address major deficiencies identified by the IOM study, some public health leaders have reevaluated their environments, reconfigured their organizations, and adopted a strategic mindset. The purpose of this research is to explore the various organizational configurations of state health agencies. Replicating methods used in studies of private sector organizations, five distinct strategic configurations or archetypes were identified. This comprehensive public health agency taxonomy will assist future researchers in analyzing public health organizations' environments, structures, and strategies.

Young Female Citizens in Education: Emotions, Resources and Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Tuula; Holland, Janet; Lahelma, Elina; Thomson, Rachel

2008-01-01

In this article we are concerned with how young women's subjectivities are constructed within relations of power, particularly in the context of schooling and the transition to adulthood. We focus on the possibilities and limitations for agency to be exercised by women in the education system and more generally, the resources that they can draw…

Health Resources Statistics; Health Manpower and Health Facilities, 1969.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Health Statistics (DHEW/PHS), Hyattsville, MD.

Intended to provide current statistics on health manpower and inpatient health facilities for the evaluation, planning, and administration of health programs, data were gathered from college and university records, state licensing records, association membership records, and agencies and establishments that provide health services. About 3.7…

42 CFR 484.245 - Accelerated payments for home health agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as HHA bills are processed... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Accelerated payments for home health agencies. 484... for Home Health Agencies § 484.245 Accelerated payments for home health agencies. (a) General rule...

42 CFR 484.245 - Accelerated payments for home health agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as HHA bills are processed... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Accelerated payments for home health agencies. 484... for Home Health Agencies § 484.245 Accelerated payments for home health agencies. (a) General rule...

Public Health Spending and Medicare Resource Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of U.S. Communities.

PubMed

Mays, Glen P; Mamaril, Cezar B

2017-12-01

To examine whether local expenditures for public health activities influence area-level medical spending for Medicare beneficiaries. Six census surveys of the nation's 2,900 local public health agencies were conducted between 1993 and 2013, linked with contemporaneous information on population demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and area-level Medicare spending estimates from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Measures derive from agency survey data and aggregated Medicare claims. A longitudinal cohort design follows the geographic areas served by local public health agencies. Multivariate, fixed-effects, and instrumental-variables regression models estimate how area-level Medicare spending changes in response to shifts in local public health spending, controlling for observed and unmeasured confounders. A 10 percent increase in local public health spending per capita was associated with 0.8 percent reduction in adjusted Medicare expenditures per person after 1 year (p < .01) and a 1.1 percent reduction after 5 years (p < .05). Estimated Medicare spending offsets were larger in communities with higher rates of poverty, lower health insurance coverage, and health professional shortages. Expanded financing for public health activities may provide an effective way of constraining Medicare spending, particularly in low-resource communities. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Public health agencies' obligations and the case of Zika.

PubMed

Luna, Florencia

2017-10-01

This article focuses on the initial reactions to the Zika epidemic by national and international public health agencies. It presents and analyzes some responses public officials made about sexual and reproductive health at the inception of the epidemic. It also describes the different challenges and obligations faced by local and international public health agencies, as these have not been clearly outlined. The article argues that these agencies have different obligations and should fulfill them despite existing obstacles. While international agencies should honor their leadership role and make recommendations at a meta-level, local agencies should provide, in the case of Zika, a framework for empowerment and grant women the freedom to achieve sexual and reproductive health so that they can avoid the consequences of this epidemic. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Building Service Delivery Networks: Partnership Evolution Among Children's Behavioral Health Agencies in Response to New Funding.

PubMed

Bunger, Alicia C; Doogan, Nathan J; Cao, Yiwen

2014-12-01

Meeting the complex needs of youth with behavioral health problems requires a coordinated network of community-based agencies. Although fiscal scarcity or retrenchment can limit coordinated services, munificence can stimulate service delivery partnerships as agencies expand programs, hire staff, and spend more time coordinating services. This study examines the 2-year evolution of referral and staff expertise sharing networks in response to substantial new funding for services within a regional network of children's mental health organizations. Quantitative network survey data were collected from directors of 22 nonprofit organizations that receive funding from a county government-based behavioral health service fund. Both referral and staff expertise sharing networks changed over time, but results of a stochastic actor-oriented model of network dynamics suggest the nature of this change varies for these networks. Agencies with higher numbers of referral and staff expertise sharing partners tend to maintain these ties and/or develop new relationships over the 2 years. Agencies tend to refer to agencies they trust, but trust was not associated with staff expertise sharing ties. However, agencies maintain or form staff expertise sharing ties with referral partners, or with organizations that provide similar services. In addition, agencies tend to reciprocate staff expertise sharing, but not referrals. Findings suggest that during periods of resource munificence and service expansion, behavioral health organizations build service delivery partnerships in complex ways that build upon prior collaborative history and coordinate services among similar types of providers. Referral partnerships can pave the way for future information sharing relationships.

42 CFR 413.125 - Payment for home health agency services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Payment for home health agency services. 413.125... Categories of Costs § 413.125 Payment for home health agency services. (a) For additional rules on the allowability of certain costs incurred by home health agencies, see §§ 409.46 and 409.49(b) of this chapter. (b...

42 CFR 413.125 - Payment for home health agency services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Payment for home health agency services. 413.125... Categories of Costs § 413.125 Payment for home health agency services. (a) For additional rules on the allowability of certain costs incurred by home health agencies, see §§ 409.46 and 409.49(b) of this chapter. (b...

42 CFR 413.125 - Payment for home health agency services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Payment for home health agency services. 413.125... Categories of Costs § 413.125 Payment for home health agency services. (a) For additional rules on the allowability of certain costs incurred by home health agencies, see §§ 409.46 and 409.49(b) of this chapter. (b...

Use of health information technology in home health and hospice agencies: United States, 2007.

PubMed

Resnick, Helaine E; Alwan, Majd

2010-01-01

This report provides updated estimates on use of electronic medical records (EMRs) in US home health and hospice (HHH) agencies, describes utilization of EMR functionalities, and presents novel data on telemedicine and point of care documentation (PoCD) in this setting. Nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of US HHH agencies conducted in 2007. Data on agency characteristics, current use of EMR systems as well as use of telemedicine and PoCD were collected. In 2007, 43% of US HHH agencies reported use of an EMR system. Patient demographics (40%) and clinical notes (34%) were the most commonly used EMR functions among US HHH agencies. Only 20% of agencies with EMR systems had health information sharing functionality and about half of them used it. Telemedicine was used by 21% of all HHH agencies, with most (87%) of these offering home health services. Among home health agencies using telemedicine, greater than 90% used telephone monitoring and about two-thirds used non-video monitoring. Nearly 29% of HHH agencies reported using electronic PoCD systems, most often for Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data capture (79%). Relative to for-profit HHH agencies, non-profit agencies used considerably more EMR (70% vs 28%, p<0.001) and PoCD (63% vs 9%, p<0.001). Between 2000 and 2007, there was a 33% increase in use of EMR among HHH agencies in the US. In 2007, use of EMR and PoCD technologies in non-profit agencies was significantly higher than for-profit ones. Finally, HHH agencies generally tended to use available EMR functionalities, including health information sharing.

78 FR 46597 - Agency Information Collection Activities: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-01

... Activities: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual Application and Reporting AGENCY: U.S....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual.... Abstract The Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (42 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.), authorizes a water...

78 FR 8192 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Education and Human Resources Project...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-05

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Education and Human Resources Project Monitoring Clearance AGENCY: National Science Foundation. ACTION: Notice... part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science...

75 FR 17920 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-08

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Services Administration (HRSA) publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects being developed for...: National Health Service Corps Alumni Initiative--New The Health Resources and Services Administration's...

Understanding and valuing the broader health system benefits of Uganda's national Human Resources for Health Information System investment.

PubMed

Driessen, Julia; Settle, Dykki; Potenziani, David; Tulenko, Kate; Kabocho, Twaha; Wadembere, Ismail

2015-08-31

To address the need for timely and comprehensive human resources for health (HRH) information, governments and organizations have been actively investing in electronic health information interventions, including in low-resource settings. The economics of human resources information systems (HRISs) in low-resource settings are not well understood, however, and warrant investigation and validation. This case study describes Uganda's Human Resources for Health Information System (HRHIS), implemented with support from the US Agency for International Development, and documents perceptions of its impact on the health labour market against the backdrop of the costs of implementation. Through interviews with end users and implementers in six different settings, we document pre-implementation data challenges and consider how the HRHIS has been perceived to affect human resources decision-making and the healthcare employment environment. This multisite case study documented a range of perceived benefits of Uganda's HRHIS through interviews with end users that sought to capture the baseline (or pre-implementation) state of affairs, the perceived impact of the HRHIS and the monetary value associated with each benefit. In general, the system appears to be strengthening both demand for health workers (through improved awareness of staffing patterns) and supply (by improving licensing, recruitment and competency of the health workforce). This heightened ability to identify high-value employees makes the health sector more competitive for high-quality workers, and this elevation of the health workforce also has broader implications for health system performance and population health. Overall, it is clear that HRHIS end users in Uganda perceived the system to have significantly improved day-to-day operations as well as longer term institutional mandates. A more efficient and responsive approach to HRH allows the health sector to recruit the best candidates, train employees in

Characterizing sexual health resources on college campuses.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Marla E; Lechner, Kate E; Frerich, Ellen A; Lust, Katherine A; Garcia, Carolyn M

2012-10-01

This observational study describes the development of the college resources and sexual health inventory, the profile of sexual health promotion resources at participating colleges, and comparisons of resources across several college characteristics. 28 diverse college campuses in one Midwestern state participated. 10 domains were assessed, including characteristics of campus health services (e.g. convenience), condom programs, sexual health information, communication about resources, sexual violence resources and gay/lesbian/bisexual student resources. Scores for each measure reflected the presence or extent of each resource. Summary scores were created for the overall level of sexual health resources and for each domain. T tests and ANOVAs were used to compare resources at 2-year versus 4-year colleges, public versus private sectors, metro versus non-metro locations, and across enrollment size. Inventory scores ranged from 6 to 53. 4-year colleges offered significantly more resources than 2-year; resource levels were statistically similar across location and enrollment size. Subsequent analyses comparing campuses with and without a health center indicated that several resources which were not inherently tied to a clinic nonetheless differed significantly with having a health center. Colleges without this resource could position sexual health resources in other offices or departments or provide referrals to sexual health resources in the broader community.

Forum Guide to Data Visualization: A Resource for Education Agencies. NFES 2017-016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Forum on Education Statistics, 2016

2016-01-01

The purpose of this document is to recommend data visualization practices that will help education agencies communicate data meaning in visual formats that are accessible, accurate, and actionable for a wide range of education stakeholders. Although this resource is designed for staff in education agencies, many of the visualization principles…

The interplay between structure and agency in shaping the mental health consequences of job loss

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Job loss is a discrete life event, with multiple adverse consequences for physical and mental health and implications for agency. Our research explores the consequences of job loss for retrenched workers’ mental health by examining the interplay between their agency and the structures shaping their job loss experiences. Methods We conducted two waves of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 33 of the more than 1000 workers who lost their jobs at Mitsubishi Motors in South Australia during 2004 and 2005 as a result of industry restructuring. Interviews capturing the mental health consequences of job loss were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was employed to determine the health consequences of the job loss and the impact of structural factors. Results Main themes that emerged from the qualitative exploration of the psychological distress of job loss included stress, changes to perceived control, loss of self-esteem, shame and loss of status, experiencing a grieving process, and financial strain. Drawing on two models of agency we identified the different ways workers employed their agency, and how their agency was enabled, but mainly constrained, when dealing with job loss consequences. Conclusions Respondents’ accounts support the literature on the moderating effects of economic resources such as redundancy packages. The results suggest the need for policies to put more focus on social, emotional and financial investment to mediate the structural constraints of job loss. Our study also suggests that human agency must be understood within an individual’s whole of life circumstances, including structural and material constraints, and the personal or interior factors that shape these circumstances. PMID:23384322

Creating quality improvement culture in public health agencies.

PubMed

Davis, Mary V; Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

2014-01-01

We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007-2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies' ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture.

76 FR 35900 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-20

... few new questions will be asked about health center Electronic Health Record reporting capabilities... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

Health Effects of Energy Resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orem, William; Tatu, Calin; Pavlovic, Nikola; Bunnell, Joseph; Kolker, Allan; Engle, Mark; Stout, Ben

2010-01-01

Energy resources (coal, oil, and natural gas) are among the cornerstones of modern industrial society. The exploitation of these resources, however, is not without costs. Energy materials may contain harmful chemical substances that, if mobilized into air, water, or soil, can adversely impact human health and environmental quality. In order to address the issue of human exposure to toxic substances derived from energy resources, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program developed a project entitled 'Impacts of Energy Resources on Human Health and Environmental Quality.' The project is intended to provide policymakers and the public with the scientific information needed to weigh the human health and environmental consequences of meeting our energy needs. This fact sheet discusses several areas where the USGS Energy Resources Program is making scientific advances in this endeavor.

Building Service Delivery Networks: Partnership Evolution Among Children’s Behavioral Health Agencies in Response to New Funding

PubMed Central

Bunger, Alicia C.; Doogan, Nathan J.; Cao, Yiwen

2014-01-01

Meeting the complex needs of youth with behavioral health problems requires a coordinated network of community-based agencies. Although fiscal scarcity or retrenchment can limit coordinated services, munificence can stimulate service delivery partnerships as agencies expand programs, hire staff, and spend more time coordinating services. This study examines the 2-year evolution of referral and staff expertise sharing networks in response to substantial new funding for services within a regional network of children’s mental health organizations. Quantitative network survey data were collected from directors of 22 nonprofit organizations that receive funding from a county government-based behavioral health service fund. Both referral and staff expertise sharing networks changed over time, but results of a stochastic actor-oriented model of network dynamics suggest the nature of this change varies for these networks. Agencies with higher numbers of referral and staff expertise sharing partners tend to maintain these ties and/or develop new relationships over the 2 years. Agencies tend to refer to agencies they trust, but trust was not associated with staff expertise sharing ties. However, agencies maintain or form staff expertise sharing ties with referral partners, or with organizations that provide similar services. In addition, agencies tend to reciprocate staff expertise sharing, but not referrals. Findings suggest that during periods of resource munificence and service expansion, behavioral health organizations build service delivery partnerships in complex ways that build upon prior collaborative history and coordinate services among similar types of providers. Referral partnerships can pave the way for future information sharing relationships. PMID:25574359

Community-partnered evaluation of depression services for clients of community-based agencies in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles.

PubMed

Miranda, Jeanne; Ong, Michael K; Jones, Loretta; Chung, Bowen; Dixon, Elizabeth L; Tang, Lingqi; Gilmore, Jim; Sherbourne, Cathy; Ngo, Victoria K; Stockdale, Susan; Ramos, Esmeralda; Belin, Thomas R; Wells, Kenneth B

2013-10-01

As medical homes are developing under health reform, little is known regarding depression services need and use by diverse safety-net populations in under-resourced communities. For chronic conditions like depression, primary care services may face new opportunities to partner with diverse community service providers, such as those in social service and substance abuse centers, to support a collaborative care model of treating depression. To understand the distribution of need and current burden of services for depression in under-resourced, diverse communities in Los Angeles. Baseline phase of a participatory trial to improve depression services with data from client screening and follow-up surveys. Of 4,440 clients screened from 93 programs (primary care, mental health, substance abuse, homeless, social and other community services) in 50 agencies, 1,322 were depressed according to an eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) and gave contact information; 1,246 enrolled and 981 completed surveys. Ninety-three programs, including 17 primary care/public health, 18 mental health, 20 substance abuse, ten homeless services, and 28 social/other community services, participated. Comparisons by setting in 6-month retrospective recall of depression services use. Depression prevalence ranged from 51.9 % in mental health to 17.2 % in social-community programs. Depressed clients used two settings on average to receive depression services; 82 % used any setting. More clients preferred counseling over medication for depression treatment. Need for depression care was high, and a broad range of agencies provide depression care. Although most participants had contact with primary care, most depression services occurred outside of primary care settings, emphasizing the need to coordinate and support the quality of community-based services across diverse community settings.

Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement.

PubMed

Hayes, Sara L; Mann, Mala K; Morgan, Fiona M; Kelly, Mark J; Weightman, Alison L

2012-10-17

population, and one showed more unhealthy lifestyle behaviours persisting in the intervention population. Three studies considered chronic disease management and all failed to demonstrate health gains. Three studies considered environmental improvements and adjustments, of which two showed some health improvements and one did not.Meta-analysis of three studies exploring the effect of collaboration on mortality showed no effect (pooled relative risk of 1.04 in favour of control, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.17). Analysis of five studies (with high heterogeneity) looking at the effect of collaboration on mental health resulted in a standardised mean difference of -0.28, a small effect favouring the intervention (95% CI -0.51 to -0.06). From two studies, there was a statistically significant but clinically modest improvement in the global assessment of function symptoms score scale, with a pooled mean difference (on a scale of 1 to 100) of -2.63 favouring the intervention (95% CI -5.16 to -0.10).For physical health (6 studies) and quality of life (4 studies) the results were not statistically significant, the standardised mean differences were -0.01 (95% CI -0.10 to 0.07) and -0.08 (95% CI -0.44 to 0.27), respectively. Collaboration between local health and local government is commonly considered best practice. However, the review did not identify any reliable evidence that interagency collaboration, compared to standard services, necessarily leads to health improvement. A few studies identified component benefits but these were not reflected in overall outcome scores and could have resulted from the use of significant additional resources. Although agencies appear enthusiastic about collaboration, difficulties in the primary studies and incomplete implementation of initiatives have prevented the development of a strong evidence base. If these weaknesses are addressed in future studies (for example by providing greater detail on the implementation of programmes; using more robust designs

78 FR 953 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request ACTION: Notice. Summary: In compliance.... L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes periodic summaries of...

76 FR 67198 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) proposes to revise the Maternal and Child Health Services Title...

A concept analysis of children's agency within the health literature.

PubMed

Montreuil, Marjorie; Carnevale, Franco A

2015-12-14

The capacity of children to act as agents is being increasingly recognized and has important implications for health research and practice. However, there are various discrepancies in how children's agency is defined in the literature. The aim of this analysis was to examine the concept of children's agency within the health-related literature, using Rodgers evolutionary method. The following questions were addressed: How did the concept of agency become associated with children in the health-related literature? What are the sociocultural and legal contexts that surround the concept of children's agency? What is the meaning of children's agency? Forty-five articles were included in the analysis. An inductive approach was used to identify the attributes of children's agency as well as the temporal, disciplinary, and paradigmatic trends in its conceptualization. The concept of children's agency first appeared in the health literature in the 1980s and was defined as an ability children could gradually develop. Later on, children's agency was used to refer to the capacity of all children to influence their own and others' health-care needs and is now increasingly used to refer to children as active agents who reflect on and construct their social worlds. © The Author(s) 2015.

77 FR 17078 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

..., including navigated patient data intake, VR-12 health status, patient navigator survey, patient navigator... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

76 FR 10373 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-24

... navigated patient data intake, VR-12 health status, patient navigator survey, patient navigator encounter... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

[Health technology assessment agencies in the xxi century].

PubMed

Argimon, Josep Maria

2015-11-01

The origins of the health technology assessment (HTA) agencies date back to the 70s in the United States; in the European context, the current Agency for Quality and Health Assessment of Catalonia was among the pioneers in 1991. Epidemiological, social, technological and economic changes of recent years have led to the incorporation, by the agencies, of new functions, activities and projects that can offer better services (information and knowledge) to the various players in the healthcare system (patients, professionals, providers, insurers and policy-makers) in order to increase healthcare quality and preserve the sustainability of the health system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Creating Quality Improvement Culture in Public Health Agencies

PubMed Central

Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

2014-01-01

Objectives. We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. Methods. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007–2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Results. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Conclusions. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies’ ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture. PMID:24228680

Health protection--a strategy and a national agency.

PubMed

Nicoll, A; Murray, V

2002-05-01

The Chief Medical Officer for England has published a strategy for health protection and announced the formation of a new body, the Health Protection Agency, to deal with the threats to health from infectious disease, chemicals, toxins and radiation hazards. This reflects international recognition of the need to combat threats to health from the likes of tuberculosis, HIV, influenza, anti-microbial resistance, chemical accidents and bio-terrorism, and the risks to health associated with increased movements of people, animals and goods, climate change and industrialisation. The strategy will strengthen surveillance and response linking contributions from clinical specialities with public health, microbiology, toxicology and radiation science within the health protection family. The Agency will be formed by combining a number of national and specialist public bodies and personnel delivering local protection services. The strategy represents a unique opportunity to strengthen local and national structures and develop a world-class health protection service. Detailed plans are being developed by the Department of Health with a variety of stakeholders for the launch of the Agency in 2003. A number of challenges will have to be met including developing and training the workforce in health protection, providing career structures for public health scientists and nurses, strengthening electronic communications and developing health protection networks within broader public health structures. Health protection should now be recognised as a sub-speciality of public health.

For-profit medicare home health agencies' costs appear higher and quality appears lower compared to nonprofit agencies.

PubMed

Cabin, William; Himmelstein, David U; Siman, Michael L; Woolhandler, Steffie

2014-08-01

For-profit, or proprietary, home health agencies were banned from Medicare until 1980 but now account for a majority of the agencies that provide such services. Medicare home health costs have grown rapidly since the implementation of a risk-based prospective payment system in 2000. We analyzed recent national cost and case-mix-adjusted quality outcomes to assess the performance of for-profit and nonprofit home health agencies. For-profit agencies scored slightly but significantly worse on overall quality indicators compared to nonprofits (77.18 percent and 78.71 percent, respectively). Notably, for-profit agencies scored lower than nonprofits on the clinically important outcome "avoidance of hospitalization" (71.64 percent versus 73.53 percent). Scores on quality measures were lowest in the South, where for-profits predominate. Compared to nonprofits, proprietary agencies also had higher costs per patient ($4,827 versus $4,075), were more profitable, and had higher administrative costs. Our findings raise concerns about whether for-profit agencies should continue to be eligible for Medicare payments and about the efficiency of Medicare's market-oriented, risk-based home care payment system. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

78 FR 20929 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-08

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency....C. Chapter 35), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will submit an Information... operation resides in the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA...

77 FR 72870 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency....C. Chapter 35), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will submit an Information... Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is to ensure that all Health Center Program grantees...

77 FR 16042 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and... sign a pharmaceutical pricing agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services in which the...

[Computerization and the importance of information in health system, as in health care resources registry].

PubMed

Troselj, Mario; Fanton, Davor

2005-01-01

. Directory service does not follow the history of attribute changes, and is optimized for a large number of authorizing inquiries. With it, one follows the following objects and attributes: persons, groups of people (patients, physicians, other personnel), roles (right of access and administrator permissions), organizational units, unit locations, devices and services (according to the list of services and procedures). One can add to the Health Care Resource Registry such attributes as are nonessential for inclusion in the directory service, but are of public health value. Authentication, authorization and digital signature are done by means of Smart Cards, which are used as protective elements against access to system functions, and simultaneously as a physical medium for the storage of the official certificate with which documents are signed digitally. As FINA (state financial control agency) has completed a system for certificate issuance and verification, the option of official digital signature is also available as a computer network service. Any changes taking place in the directory service are transferred by XML messages to a separate part of the Registry that reads them and automatically modifies records in the relational database. Because data input and data changes are made in health units, this makes the data updated and directly connected with health working operations. This avoids all one-time data collection campaigns using form filling about the devices and equipment in the future. As it is very difficult to monitor from a central standpoint how accurate and update the information is, it is necessary to delegate the permissions and duties associated with making changes to the directory service. By this organizational setup, the time needed to ensure data quality control is reduced. In the case described, the Health Care Resource Registry becomes an indicator of change, acquiring certain characteristics of an analytical system. An analysis of topical data

78 FR 54661 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an.... Information Collection Request Title: The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program OMB No. 0915...

75 FR 66379 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau to track spending requirements for... collected. However, the first report would track the allocation of the award at the beginning of the grant...

77 FR 46097 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request In compliance with the requirement for... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

76 FR 17423 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of Public Law 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and...

76 FR 2697 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request In compliance with the requirement for... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

[Regional health agencies: only sham autonomy two years later].

PubMed

Rolland, Christine; Pierru, Frédéric

2013-01-01

From the outset, reform of regional health agencies in France, has been torn between two conflicting approaches: traditional state planning and the more recent New Public Management. In fact, the "Hôpital Patients Santá Territoires" (Hospital Patients Health Territories) bill juxtaposes rather than supplants these conflicting approaches. Based on a sociological and qualitative survey conducted nationwide and in three regional health agencies, this article highlights the contradictions in which regional health agency management is entangled and how it tries to accommodate them in its everyday professional activity. Officially, and paradoxically, regional agencies are required to be "autonomous" and "innovative" to ensure more "territorialized" health policies, but in fact, they are caught in a meshwork of somewhat arbitrary national regulatory and budgetary controls that are very similar to the traditional French model of administration. In the light of the example of three different schemes of regional/territorial delegation regulations, this article shows how the various stakeholders are nevertheless trying to innovate even if, ultimately, they are faced with a more traditional, centralised healthcare system with decreased participation at the more local levels.

School Mental Health Resources and Adolescent Mental Health Service Use

PubMed Central

Green, Jennifer Greif; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Alegría, Margarita; Costello, E. Jane; Gruber, Michael J.; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Leaf, Philip J.; Olin, Serene; Sampson, Nancy A,; Kessler, Ronald C.

2014-01-01

Objective Although schools are identified as critical for detecting youth mental disorders, little is known about whether the number of mental health providers and types of resources they offer influence student mental health service use. Such information could inform the development and allocation of appropriate school-based resources to increase service use. This paper examines associations of school resources with past-year mental health service use among students with 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders. Method Data come from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a national survey of adolescent mental health that included 4,445 adolescent-parent pairs in 227 schools in which principals and mental health coordinators completed surveys about school resources-policies for addressing student emotional problems. Adolescents and parents completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and reported mental health service use across multiple sectors. Multilevel multivariate regression was used to examine associations of school mental health resources and individual-level service use. Results Roughly half (45.3%) of adolescents with a 12-month DSM-IV disorder received past-year mental health services. Substantial variation existed in school resources. Increased school engagement in early identification was significantly associated with mental health service use for adolescents with mild/moderate mental and behavior disorders. The ratio of students-to-mental health providers was not associated with overall service use, but was associated with sector of service use. Conclusions School mental health resources, particularly those related to early identification, may facilitate mental health service use and influence sector of service use for youths with DSM disorders. PMID:23622851

78 FR 67367 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an... Requirements OMB No. 0915-0307--Revision Abstract: Title XXVI of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as...

Home Health Agency Performance in the United States: 2011–15

PubMed Central

Wang, Yun; Spatz, Erica S.; Tariq, Maliha; Angraal, Suveen; Krumholz, Harlan M.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES To evaluate home health agency quality performance. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Home health agencies PARTICIPANTS All Medicare-certified agencies with at least 6 months of data from 2011 to 2015. MEASUREMENTS Twenty-two quality indicators, five patient survey indicators, and their composite scores. RESULTS The study included 11,462 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 92.4% of all ZIP codes nationwide, accounting for 315.2 million people. The mean composite scores were 409.1 ± 22.7 out of 500 with the patient survey indicators and 492.3 ± 21.7 out of 600 without the patient survey indicators. Home health agency performance on 27 quality indicators varied, with the coefficients of dispersion ranging from 4.9 to 62.8. Categorization of agencies into performance quartiles revealed that 3,179 (27.7%) were in the low-performing group (below 25th percentile) at least one time during the period from 2011–12 to 2014–15 and that 493 were in the low-performing group throughout the study period. Geographic variation in agency performance was observed. Agencies with longer Medicare-certified years were more likely to have high-performing scores; agencies providing partial services, with proprietary ownership, and those with long travel distances to reach patients had lower performance. Agencies serving low-income counties and counties with lower proportions of women and senior residences and greater proportions of Hispanic residents were more likely to attain lower performance scores. CONCLUSION Home health agency performance on several quality indicators varied, and many agencies were persistently in the lowest quartile of performance. Still, there is a need to improve the quality of care of all agencies. Many parts of the United States, particularly lower-income areas and areas with more Hispanic residents, are more likely to receive lower quality home health care. PMID:28960228

Pooling academic resources for public health.

PubMed

Michael, J M; Hayakawa, J M

1994-01-01

In January 1984, the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) was established, bringing together 5 schools of public health with the objectives: to raise the quality of professional education in public health; to enhance the knowledge and skills of health workers through joint projects; to solve health problems through closer links with each other and with ministries of health; to increase opportunities for graduate students through curriculum development; and to make child survival a major priority. The Consortium now comprises 31 academic institutions or units in 16 countries, and is supported by UNICEF, The World Health Organization, the China Medical Board of New York, and the governments of Japan and Malaysia. During 1985-1992, it also received major support from the United States through the US Agency for International Development and the University of Hawaii. During the past 10 years, APACPH has carried out such activities as setting up a data bank on the programs of its members, assessing public health problems, designing new curriculum and systems for service delivery, facilitating information and faculty exchanges, and running workshops for academic administrators. It has also organized conferences on the impact of urbanization on health, aging, child survival, AIDS, and occupational health. Since 1987 it has published the Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, the only English language journal on public health issues in the Asia and Pacific region, which will feature work being done by non-English-speaking researchers. Emphasis in the coming years will be placed on setting common standards for teaching and research, so that members can make more use of each other's programs. It is hoped that membership of the Consortium will continue to expand. A particular concern will be to focus more resources on preventive care rather than curative.

78 FR 69696 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-20

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 38060 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-25

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 55730 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 41410 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 41409 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 66944 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 41409 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 41406 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 61369 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration...

76 FR 51042 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under...

76 FR 67197 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under...

78 FR 75354 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an.../AIDS Program authorized under Title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act as amended by the Ryan White...

School mental health resources and adolescent mental health service use.

PubMed

Green, Jennifer Greif; McLaughlin, Katie A; Alegría, Margarita; Costello, E Jane; Gruber, Michael J; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Leaf, Philip J; Olin, Serene; Sampson, Nancy A; Kessler, Ronald C

2013-05-01

Although schools are identified as critical for detecting youth mental disorders, little is known about whether the number of mental health providers and types of resources that they offer influence student mental health service use. Such information could inform the development and allocation of appropriate school-based resources to increase service use. This article examines associations of school resources with past-year mental health service use among students with 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders. Data come from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a national survey of adolescent mental health that included 4,445 adolescent-parent pairs in 227 schools in which principals and mental health coordinators completed surveys about school resources and policies for addressing student emotional problems. Adolescents and parents completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and reported mental health service use across multiple sectors. Multilevel multivariate regression was used to examine associations of school mental health resources and individual-level service use. Nearly half (45.3%) of adolescents with a 12-month DSM-IV disorder received past-year mental health services. Substantial variation existed in school resources. Increased school engagement in early identification was significantly associated with mental health service use for adolescents with mild/moderate mental and behavior disorders. The ratio of students to mental health providers was not associated with overall service use, but was associated with sector of service use. School mental health resources, particularly those related to early identification, may facilitate mental health service use and may influence sector of service use for youths with DSM disorders. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bacteria as bullies: effects of linguistic agency assignment in health message.

PubMed

Bell, Robert A; McGlone, Matthew S; Dragojevic, Marko

2014-01-01

When describing health threats, communicators can assign agency to the threat (e.g., "Hepatitis C has infected 4 million Americans") or to humans (e.g., "Four million Americans have contracted hepatitis C"). In an online experiment, the authors explored how assignment of agency affects perceptions of susceptibility and severity of a health threat, response efficacy, self-efficacy, fear arousal, and intentions to adopt health-protective recommendations. Participants were 719 individuals recruited through Mechanical Turk ( www.mturk.com ), a crowdsource labor market run by Amazon ( www.amazon.com ). The participants were assigned randomly to read 1 of 8 flyers defined by a 2×4 (Agency Assignment×Topic) factorial design. Each flyer examined 1 health threat (E. coli, necrotizing fasciitis, salmonella, or Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae) and was written in language that emphasized bacterial or human agency. Perceived susceptibility and severity were highest when bacterial agency language was used. Response efficacy, self-efficacy, and fear arousal were not significantly affected by agency assignment. Participants reported stronger intentions to adopt recommendations when bacteria agency language was used, but this effect did not reach conventional standards of significance (p < .051). The authors concluded that health communicators can increase target audiences' perceptions of susceptibility and severity by assigning agency to the threat in question when devising health messages.

Advance directives in home health and hospice agencies: United States, 2007.

PubMed

Resnick, Helaine E; Hickman, Susan E; Foster, Gregory L

2011-11-01

This report provides nationally representative data on policies, storage, and implementation of advance directives (ADs) in home health and hospice (HHH) agencies in the United States using the National Home and Hospice Care Survey. Federally mandated ADs policies were followed in >93% of all agencies. Nearly all agencies stored ADs in a file at the agency, but only half stored them at the patient's residence. Nearly all agencies informed staff about the AD, but only 77% and 72% of home health agencies informed the attending physician and next-of-kin, respectively. Home health and hospice agencies are nearly universally compliant with ADs policies that are required in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid payments, but have much lower rates of adoption of ADs policies beyond federally mandated minimums.

75 FR 54342 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-07

... opportunities with the NHSC via e-mail. An individual is free to discontinue receiving communication from NHSC... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and...

76 FR 28792 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and... instruments, e-mail [email protected] or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1129. Comments...

77 FR 63841 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and... submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request...

75 FR 16173 - Renewal of Agency Information Collection for Tribal Energy Resource Agreements; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Renewal of Agency Information Collection for Tribal Energy Resource Agreements; Comment Request AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. [[Page... Department of the Interior at the Office of Management and Budget, by facsimile to (202) 395-5806 or you may...

Agency problems of global budget system in Taiwan's National Health Insurance.

PubMed

Yan, Yu-Hua; Yang, Chen-Wei; Fang, Shih-Chieh

2014-05-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the agency problem presented by the global budget system followed by hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, we examine empirically the interaction between the principal: Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) and agency: medical service providers (hospitals); we also describe actual medical service provider and hospital governance conditions from a agency theory perspective. This study identified a positive correlation between aversion to agency hazard (self-interest behavior, asymmetric information, and risk hedging) and agency problem risks (disregard of medical ethics, pursuit of extra-contract profit, disregard of professionalism, and cost orientation). Agency costs refer to BNHI auditing and monitoring expenditures used to prevent hospitals from deviating from NHI policy goals. This study also found agency costs negatively moderate the relationship between agency hazards and agency problems The main contribution of this study is its use of agency theory to clarify agency problems and several potential factors caused by the NHI system. This study also contributes to the field of health policy study by clarifying the nature and importance of agency problems in the health care sector. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality improvement and accreditation readiness in state public health agencies.

PubMed

Madamala, Kusuma; Sellers, Katie; Beitsch, Leslie M; Pearsol, Jim; Jarris, Paul

2012-01-01

There were 3 specific objectives of this study. The first objective was to examine the progress of state/territorial health assessment, health improvement planning, performance management, and quality improvement (QI) activities at state/territorial health agencies and compare findings to the 2007 findings when available. A second objective was to examine respondent interest and readiness for national voluntary accreditation. A final objective was to explore organizational factors (eg, leadership and capacity) that may influence QI or accreditation readiness. Cross-sectional study. State and Territorial Public Health Agencies. Survey respondents were organizational leaders at State and Territorial Public Health Agencies. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported having a formal performance management process in place. Approximately 77% of respondents reported a QI process in place. Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would seek accreditation and 36% agreed or strongly agreed that they would seek accreditation in the first 2 years of the program. In terms of accreditation prerequisites, a strategic plan was most frequently developed, followed by a state/territorial health assessment and health improvement plan, respectively. Advancements in the practice and applied research of QI in state public health agencies are necessary steps for improving performance. In particular, strengthening the measurement of the QI construct is essential for meaningfully assessing current practice patterns and informing future programming and policy decisions. Continued QI training and technical assistance to agency staff and leadership is also critical. Accreditation may be the pivotal factor to strengthen both QI practice and research. Respondent interest in seeking accreditation may indicate the perceived value of accreditation to the agency.

Health technology assessment of medical devices: a survey of non-European union agencies.

PubMed

Ciani, Oriana; Wilcher, Britni; Blankart, Carl Rudolf; Hatz, Maximilian; Rupel, Valentina Prevolnik; Erker, Renata Slabe; Varabyova, Yauheniya; Taylor, Rod S

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to review and compare current health technology assessment (HTA) activities for medical devices across non-European Union HTA agencies. HTA activities for medical devices were evaluated from three perspectives: organizational structure, processes, and methods. Agencies were primarily selected upon membership of existing HTA networks. The data collection was performed in two stages: stage 1-agency Web-site assessment using a standardized questionnaire, followed by review and validation of the collected data by a representative of the agency; and stage 2-semi-structured telephone interviews with key informants of a sub-sample of agencies. In total, thirty-six HTA agencies across twenty non-EU countries assessing medical devices were included. Twenty-seven of thirty-six (75 percent) agencies were judged at stage 1 to have adopted HTA-specific approaches for medical devices (MD-specific agencies) that were largely organizational or procedural. There appeared to be few differences in the organization, process and methods between MD-specific and non-MD-specific agencies. Although the majority (69 percent) of both categories of agency had specific methods guidance or policy for evidence submission, only one MD-specific agency had developed methodological guidelines specific to medical devices. In stage 2, many MD-specific agencies cited insufficient resources (budget, skilled employees), lack of coordination (between regulator and reimbursement bodies), and the inability to generalize findings from evidence synthesis to be key challenges in the HTA of medical devices. The lack of evidence for differentiation in scientific methods for HTA of devices raises the question of whether HTA needs to develop new methods for medical devices but rather adapt existing methodological approaches. In contrast, organizational and/or procedural adaptation of existing HTA agency frameworks to accommodate medical devices appear relatively commonplace.

76 FR 11491 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under... these programs, the Department of Health and Human Services agrees to repay the educational loans of, or...

A survey tool for measuring evidence-based decision making capacity in public health agencies.

PubMed

Jacobs, Julie A; Clayton, Paula F; Dove, Cassandra; Funchess, Tanya; Jones, Ellen; Perveen, Ghazala; Skidmore, Brandon; Sutton, Victor; Worthington, Sarah; Baker, Elizabeth A; Deshpande, Anjali D; Brownson, Ross C

2012-03-09

While increasing attention is placed on using evidence-based decision making (EBDM) to improve public health, there is little research assessing the current EBDM capacity of the public health workforce. Public health agencies serve a wide range of populations with varying levels of resources. Our survey tool allows an individual agency to collect data that reflects its unique workforce. Health department leaders and academic researchers collaboratively developed and conducted cross-sectional surveys in Kansas and Mississippi (USA) to assess EBDM capacity. Surveys were delivered to state- and local-level practitioners and community partners working in chronic disease control and prevention. The core component of the surveys was adopted from a previously tested instrument and measured gaps (importance versus availability) in competencies for EBDM in chronic disease. Other survey questions addressed expectations and incentives for using EBDM, self-efficacy in three EBDM skills, and estimates of EBDM within the agency. In both states, participants identified communication with policymakers, use of economic evaluation, and translation of research to practice as top competency gaps. Self-efficacy in developing evidence-based chronic disease control programs was lower than in finding or using data. Public health practitioners estimated that approximately two-thirds of programs in their agency were evidence-based. Mississippi participants indicated that health department leaders' expectations for the use of EBDM was approximately twice that of co-workers' expectations and that the use of EBDM could be increased with training and leadership prioritization. The assessment of EBDM capacity in Kansas and Mississippi built upon previous nationwide findings to identify top gaps in core competencies for EBDM in chronic disease and to estimate a percentage of programs in U.S. health departments that are evidence-based. The survey can serve as a valuable tool for other health

78 FR 46352 - Health Resources and Services Administration

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Announcement...: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services. Award Approving Official: Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., Administrator, Health Resources and Services...

Health lifestyle theory and the convergence of agency and structure.

PubMed

Cockerham, William C

2005-03-01

This article utilizes the agency-structure debate as a framework for constructing a health lifestyle theory. No such theory currently exists, yet the need for one is underscored by the fact that many daily lifestyle practices involve considerations of health outcomes. An individualist paradigm has influenced concepts of health lifestyles in several disciplines, but this approach neglects the structural dimensions of such lifestyles and has limited applicability to the empirical world. The direction of this article is to present a theory of health lifestyles that includes considerations of both agency and structure, with an emphasis upon restoring structure to its appropriate position. The article begins by defining agency and structure, followed by presentation of a health lifestyle model and the theoretical and empirical studies that support it.

Information Resources. Summary of Federal Agencies' Information Resources Management Problems. Fact Sheet for the Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Information Management and Technology Div.

Even though the effective use of information resources is critical to government operations, reports of studies by the Information Management and Technology (IMTEC) Division of the General Accounting Office have shown that agencies have frequently had problems in managing these resources. At the request of the Committee on Government Operations of…

Evaluating healthcare information technology outside of academia: observations from the national resource center for healthcare information technology at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

PubMed

Poon, Eric G; Cusack, Caitlin M; McGowan, Julie J

2009-01-01

The National Resource Center for Health Information Technology (NRC) was formed in the fall of 2004 as part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) health IT portfolio to support its grantees. One of the core functions of the NRC was to assist grantees in their evaluation efforts of Health IT. This manuscript highlights some common challenges experienced by health IT project teams at nonacademic institutions, including inappropriately scoped and resourced evaluation efforts, inappropriate choice of metrics, inadequate planning for data collection and analysis, and lack of consideration of qualitative methodologies. Many of these challenges can be avoided or overcome. The strategies adopted by various AHRQ grantees and the lessons learned from their projects should become part of the toolset for current and future implementers of health IT as the nation moves rapidly towards its widespread adoption.

Human resources for health policies: a critical component in health policies.

PubMed

Dussault, Gilles; Dubois, Carl-Ardy

2003-04-14

In the last few years, increasing attention has been paid to the development of health policies. But side by side with the presumed benefits of policy, many analysts share the opinion that a major drawback of health policies is their failure to make room for issues of human resources. Current approaches in human resources suggest a number of weaknesses: a reactive, ad hoc attitude towards problems of human resources; dispersal of accountability within human resources management (HRM); a limited notion of personnel administration that fails to encompass all aspects of HRM; and finally the short-term perspective of HRM.There are three broad arguments for modernizing the ways in which human resources for health are managed:bullet; the central role of the workforce in the health sector;bullet; the various challenges thrown up by health system reforms;bullet; the need to anticipate the effect on the health workforce (and consequently on service provision) arising from various macroscopic social trends impinging on health systems.The absence of appropriate human resources policies is responsible, in many countries, for a chronic imbalance with multifaceted effects on the health workforce: quantitative mismatch, qualitative disparity, unequal distribution and a lack of coordination between HRM actions and health policy needs.Four proposals have been put forward to modernize how the policy process is conducted in the development of human resources for health (HRH):bullet; to move beyond the traditional approach of personnel administration to a more global concept of HRM;bullet; to give more weight to the integrated, interdependent and systemic nature of the different components of HRM when preparing and implementing policy;bullet; to foster a more proactive attitude among human resources (HR) policy-makers and managers;bullet; to promote the full commitment of all professionals and sectors in all phases of the process.The development of explicit human resources policies is

Human resources for health policies: a critical component in health policies

PubMed Central

Dussault, Gilles; Dubois, Carl-Ardy

2003-01-01

In the last few years, increasing attention has been paid to the development of health policies. But side by side with the presumed benefits of policy, many analysts share the opinion that a major drawback of health policies is their failure to make room for issues of human resources. Current approaches in human resources suggest a number of weaknesses: a reactive, ad hoc attitude towards problems of human resources; dispersal of accountability within human resources management (HRM); a limited notion of personnel administration that fails to encompass all aspects of HRM; and finally the short-term perspective of HRM. There are three broad arguments for modernizing the ways in which human resources for health are managed: • the central role of the workforce in the health sector; • the various challenges thrown up by health system reforms; • the need to anticipate the effect on the health workforce (and consequently on service provision) arising from various macroscopic social trends impinging on health systems. The absence of appropriate human resources policies is responsible, in many countries, for a chronic imbalance with multifaceted effects on the health workforce: quantitative mismatch, qualitative disparity, unequal distribution and a lack of coordination between HRM actions and health policy needs. Four proposals have been put forward to modernize how the policy process is conducted in the development of human resources for health (HRH): • to move beyond the traditional approach of personnel administration to a more global concept of HRM; • to give more weight to the integrated, interdependent and systemic nature of the different components of HRM when preparing and implementing policy; • to foster a more proactive attitude among human resources (HR) policy-makers and managers; • to promote the full commitment of all professionals and sectors in all phases of the process. The development of explicit human resources policies is a crucial link

75 FR 58395 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... Technology Planning Grants, Electronic Health Record Implementation Health Center Controlled Networks, Health... Records Implementation for Health Center Controlled Networks and Large Multi Site Health Centers. In order... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...

Resources for health promotion: rhetoric, research and reality.

PubMed

Minke, Sharlene Wolbeck; Raine, Kim D; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Anderson, Donna; Khalema, Ernest; Smith, Cynthia

2007-01-01

Canadian political discourse supports the importance of health promotion and advocates the allocation of health resources to health promotion. Furthermore, the current literature frequently identifies financial and human resources as important elements of organizational capacity for health promotion. In the Alberta Heart Health Project (AHHP), we sought to learn if the allocation of health resources in a regionalized health system was congruent with the espoused support for health promotion in Alberta, Canada. The AHHP used a mixed method approach in a time series design. Participants were drawn from multiple organizational levels (i.e., service providers, managers, board members) across all Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Data were triangulated through multiple collection methods, primarily an organizational capacity survey, analysis of organizational documents, focus groups, and personal interviews. Analysis techniques were drawn from quantitative (i.e., frequency distributions, ANOVAs) and qualitative (i.e., content and thematic analysis) approaches. In most cases, small amounts (<5%) of financial resources were allocated to health promotion in RHAs' core budgets. Respondents reported seeking multiple sources of public health financing to support their health promotion initiatives. Human resources for health promotion were characterized by fragmented responsibilities and short-term work. Furthermore, valuable human resources were consumed in ongoing searches for funding that typically covered short time periods. Resource allocations to health promotion in Alberta RHAs are inconsistent with the current emphasis on health promotion as an organizational priority. Inadequate and unstable funding erodes the RHAs' capacity for health promotion. Sustainable health promotion calls for the assured allocation of adequate, sustainable financial resources.

[An analysis of eligibility for occupational health inspection agencies in eight provinces of China].

PubMed

Qi, Fang; Wang, Huanqiang; Li, Tao; Lyu, Xiangpei; Zhu, Qiuhong; Yu, Chen

2015-06-01

To investigate the eligibility and main problems for occupational health inspection agencies in China, and to provide technical references for improvement of occupational health inspection. A survey was performed in occupational health inspection agencies that obtained eligibility before June 2011 in eight provinces: Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hubei, Guangxi, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen. The survey used the General Information Questionnaire for Occupational Health Inspection Agency made by the project of Occupational Health Surveillance and Diagnosis and Identification of Occupational Diseases in China and Australia. A total of 650 agencies obtained eligibility for occupational health inspection in the eight provinces. These agencies contained 343 centers of disease control and prevention (CDC) or health and epidemic prevention stations (52.8%), 219 hospitals (33.7%), 25 institutes or centers for occupational disease prevention and control (3.8%), 29 community health service centers (4.5%), and 34 other agencies (5.2%) including departments of preventive and health care and preventive medicine outpatient departments. Four hundred and fifty-three agencies completed the questionnaire survey with a response rate of 69.7%. The main types of eligible agencies were different among various regions. A majority of occupational health inspection agencies were hospitals in Shanghai and Zhejiang (67.1%, 62.3%), departments of preventive and health care in Shenzhen (70.0%), and CDCs in Chongqing, Jiangsu, Hubei, and Guangxi. Each agency obtained 3.5 occupational health inspection eligibilities on average. Most of agencies could perform eligible health inspection for dust, harmful physical factors, or harmful chemical factors (84.8%, 87.9%, 87.2%). Moreover, 72.8% of agencies were eligible for all the three types of inspections. A few agencies were able to perform eligible health inspection for harmful biological factors or radiation work (22.5%, 23.0%). An occupational

HAPPIER: Health Resource Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg.

Based on findings of Project HAPPIER surveys and intended as a resource for health care providers and educators who serve the migrant community, this guide describes over 375 instructional materials in the areas of dental health, disease control, fitness, health promotion, human growth and development, hypertension, maternal and child care, mental…

77 FR 22789 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget ...

75 FR 57037 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget ...

Stochastic multi-objective auto-optimization for resource allocation decision-making in fixed-input health systems.

PubMed

Bastian, Nathaniel D; Ekin, Tahir; Kang, Hyojung; Griffin, Paul M; Fulton, Lawrence V; Grannan, Benjamin C

2017-06-01

The management of hospitals within fixed-input health systems such as the U.S. Military Health System (MHS) can be challenging due to the large number of hospitals, as well as the uncertainty in input resources and achievable outputs. This paper introduces a stochastic multi-objective auto-optimization model (SMAOM) for resource allocation decision-making in fixed-input health systems. The model can automatically identify where to re-allocate system input resources at the hospital level in order to optimize overall system performance, while considering uncertainty in the model parameters. The model is applied to 128 hospitals in the three services (Air Force, Army, and Navy) in the MHS using hospital-level data from 2009 - 2013. The results are compared to the traditional input-oriented variable returns-to-scale Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The application of SMAOM to the MHS increases the expected system-wide technical efficiency by 18 % over the DEA model while also accounting for uncertainty of health system inputs and outputs. The developed method is useful for decision-makers in the Defense Health Agency (DHA), who have a strategic level objective of integrating clinical and business processes through better sharing of resources across the MHS and through system-wide standardization across the services. It is also less sensitive to data outliers or sampling errors than traditional DEA methods.

An analysis of GAVI, the Global Fund and World Bank support for human resources for health in developing countries.

PubMed

Vujicic, Marko; Weber, Stephanie E; Nikolic, Irina A; Atun, Rifat; Kumar, Ranjana

2012-12-01

Shortages, geographic imbalances and poor performance of health workers pose major challenges for improving health service delivery in developing countries. In response, multilateral agencies have increasingly recognized the need to invest in human resources for health (HRH) to assist countries in achieving their health system goals. In this paper we analyse the HRH-related activities of three agencies: the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI); the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund); and the World Bank. First, we reviewed the type of HRH-related activities that are eligible for financing within each agency. Second, we reviewed the HRH-related activities that each agency is actually financing. Third, we reviewed the literature to understand the impact that GAVI, Global Fund and World Bank investments in HRH have had on the health workforce in developing countries. Our analysis found that by far the most common activity supported across all agencies is short-term, in-service training. There is relatively little investment in expanding pre-service training capacity, despite large health worker shortages in developing countries. We also found that the majority of GAVI and the Global Fund grants finance health worker remuneration, largely through supplemental allowances, with little information available on how payment rates are determined, how the potential negative consequences are mitigated, and how payments are to be sustained at the end of the grant period. Based on the analysis, we argue there is an opportunity for improved co-ordination between the three agencies at the country level in supporting HRH-related activities. Existing initiatives, such as the International Health Partnership and the Health Systems Funding Platform, could present viable and timely vehicles for the three agencies to implement this improved co-ordination.

Health technology assessment agencies: an international overview of organizational aspects.

PubMed

Martelli, Francesco; La Torre, Giuseppe; Di Ghionno, Elena; Staniscia, Tommaso; Neroni, Massimo; Cicchetti, Americo; Von Bremen, Konrade; Ricciardi, Walter

2007-01-01

The aim of the study is to make an international comparison of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Agencies, to show their similarities and differences. An e-mail questionnaire was sent to thirty HTA agencies internationally. Questions related to the structure of the agency, the relationship with health-related institutions, the prescriptiveness of the decisions taken, the main core and the modalities to spread the assessment, and the type of funding. Twenty-four HTA Agencies answered the questionnaire: 25 percent in America, 4.2 percent in Australia, and 70.8 percent in Europe. Fifty-four percent of HTA Agencies are governmental institutions (83.3 percent have central government funding), while 62.5 percent have relationships with health-related governmental institutions. Of the agencies, 87 percent reported that their decisions are not prescriptive, while for 20.8 percent and 8.3 percent of them stated that this was the case totally or partially, respectively, especially for the governmental and American Agencies. Seventeen agencies (70.8 percent) declared their work on multiannual programs (77 percent of the governmental HTA Agencies and 100 percent of the American ones). The assessments mainly addressed diagnostic procedures (85.7 percent) and pharmaceuticals (25 percent). The most common way to disseminate results is by means of paper report (91.7 percent), followed by the Internet (16.7 percent), and seminars to expert audiences (12.5 percent). The comparative analysis of HTA Agencies showed that governmental and American Agencies have a profound impact on the prescriptiveness of their assessment, and this could be linked to the fact that these types of Agencies work on multiannual programs. European and American HTA Agencies have many similarities in terms of type of assessment, funding, and dissemination of results.

75 FR 2549 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Award to Regional Health Care Affiliates. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services...

78 FR 24756 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Award to Genesee Health System. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA...

76 FR 1441 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Awards to Sunset Park Health Council, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services...

76 FR 17139 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Awards to Sunset Park Health Council, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services...

Health-related biotechnology transfer to Africa: principal-agency relationship issues.

PubMed

Kirigia, J M; Muthuri, L K; Kirigia, D G

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to stimulate debate on the agency (principal-agent) in health-related biotechnology research. It attempts to answer the following questions: What is health-related biotechnology and biotechnology research? What is an agency? What factors are likely to undermine the principal's capacity to exercise informed consent? When might the principal-agency problem arise? How could the agency in biotechnology transfer be strengthened in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)? The transfer of health-related biotechnology to SSA ought to be preceded by research to ascertain the effectiveness of such technologies on population health. In that process, the national ethical review committee (REC), as an agent of every human research subject (principal), ought to ensure that international principles (e.g. beneficence, non-malfeasance, autonomy, justice, dignity, truthfulness and honesty) for human experimentation are observed by biotechnology researchers in order to satisfy moral, ethical and legal requirements. The key factors that undermine principals' sovereignty in exercising their right to informed consent to participate in biotechnology trials are discussed. The paper ends with a list of activities that can strengthen the agency, e.g. legislative requirement that all health-related biotechnology transfer should be preceded by rigorous evaluation; continuous update of the agents knowledge of the contents of the international ethical guidelines; and education of potential and actual principals on their human rights; among others.

75 FR 53701 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Non-competitive Replacement Awards to Sunset Park Health Council, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services...

75 FR 32797 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Awards to Albany Area Primary Health Care, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services...

The social relations of health care and household resource allocation in neoliberal Nicaragua.

PubMed

Tesler, Laura E

2010-05-22

With the transition to neoliberalism, Nicaragua's once-critically acclaimed health care services have substantially diminished. Local level social formations have been under pressure to try to bridge gaps as the state's role in the provision of health care and other vital social services has decreased. This paper presents a case study of how global and national health policies reverberated in the social relations of an extended network of female kin in a rural community during late 2002 - 2003. The qualitative methods used in this ethnographic study included semi-structured interviews completed during bi-weekly visits to 51 households, background interviews with 20 lay and professional health practitioners working in the public and private sectors, and participant-observation conducted in the region's government health centers. Interviews and observational field notes were manually coded and iteratively reviewed to identify and conceptually organize emergent themes. Three households of extended kin were selected from the larger sample to examine as a case study. The ongoing erosion of vital services formerly provided by the public sector generated considerable frustration and tension among households, networks of extended kin, and neighbors. As resource allocations for health care seeking and other needs were negotiated within and across households, longstanding ideals of reciprocal exchange persisted, but in conditions of poverty, expectations were often unfulfilled, exposing the tension between the need for social support, versus the increasingly oppositional positioning of social network members as sources of competition for limited resources. In compliance with neoliberal structural adjustment policies mandated by multilateral and bilateral agencies, government-provided health care services have been severely restricted in Nicaragua. As the national safety net for health care has been eroded, the viability of local level social formations and their ability to

The social relations of health care and household resource allocation in neoliberal Nicaragua

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background With the transition to neoliberalism, Nicaragua's once-critically acclaimed health care services have substantially diminished. Local level social formations have been under pressure to try to bridge gaps as the state's role in the provision of health care and other vital social services has decreased. This paper presents a case study of how global and national health policies reverberated in the social relations of an extended network of female kin in a rural community during late 2002 - 2003. Methods The qualitative methods used in this ethnographic study included semi-structured interviews completed during bi-weekly visits to 51 households, background interviews with 20 lay and professional health practitioners working in the public and private sectors, and participant-observation conducted in the region's government health centers. Interviews and observational field notes were manually coded and iteratively reviewed to identify and conceptually organize emergent themes. Three households of extended kin were selected from the larger sample to examine as a case study. Results The ongoing erosion of vital services formerly provided by the public sector generated considerable frustration and tension among households, networks of extended kin, and neighbors. As resource allocations for health care seeking and other needs were negotiated within and across households, longstanding ideals of reciprocal exchange persisted, but in conditions of poverty, expectations were often unfulfilled, exposing the tension between the need for social support, versus the increasingly oppositional positioning of social network members as sources of competition for limited resources. Conclusions In compliance with neoliberal structural adjustment policies mandated by multilateral and bilateral agencies, government-provided health care services have been severely restricted in Nicaragua. As the national safety net for health care has been eroded, the viability of local level

Privacy, confidentiality, and security in information systems of state health agencies.

PubMed

O'Brien, D G; Yasnoff, W A

1999-05-01

To assess the employment and status of privacy, confidentiality, security and fair information practices in electronic information systems of U.S. state health agencies. A survey instrument was developed and administered to key contacts within the state health agencies of each of the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. About a third of U.S. state health agencies have no written policies in place regarding privacy and confidentiality in electronic information systems. The doctrines of fair information practice often seemed to be ignored. One quarter of the agencies reported at least one security breach during the past two years, and 16% experienced a privacy and confidentiality related transgression. Most of the breaches were committed by personnel from within the agencies. These results raise questions about the integrity of existing privacy, confidentiality and security measures in the information systems of U.S. state health agencies. Recommendations include the development and vigorous enforcement of written privacy and confidentiality policies, increased personnel training, and expanded implementation of security measures such as encryption and system firewalls. A discussion of the current status of U.S. privacy, confidentiality and security issues is offered.

76 FR 52335 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under...-mail [email protected] or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Office on (301) 443-1129. The following...

76 FR 37821 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under...-mail [email protected] or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Office on (301) 443-1129. The following...

Awareness and action for eliminating health care disparities in pain care: Web-based resources.

PubMed

Fan, Ling; Thomas, Melissa; Deitrick, Ginna E; Polomano, Rosemary C

2008-01-01

Evidence shows that disparities in pain care exist, and this problem spans across all health care settings. Health care disparities are complex, and stem from the health system climate, limitations imposed by laws and regulations, and discriminatory practices that are deep seated in biases, stereotypes, and uncertainties surrounding communication and decision-making processes. A search of the Internet identified thousands of Web sites, documents, reports, and educational materials pertaining to health and pain disparities. Web sites for federal agencies, private foundations, and professional and consumer-oriented organizations provide useful information on disparities related to age, race, ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status, and specific populations. The contents of 10 Web sites are examined for resources to assist health professionals and consumers in better understanding health and pain disparities and ways to overcome them in practice.

Health resources and health strategies among older Swedish-speaking Finns--a hermeneutic study.

PubMed

Kulla, Gunilla; Sarvimäki, Anneli; Fagerström, Lisbeth

2006-03-01

Research has shown that the Swedish-speaking Finns have better health than the Finnish-speaking majority. The aim of this paper was to explore the health resources and health strategies among home-dwelling Swedish-speaking Finns aged 75 or older. The objective was to develop health-promotive nursing care for this group. Data was collected through recorded semistructured conversations with 22 older persons. The conversations were transcribed and interpreted through a hermeneutic approach. The material was read through several times and compiled into 22 narratives with relevant quotations. The narratives were subsequently summarised into one core narrative under each major category, to present the health resources and health strategies. Six categories were found: the Positive, the Social, the Active, the Adaptable, the Stubborn and the Passive. Within the Positive category, morale played an important role as a health resource and health strategy. Within the Social category, social activities were regarded as both health resources and health strategies, whereas their absence was a health obstacle. Within the Active category, a wide range of physical activities played an important role. Within the Adaptable category, contentment was a health resource. Within the Stubborn category, stubbornness itself was a health resource, whereas strong belief was a health strategy. Within the Passive category, although health obstacles permeated the life context, contentment and caution were seen as health resources. The vision of the future varied from the confidence found in the Positive category to the uncertainty prevalent in the Passive category. The main health resources and strategies used by the elderly Swedish-speaking Finns were related to social and other activities as well as to personality. Transforming health obstacles into resources could be an important health-promotive nursing strategy.

75 FR 21001 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Awards to Cornerstone Care, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA...

78 FR 954 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request ACTION....C. Chapter 35), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will submit an Information...

[The System and Human Resources for Occupational Health in Republic Of Indonesia for Japanese Enterprises to Manage Proper Occupational Health Activities at Overseas Workplaces].

PubMed

Hiraoka, Ko; Kajiki, Shigeyuki; Kobayashi, Yuichi; Adi, Nuri Purwito; Soemarko, Dewi Sumaryani; Uehara, Masamichi; Nakanishi, Shigemoto; Mori, Koji

2017-11-30

To consider the appropriate occupational health system for Japanese enterprises in Indonesia with information on the regulations and development of the specialists. In this study, we used the information-gathering checklist developed by Kajiki et al. Along with literature and internet surveys, we surveyed local corporations owned and operated by Indonesians, central government agencies in charge of medical and health issues, a Japanese independent administrative agency supporting subsidiaries of overseas Japanese enterprises, and an educational institution formulating specialized occupational physician training curricula. In Indonesia, the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Health administer occupational health matters. The act No. 1 on safety serves as the fundamental regulation. We confirmed at least 40 respective regulations in pertinent areas, such as the placement of medical and health professionals, health examinations, occupational disease, and occupational health service agencies. There are some regulations that indicate only an outline of activities but not details. Occupational physicians and safety officers are the two professional roles responsible for occupational health activities. A new medical insurance system was started in 2014, and a workers' compensation system was also established in 2017 in Indonesia according to the National Social Security System Act. Although safety and health laws and regulations exist in Indonesia, their details are unclear and the quality of expert human resources needed varies. To conduct high-quality occupational health activities from the standpoint of Japanese companies' headquarters, the active promotion of employing highly specialized professionals and cooperation with educational institutions is recommended.

75 FR 73110 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Awards to Upper Room AIDS Ministry, Inc. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration...

78 FR 25457 - Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Administrative...: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be issuing a non-competitive award of...

78 FR 11656 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-19

... collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Proposed Project: The National Health Service Corps Site Retention Assessment Questionnaire (OMB )--New The National Health Service Corps (NHSC... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...

Succession Planning and Management Practice in Washington State Local Public Health Agencies.

PubMed

Wiesman, John M; Babich, Suzanne M; Umble, Karl; Baker, Edward L

2016-01-01

Turnover of top local public health officials is expected to be great, with 23% being 60 years of age or older, and another 42% being 50 to 59 years of age. Yet, we know little about the use of succession planning in public health agencies. Describe succession planning practices in local public health agencies. We conducted a Web-based, cross-sectional survey of succession planning practices and followed the career paths of public health officials for 40 months. The top local public health officials from Washington State's 35 local governmental public health agencies. Twenty-five succession planning best practices. All 35 agencies responded, resulting in a 100% response rate. Our study found evidence of succession planning practices in Washington State local public health agencies: 85% of agencies selected high-performing high potential employees for development, 76% sent them to formal technical and management/leadership training, 70% used cross-functional team projects, and 67% used stretch assignments to develop their employees. Impetuses to implement succession planning were discovering that large percentages of employees were able to retire soon and that national accreditation requires workforce development plans. Barriers to implementing succession planning included other competing demands for time, belief that the agency's workforce was too small for a formal program, and concerns that there would be union barriers. In 2012, 50% of the officials surveyed said that it would be at least possible that they would leave their current jobs within 5 years. Forty months later, 12 (34%) had left their positions. We were encouraged by the level of succession planning in Washington State and recommend creating a greater sense of urgency by focusing on agency retirement profiles and emphasizing the need for workforce development plans for accreditation. Developing the public health leaders of tomorrow is too important to be left to chance.

The 2018 Inter-agency field manual on reproductive health in humanitarian settings: revising the global standards.

PubMed

Foster, Angel M; Evans, Dabney P; Garcia, Melissa; Knaster, Sarah; Krause, Sandra; McGinn, Therese; Rich, Sarah; Shah, Meera; Tappis, Hannah; Wheeler, Erin

2017-11-01

Since the 1990s, the Inter-agency field manual on reproductive health in humanitarian settings (IAFM) has provided authoritative guidance on reproductive health service provision during different phases of complex humanitarian emergencies. In 2018, the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises will release a new edition of this global resource. In this article, we describe the collaborative and inter-sectoral revision process and highlight major changes in the 2018 IAFM. Key revisions to the manual include repositioning unintended pregnancy prevention within and explicitly incorporating safe abortion care into the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) chapter, which outlines a set of priority activities to be implemented at the outset of a humanitarian crisis; stronger guidance on the transition from the MISP to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services; and the addition of a logistics chapter. In addition, the IAFM now places greater and more consistent emphasis on human rights principles and obligations, gender-based violence, and the linkages between maternal and newborn health, and incorporates a diverse range of field examples. We conclude this article with an outline of plans for releasing the 2018 IAFM and facilitating uptake by those working in refugee, crisis, conflict, and emergency settings.

Web-based health resources at US colleges: early patterns and missed opportunities in preventive health.

PubMed

Jue, J Jane S; Metlay, Joshua P

2011-11-01

Web-based health resources on college websites have the potential to reach a substantial number of college students. The objective of this study was to characterize how colleges use their websites to educate about and promote health. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of websites from a nationally representative sample of 426 US colleges. Reviewers abstracted information about Web-based health resources from college websites, namely health information, Web links to outside health resources, and interactive Web-based health programs. Nearly 60% of US colleges provided health resources on their websites, 49% provided health information, 48% provided links to outside resources, and 28% provided interactive Web-based health programs. The most common topics of Web-based health resources were mental health and general health. We found widespread presence of Web-based health resources available from various delivery modes and covering a range of health topics. Although further research in this new modality is warranted, Web-based health resources hold promise for reaching more US college students.

Continuing Professional Education Programs of Voluntary Health Agencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Medical Association, Chicago, IL.

Organizational objectives and professional continuing education programs of ten voluntary health agencies--Allergy Foundation of America, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Arthritis Foundation, National Association for Mental Health, National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, National Society for the Prevention of Blindness,…

Elementary Health: Authorized Resources Annotated List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Standards Branch.

This comprehensive, annotated resource list is designed to assist in selecting resources authorized by the Alberta (Canada) Education Department for the elementary health classroom (Grades 1-6). Within each grade and topic, annotated entries for basic learning resources are listed, followed by support learning resources and authorized teaching…

The Role of Community Resource Assessments in the Development of 15 Adolescent Health Community-Researcher Partnerships

PubMed Central

Deeds, Bethany Griffin; Straub, Diane M.; Willard, Nancy; Castor, Judith; Ellen, Jonathan; Peralta, Ligia

2009-01-01

Background Connect to Protect (C2P): Partnerships for Youth Prevention Interventions is an initiative that alters the community’s structural elements to reduce youth HIV rates. Objectives This study details a community resource assessment and describes how resources were evaluated in the context of local needs. Methods Fifteen sites developed a community resource list, conducted a brief survey, created a youth service directory, and mapped where disease prevalence and community resources intersected. Sites also completed a survey to review and verify local site findings. Results On average, sites identified 267 potential community resources. Sites narrowed their resource list to conduct a brief survey with 1,162 agencies; the site average was 78. Final products of this process included maps comparing resources with risk data. Conclusions The evaluation of local resources is an important initial step in partnership development and is essential for the success of health promotion and disease prevention interventions that target adolescents. PMID:20208189

Soil Health Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoorman, James J.

2015-01-01

Soil health and cover crops are topics of interest to farmers, gardeners, and students. Three soil health and cover crop demonstrations provide educational resources. Demonstrations one outlines two educational cover crop seed displays, including the advantages and disadvantages. Demonstration two shows how to construct and grow a cover crop root…

A relational approach to health practices: towards transcending the agency-structure divide.

PubMed

Veenstra, Gerry; Burnett, Patrick John

2014-02-01

Many health scholars find that Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice leaves too little room for individual agency. We contend that, by virtue of its relational, field-theoretic underpinnings, the idea of leaving room for agency in Bourdieu's theory of practice is misguided. With agency manifested in interactions and social structures consisting of relations built upon relations, the stark distinction between agency and structure inherent to substantialist thinking is undermined, even dissolved, in a relational field-theoretic context. We also contend that, when treated as relationally bound phenomena, Bourdieu's notions of habitus, doxa, capital and field illuminate creative, adaptive and future-looking practices. We conclude by discussing difficulties inherent to implementing a relational theory of practice in health promotion and public health. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

78 FR 1214 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-08

... of incompetent health care practitioners, providers, or suppliers to move from state to state without... findings of liability have been made) taken against health care practitioners, providers, or suppliers by... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...

The impact of austerity on the health workforce and the achievement of human resources for health policies in Ireland (2008-2014).

PubMed

Williams, Des; Thomas, Steve

2017-09-11

The global economic crisis saw recessionary conditions in most EU countries. Ireland's severe recession produced pro-cyclical health spending cuts. Yet, human resources for health (HRH) are the most critical of inputs into a health system and an important economic driver. The aim of this article is to evaluate how the Irish health system coped with austerity in relation to HRH and whether austerity allowed and/or facilitated the implementation of HRH policy. The authors employed a quantitative longitudinal trend analysis over the period 2008 to 2014 with Health Service Executive (HSE) staff database as the principal source. For the purpose of this study, heath service employment is defined as directly employed whole-time equivalent public service staffing in the HSE and other government agencies. The authors also examined the heath sector pay bill and sought to establish linkages between the main staff database and pay expenditure, as given in the HSE Annual Accounts and Financial Statements (AFS), and key HRH policies. The actual cut in total whole-time equivalent (WTE) of directly employed health services human resources over the period 2008 to 2014 was 8027 WTE, a reduction of 7.2% but substantially less than government claims. There was a degree of relative protection for frontline staffing decreasing by 2.9% between 2008 and 2014 and far less than the 18.5% reduction in other staff. Staff exempted from the general moratorium also increased by a combined 12.6%. Counter to stated policy, the decline in staffing of non-acute care was over double than in acute care. Further, the reduction in directly employed staff was to a great extent matched by a marked increase in agency spending. The cuts forced substantial HRH reductions and yet there was some success in pursuing policy goals, such as increasing the frontline workforce while reducing support staff and protection of some cadres. Nevertheless, other policies failed such as moving staff away from acute settings

Generating relevant climate adaptation science tools in concert with local natural resource agencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micheli, L.; Flint, L. E.; Veloz, S.; Heller, N. E.

2015-12-01

To create a framework for adapting to climate change, decision makers operating at the urban-wildland interface need to define climate vulnerabilities in the context of site-specific opportunities and constraints relative to water supply, land use suitability, wildfire risks, ecosystem services and quality of life. Pepperwood's TBC3.org is crafting customized climate vulnerability assessments with selected water and natural resource agencies of California's Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Mendocino counties under the auspices of Climate Ready North Bay, a public-private partnership funded by the California Coastal Conservancy. Working directly with managers from the very start of the process to define resource-specific information needs, we are developing high-resolution, spatially-explicit data products to help local governments and agency staff implement informed and effective climate adaptation strategies. Key preliminary findings for the region using the USGS' Basin Characterization Model (at a 270 m spatial resolution) include a unidirectional trend, independent of greater or lesser precipitation, towards increasing climatic water deficits across model scenarios. Therefore a key message is that managers will be facing an increasingly arid environment. Companion models translate the impacts of shifting climate and hydrology on vegetation composition and fire risks. The combination of drought stress on water supplies and native vegetation with an approximate doubling of fire risks may demand new approaches to watershed planning. Working with agencies we are exploring how to build capacity for protection and enhancement of key watershed functions with a focus on groundwater recharge, facilitating greater drought tolerance in forest and rangeland systems, and considering more aggressive approaches to management of fuel loads. Lessons learned about effective engagement include the need for extended in-depth dialog, translation of key climate adaptation questions into

The structure and organization of local and state public health agencies in the U.S.: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hyde, Justeen K; Shortell, Stephen M

2012-05-01

This systematic review provides a synthesis of the growing field of public health systems research related to the structure and organization of state and local governmental public health agencies. It includes an overview of research examining the influence of organizational characteristics on public health performance and health status and a summary of the strengths and gaps of the literature to date. Data were retrieved through an iterative process, beginning with key word searches in three publication databases (PubMed, JSTOR, Web of Science). Gray literature was searched through the use of Google Scholar™. Targeted searches on websites and key authors were also performed. Documents underwent an initial and secondary screening; they were retained if they contained information about local or state public health structure, organization, governance, and financing. 77 articles met the study criteria. Public health services are delivered by a mix of local, state, and tribal governmental and nongovernmental agencies and delivered through centralized (28%); decentralized (37%); or combined authority (35%). The majority of studies focused on organizational characteristics that are associated with public health performance based on the 10 Essential Public Health Services framework. Population size of jurisdiction served (>50,000); structure of authority (decentralized and mixed); per capita spending at the local level; some partnerships (academic, health services); and leadership of agency directors have been found to be related to public health performance. Fewer studies examined the relationship between organizational characteristics and health outcomes. Improvements in health outcomes are associated with an increase in local health department expenditures, FTEs per capita, and location of health department within local networks. Public health systems in the U.S. face a number of critical challenges, including limited organizational capacity and financial resources

32 CFR 644.432 - Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational purposes. 644.432 Section 644.432... to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational...

32 CFR 644.432 - Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational purposes. 644.432 Section 644.432... to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational...

32 CFR 644.432 - Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Assignment to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational purposes. 644.432 Section 644.432... to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) or successor agencies for health or educational...

[Social determinants of health and convergence in health agendas of regional agencies in South America].

PubMed

Díaz-Bermúdez, Ximena Pamela; Bueno, Flavia; Otero, Luis Francisco Sánchez; Auer, Annela Jean

2016-11-01

Characterize areas of interinstitutional cooperation and converging health agendas of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the Health Council of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in South America based on social determinants of health. A qualitative study based on official documentary sources from the three organizations, using a comparative analysis of the health agendas of these agencies and the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health (2011). Information was systematized using an analytical matrix that identifies convergences in the respective agendas. Development of the health agendas of these agencies is influenced by various international forces such as Member States' foreign policy, international cooperation strategies and models, and the institutions' political and strategic guidelines. These agendas reveal efforts to strengthen blocs, cooperation mechanisms, and coordinated programmatic actions. The agendas of PAHO/WHO, the UNASUR Health Council, and ACTO point towards opportunities for convergence in various programmatic areas, emphasizing social determinants of health. Based on the overall agreements of the Rio Declaration as an analytical framework with recommendations in five decision-making spheres, structural cooperation actions can be carried out in the region's countries, jointly mediated by these agencies.

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

The policy implications of the cost structure of home health agencies.

PubMed

Mukamel, Dana B; Fortinsky, Richard H; White, Alan; Harrington, Charlene; White, Laura M; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen

2014-01-01

To examine the cost structure of home health agencies by estimating an empirical cost function for those that are Medicare-certified, ten years following the implementation of prospective payment. 2010 national Medicare cost report data for certified home health agencies were merged with case-mix information from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS). We estimated a fully interacted (by tax status) hybrid cost function for 7,064 agencies and calculated marginal costs as percent of total costs for all variables. The home health industry is dominated by for-profit agencies, which tend to be newer than the non-profit agencies and to have higher average costs per patient but lower costs per visit. For-profit agencies tend to have smaller scale operations and different cost structures, and are less likely to be affiliated with chains. Our estimates suggest diseconomies of scale, zero marginal cost for contracting with therapy workers, and a positive marginal cost for contracting with nurses, when controlling for quality. Our findings suggest that efficiencies may be achieved by promoting non-profit, smaller agencies, with fewer contract nursing staff. This conclusion should be tested further in future studies that address some of the limitations of our study.

The Policy Implications of the Cost Structure of Home Health Agencies

PubMed Central

Mukamel, Dana B; Fortinsky, Richard H; White, Alan; Harrington, Charlene; White, Laura M; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen

2014-01-01

Purpose To examine the cost structure of home health agencies by estimating an empirical cost function for those that are Medicare-certified, ten years following the implementation of prospective payment. Design and Methods 2010 national Medicare cost report data for certified home health agencies were merged with case-mix information from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS). We estimated a fully interacted (by tax status) hybrid cost function for 7,064 agencies and calculated marginal costs as percent of total costs for all variables. Results The home health industry is dominated by for-profit agencies, which tend to be newer than the non-profit agencies and to have higher average costs per patient but lower costs per visit. For-profit agencies tend to have smaller scale operations and different cost structures, and are less likely to be affiliated with chains. Our estimates suggest diseconomies of scale, zero marginal cost for contracting with therapy workers, and a positive marginal cost for contracting with nurses, when controlling for quality. Implications Our findings suggest that efficiencies may be achieved by promoting non-profit, smaller agencies, with fewer contract nursing staff. This conclusion should be tested further in future studies that address some of the limitations of our study. PMID:24949224

School Mental Health Resources and Adolescent Mental Health Service Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Jennifer Greif; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Alegria, Margarita; Costello, E. Jane; Gruber, Michael J.; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Leaf, Philip J.; Olin, Serene; Sampson, Nancy A.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2013-01-01

Objective: Although schools are identified as critical for detecting youth mental disorders, little is known about whether the number of mental health providers and types of resources that they offer influence student mental health service use. Such information could inform the development and allocation of appropriate school-based resources to…

Promoting Community Health Resources: Preferred Communication Strategies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Community health promotion efforts involve communicating resource information to priority populations. Which communication strategies are most effective is largely unknown for specific populations. Objective: A random-dialed telephone survey was conducted to assess health resource comm...

[Health agencies and the every day management of bioethics].

PubMed

Byk, Christian

2014-06-01

Taking into account their acquired experience, would not health agencies become the place where biomedical practices will be managed on an every day basis? Would in a near future these agencies have the role to interprete the principles of the bioethics law to adapt them to concrete issues?

Planning health education: Internet and computer resources in southwestern Nigeria. 2000-2001.

PubMed

Oyadoke, Adebola A; Salami, Kabiru K; Brieger, William R

The use of the Internet as a health education tool and as a resource in health education planning is widely accepted as the norm in industrialized countries. Unfortunately, access to computers and the Internet is quite limited in developing countries. Not all licensed service providers operate, many users are actually foreign nationals, telephone connections are unreliable, and electricity supplies are intermittent. In this context, computer, e-mail, Internet, and CD-Rom use by health and health education program officers in five states in southwestern Nigeria were assessed to document their present access and use. Eight of the 30 organizations visited were government health ministry departments, while the remainder were non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Six NGOs and four State Ministry of Health (MOH) departments had no computers, but nearly two-thirds of both types of agency had e-mail, less than one-third had Web browsing facilities, and six had CD-Roms, all of whom were NGOs. Only 25 of the 48 individual respondents had computer use skills. Narrative responses from individual employees showed a qualitative difference between computer and Internet access and use and type of agency. NGO staff in organizations with computers indicated having relatively free access to a computer and the Internet and used these for both program planning and administrative purposes. In government offices it appeared that computers were more likely to be located in administrative or statistics offices and used for management tasks like salaries and correspondence, limiting the access of individual health staff. These two different organizational cultures must be considered when plans are made for increasing computer availability and skills for health education planning.

Evaluation of health resource utilization efficiency in community health centers of Jiangsu Province, China.

PubMed

Xu, Xinglong; Zhou, Lulin; Antwi, Henry Asante; Chen, Xi

2018-02-20

While the demand for health services keep escalating at the grass roots or rural areas of China, a substantial portion of healthcare resources remain stagnant in the more developed cities and this has entrenched health inequity in many parts of China. At its conception, China's Deepen Medical Reform started in 2012 was intended to flush out possible disparities and promote a more equitable and efficient distribution of healthcare resources. Nearly half a decade of this reform, there are uncertainties as to whether the attainment of the objectives of the reform is in sight. Using a hybrid of panel data analysis and an augmented data envelopment analysis (DEA), we model human resources, material, finance to determine their technical and scale efficiency to comprehensively evaluate the transverse and longitudinal allocation efficiency of community health resources in Jiangsu Province. We observed that the Deepen Medical Reform in China has led to an increase concern to ensure efficient allocation of community health resources by health policy makers in the province. This has led to greater efficiency in health resource allocation in Jiangsu in general but serious regional or municipal disparities still exist. Using the DEA model, we note that the output from the Community Health Centers does not commensurate with the substantial resources (human resources, materials, and financial) invested in them. We further observe that the case is worst in less-developed Northern parts of Jiangsu Province. The government of Jiangsu Province could improve the efficiency of health resource allocation by improving the community health service system, rationalizing the allocation of health personnel, optimizing the allocation of material resources, and enhancing the level of health of financial resource allocation.

[The characteristics of public health resources management].

PubMed

2011-01-01

The article analyses the position of human health in the system of social economic relationships. The notion of material and technical resources in health institutions is defined. It is demonstrated that they are characterized by number of health institutions, their structure according levels and stages of medical care provision, costs of fixed assets, their structure and wear. The conceptual characteristics of actual management of public health resources are analyzed.

Are natural resources bad for health?

PubMed

El Anshasy, Amany A; Katsaiti, Marina-Selini

2015-03-01

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine whether economic dependence on various natural resources is associated with lower investment in health, after controlling for countries' geographical and historical fixed effects, corruption, autocratic regimes, income levels, and initial health status. Employing panel data for 118 countries for the period 1990-2008, we find no compelling evidence in support of a negative effect of resources on healthcare spending and outcomes. On the contrary, higher dependence on agricultural exports is associated with higher healthcare spending, higher life expectancy, and lower diabetes rates. Similarly, healthcare spending increases with higher mineral intensity. Finally, more hydrocarbon resource rents are associated with less diabetes and obesity rates. There is however evidence that public health provision relative to the size of the economy declines with greater hydrocarbon resource-intensity; the magnitude of this effect is less severe in non-democratic countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 31563 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-24

... collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and... Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request AGENCY: Health Resources and... utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, (2...

[Human resources for local health systems].

PubMed

Linger, C

1989-01-01

The economic and social crises affecting Latin America have had a profound social and political effect on its structures. This paper analyzes this impact from 2 perspectives: 1) the impact on the apparatus of the state, in particular on its health infra-structures; and 2) the direction of the democratic process in the continent and the participatory processes of civil societies. The institutionalization of the Local Health Systems (SILOS) is an effort to analyze the problem from within the health sector and propose solutions. This paper discusses the issues of human resource development in health systems; training in human resource development and human resource development in local health care systems. There are 3 strategies used to change health systems: 1) The judicial-political system: The state's apparatus 2) The political-administrative system: the national health care system; and 3) the political-operative system: local health care systems. To assure implementation of SILOS there are 4 steps to be followed: 1) create political conditions that allow the transformation and development of local health systems; 2) development of high-level institutional and political initiatives to develop health care networks; 3) offer key players institutional space and social action to develop the SILOS process; 4) rapidly develop SILOS in regions to assure its integration with other development efforts. The labor force in the health sector and organized communities play critical roles in proposing and institutionalizing health programs.

Evaluation on equality and efficiency of health resources allocation and health services utilization in China.

PubMed

Sun, Jian; Luo, Hongye

2017-07-14

China is faced with a daunting challenge to equality and efficiency in health resources allocation and health services utilization in the context of rapid economic growth. This study sought to evaluate the equality and efficiency of health resources allocation and health services utilization in China. Demographic, economic, and geographic area data was sourced from China Statistical Yearbook 2012-2016. Data related to health resources and health services was obtained from China Health Statistics Yearbook 2012-2016. Furthermore, we evaluated the equality of health resources allocation based on Gini coefficient. Concentration index was used to measure the equality in utilization of health services. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was employed to assess the efficiency of health resources allocation. From 2011 to 2015, the Gini coefficients for health resources by population ranged between 0.0644 and 0.1879, while the Gini coefficients for the resources by geographic area ranged from 0.6136 to 0.6568. Meanwhile, the concentration index values for health services utilization ranged from -0.0392 to 0.2110. Moreover, in 2015, 10 provinces (32.26%) were relatively efficient in terms of health resources allocation, while 7 provinces (22.58%) and 14 provinces (45.16%) were weakly efficient and inefficient, respectively. There exist distinct regional disparities in the distribution of health resources in China, which are mainly reflected in the geographic distribution of health resources. Furthermore, the people living in the eastern developed areas are more likely to use outpatient care, while the people living in western underdeveloped areas are more likely to use inpatient care. Moreover, the efficiency of health resources allocation in 21 provinces (67.74%) of China was low and needs to be improved. Thus, the government should pay more attention to the equality based on geographic area, guide patients to choose medical treatment rationally, and optimize the resource

Contextualizing immigrant access to health resources.

PubMed

Yang, Joshua S

2010-06-01

A vast majority of our understanding of immigrant health centers around traits of individuals and groups. While useful, current approaches to research on immigrant health decontextualize the experience of immigrants in the United States. This paper uses a historical case study of the Chinese community in San Francisco to develop a contextual framework to understand the levels of influence that impact the availability of health resources in immigrant communities. International, transnational, transcommunity, and enclave contexts have shaped health care access for Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The conceptual framework provides a basis for future research, programmatic, and policy work that integrates individual and contextual factors in assessing and improving immigrant access to health resources.

75 FR 1792 - Maternal and Child Health Bureau

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Non-competitive Supplemental Funding to Georgetown University. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and...

Strengthening the public health system.

PubMed

Roper, W L; Baker, E L; Dyal, W W; Nicola, R M

1992-01-01

Although the American public health system has made major contributions to life expectancy for residents of this country over the past century, the system now faces more complex health problems that require comprehensive approaches and increased capacity, particularly in local and State public health agencies. To strengthen the public health system, concerted action is needed to meet these five critical needs: First, the knowledge base of public health workers needs to be supplemented through on-the-job training and continuing education programs. To this end, self-study courses will be expanded, and a network of regional training centers will be established throughout the country. Second, communities need dynamic leadership from public health officials and their agencies. To enhance leadership skills and expand the leadership role of public health agencies, focused personal leadership development activities, including a Public Health Leadership Institute, and national conferences will provide a vision of the future role of public health agencies. Third, local and State public health agencies need access to data on the current health status of the people in their communities and guidance from the nation's public health experts. To improve access to information resources, state-of-the-art technologies will be deployed to create integrated information and communication systems linking all components of the public health system. Fourth, local and State agencies need disease prevention and health promotion plans that target problems and develop strategies and the capacity to address them. To provide communities with structured approaches to this process, planning tools have been developed and distributed, and technical assistance will be provided to local and State health agencies to involve each community in planning,priority setting, and constituency building.Finally, public health agencies need adequate resources to fund prevention programs. To improve the use of

Gender in health technology assessment: pilot study on agency approaches.

PubMed

Panteli, Dimitra; Zentner, Annette; Storz-Pfennig, Philipp; Busse, Reinhard

2011-07-01

Gender as a social construct is a recognized health determinant. Because best practice in reporting health technology assessment (HTA) clearly specifies the need to appraise a technology's social impact within the target population, the extent to which gender issues are taken into account in HTA production is of interest, not only in light of equitable practices but also for reasons of effectiveness. The aim of this study is to provide a first assessment of the degree of gender sensitivity shown by HTA agencies around the world today. The Web sites of sixty HTA agencies were analyzed. The consideration of gender aspects was specifically looked for in each agency's general mission statement, its priority setting process, and its methodological approach. Additionally, specific gender-oriented initiatives not belonging to any of the aforementioned categories were identified. Of the sixty agencies, less than half mention a commitment to addressing the social implication of health technologies. Only fifteen institutions make information on their priority setting principles available on their Web sites and gender was an issue in two of those cases. Data on methodology were obtainable online from 18 agencies, two of which mentioned gender issues explicitly. Finally, gender-oriented initiatives were identified by thirteen agencies. A gender-sensitive approach is apparently rarely adopted in current HTA production. Exceptional practices and relevant tools do exist and could serve as examples to be promoted by international collaborative networks.

77 FR 35406 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-13

..., including navigated patient data intake, VR-12 health status, patient navigator survey, patient navigator... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health...

75 FR 68610 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-08

... asked about Electronic Health Record (EHR) reporting capabilities. Also, a limited number of clinical... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health...

Integrating Local Public Health Agencies into the Homeland Security Community

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

public health needs that require attention (such as poor prenatal health, teen pregnancy , and sexually transmitted diseases) it is not difficult to...11 2. Education ... relationships and improved planning and response capabilities. Public health agencies are diverse organizations administrating multiple health programs

75 FR 29348 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-25

... adverse actions taken against health care providers, suppliers, or practitioners. The regulations... 54,968.1 30 1,649,043 Health Care Providers, 50,416 1 50,416 25 min 21,006.7 45 945,301.50 Suppliers... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency...

Sexual health resources at Minnesota colleges: associations with students' sexual health behaviors.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Marla E; Hannan, Peter J; Lust, Katherine A; Lechner, Kate E; Garcia, Carolyn; Frerich, Ellen A

2013-09-01

Sexual risk behaviors are common among college students, and research examining the environmental context of these behaviors is important for prevention. The presence of college sexual health resources is a potentially important part of that context. In a 2010-2011 survey, 6,318 undergraduates from 28 two- and four-year Minnesota college campuses provided data on their sexual health behaviors. In addition, a specially designed inventory was used to assess the sexual health resources available on each campus. Multilevel regression was used to test the associations of four types of resources with students' condom use, birth control use, STD or HIV testing, and unplanned pregnancy. In models that controlled for students' personal and demographic characteristics, the higher the level of sexual health resources at a college, the lower the likelihood that students had had intercourse without birth control, intercourse without a condom and involvement in unplanned pregnancy. For example, students attending colleges with the maximum number of general clinic resources had a lower predicted probability of reporting nonuse of reliable birth control at last intercourse than students attending colleges with no resources (7% vs. 14%). After college characteristics were adjusted for, most measures of resources remained significant, although associations were reduced; two measures became significant in unexpected directions. Colleges' provision of sexual health resources may be associated with students' sexual health behaviors. Research using quasi-experimental or experimental designs is needed to assess the mechanisms underlying these associations; such work could lead to interventions that might help reduce students' risky behaviors. Copyright © 2013 by the Guttmacher Institute.

29 CFR 1960.19 - Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... safety and health. 1960.19 Section 1960.19 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Standards § 1960.19 Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health. (a) Where employees of different agencies...

29 CFR 1960.19 - Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... safety and health. 1960.19 Section 1960.19 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Standards § 1960.19 Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health. (a) Where employees of different agencies...

29 CFR 1960.19 - Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... safety and health. 1960.19 Section 1960.19 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Standards § 1960.19 Other Federal agency standards affecting occupational safety and health. (a) Where employees of different agencies...

Emergency medicine public health research funded by federal agencies: progress and priorities.

PubMed

D'Onofrio, Gail; Goldstein, Amy B; Denisco, Richard A; Hingson, Ralph; Heffelfinger, James D; Post, Lori A

2009-11-01

The emergency department (ED) visit provides an opportunity to impact the health of the public throughout the entire spectrum of care, from prevention to treatment. As the federal government has a vested interest in funding research and providing programmatic opportunities that promote the health of the public, emergency medicine (EM) is prime to develop a research agenda to advance the field. EM researchers need to be aware of federal funding opportunities, which entails an understanding of the organizational structure of the federal agencies that fund medical research, and the rules and regulations governing applications for grants. Additionally, there are numerous funding streams outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH; the primary federal health research agency). EM researchers should seek funding from agencies according to each agency's mission and aims. Finally, while funds from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are an important source of support for EM research, we need to look beyond traditional sources and appeal to other agencies with a vested interest in promoting public health in EDs. EM requires a broad skill set from a multitude of medical disciplines, and conducting research in the field will require looking for funding opportunities in a variety of traditional and not so traditional places within and without the federal government. The following is the discussion of a moderated session at the 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference that included panel discussants from the National Institutes of Mental Health, Drug Abuse, and Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Further information is also provided to discuss those agencies and centers not represented. (c) 2009 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Tracking Success: Outputs Versus Outcomes-A Comparison of Accredited and Non-Accredited Public Health Agencies' Community Health Improvement Plan objectives.

PubMed

Perrault, Evan K; Inderstrodt-Stephens, Jill; Hintz, Elizabeth A

2018-06-01

With funding for public health initiatives declining, creating measurable objectives that are focused on tracking and changing population outcomes (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors), instead of those that are focused on health agencies' own outputs (e.g., promoting services, developing communication messages) have seen a renewed focus. This study analyzed 4094 objectives from the Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) of 280 local PHAB-accredited and non-accredited public health agencies across the United States. Results revealed that accredited agencies were no more successful at creating outcomes-focused objectives (35% of those coded) compared to non-accredited agencies (33% of those coded; Z = 1.35, p = .18). The majority of objectives were focused on outputs (accredited: 61.2%; non-accredited: 63.3%; Z = 0.72, p = .47). Outcomes-focused objectives primarily sought to change behaviors (accredited: 85.43%; non-accredited: 80.6%), followed by changes in knowledge (accredited: 9.75%; non-accredited: 10.8%) and attitudes (accredited: 1.6%; non-accredited: 5.1%). Non-accredited agencies had more double-barreled objectives (49.9%) compared to accredited agencies (32%; Z = 11.43, p < .001). The authors recommend that accreditation procedures place a renewed focus on ensuring that public health agencies strive to achieve outcomes. It is also advocated that public health agencies work with interdisciplinary teams of Health Communicators who can help them develop procedures to effectively and efficiently measure outcomes of knowledge and attitudes that are influential drivers of behavioral changes.

The Economic Cost of Communicable Disease Surveillance in Local Public Health Agencies.

PubMed

Atherly, Adam; Whittington, Melanie; VanRaemdonck, Lisa; Lampe, Sarah

2017-12-01

We identify economic costs associated with communicable disease (CD) monitoring/surveillance in Colorado local public health agencies and identify possible economies of scale. Data were collected via a survey of local public health employees engaged in CD work. Survey respondents logged time spent on CD surveillance for 2-week periods in the spring of 2014 and fall of 2014. Forty-three of the 54 local public health agencies in Colorado participated. We used a microcosting approach. We estimated a statistical cost function using cost as a function of the number of reported investigable diseases during the matched 2-week period. We also controlled for other independent variables, including case mix, characteristics of the agency, the community, and services provided. Data were collected from a microcosting survey using time logs. Costs increased at a decreasing rate as cases increased, with both cases (β = 431.5, p < .001) and cases squared (β = -3.62, p = .05) statistically significant. The results of the model suggest economies of scale. Cost per unit is estimated to be one-third lower for high-volume agencies as compared to low-volume agencies. Cost savings could potentially be achieved if smaller agencies shared services. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Public Health Educational Information Other Resources

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page provides educational information and resources to assist public health officials, air quality managers, health care providers and others in providing information on the health effects of wildfire and wildland fire smoke to the public.

75 FR 74067 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

...) program and the Oral Health Program. Based on a more accurate estimation of BHPr grantees reporting, the... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health...

76 FR 13420 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-11

... in rural areas, for the planning and implementation of integrated health care networks in rural areas... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health...

Health Status of Homeless and Marginally Housed Users of Mental Health Self-Help Agencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segal, Steven P.; Gomory, Tomi; Silverman, Carol J.

1998-01-01

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…

78 FR 54256 - Health Careers Opportunity Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Careers Opportunity Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Program Expansion Supplements to Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP...

Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Resource for Public Health Practitioners

PubMed Central

Marcial, Laura H.; Brown, Stephen; Throop, Cynthia; Pina, Jamie

2017-01-01

Objectives: Quality improvement is a critical mechanism to manage public health agency performance and to strengthen accountability for public funds. The objective of this study was to evaluate a relatively new quality improvement resource, the Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange (PHQIX), a free online communication platform dedicated to making public health quality improvement information accessible to practitioners. Methods: We conducted an internet-based survey of registered PHQIX users (n = 536 respondents) in 2013 and key informant interviews with PHQIX frequent users (n = 21) in 2014, in the United States. We assessed use of the PHQIX website, user engagement and satisfaction, communication and knowledge exchange, use of information, and impact on quality improvement capacity and accreditation readiness. Results: Of 462 respondents, 369 (79.9%) browsed quality improvement initiatives, making it the most commonly used site feature, and respondents described PHQIX as a near-unique source for real-world quality improvement examples. Respondents were satisfied with the quality and breadth of topics and relevance to their settings (average satisfaction scores, 3.9-4.1 [where 5 was the most satisfied]). Of 407 respondents, 237 (58.2%) said that they had put into practice information learned on PHQIX, and 209 of 405 (51.6%) said that PHQIX had helped to improve quality improvement capacity. Fewer than half of respondents used the commenting function, the Community Forum, and the Ask an Expert feature. Conclusions: Findings suggest that PHQIX, particularly descriptions of the quality improvement initiatives, is a valued resource for public health practitioners. Users reported sharing information with colleagues and applying what they learned to their own work. These findings may relate to other efforts to disseminate quality improvement knowledge. PMID:28135430

Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Resource for Public Health Practitioners.

PubMed

Porterfield, Deborah S; Marcial, Laura H; Brown, Stephen; Throop, Cynthia; Pina, Jamie

Quality improvement is a critical mechanism to manage public health agency performance and to strengthen accountability for public funds. The objective of this study was to evaluate a relatively new quality improvement resource, the Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange (PHQIX), a free online communication platform dedicated to making public health quality improvement information accessible to practitioners. We conducted an internet-based survey of registered PHQIX users (n = 536 respondents) in 2013 and key informant interviews with PHQIX frequent users (n = 21) in 2014, in the United States. We assessed use of the PHQIX website, user engagement and satisfaction, communication and knowledge exchange, use of information, and impact on quality improvement capacity and accreditation readiness. Of 462 respondents, 369 (79.9%) browsed quality improvement initiatives, making it the most commonly used site feature, and respondents described PHQIX as a near-unique source for real-world quality improvement examples. Respondents were satisfied with the quality and breadth of topics and relevance to their settings (average satisfaction scores, 3.9-4.1 [where 5 was the most satisfied]). Of 407 respondents, 237 (58.2%) said that they had put into practice information learned on PHQIX, and 209 of 405 (51.6%) said that PHQIX had helped to improve quality improvement capacity. Fewer than half of respondents used the commenting function, the Community Forum, and the Ask an Expert feature. Findings suggest that PHQIX, particularly descriptions of the quality improvement initiatives, is a valued resource for public health practitioners. Users reported sharing information with colleagues and applying what they learned to their own work. These findings may relate to other efforts to disseminate quality improvement knowledge.

The Public Health Implications of Resource Wars

PubMed Central

Klare, Michael T.; Sidel, Victor W.

2011-01-01

Competition for resources between or within nations is likely to become an increasingly common cause of armed conflict. Competition for petroleum is especially likely to trigger armed conflict because petroleum is a highly valuable resource whose supply is destined to contract. Wars fought over petroleum and other resources can create public health concerns by causing morbidity and mortality, damaging societal infrastructure, diverting resources, uprooting people, and violating human rights. Public health workers and the organizations with which they are affiliated can help prevent resource wars and minimize their consequences by (1) promoting renewable energy and conservation, (2) documenting the impact of past and potential future resource wars, (3) protecting the human rights of affected noncombatant civilian populations during armed conflict, and (4) developing and advocating for policies that promote peaceful dispute resolution. PMID:21778501

Upgrading the Association for the Advancement of Health Education's Health Resources Information System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard E.

The Association for the Advancement of Health Education (AAHE) and Academic Programs for Health Science, George Mason University (Virginia), have collaborated in upgrading AAHE's Health Resources Information System. The process involved updating the health resources information on file. This information, which represents addresses and telephone…

Williamsburg County Human Resources Campus (WCHRC): Planning Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wynn, Eddie D.; And Others

Investigating the feasibility of a human resources campus designed to locate all Williamsburg County (a rurally disadvantaged South Carolina county) health and social service agencies in one consolidated area, project objectives were to investigate: agency characteristics; ownership, management, and financing aspects of the campus concept;…

Geographic variation in public health spending: correlates and consequences.

PubMed

Mays, Glen P; Smith, Sharla A

2009-10-01

To examine the extent of variation in public health agency spending levels across communities and over time, and to identify institutional and community correlates of this variation. Three cross-sectional surveys of the nation's 2,900 local public health agencies conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials in 1993, 1997, and 2005, linked with contemporaneous information on population demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and health resources. A longitudinal cohort design was used to analyze community-level variation and change in per-capita public health agency spending between 1993 and 2005. Multivariate regression models for panel data were used to estimate associations between spending, institutional characteristics, health resources, and population characteristics. The top 20 percent of communities had public health agency spending levels >13 times higher than communities in the lowest quintile, and most of this variation persisted after adjusting for differences in demographics and service mix. Local boards of health and decentralized state-local administrative structures were associated with higher spending levels and lower risks of spending reductions. Local public health agency spending was inversely associated with local-area medical spending. The mechanisms that determine funding flows to local agencies may place some communities at a disadvantage in securing resources for public health activities.

Addressing dual agency: getting specific about the expectations of professionalism.

PubMed

Tilburt, Jon C

2014-01-01

Professionalism requires that physicians uphold the best interests of patients while simultaneously insuring just use of health care resources. Current articulations of these obligations like the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation's Physician Charter do not reconcile how these obligations fit together when they conflict. This is the problem of dual agency. The most common ways of dealing with dual agency: "bunkering"--physicians act as though societal cost issues are not their problem; "bailing"--physicians assume that they are merely agents of society and deliver care typically based on a strongly consequentialist public health ethic; or "balancing"--a vaguely specified attempt to uphold both patient welfare and societal need for judicious resource use simultaneously--all fail. Here I propose how the problem of dual agency might begin to be addressed with rigor and consistency. Without dealing with the dual agency problem and getting more specific about how to reconcile its norms when they conflict, the expectations of professionalism risk being written off as cute, nonbinding aphorisms from the medical profession.

Decision support system for health care resources allocation

PubMed Central

Sebaa, Abderrazak; Nouicer, Amina; Tari, AbdelKamel; Tarik, Ramtani; Abdellah, Ouhab

2017-01-01

Background A study about healthcare resources can improve decisions regarding the allotment and mobilization of medical resources and to better guide future investment in the health sector. Aim The aim of this work was to design and implement a decision support system to improve medical resources allocation of Bejaia region. Methods To achieve the retrospective cohort study, we integrated existing clinical databases from different Bejaia department health sector institutions (an Algerian department) to collect information about patients from January 2015 through December 2015. Data integration was performed in a data warehouse using the multi-dimensional model and OLAP cube. During implementation, we used Microsoft SQL server 2012 and Microsoft Excel 2010. Results A medical decision support platform was introduced, and was implemented during the planning stages allowing the management of different medical orientations, it provides better apportionment and allotment of medical resources, and ensures that the allocation of health care resources has optimal effects on improving health. Conclusion In this study, we designed and implemented a decision support system which would improve health care in Bejaia department to especially assist in the selection of the optimum location of health center and hospital, the specialty of the health center, the medical equipment and the medical staff. PMID:28848645

Decision support system for health care resources allocation.

PubMed

Sebaa, Abderrazak; Nouicer, Amina; Tari, AbdelKamel; Tarik, Ramtani; Abdellah, Ouhab

2017-06-01

A study about healthcare resources can improve decisions regarding the allotment and mobilization of medical resources and to better guide future investment in the health sector. The aim of this work was to design and implement a decision support system to improve medical resources allocation of Bejaia region. To achieve the retrospective cohort study, we integrated existing clinical databases from different Bejaia department health sector institutions (an Algerian department) to collect information about patients from January 2015 through December 2015. Data integration was performed in a data warehouse using the multi-dimensional model and OLAP cube. During implementation, we used Microsoft SQL server 2012 and Microsoft Excel 2010. A medical decision support platform was introduced, and was implemented during the planning stages allowing the management of different medical orientations, it provides better apportionment and allotment of medical resources, and ensures that the allocation of health care resources has optimal effects on improving health. In this study, we designed and implemented a decision support system which would improve health care in Bejaia department to especially assist in the selection of the optimum location of health center and hospital, the specialty of the health center, the medical equipment and the medical staff.

College Students’ Preferences for Health Care Providers when Accessing Sexual Health Resources

PubMed Central

Garcia, Carolyn M.; Lechner, Kate E.; Frerich, Ellen A.; Lust, Katherine A.; Eisenberg, Marla E.

2017-01-01

Objective Many emerging adults (18–25 year olds) report unmet health needs and disproportionately experience problems such as sexually transmitted infections. This study was conducted to examine college students’ perceptions of health care providers, specifically in the context of accessing sexual health resources. Design and Sample Students (N=52) were recruited from five diverse colleges in one state to participate in a one-to-one interview that involved walking and virtually exploring resources on and near campus. Interviews were conducted from May to November 2010. Results Inductive qualitative analysis yielded six themes summarizing students’ perceptions of provider characteristics, health care resources, the role of their peers, and students’ suggestions for strengthening health care services. Importantly, students consider a variety of staff—and their student peers—to be resources for sexual health information and services. Conclusions Findings emphasize the importance of collaboration between health service staff and broader campus staff because students often turn to campus staff initially. Post-secondary students welcome opportunities to know a provider through interactive websites that include details about providers on campus; their decisions to seek sexual health care services are influenced by their perceptions of providers’ characteristics and interpersonal skills. PMID:25159532

International comparison of health care systems using resource profiles.

PubMed Central

Anell, A.; Willis, M.

2000-01-01

The most frequently used bases for comparing international health care resources are health care expenditures, measured either as a fraction of gross domestic product (GDP) or per capita. There are several possible reasons for this, including the widespread availability of historic expenditure figures; the attractiveness of collapsing resource data into a common unit of measurement; and the present focus among OECD member countries and other governments on containing health care costs. Despite important criticisms of this method, relatively few alternatives have been used in practice. A simple framework for comparing data underlying health care systems is presented in this article. It distinguishes measures of real resources, for example human resources, medicines and medical equipment, from measures of financial resources such as expenditures. Measures of real resources are further subdivided according to whether their factor prices are determined primarily in national or global markets. The approach is illustrated using a simple analysis of health care resource profiles for Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Comparisons based on measures of both real resources and expenditures can be more useful than conventional comparisons of expenditures alone and can lead to important insights for the future management of health care systems. PMID:10916914

42 CFR 413.125 - Payment for home health agency services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Payment for home health agency services. 413.125 Section 413.125 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM PRINCIPLES OF REASONABLE COST REIMBURSEMENT; PAYMENT FOR END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE...

Patient inducement, provider priorities, and resource allocation in public mental health systems.

PubMed

Sinaiko, Anna D; McGuire, Thomas G

2006-12-01

Public mental health systems are increasingly facing demands from the criminal justice system and social services agencies to provide services and support in cases in which mental illness contributes to crime, homelessness, or poverty. In this article we analyze how policies from outside public mental health systems affect resource allocation within these systems, using examples from criminal justice. These policies use two types of mechanisms: inducing patients to consume treatment (by offering rewards or imposing penalties) and inducing clinicians to provide treatment (by creating priorities). We propose a classification of these social policies based on whether they affect demand through rewards or penalties or supply through priorities. We then relate the classification to data on patients treated in public systems to evaluate the current prevalence and potential for growth in these outside demands. These inducements impose a set of nonobvious costs on other patients who are not targeted by the policies. Furthermore, they create incentives for both patients and providers to modify their behavior in order to take advantage of rewards, avoid penalties, or better compete for resources with prioritized patients. We consider some policy implications for avoiding unintended consequences of these policies.

Empowering health personnel for decentralized health planning in India: The Public Health Resource Network.

PubMed

Kalita, Anuska; Zaidi, Sarover; Prasad, Vandana; Raman, V R

2009-07-20

The Public Health Resource Network is an innovative distance-learning course in training, motivating, empowering and building a network of health personnel from government and civil society groups. Its aim is to build human resource capacity for strengthening decentralized health planning, especially at the district level, to improve accountability of health systems, elicit community participation for health, ensure equitable and accessible health facilities and to bring about convergence in programmes and services. The question confronting health systems in India is how best to reform, revitalize and resource primary health systems to deliver different levels of service aligned to local realities, ensuring universal coverage, equitable access, efficiency and effectiveness, through an empowered cadre of health personnel. To achieve these outcomes it is essential that health planning be decentralized. Districts vary widely according to the specific needs of their population, and even more so in terms of existing interventions and available resources. Strategies, therefore, have to be district-specific, not only because health needs vary, but also because people's perceptions and capacities to intervene and implement programmes vary. In centrally designed plans there is little scope for such adaptation and contextualization, and hence decentralized planning becomes crucial. To undertake these initiatives, there is a strong need for trained, motivated, empowered and networked health personnel. It is precisely at this level that a lack of technical knowledge and skills and the absence of a supportive network or adequate educational opportunities impede personnel from making improvements. The absence of in-service training and of training curricula that reflect field realities also adds to this, discouraging health workers from pursuing effective strategies. The Public Health Resource Network is thus an attempt to reach out to motivated though often isolated health

Empowering health personnel for decentralized health planning in India: The Public Health Resource Network

PubMed Central

Kalita, Anuska; Zaidi, Sarover; Prasad, Vandana; Raman, VR

2009-01-01

The Public Health Resource Network is an innovative distance-learning course in training, motivating, empowering and building a network of health personnel from government and civil society groups. Its aim is to build human resource capacity for strengthening decentralized health planning, especially at the district level, to improve accountability of health systems, elicit community participation for health, ensure equitable and accessible health facilities and to bring about convergence in programmes and services. The question confronting health systems in India is how best to reform, revitalize and resource primary health systems to deliver different levels of service aligned to local realities, ensuring universal coverage, equitable access, efficiency and effectiveness, through an empowered cadre of health personnel. To achieve these outcomes it is essential that health planning be decentralized. Districts vary widely according to the specific needs of their population, and even more so in terms of existing interventions and available resources. Strategies, therefore, have to be district-specific, not only because health needs vary, but also because people's perceptions and capacities to intervene and implement programmes vary. In centrally designed plans there is little scope for such adaptation and contextualization, and hence decentralized planning becomes crucial. To undertake these initiatives, there is a strong need for trained, motivated, empowered and networked health personnel. It is precisely at this level that a lack of technical knowledge and skills and the absence of a supportive network or adequate educational opportunities impede personnel from making improvements. The absence of in-service training and of training curricula that reflect field realities also adds to this, discouraging health workers from pursuing effective strategies. The Public Health Resource Network is thus an attempt to reach out to motivated though often isolated health

The effect of health payment reforms on cost containment in Taiwan hospitals: the agency theory perspective.

PubMed

Chang, Li

2011-01-01

This study aims to determine whether the Taiwanese government's implementation of new health care payment reforms (the National Health Insurance with fee-for-service (NHI-FFS) and global budget (NHI-GB)) has resulted in better cost containment. Also, the question arises under the agency theory whether the monitoring system is effective in reducing the risk of information asymmetry. This study uses panel data analysis with fixed effects model to investigate changes in cost containment at Taipei municipal hospitals before and after adopting reforms from 1989 to 2004. The results show that the monitoring system does not reduce information asymmetry to improve cost containment under the NHI-FFS. In addition, after adopting the NHI-GB system, health care costs are controlled based on an improved monitoring system in the policymaker's point of view. This may suggest that the NHI's fee-for-services system actually causes health care resource waste. The GB may solve the problems of controlling health care costs only on the macro side.

77 FR 16651 - National Defense Resources Preparedness

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-22

..., equipment and facilities, such as transportation carrier shop and repair facilities. ``Civil transportation... agencies with authority delegated under section 201 of this order. (i) ``Health resources'' means drugs...

The interface between health sector reform and human resources in health

PubMed Central

Rigoli, Felix; Dussault, Gilles

2003-01-01

The relationship between health sector reform and the human resources issues raised in that process has been highlighted in several studies. These studies have focused on how the new processes have modified the ways in which health workers interact with their workplace, but few of them have paid enough attention to the ways in which the workers have influenced the reforms. The impact of health sector reform has modified critical aspects of the health workforce, including labor conditions, degree of decentralization of management, required skills and the entire system of wages and incentives. Human resources in health, crucial as they are in implementing changes in the delivery system, have had their voice heard in many subtle and open ways – reacting to transformations, supporting, blocking and distorting the proposed ways of action. This work intends to review the evidence on how the individual or collective actions of human resources are shaping the reforms, by spotlighting the reform process, the workforce reactions and the factors determining successful human resources participation. It attempts to provide a more powerful way of predicting the effects and interactions in which different "technical designs" operate when they interact with the human resources they affect. The article describes the dialectic nature of the relationship between the objectives and strategies of the reforms and the objectives and strategies of those who must implement them. PMID:14613523

Health Research Funding Agencies' Support and Promotion of Knowledge Translation: An International Study

PubMed Central

Tetroe, Jacqueline M; Graham, Ian D; Foy, Robbie; Robinson, Nicole; Eccles, Martin P; Wensing, Michel; Durieux, Pierre; Légaré, France; Nielson, Camilla Palmhøj; Adily, Armita; Ward, Jeanette E; Porter, Cassandra; Shea, Beverley; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

2008-01-01

Context The process of knowledge translation (KT) in health research depends on the activities of a wide range of actors, including health professionals, researchers, the public, policymakers, and research funders. Little is known, however, about health research funding agencies' support and promotion of KT. Our team asked thirty-three agencies from Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and the United States about their role in promoting the results of the research they fund. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with a sample of key informants from applied health funding agencies identified by the investigators. The interviews were supplemented with information from the agencies' websites. The final coding was derived from an iterative thematic analysis. Findings There was a lack of clarity between agencies as to what is meant by KT and how it is operationalized. Agencies also varied in their degree of engagement in this process. The agencies' abilities to create a pull for research findings; to engage in linkage and exchange between agencies, researchers, and decision makers; and to push results to various audiences differed as well. Finally, the evaluation of the effectiveness of KT strategies remains a methodological challenge. Conclusions Funding agencies need to think about both their conceptual framework and their operational definition of KT, so that it is clear what is and what is not considered to be KT, and adjust their funding opportunities and activities accordingly. While we have cataloged the range of knowledge translation activities conducted across these agencies, little is known about their effectiveness and so a greater emphasis on evaluation is needed. It would appear that “best practice” for funding agencies is an elusive concept depending on the particular agency's size, context, mandate, financial considerations, and governance structure. PMID:18307479

Protecting resources for primary health care under fiscal federalism: options for resource allocation.

PubMed

Okorafor, Okore A; Thomas, Stephen

2007-11-01

The introduction of fiscal federalism or decentralization of functions to lower levels of government is a reform not done primarily with health sector concerns. A major concern for the health sector is that devolution of expenditure responsibilities to sub-national levels of government can adversely affect the equitable distribution of financial resources across local jurisdictions. Since the adoption of fiscal federalism in South Africa, progress towards achieving a more equitable distribution of public sector health resources (financial) has slowed down considerably. This study attempts to identify appropriate resource allocation mechanisms under the current South African fiscal federal system that could be employed to promote equity in primary health care (PHC) allocations across provinces and districts. The study uses data from interviews with government officials involved in the budgeting and resource allocation process for PHC, literature on fiscal federalism and literature on international experience to inform analysis and recommendations. The results from the study identify historical incremental budgeting, weak managerial capacity at lower levels of government, poor accounting of PHC expenditure, and lack of protection for PHC funds as constraints to the realization of a more equitable distribution of PHC allocations. Based on interview data, no one resource allocation mechanism received unanimous support from stakeholders. However, the study highlights the particularly high level of autonomy enjoyed by provincial governments with regards to decision making for allocations to health and PHC services as the major constraint to achieving a more equitable distribution of PHC resources. The national government needs to have more involvement in decision making for resource allocation to PHC services if significant progress towards equity is to be achieved.

Subregional resource allocations in the National Health Service.

PubMed Central

Snaith, A H

1978-01-01

The Resource Allocation Working Party in its report Sharing Resources for Health in England proposes a formula for the identification of both regional and district financial targets (Department of Health and Social Security, 1976). In this paper it is argued that the national formula is not a valid instrument for the latter purpose. Furthermore, research into medical needs and outcomes will not be adequate to bring about real changes in resource distribution at local levels unless it is recognised that the health authorities can meet needs in different ways and that a change in resource management from institutional to service budgeting is required. PMID:262582

Surfing the net for public health resources.

PubMed

Angell, C; Hemingway, A; Hartwell, H

2011-08-01

To identify public health open educational resources (OER) available online, map the identified OER to The Public Health Skills and Career Framework (PHSCF), and triangulate these findings with public health practitioners. Systematic online search for public health OER. An online search was undertaken using a pre-defined set of search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Public health OER were then mapped against the UK PHSCF. The findings of the search were discussed with public health specialists to determine whether or not they used these resources. A number of public health OER were identified, located on 42 websites from around the world. Mapping against the UK PHSCF demonstrated a lack of coverage in some areas of public health education. It was noted that many of the OER websites identified were not those generally used in practice, and those sites preferred by public health specialists were not identified by the online search. Public health OER are available from a number of providers, frequently universities and government organizations. However, these reflect a relatively small pool of original OER providers. Tagging of websites does not always identify their public health content. In addition, users of public health OER may not use search engines to identify resources but locate them using other means. Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of consumers in health technology assessment activities by Inahta agencies.

PubMed

Hailey, David; Werkö, Sophie; Bakri, Rugayah; Cameron, Alun; Göhlen, Britta; Myles, Susan; Pwu, Jasmine; Yothasamut, Jomkwan

2013-01-01

To obtain further information from members of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) on the involvement of consumers in their programs. A questionnaire for a survey was developed and sent to member agencies in November 2010. Survey responses were compared with those from an earlier survey conducted in 2005. Of the thirty-three agencies that provided responses, 67 percent involve consumers in some aspects of their health technology assessment (HTA) programs, compared with 57 percent in 2005. As in the earlier survey, most agencies reporting involvement have contact with consumer or patient organizations and a large minority also involve individual consumers. Summaries of HTA reports that are intended to be easily understood by consumers are prepared by 84 percent of the agencies, and 42 percent involve consumers in dissemination of HTA material. In both areas, there was some increase from the levels previously reported. The survey results suggest that there is a trend to increased involvement of consumers by the INAHTA agencies in their programs but that the level of involvement remains relatively limited. The manner of consumer participation varies between agencies.

Coordination between child welfare agencies and mental health providers, children's service use, and outcomes

PubMed Central

Bai, Yu; Wells, Rebecca; Hillemeier, Marianne M.

2009-01-01

Objective Interorganizational relationships (IORs) between child welfare agencies and mental health service providers may facilitate mental health treatment access for vulnerable children. This study investigates whether IORs are associated with greater use of mental health services and improvement in mental health status for children served by the child welfare system. Methods This was a longitudinal analysis of data from a 36 month period in the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). The sample consisted of 1,613 children within 75 child welfare agencies who were 2 years or older and had mental health problems at baseline. IOR intensity was measured as the number of coordination approaches between each child welfare agency and mental health service providers. Separate weighted multilevel logistic regression models tested associations between IORs and service use and outcomes, respectively. Results Agency level factors accounted for 9% of the variance in the probability of service use and 12% of mental health improvement. Greater intensity of IORs was associated with higher likelihood of both service use and mental health improvement. Conclusions Having greater numbers of ties with mental health providers may help child welfare agencies improve children's mental health service access and outcomes. Practice Implications Policymakers should develop policies and initiatives to encourage a combination of different types of organizational ties between child welfare and mental health systems. For instance, information sharing at the agency level in addition to coordination at the case level may improve the coordination necessary to serve these vulnerable children. PMID:19473702

Notifiable condition reporting practices: implications for public health agency participation in a health information exchange.

PubMed

Revere, Debra; Hills, Rebecca H; Dixon, Brian E; Gibson, P Joseph; Grannis, Shaun J

2017-03-11

The future of notifiable condition reporting in the United States is undergoing a transformation with the increasing development of Health Information Exchanges which support electronic data-sharing and -transfer networks and the wider adoption of electronic laboratory reporting. Communicable disease report forms originating in clinics are an important source of surveillance data for public health agencies. However, problems of poor data quality and delayed submission of reports to public health agencies are common. In addition, studies of barriers and facilitators to reporting have assumed that the primary reporter is the treating physician, although the extent to which a provider is involved in the reporting workflow is unclear. We sought to better understand the barriers to and burden of notifiable condition reporting from the perspectives of the three primary groups involved in reporting workflow: providers, clinic staff who bear the principal responsibility for reporting, and the public health workers who receive and process reports from clinics. In addition, we sought to situate these findings within the context of the future of notifiable disease reporting and the potential impacts of electronic lab and medical records on the surveillance system. Seven ambulatory care clinics and 3 public health agencies that are part of a Health Information Exchange in the state of Indiana, USA, participated in the study. Data were obtained from a survey of clinic physicians (N = 29), interviews with clinic reporters (N = 11), and interviews with public health workers (N = 9). Survey data were summarized descriptively and interview transcripts underwent qualitative analysis. In both clinics and public health agencies, the laboratory report initiates reporting workflow. Provider involvement with reporting primarily revolves around ordering medications to treat a condition confirmed by the lab result. In clinics, reporting is typically the responsibility of clinic

Integration of site-specific health information: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry health assessments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lesperance, A.M.; Siegel, M.R.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is required to conduct a health assessment of any site that is listed on or proposed for the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List. Sixteen US Department of Energy (DOE) sites currently fall into this category. Health assessments contain a qualitative description of impacts to public health and the environment from hazardous waste sites, as well as recommendations for actions to mitigate or eliminate risk. Because these recommendations may have major impacts on compliance activities at DOE facilities, the health assessments are an important source of information for the monitoring activitiesmore » of DOE's Office of Environmental Compliance (OEC). This report provides an overview of the activities involved in preparing the health assessment, its role in environmental management, and its key elements.« less

Disaster preparedness in home health and personal-care agencies: are they ready?

PubMed

Daugherty, Jill D; Eiring, Hilary; Blake, Sarah; Howard, David

2012-01-01

The use of home health care and personal-care agencies in the United States has increased by nearly 1,000% in less than 20 years. Despite the numerous advantages of keeping older and disabled people at home and fairly independent, new concerns have emerged about how to keep home health care and personal-care clients safe during emergencies and large-scale disasters. To date, little is known about the disaster preparedness activities of home health and personal-care agencies, including what oversight they have for their patients and what capabilities they sustain for preparing their clients for disasters. The purpose of this study was to explore the disaster preparedness policies and practices of these agencies and to identify opportunities for coordination with disaster preparedness officials. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone and in person with 21 home health and personal-care administrators across Georgia and Southern California. Transcripts from the interviews were analyzed for disaster preparedness themes. We found that most agencies have very limited disaster plans and capabilities. Despite this, most stated either their intentions or outlined past experience which demonstrated their commitment to provide services to clients on a case-by-case basis throughout a large-scale emergency or disaster. The findings from our study help to contribute to the growing interest in disaster preparedness among home health and personal-care agencies and point to the fact that these agencies need assistance to properly lay out their disaster preparedness plans. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Child Health Champion Resource Guide (1999)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Descriptions of 241 resources for communities and citizens taking steps toward protecting their children from environmental health threats: Air, Contaminants, Education and Community Organization, Food, Health End Points, Indoor, Water, Other.

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies

PubMed Central

Makkar, Steve R.; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation’s culture towards research use, must also be considered. PMID:29513669

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies.

PubMed

Makkar, Steve R; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation's culture towards research use, must also be considered.

Enhancing Resources at the Workplace with Health-Promoting Leadership.

PubMed

Jiménez, Paul; Bregenzer, Anita; Kallus, K Wolfgang; Fruhwirth, Bianca; Wagner-Hartl, Verena

2017-10-20

Leaders engaging in health-promoting leadership can influence their employees' health directly by showing health awareness or indirectly by changing working conditions. With health-promoting leadership, leaders are able to support a healthy working environment by providing resource-oriented working conditions for their employees to support their health. Changing working conditions in a health-supportive way can prevent possible negative consequences from critical working conditions (e.g., burnout risk). The present study examined the relationship between health-promoting leadership and the employees' resources, stress and burnout. To analyze our proposed model, structural equation modelling was conducted in two samples. The resulting model from the first sample of 228 Austrian workers was cross-validated and could be verified with the second sample (N = 263 Austrian workers). The results supported a model in which health-promoting leadership has a strong direct effect on the employees' resources and an indirect effect on stress and burnout, which was mediated by resources. The results indicate that health-promoting leadership describes the leaders' capability and dedication creating the right working conditions for their employees by increasing the employees' resources at the workplace. This in turn minimizes the risk of experiencing burnout.

Enhancing Resources at the Workplace with Health-Promoting Leadership

PubMed Central

Bregenzer, Anita; Kallus, K. Wolfgang; Fruhwirth, Bianca; Wagner-Hartl, Verena

2017-01-01

Leaders engaging in health-promoting leadership can influence their employees’ health directly by showing health awareness or indirectly by changing working conditions. With health-promoting leadership, leaders are able to support a healthy working environment by providing resource-oriented working conditions for their employees to support their health. Changing working conditions in a health-supportive way can prevent possible negative consequences from critical working conditions (e.g., burnout risk). The present study examined the relationship between health-promoting leadership and the employees’ resources, stress and burnout. To analyze our proposed model, structural equation modelling was conducted in two samples. The resulting model from the first sample of 228 Austrian workers was cross-validated and could be verified with the second sample (N = 263 Austrian workers). The results supported a model in which health-promoting leadership has a strong direct effect on the employees’ resources and an indirect effect on stress and burnout, which was mediated by resources. The results indicate that health-promoting leadership describes the leaders’ capability and dedication creating the right working conditions for their employees by increasing the employees’ resources at the workplace. This in turn minimizes the risk of experiencing burnout. PMID:29053640

Building Public Health Ontario: experience in developing a new public health agency.

PubMed

Goel, Vivek

2012-06-05

The history and development of Ontario's new public health agency, Public Health Ontario, is explored. The governance model and organizational structure are identified along with an overview of the relationship with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The strategic mission and vision are described as are the key functions. The building of the organization through new investments and divestments is explained. The paper concludes with an overview of the challenges encountered and the opportunities ahead.

Maximizing mitigation benefits-making a difference with strategic inter-resource agency planning : year one technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The objective of this research project is to assess current mitigation policies and practices in comparison to : resource agency objectives, and identify mitigation strategies and priorities that provide greater cost-benefit : potential and implement...

Conservation of resources theory and research use in health systems.

PubMed

Alvaro, Celeste; Lyons, Renée F; Warner, Grace; Hobfoll, Stevan E; Martens, Patricia J; Labonté, Ronald; Brown, Richard E

2010-10-20

Health systems face challenges in using research evidence to improve policy and practice. These challenges are particularly evident in small and poorly resourced health systems, which are often in locations (in Canada and globally) with poorer health status. Although organizational resources have been acknowledged as important in understanding research use resource theories have not been a focus of knowledge translation (KT) research. What resources, broadly defined, are required for KT and how does their presence or absence influence research use?In this paper, we consider conservation of resources (COR) theory as a theoretical basis for understanding the capacity to use research evidence in health systems. Three components of COR theory are examined in the context of KT. First, resources are required for research uptake. Second, threat of resource loss fosters resistance to research use. Third, resources can be optimized, even in resource-challenged environments, to build capacity for KT. A scan of the KT literature examined organizational resources needed for research use. A multiple case study approach examined the three components of COR theory outlined above. The multiple case study consisted of a document review and key informant interviews with research team members, including government decision-makers and health practitioners through a retrospective analysis of four previously conducted applied health research studies in a resource-challenged region. The literature scan identified organizational resources that influence research use. The multiple case study supported these findings, contributed to the development of a taxonomy of organizational resources, and revealed how fears concerning resource loss can affect research use. Some resources were found to compensate for other resource deficits. Resource needs differed at various stages in the research use process. COR theory contributes to understanding the role of resources in research use, resistance to

College students' preferences for health care providers when accessing sexual health resources.

PubMed

Garcia, Carolyn M; Lechner, Kate E; Frerich, Ellen A; Lust, Katherine A; Eisenberg, Marla E

2014-01-01

Many emerging adults (18-25 year olds) report unmet health needs and disproportionately experience problems such as sexually transmitted infections. This study was conducted to examine college students' perceptions of health care providers, specifically in the context of accessing sexual health resources. Students (N = 52) were recruited from five diverse colleges in one state to participate in a one-to-one interview that involved walking and virtually exploring resources on and near campus. Interviews were conducted from May to November 2010. Open-ended one-to-one interview questions. Inductive qualitative analysis yielded six themes summarizing students' perceptions of provider characteristics, health care resources, the role of their peers, and students' suggestions for strengthening health care services. Importantly, students consider a variety of staff-and their student peers-to be resources for sexual health information and services. Findings emphasize the importance of collaboration between health service staff and broader campus staff because students often turn to campus staff initially. Postsecondary students welcome opportunities to know a provider through interactive websites that include details about providers on campus; their decisions to seek sexual health care services are influenced by their perceptions of providers' characteristics and interpersonal skills. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Loving and Leaving Public Health: Predictors of Intentions to Quit Among State Health Agency Workers

PubMed Central

Liss-Levinson, Rivka; Bharthapudi, Kiran; Leider, Jonathon P.; Sellers, Katie

2015-01-01

Context: State health agencies play a critical role in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the people they serve. To be effective, they must maintain a highly skilled, diverse workforce of sufficient size and with proper training. Objective: The goal of this study was to examine demographics, job and workplace environment characteristics, job satisfaction, and reasons for initially joining the public health workforce as predictors of an employee's intentions to leave an organization within the next year. Design: This study used a cross-sectional design. Respondents were selected on the basis of a stratified sampling approach, with 5 geographic (paired Health and Human Services [HHS] regions) as the primary strata. Balanced repeated replication was used as a resampling method for variance estimation. A logistic regression model was used to examine the correlates of intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. The independent variables included several measures of satisfaction, perceptions about the workplace environment, initial reasons for joining public health, gender, age, education, salary, supervisory status, program area, and paired HHS region. Setting and Participants: The sample for this study consisted of 10 246 permanently employed state health agency central office employees who responded to the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Main Outcome Measure: Considering leaving one's organization within the next year. Results: Being a person of color, living in the West (HHS regions 9 and 10), and shorter tenure in one's current position were all associated with higher odds of intentions to leave an organization within the next year. Conversely, greater employee engagement, organizational support, job satisfaction, organization satisfaction, and pay satisfaction were all significant predictors of lower intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. Conclusions: Results from this study

Loving and Leaving Public Health: Predictors of Intentions to Quit Among State Health Agency Workers.

PubMed

Liss-Levinson, Rivka; Bharthapudi, Kiran; Leider, Jonathon P; Sellers, Katie

2015-01-01

State health agencies play a critical role in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the people they serve. To be effective, they must maintain a highly skilled, diverse workforce of sufficient size and with proper training. The goal of this study was to examine demographics, job and workplace environment characteristics, job satisfaction, and reasons for initially joining the public health workforce as predictors of an employee's intentions to leave an organization within the next year. This study used a cross-sectional design. Respondents were selected on the basis of a stratified sampling approach, with 5 geographic (paired Health and Human Services [HHS] regions) as the primary strata. Balanced repeated replication was used as a resampling method for variance estimation. A logistic regression model was used to examine the correlates of intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. The independent variables included several measures of satisfaction, perceptions about the workplace environment, initial reasons for joining public health, gender, age, education, salary, supervisory status, program area, and paired HHS region. The sample for this study consisted of 10,246 permanently employed state health agency central office employees who responded to the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Considering leaving one's organization within the next year. Being a person of color, living in the West (HHS regions 9 and 10), and shorter tenure in one's current position were all associated with higher odds of intentions to leave an organization within the next year. Conversely, greater employee engagement, organizational support, job satisfaction, organization satisfaction, and pay satisfaction were all significant predictors of lower intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. Results from this study suggest several variables related to demographics, job characteristics, workplace environment, and

The health system consequences of agency nursing and moonlighting in South Africa

PubMed Central

Rispel, Laetitia C.; Blaauw, Duane

2015-01-01

Background Worldwide, there is an increased reliance on casual staff in the health sector. Recent policy attention in South Africa has focused on the interrelated challenges of agency nursing and moonlighting in the health sector. Objective This paper examines the potential health system consequences of agency nursing and moonlighting among South African nurses. Methods During 2010, a cluster random sample of 80 hospitals was selected in four South African provinces. On the survey day, all nurses providing clinical care completed a self-administered questionnaire after giving informed consent. The questionnaire obtained information on socio-demographics, involvement in agency nursing and moonlighting, and self-reported indicators of potential health system consequences of agency nursing and moonlighting. A weighted analysis was done using STATA® 13. Results In the survey, 40.7% of nurses reported moonlighting or working for an agency in the preceding year. Of all participants, 51.5% reported feeling too tired to work, 11.5% paid less attention to nursing work on duty, and 10.9% took sick leave when not actually sick in the preceding year. Among the moonlighters, 11.9% had taken vacation leave to do agency work or moonlighting, and 9.8% reported conflicting schedules between their primary and secondary jobs. In the bivariate analysis, moonlighting nurses were significantly more likely than non-moonlighters to take sick leave when not sick (p=0.011) and to pay less attention to nursing work on duty (p=0.035). However, in a multiple logistic regression analysis, the differences between moonlighters and non-moonlighters did not remain statistically significant after adjusting for other socio-demographic variables. Conclusion Although moonlighting did not emerge as a statistically significant predictor, the reported health system consequences are serious. A combination of strong nursing leadership, effective management, and consultation with and buy-in from front

Complementary therapies as resources for mental health in Primary Health Care.

PubMed

Carvalho, Jessica Liz da Silva; Nóbrega, Maria do Perpétuo Socorro de Sousa

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE To verify the knowledge of Primary Care professionals about Integrative and Complementary Practices (PIC - "Práticas Integrativas e Complementares") and if they perceive these Practices as a care resource in Mental Health. METHOD Quantitative study carried out with 70 professionals from a Basic Unit of Health in the city of São Paulo between May and June of 2016. The data were collected through a questionnaire elaborated by the researchers. For statistical analysis, the frequency distribution of the variables and the Fisher test were considered. RESULTS The professionals said that they were aware of some PIC (73.9%), that users of the service with Mental Health issues would benefit from them (94.2%), that they would like to receive training (91.3%), and that they consider the practices a possible resource for care in Mental Health (92.8%). CONCLUSION The professionals' knowledge needs to be deepened. Still, they consider PIC as a resource for Mental Health in Primary Care.

Maximizing mitigation benefits-making a difference with strategic inter-resource agency planning : year two technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

The objective of this research project is to assess current mitigation policies and practices in comparison to : resource agency objectives and to identify mitigation strategies and priorities that provide greater cost-benefit potential and implement...

Linking community, parenting, and depressive symptom trajectories: testing resilience models of adolescent agency based on race/ethnicity and gender.

PubMed

Williams, Amanda L; Merten, Michael J

2014-09-01

Family stress models illustrate how communities affect youth outcomes through effects on parents and studies consistently show the enduring effects of early community context. The present study takes a different approach identifying human agency during adolescence as a potentially significant promotive factor mediating the relationship between community, parenting, and mental health. While agency is an important part of resilience, its longitudinal effects are unknown, particularly based on gender and race/ethnicity. The purpose of this research was to model the long-term effects of community structural adversity and social resources as predictors of adolescent depressive symptom trajectories via indirect effects of parental happiness, parent-child relationships, and human agency. Latent growth analyses were conducted with 1,796 participants (53% female; 56% White) across four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health spanning adolescence (Wave 1) through adulthood (Wave 4). The results identified agency as an important promotive factor during adolescence with long-term mental health benefits, but only for White and male participants. For these individuals, community social resources and the quality of the parent-child relationship were related to higher levels of agency and more positive mental health trajectories. Although community social resources similarly benefitted parenting and agency among females and non-White participants, there were no significant links between agency and depressive symptoms for these youth. The results suggest that agency remains an important, but poorly understood concept and additional work is necessary to continue unpacking its meaning for diverse groups of youth.

76 FR 44303 - De Soto Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-25

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service De Soto Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The De Soto Resource Advisory Committee will meet in... ecosystems or restore and improve land health and water quality on the De Soto National Forest in Wayne and...

76 FR 27067 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-10

... responses response hours Navigated Patient Data Intake 4,827 1 4,827 0.5 2,413.5 Form VR-12 Health Status... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request Periodically, the Health...

[Equity of Health Resources Allocation in Minority Regions of Sichuan Province].

PubMed

Chen, Nan; Tang, Wen; Liang, Zhi; Zou, Bo; Li, Xiao-song

2016-03-01

To determine equity of health resources allocation in minority regions of Sichuan province from 2009 to 2013. Health resources distribution equity among populations and across geographic catchments were measured using coefficients of Inter-Individual differences and Individual-Mean differences. Health resources, especially human resources, in minority regions increased slowly over the years. Poorer allocation equity was found in nursing resources compared with doctors and hospital beds. Better distribution equity was found among populations than across geographic catchments. High levels of equity in resource distributions among populations and across geographic catchments were found in Aba. In Liangshan, more equitable distributions were found in doctors and hospital beds compared with nurses. The rest of minority regions had poor absolute allocation equity in doctors and hospital beds among populations. Appropriate allocation of health resources can promote health development. Health resources allocation in minority regions of Sichuan province is unreasonable. The government and relevant departments should take actions to optimize health resources allocations.

78 FR 42788 - School-Based Health Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration School-Based Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health... Gadsden County. SUMMARY: HRSA will be transferring a School-Based Health Center Capital (SBHCC) Program...

Comparison of home health and hospice care agencies by organizational characteristics and services provided: United States, 2007.

PubMed

Park-Lee, Eunice Y; Decker, Frederic H

2010-11-09

This report presents national estimates of the organizational characteristics of home health and hospice care agencies in 2007. Comparisons of organizational characteristics and provision of selected services are made by agency type. A comparison of selected characteristics between 1996 and 2007 is also provided to highlight changes that have occurred leading to the current composition of the home health and hospice care sector. Estimates are based on data collected on agencies from the 1996, 2000, and 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Estimates are derived from data collected during interviews with administrators and staff designated by the administrators. In 2007, there were 14,500 home health and hospice care agencies in the United States, an increase from 11,400 in 2000. Three-quarters of these agencies provided home health care only, 15% provided hospice care only, and 10% provided both home health and hospice care (mixed). The percentage of proprietary home health care only and hospice care only agencies increased during 1996-2007, whereas the percentage of proprietary mixed agencies remained relatively stable. The average number of home health care patients that home health care only and mixed agencies served decreased, while the average number of hospice care patients that hospice care only agencies served increased across years. Among mixed agencies, no significant changes were observed in the average number of hospice care patients being served. The percentage of home health care only agencies offering certain therapeutic and nonmedical services declined over the years. There was an increase in the proportion of hospice care only agencies' providing many core and noncore hospice care services during 1996-2007. Also during this time, the proportion of mixed agencies providing selected nonmedical services decreased.

77 FR 62243 - Rural Health Network Development Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Development Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Non-competitive Replacement Award to Siloam Springs Regional Health Cooperative, Inc. SUMMARY...

Health Lifestyle Theory and the Convergence of Agency and Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cockerham, William C.

2005-01-01

This article utilizes the agency-structure debate as a framework for constructing a health lifestyle theory. No such theory currently exists, yet the need for one is underscored by the fact that many daily lifestyle practices involve considerations of health outcomes. An individualist paradigm has influenced concepts of health lifestyles in…

75 FR 26759 - Health Care Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) and National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Care... that license or certify health care practitioners, providers or suppliers, must report final adverse...-Compliant Government Agencies AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of...

NASA Water Resources Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toll, David L.

2011-01-01

With increasing population pressure and water usage coupled with climate variability and change, water issues are being reported by numerous groups as the most critical environmental problems facing us in the 21st century. Competitive uses and the prevalence of river basins and aquifers that extend across boundaries engender political tensions between communities, stakeholders and countries. In addition to the numerous water availability issues, water quality related problems are seriously affecting human health and our environment. The potential crises and conflicts especially arise when water is competed among multiple uses. For example, urban areas, environmental and recreational uses, agriculture, and energy production compete for scarce resources, not only in the Western U.S. but throughout much of the U.S. and also in numerous parts of the world. Mitigating these conflicts and meeting water demands and needs requires using existing water resources more efficiently. The NASA Water Resources Program Element works to use NASA products and technology to address these critical water issues. The primary goal of the Water Resources is to facilitate application of NASA Earth science products as a routine use in integrated water resources management for the sustainable use of water. This also includes the extreme events of drought and floods and the adaptation to the impacts from climate change. NASA satellite and Earth system observations of water and related data provide a huge volume of valuable data in both near-real-time and extended back nearly 50 years about the Earth's land surface conditions such as precipitation, snow, soil moisture, water levels, land cover type, vegetation type, and health. NASA Water Resources Program works closely to use NASA and Earth science data with other U.S. government agencies, universities, and non-profit and private sector organizations both domestically and internationally. The NASA Water Resources Program organizes its

Conservation of resources theory and research use in health systems

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Health systems face challenges in using research evidence to improve policy and practice. These challenges are particularly evident in small and poorly resourced health systems, which are often in locations (in Canada and globally) with poorer health status. Although organizational resources have been acknowledged as important in understanding research use resource theories have not been a focus of knowledge translation (KT) research. What resources, broadly defined, are required for KT and how does their presence or absence influence research use? In this paper, we consider conservation of resources (COR) theory as a theoretical basis for understanding the capacity to use research evidence in health systems. Three components of COR theory are examined in the context of KT. First, resources are required for research uptake. Second, threat of resource loss fosters resistance to research use. Third, resources can be optimized, even in resource-challenged environments, to build capacity for KT. Methods A scan of the KT literature examined organizational resources needed for research use. A multiple case study approach examined the three components of COR theory outlined above. The multiple case study consisted of a document review and key informant interviews with research team members, including government decision-makers and health practitioners through a retrospective analysis of four previously conducted applied health research studies in a resource-challenged region. Results The literature scan identified organizational resources that influence research use. The multiple case study supported these findings, contributed to the development of a taxonomy of organizational resources, and revealed how fears concerning resource loss can affect research use. Some resources were found to compensate for other resource deficits. Resource needs differed at various stages in the research use process. Conclusions COR theory contributes to understanding the role of

Estimating the Cost of Providing Foundational Public Health Services.

PubMed

Mamaril, Cezar Brian C; Mays, Glen P; Branham, Douglas Keith; Bekemeier, Betty; Marlowe, Justin; Timsina, Lava

2017-12-28

To estimate the cost of resources required to implement a set of Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) as recommended by the Institute of Medicine. A stochastic simulation model was used to generate probability distributions of input and output costs across 11 FPHS domains. We used an implementation attainment scale to estimate costs of fully implementing FPHS. We use data collected from a diverse cohort of 19 public health agencies located in three states that implemented the FPHS cost estimation methodology in their agencies during 2014-2015. The average agency incurred costs of $48 per capita implementing FPHS at their current attainment levels with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 16 percent. Achieving full FPHS implementation would require $82 per capita (CV=19 percent), indicating an estimated resource gap of $34 per capita. Substantial variation in costs exists across communities in resources currently devoted to implementing FPHS, with even larger variation in resources needed for full attainment. Reducing geographic inequities in FPHS may require novel financing mechanisms and delivery models that allow health agencies to have robust roles within the health system and realize a minimum package of public health services for the nation. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

The Effects of Caregiving Resources on Perceived Health among Caregivers

PubMed Central

Hong, Michin; Harrington, Donna

2016-01-01

This study examined how various types of resources influence perceived health of caregivers. Guided by the conservation of resources theory, a caregiver health model was built and tested using structural equation modeling. The caregiver health model consisted of caregiving situations (functional limitations and cognitive impairments of older adults and caregiving time), resources (financial resources, mastery, social support, family harmony, and service utilization), caregiver burden, and perceived health of caregivers. The sample included 1,837 unpaid informal caregivers drawn from the 2004 National Long-Term Caregiver Survey. The model fit indices indicated that the first structural model did not fit well; however, the revised model yielded an excellent model fit. More stressful caregiving situations were associated with fewer resources and higher burden, whereas greater resources were associated with lower burden and better perceived health of caregivers. The results suggest explicit implications for social work research and practice on how to protect the health of caregivers. PMID:29206951

The Effects of Caregiving Resources on Perceived Health among Caregivers.

PubMed

Hong, Michin; Harrington, Donna

2016-08-01

This study examined how various types of resources influence perceived health of caregivers. Guided by the conservation of resources theory, a caregiver health model was built and tested using structural equation modeling. The caregiver health model consisted of caregiving situations (functional limitations and cognitive impairments of older adults and caregiving time), resources (financial resources, mastery, social support, family harmony, and service utilization), caregiver burden, and perceived health of caregivers. The sample included 1,837 unpaid informal caregivers drawn from the 2004 National Long-Term Caregiver Survey. The model fit indices indicated that the first structural model did not fit well; however, the revised model yielded an excellent model fit. More stressful caregiving situations were associated with fewer resources and higher burden, whereas greater resources were associated with lower burden and better perceived health of caregivers. The results suggest explicit implications for social work research and practice on how to protect the health of caregivers. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.

MedEdPORTAL: a report on oral health resources for health professions educators.

PubMed

Chickmagalur, Nithya S; Allareddy, Veerasathpurush; Sandmeyer, Sue; Valachovic, Richard W; Candler, Christopher S; Saleh, Michael; Cahill, Emily; Karimbux, Nadeem Y

2013-09-01

MedEdPORTAL is a unique web-based peer-reviewed publication venue for clinical health educators sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The open exchange of educational resources promotes professional collaboration across health professions. In 2008, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) collaborated with AAMC to allow dental educators to use the platform to publish dental curriculum resources. Oral health is integral to general health; hence, collaboration among health care professionals brings enormous value to patient-centered care. The aim of this study was to conduct a current survey of metrics and submission statistics of MedEdPORTAL resources. The data were collected using the MedEdPORTAL search engine and ADEA and AAMC staff. The data collected were categorized and reported in tables and charts. Results showed that at the time of this study there were over 2,000 medical and dental resources available to anyone worldwide. Oral health resources constituted approximately 30 percent of the total resources, which included cross-indexing with information relevant to both medical and dental audiences. There were several types of dental resources available; the most common were the ones focusing on critical thinking. The usage of MedEdPORTAL has been growing, with participation from over 190 countries and 10,000 educational institutions around the world. The findings of this report suggest that MedEdPORTAL is succeeding in its aim to foster global collaborative education, professional education, and educational scholarship. As such, MedEdPORTAL is providing a new forum for collaboration and opens venues for promising future work in professional education.

The use of memoranda of understanding in fostering inter-agency collaboration: a qualitative study of health services agencies serving vulnerable populations in Baltimore, USA.

PubMed

Khosla, Nidhi; Marsteller, Jill A; Holtgrave, David R

2013-11-01

We examined whether mandated collaboration reflected in memoranda of understanding (MOUs) developed by health agencies to meet funder expectations is effective in fostering inter-agency collaboration. We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews from late 2010 to early 2012 in Baltimore, USA, with representatives of 17 HIV service agencies, three local health department units, and one agency that closed in 2008 (two interviews). While there was no consensus, most respondents perceived MOUs negatively, mainly because the process of obtaining signed MOUs was time consuming; frontline staff was mostly unaware of MOUs, agencies did not necessarily work with agencies they signed MOUs with and MOUs were rarely evaluated after being signed. A few agencies reported that MOUs could keep agencies focused and set mutual expectations. The local health department acknowledged shortcomings in MOUs but emphasized that MOUs could help agencies plan for referring clients when their own capacity was full. Although many agencies acknowledged the importance of collaboration, most respondents found that MOUs lacked practical utility. Grant-makers should consult sub-grantees to develop alternative means of fostering collaboration that would be perceived as relevant by both parties. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Making the Case for Using Financial Indicators in Local Public Health Agencies

PubMed Central

Suarez, Virginia; Denison, Dwight

2011-01-01

The strength of the public health infrastructure determines the ability of local public health agencies to respond to emergencies and provide essential services. Organizational and systems capacity measures and assessments are important components of the public health infrastructure. Hospitals and governments have a long tradition of using financial indicators to assess fiscal and operational activities. We reviewed the literature on how hospitals use financial indicators to monitor financial risk, promote organizational sustainability, and improve organizational capacity. Given that financial indicators have not generally been employed by public health practitioners, we discuss how these measures can be applied to local public health agencies to improve their organizational capacity. PMID:21233438

Utilisation and costs of nursing agencies in the South African public health sector, 2005-2010.

PubMed

Rispel, Laetitia C; Angelides, George

2014-01-01

Globally, insufficient information exists on the costs of nursing agencies, which are temporary employment service providers that supply nurses to health establishments and/or private individuals. The aim of the study was to determine the utilisation and direct costs of nursing agencies in the South African public health sector. A survey of all nine provincial health departments was conducted to determine utilisation and management of nursing agencies. The costs of nursing agencies were assumed to be equivalent to expenditure. Provincial health expenditure was obtained for five financial years (2005/6-2009/10) from the national Basic Accounting System database, and analysed using Microsoft Excel. Each of the 166,466 expenditure line items was coded. The total personnel and nursing agency expenditure was calculated for each financial year and for each province. Nursing agency expenditure as a percentage of the total personnel expenditure was then calculated. The nursing agency expenditure for South Africa is the total of all provincial expenditure. The 2009/10 annual government salary scales for different categories of nurses were used to calculate the number of permanent nurses who could have been employed in lieu of agency expenditure. All expenditure is expressed in South African rands (R; US$1 ∼ R7, 2010 prices). Only five provinces reported utilisation of nursing agencies, but all provinces showed agency expenditure. In the 2009/10 financial year, R1.49 billion (US$212.64 million) was spent on nursing agencies in the public health sector. In the same year, agency expenditure ranged from a low of R36.45 million (US$5.20 million) in Mpumalanga Province (mixed urban-rural) to a high of R356.43 million (US$50.92 million) in the Eastern Cape Province (mixed urban-rural). Agency expenditure as a percentage of personnel expenditure ranged from 0.96% in KwaZulu-Natal Province (mixed urban-rural) to 11.96% in the Northern Cape Province (rural). In that financial year

The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Resource and Tool ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a relatively new and rapidly emerging field in the U.S. An inventory of available HIA resources and tools was conducted, with a primary focus on resources developed in the U.S. The resources and tools available to HIA practitioners in the conduct of their work were identified through multiple methods and compiled into a comprehensive list. The compilation includes tools and resources related to the HIA process itself and those that can be used to collect and analyze data, establish a baseline profile, assess potential health impacts, and establish benchmarks and indicators for monitoring and evaluation. These resources include literature and evidence bases, data and statistics, guidelines, benchmarks, decision and economic analysis tools, scientific models, methods, frameworks, indices, mapping, and various data collection tools. Understanding the data, tools, models, methods, and other resources available to perform HIAs will help to advance the HIA community of practice in the U.S., improve the quality and rigor of assessments upon which stakeholder and policy decisions are based, and potentially improve the overall effectiveness of HIA to promote healthy and sustainable communities. The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Resource and Tool Compilation is a comprehensive list of resources and tools that can be utilized by HIA practitioners with all levels of HIA experience to guide them throughout the HIA process. The HIA Resource

Social media engagement analysis of U.S. Federal health agencies on Facebook.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Sanmitra; Srinivasan, Padmini; Polgreen, Philip

2017-04-21

It is becoming increasingly common for individuals and organizations to use social media platforms such as Facebook. These are being used for a wide variety of purposes including disseminating, discussing and seeking health related information. U.S. Federal health agencies are leveraging these platforms to 'engage' social media users to read, spread, promote and encourage health related discussions. However, different agencies and their communications get varying levels of engagement. In this study we use statistical models to identify factors that associate with engagement. We analyze over 45,000 Facebook posts from 72 Facebook accounts belonging to 24 health agencies. Account usage, user activity, sentiment and content of these posts are studied. We use the hurdle regression model to identify factors associated with the level of engagement and Cox proportional hazards model to identify factors associated with duration of engagement. In our analysis we find that agencies and accounts vary widely in their usage of social media and activity they generate. Statistical analysis shows, for instance, that Facebook posts with more visual cues such as photos or videos or those which express positive sentiment generate more engagement. We further find that posts on certain topics such as occupation or organizations negatively affect the duration of engagement. We present the first comprehensive analyses of engagement with U.S. Federal health agencies on Facebook. In addition, we briefly compare and contrast findings from this study to our earlier study with similar focus but on Twitter to show the robustness of our methods.

Integrating Self-Determination and Job Demands-Resources Theory in Predicting Mental Health Provider Burnout.

PubMed

Dreison, Kimberly C; White, Dominique A; Bauer, Sarah M; Salyers, Michelle P; McGuire, Alan B

2018-01-01

Limited progress has been made in reducing burnout in mental health professionals. Accordingly, we identified factors that might protect against burnout and could be productive focal areas for future interventions. Guided by self-determination theory, we examined whether supervisor autonomy support, self-efficacy, and staff cohesion predict provider burnout. 358 staff from 13 agencies completed surveys. Higher levels of supervisor autonomy support, self-efficacy, and staff cohesion were predictive of lower burnout, even after accounting for job demands. Although administrators may be limited in their ability to reduce job demands, our findings suggest that increasing core job resources may be a viable alternative.

Threshold considerations in fair allocation of health resources: justice beyond scarcity.

PubMed

Alvarez, Allen Andrew A

2007-10-01

Application of egalitarian and prioritarian accounts of health resource allocation in low-income countries have both been criticized for implying distribution outcomes that allow decreasing/undermining health gains and for tolerating unacceptable standards of health care and health status that result from such allocation schemes. Insufficient health care and severe deprivation of health resources are difficult to accept even when justified by aggregative efficiency or legitimized by fair deliberative process in pursuing equality and priority oriented outcomes. I affirm the sufficientarian argument that, given extreme scarcity of public health resources in low-income countries, neither health status equality between populations nor priority for the worse off is normatively adequate. Nevertheless, the threshold norm alone need not be the sole consideration when a country's total health budget is extremely scarce. Threshold considerations are necessary in developing a theory of fair distribution of health resources that is sensitive to the lexically prior norm of sufficiency. Based on the intuition that shares must not be taken away from those who barely achieve a minimal level of health, I argue that assessments based on standards of minimal physical/mental health must be developed to evaluate the sufficiency of the total resources of health systems in low-income countries prior to pursuing equality, priority, and efficiency based resource allocation. I also begin to examine how threshold sensitive health resource assessment could be used in the Philippines.

Finding the Funds for Health Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osorio, Jenny; Marx, Eva; Bauer, Louise

2000-01-01

Identifying, securing, and sustaining funding are the greatest challenges to establishing and maintaining school health programs. A federal/state government alliance (the School Health Program Finance Project) provides funding information; foundations and businesses provide substantial financial support. Districts should employ resource mapping to…

75 FR 41868 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of title 44, United States Code, as amended by the...

Workplace violence prevention policies in home health and hospice care agencies.

PubMed

Gross, Nathan; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Nocera, Maryalice; Casteel, Carri

2013-01-31

Workplace violence in the home health industry is a growing concern, but little is known about the content of existing workplace violence prevention programs. The authors present the methods for this study that examined workplace violence prevention programs in a sample of 40 California home health and hospice agencies. Data was collected through surveys that were completed by the branch managers of participating facilities. Programs were scored in six different areas, including general workplace violence prevention components; management commitment and employee involvement; worksite analysis; hazard prevention and control; safety and health training; and recordkeeping and program evaluation. The results and discussion sections consider these six areas and the important gaps that were found in existing programs. For example, although most agencies offered workplace violence training, not every worker performing patient care was required to receive the training. Similarly, not all programs were written or reviewed and updated regularly. Few program differences were observed between agency characteristics, but nonetheless several striking gaps were found.

[Human resources for health in Ecuador's new model of care].

PubMed

Espinosa, Verónica; de la Torre, Daniel; Acuña, Cecilia; Cadena, Cristina

2017-06-08

Describe strategies implemented by Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health (MPH) to strengthen human resources for health leadership and respond to the new model of care, as a part of the reform process in the period 2012-2015. A documentary review was carried out of primary and secondary sources on development of human resources for health before and after the reform. In the study period, Ecuador developed a new institutional and regulatory framework for developing human resources for health to respond to the requirements of a model of care based on primary health care. The MPH consolidated its steering role by forging strategic partnerships, implementing human resources planning methods, and making an unprecedented investment in health worker training, hiring, and wage increases. These elements constitute the initial core for development of human resources for health policy and a health-services study program consistent with the reform's objectives. Within the framework of the reform carried out from 2012 to 2015, intersectoral work by the MPH has led to considerable achievements in development of human resources for health. Notable achievements include strengthening of the steering role, development and implementation of standards and regulatory instruments, creation of new professional profiles, and hiring of professionals to implement the comprehensive health care model, which helped to solve problems carried over from the years prior to the reform.

Comparing types of local public health agencies in North Carolina.

PubMed

Markiewicz, Milissa; Moore, Jill; Foster, Johanna H; Berner, Maureen; Matthews, Gene; Wall, Aimee

2013-01-01

Some states are considering restructuring local public health agencies (LPHAs) in hopes of achieving long-term efficiencies. North Carolina's experience operating different types of LPHAs, such as county health departments, district health departments, public health authorities, and consolidated human services agencies, can provide valuable information to policy makers in other states who are examining how best to organize their local public health system. To identify stakeholders' perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with different types of LPHAs in North Carolina and to compare LPHA types on selected financial, workforce, and service delivery measures. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted to identify stakeholders' perceptions of different LPHA types. To compare LPHA types on finance, workforce, and service delivery measures, descriptive statistical analyses were performed on publicly available quantitative data. North Carolina. Current and former state and local public health practitioners, county commissioners, county managers, assistant managers, state legislators, and others. In addition to identifying stakeholders' perceptions of LPHA types, proportion of total expenditures by funding source, expenditures per capita by funding source, full-time equivalents per 1000 population, and percentage of 127 tracked services offered were calculated. Stakeholders reported benefits and challenges of all LPHA types. LPHA types differ with regard to source of funding, with county health departments and consolidated human services agencies receiving a greater percentage of their funding from county appropriations than districts and authorities, which receive a comparatively larger percentage from other revenues. Types of LPHAs are not entirely distinct from one another, and LPHAs of the same type can vary greatly from one another. However, stakeholders noted differences between LPHA types-particularly with regard to district health

Interorganizational relationships among family support organizations and child mental health agencies.

PubMed

Acri, Mary C; Palinkas, Larry; Hoagwood, Kimberly E; Shen, Sa; Schoonover, Diana; Reutz, Jennifer Rolls; Landsverk, John

2014-07-01

This study examined: (1) qualitative aspects of close working relationships between family support organizations and child mental health agencies, including effective and ineffective characteristics of the relationship and aspects that they would change, and (2) the impact of the working relationship upon the family support organization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 directors of family support organizations characterized as having a close working relationship with a child mental health agency. Three main themes emerged regarding the quality of the working relationship: (a) interactional factors, including shared trust, communication, collaboration and service coordination; (b) aspects of the inner context of the family support organization, mental health agency, or both, including alignment of goals and values and perceptions of mental health services; and (c) outer contextual factors external to the organizations, such as financial and county regulations. Responses to the perceived impact of the relationship was divided into two themes: positive impacts (e.g. gained respect, influence and visibility), and negative impacts (e.g. lack of trust). This study lays the foundation for future research to better understand the mechanisms underlying interorganizational relationships in communities among different types of providers to create a more seamless continuum of services for families of children with mental health conditions.

Online Mental Health Resources in Rural Australia: Clinician Perceptions of Acceptability

PubMed Central

Holloway, Kristi; Riley, Geoffrey; Auret, Kirsten

2013-01-01

Background Online mental health resources have been proposed as an innovative means of overcoming barriers to accessing rural mental health services. However, clinicians tend to express lower satisfaction with online mental health resources than do clients. Objective To understand rural clinicians’ attitudes towards the acceptability of online mental health resources as a treatment option in the rural context. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 rural clinicians (general practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers). Interviews were supplemented with rural-specific vignettes, which described clinical scenarios in which referral to online mental health resources might be considered. Symbolic interactionism was used as the theoretical framework for the study, and interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results Clinicians were optimistic about the use of online mental health resources into the future, showing a preference for integration alongside existing services, and use as an adjunct rather than an alternative to traditional approaches. Key themes identified included perceptions of resources, clinician factors, client factors, and the rural and remote context. Clinicians favored resources that were user-friendly and could be integrated into their clinical practice. Barriers to use included a lack of time to explore resources, difficulty accessing training in the rural environment, and concerns about the lack of feedback from clients. Social pressure exerted within professional clinical networks contributed to a cautious approach to referring clients to online resources. Conclusions Successful implementation of online mental health resources in the rural context requires attention to clinician perceptions of acceptability. Promotion of online mental health resources to rural clinicians should include information about resource effectiveness, enable integration with existing

Online mental health resources in rural Australia: clinician perceptions of acceptability.

PubMed

Sinclair, Craig; Holloway, Kristi; Riley, Geoffrey; Auret, Kirsten

2013-09-05

Online mental health resources have been proposed as an innovative means of overcoming barriers to accessing rural mental health services. However, clinicians tend to express lower satisfaction with online mental health resources than do clients. To understand rural clinicians' attitudes towards the acceptability of online mental health resources as a treatment option in the rural context. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 rural clinicians (general practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers). Interviews were supplemented with rural-specific vignettes, which described clinical scenarios in which referral to online mental health resources might be considered. Symbolic interactionism was used as the theoretical framework for the study, and interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative method. Clinicians were optimistic about the use of online mental health resources into the future, showing a preference for integration alongside existing services, and use as an adjunct rather than an alternative to traditional approaches. Key themes identified included perceptions of resources, clinician factors, client factors, and the rural and remote context. Clinicians favored resources that were user-friendly and could be integrated into their clinical practice. Barriers to use included a lack of time to explore resources, difficulty accessing training in the rural environment, and concerns about the lack of feedback from clients. Social pressure exerted within professional clinical networks contributed to a cautious approach to referring clients to online resources. Successful implementation of online mental health resources in the rural context requires attention to clinician perceptions of acceptability. Promotion of online mental health resources to rural clinicians should include information about resource effectiveness, enable integration with existing services, and provide opportunities for

[Social and health resources in Catalonia. Current situation].

PubMed

Bullich-Marín, Ingrid; Sánchez-Ferrín, Pau; Cabanes-Duran, Concepció; Salvà-Casanovas, Antoni

The network of social and health care has advanced since its inception. Furthermore, news services have been created and some resources have been adapted within the framework of respective health plans. This article presents the current situation of the different social and health resources in Catalonia, as well as the main changes that have occurred in recent years, more specifically in the period of the Health Plan 2011-2015. This period is characterised by an adaptation of the social and health network within the context of chronic care, for which the development of intermediate care resources has become the most relevant aspect. There is also a need to create a single long-term care sector in which the health care quality is guaranteed. Moreover, in this period, integral and cross-care level is promoted in the health system through a greater coordination between all different levels of care. The social and health network, due to its trajectory and expertise, plays a key role in the quality of care for people with social and medical needs. Copyright © 2017 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

78 FR 55731 - Health Workforce Research Center Cooperative Agreement Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Workforce Research Center Cooperative Agreement Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration.... These proposed concentration areas were selected as areas of critical importance to health workforce...

The importance of human resources management in health care: a global context.

PubMed

Kabene, Stefane M; Orchard, Carole; Howard, John M; Soriano, Mark A; Leduc, Raymond

2006-07-27

This paper addresses the health care system from a global perspective and the importance of human resources management (HRM) in improving overall patient health outcomes and delivery of health care services. We explored the published literature and collected data through secondary sources. Various key success factors emerge that clearly affect health care practices and human resources management. This paper will reveal how human resources management is essential to any health care system and how it can improve health care models. Challenges in the health care systems in Canada, the United States of America and various developing countries are examined, with suggestions for ways to overcome these problems through the proper implementation of human resources management practices. Comparing and contrasting selected countries allowed a deeper understanding of the practical and crucial role of human resources management in health care. Proper management of human resources is critical in providing a high quality of health care. A refocus on human resources management in health care and more research are needed to develop new policies. Effective human resources management strategies are greatly needed to achieve better outcomes from and access to health care around the world.

The importance of human resources management in health care: a global context

PubMed Central

Kabene, Stefane M; Orchard, Carole; Howard, John M; Soriano, Mark A; Leduc, Raymond

2006-01-01

Background This paper addresses the health care system from a global perspective and the importance of human resources management (HRM) in improving overall patient health outcomes and delivery of health care services. Methods We explored the published literature and collected data through secondary sources. Results Various key success factors emerge that clearly affect health care practices and human resources management. This paper will reveal how human resources management is essential to any health care system and how it can improve health care models. Challenges in the health care systems in Canada, the United States of America and various developing countries are examined, with suggestions for ways to overcome these problems through the proper implementation of human resources management practices. Comparing and contrasting selected countries allowed a deeper understanding of the practical and crucial role of human resources management in health care. Conclusion Proper management of human resources is critical in providing a high quality of health care. A refocus on human resources management in health care and more research are needed to develop new policies. Effective human resources management strategies are greatly needed to achieve better outcomes from and access to health care around the world. PMID:16872531

Examining structured representation and designated fiscal support for women's health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.

PubMed

Mazure, C M; Arons, A; Vitali, A

2001-11-01

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is committed to monitoring, protecting, and improving the health of the nation. We examine the structure established within DHHS to address the health of women; review initiatives generated by women's health offices, advisors, and coordinators within DHHS agencies; and contrast the budgets provided to women's health offices with those of the parent DHHS agencies. Data were obtained from DHHS and other public government documents, DHHS websites, contact with agency personnel, and literature review. Significant clinical, research, and educational efforts important to the health of women have resulted from representation for women's health within the DHHS. Yet, structured representation and designated fiscal support necessary to maintain and expand these efforts are variable and not guaranteed across agencies. Only one Office of Women's Health and one Senior Advisor position are supported by statute, one director's position for an Office of Women's Health has been downgraded in government rank, and two other women's health positions had their reporting structure changed, making them less centrally located in their respective agencies. During the last 4 years of unprecedented growth within DHHS, only one Office of Women's Health received consistent increases in budgeted dollars. There is a clear need to support and stabilize representation for women's health within DHHS in order to maintain current productive efforts, coordinate existing and developing initiatives, and integrate new topics of importance to women's health into each agency. This can be accomplished by establishing structured offices by statute and ensuring future funding commensurate with the mission of each office.

77 FR 2734 - Health Information Technology Implementation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-19

... Information Technology Implementation AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION... Technology Implementation for Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) funds originally awarded to Community... advance information technology resources of the Tennessee's medically underserved communities, TPCA has...

Resource Mobilization for Health Advocacy: Afro-Brazilian Religious Organizations and HIV Prevention and Control

PubMed Central

Garcia, Jonathan; Parker, Richard G

2010-01-01

Brazil’s national response to AIDS has been tied to the ability to mobilize resources from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and a variety of donor agencies. The combination of favorable political economic opportunities and the bottom-up demands from civil society make Brazil a particularly interesting case. Despite the stabilization of the AIDS epidemic within the general Brazilian population, it continues to grow in pockets of poverty, especially among women and blacks. We use resource mobilization theories to examine the role of Afro-Brazilian religious organizations in reaching these marginalized populations. From December 2006 through November 2008, we conducted ethnographic research, including participant observation and oral histories with religious leaders (N=18), officials from the National AIDS Program (N=12), public health workers from Rio de Janeiro (N=5), and non-governmental organization (NGO) activists who have worked with Afro-Brazilian religions (N=5). The mobilization of resources from international donors, political opportunities (i.e., decentralization of the National AIDS Program), and cultural framings enabled local Afro-Brazilian religious groups to forge a national network. On the micro-level, in Rio de Janeiro, we observed how macro-level structures led to the proliferation of capacity-building and peer educator projects among these religious groups. We found that beyond funding assistance, the interrelation of religious ideologies, leadership, and networks linked to HIV can affect mobilization. PMID:20542364

Characterizing the Quality Workforce in Private U.S. Child and Family Behavioral Health Agencies.

PubMed

McMillen, J Curtis; Raffol, Matthew

2016-09-01

Behavioral health agencies have been encouraged to monitor performance and improve service quality. This paper characterizes the workforce charged with these tasks through a national survey of 238 behavioral health quality professionals. A latent class analysis suggests only 30 % of these workers report skills in both basic research and quality-specific skills. Respondents wanted to learn a variety of research and data analytic skills. The results call into question the quality of data collected in behavioral health agencies and the conclusions agencies are drawing from their data. Professional school and continuing education programs are needed to prepare this workforce.

Public perceptions of natural resource damages and the resources that require restoration.

PubMed

Burger, Joanna

2010-01-01

The public and health professionals are interested in restoring degraded ecosystem to provide goods and services. This study examined public perceptions in coastal New York and New Jersey about who is responsible for restoration of resources, which resources should be restored, by whom, and do they know the meaning of natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). More than 98% felt that resources should be restored; more (40%) thought the government should restore them, rather than the responsible party (23%). The highest rated resources were endangered wildlife, fish, mammals, and clams/crabs. Only 2% of respondents knew what NRDA meant. These data indicate that people felt strongly that resources should be restored and varied in who should restore them, suggesting that governmental agencies must clarify the relationship between chemical discharges, resource injury, NRDA, and restoration of those resources to produce clean air and water, fish and wildlife, and recreational opportunities.

PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGES AND THE RESOURCES THAT REQUIRE RESTORATION

PubMed Central

Burger, Joanna

2014-01-01

The public and health professionals are interested in restoring degraded ecosystem to provide goods and services. This study examined public perceptions in coastal New York and New Jersey about who is responsible for restoration of resources, which resources should be restored, by whom, and do they know the meaning of natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). More than 98% felt that resources should be restored; more (40%) thought the government should restore them, rather than the responsible party (23%). The highest rated resources were endangered wildlife, fish, mammals, and clams/crabs. Only 2% of respondents knew what NRDA meant. These data indicate that people felt strongly that resources should be restored and varied in who should restore them, suggesting that governmental agencies must clarify the relationship between chemical discharges, resource injury, NRDA, and restoration of those resources to produce clean air and water, fish and wildlife, and recreational opportunities. PMID:20711934

Keyword: help! Online resources for disaster preparedness.

PubMed

Hart, Amadie H; Cushman, Margaret J

2002-01-01

Health care organizations such as home care agencies should have post-disaster contingency plans in place that include contacts with the local, county, or state emergency management office, local branch of the Red Cross, and a clearly identified point person within the agency to coordinate disaster response efforts. Home care agencies must plan for the far-reaching effects that disasters can have on people in the community. This article provides some online resources to help you, your organization, and your family prepare for unexpected events.

The role of adaptive management as an operational approach for resource management agencies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, B.L.

1999-01-01

In making resource management decisions, agencies use a variety of approaches that involve different levels of political concern, historical precedence, data analyses, and evaluation. Traditional decision-making approaches have often failed to achieve objectives for complex problems in large systems, such as the Everglades or the Colorado River. I contend that adaptive management is the best approach available to agencies for addressing this type of complex problem, although its success has been limited thus far. Traditional decision-making approaches have been fairly successful at addressing relatively straightforward problems in small, replicated systems, such as management of trout in small streams or pulp production in forests. However, this success may be jeopardized as more users place increasing demands on these systems. Adaptive management has received little attention from agencies for addressing problems in small-scale systems, but I suggest that it may be a useful approach for creating a holistic view of common problems and developing guidelines that can then be used in simpler, more traditional approaches to management. Although adaptive management may be more expensive to initiate than traditional approaches, it may be less expensive in the long run if it leads to more effective management. The overall goal of adaptive management is not to maintain an optimal condition of the resource, but to develop an optimal management capacity. This is accomplished by maintaining ecological resilience that allows the system to react to inevitable stresses, and generating flexibility in institutions and stakeholders that allows managers to react when conditions change. The result is that, rather than managing for a single, optimal state, we manage within a range of acceptable outcomes while avoiding catastrophes and irreversible negative effects. Copyright ?? 1999 by The Resilience Alliance.

Utilisation and costs of nursing agencies in the South African public health sector, 2005–2010

PubMed Central

Rispel, Laetitia C.; Angelides, George

2014-01-01

Background Globally, insufficient information exists on the costs of nursing agencies, which are temporary employment service providers that supply nurses to health establishments and/or private individuals. Objective The aim of the study was to determine the utilisation and direct costs of nursing agencies in the South African public health sector. Design A survey of all nine provincial health departments was conducted to determine utilisation and management of nursing agencies. The costs of nursing agencies were assumed to be equivalent to expenditure. Provincial health expenditure was obtained for five financial years (2005/6–2009/10) from the national Basic Accounting System database, and analysed using Microsoft Excel. Each of the 166,466 expenditure line items was coded. The total personnel and nursing agency expenditure was calculated for each financial year and for each province. Nursing agency expenditure as a percentage of the total personnel expenditure was then calculated. The nursing agency expenditure for South Africa is the total of all provincial expenditure. The 2009/10 annual government salary scales for different categories of nurses were used to calculate the number of permanent nurses who could have been employed in lieu of agency expenditure. All expenditure is expressed in South African rands (R; US$1 ∼ R7, 2010 prices). Results Only five provinces reported utilisation of nursing agencies, but all provinces showed agency expenditure. In the 2009/10 financial year, R1.49 billion (US$212.64 million) was spent on nursing agencies in the public health sector. In the same year, agency expenditure ranged from a low of R36.45 million (US$5.20 million) in Mpumalanga Province (mixed urban-rural) to a high of R356.43 million (US$50.92 million) in the Eastern Cape Province (mixed urban-rural). Agency expenditure as a percentage of personnel expenditure ranged from 0.96% in KwaZulu-Natal Province (mixed urban-rural) to 11.96% in the Northern Cape

[Impact of health care reform on human resources and employment management].

PubMed

Brito Quintana, P E

2000-01-01

According to those in charge of health sector reform, human resources are the key component of health sector reform processes and offer health services their greatest competitive advantage. With the help of the Observatory for Human Resources within Health Sector Reform promoted by the Pan American Health Organization and other groups, countries of the Region of the Americas have now begun to gather, in a methodical fashion, tangible evidence of the decisive importance of human resources within health sector reform initiatives and particularly of the impact of these initiatives on health personnel. This mutual influence is the main theme of this article, which explores the most disturbing aspects of health sector reform from a human resources perspective, including job instability and conflicting interests of employers and employees.

75 FR 63479 - Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-15

... Resources Management; Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2010-25918 Filed 10-14-10; 8:45 am... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES [Document Identifier: OS-0990-NEW; 30-day notice] Agency... of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, is publishing the following summary...

Principlism, medical individualism, and health promotion in resource-poor countries: can autonomy-based bioethics promote social justice and population health?

PubMed

Azétsop, Jacquineau; Rennie, Stuart

2010-01-18

Through its adoption of the biomedical model of disease which promotes medical individualism and its reliance on the individual-based anthropology, mainstream bioethics has predominantly focused on respect for autonomy in the clinical setting and respect for person in the research site, emphasizing self-determination and freedom of choice. However, the emphasis on the individual has often led to moral vacuum, exaggeration of human agency, and a thin (liberal?) conception of justice. Applied to resource-poor countries and communities within developed countries, autonomy-based bioethics fails to address the root causes of diseases and public health crises with which individuals or communities are confronted. A sociological explanation of disease causation is needed to broaden principles of biomedical ethics and provides a renewed understanding of disease, freedom, medical practice, patient-physician relationship, risk and benefit of research and treatment, research priorities, and health policy.

Factors That Influence the Recruitment and Retention of Nurses in Public Health Agencies.

PubMed

Yeager, Valerie A; Wisniewski, Janna M

Given challenges to recruiting nurses to public health and the growth in national policies focused on population health, it is crucial that public health agencies develop strategies to sustain this important group of employees. The objective of this study was to examine factors that influence nurses' decisions to work in public health agencies. This cross-sectional study examined perspectives of nurses who worked in state and local public health departments and responded to the 2010 Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice's survey of public health workers. We calculated the mean rating of each recruitment and retention factor for nurses and non-nurses separately and compared differences by using t tests. We then used multivariate regression analysis to examine differences in ratings by role (ie, nurse or non-nurse). After controlling for personal and organizational characteristics, the influence of 5 recruitment factors was significantly stronger among nurses than among non-nurses: flexibility of work schedule ( P < .001), autonomy/employee empowerment ( P < .001), ability to innovate ( P = .002), specific duties and responsibilities ( P = .005), and identifying with the mission of the organization ( P = .02). The influence of 5 retention factors was stronger among nurses than among non-nurses : autonomy/employee empowerment ( P < .001), flexibility of work schedule ( P < .001), specific duties and responsibilities ( P < .001), opportunities for training/continuing education ( P = .03), and ability to innovate ( P = .008). Some factors that influence nurses to begin and remain working in local governmental public health agencies, such as flexible schedules and employee autonomy, are factors that governmental public health agencies can design into positions and highlight when recruiting from health care organizations, private industry, and academia.

75 FR 82032 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency... Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau to track spending requirements for each program as outlined in the legislation... the types of information that are collected. However, the first report would track the allocation of...

Health and medication information resources on the World Wide Web.

PubMed

Grossman, Sara; Zerilli, Tina

2013-04-01

Health care practitioners have increasingly used the Internet to obtain health and medication information. The vast number of Internet Web sites providing such information and concerns with their reliability makes it essential for users to carefully select and evaluate Web sites prior to use. To this end, this article reviews the general principles to consider in this process. Moreover, as cost may limit access to subscription-based health and medication information resources with established reputability, freely accessible online resources that may serve as an invaluable addition to one's reference collection are highlighted. These include government- and organization-sponsored resources (eg, US Food and Drug Administration Web site and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Drug Shortage Resource Center Web site, respectively) as well as commercial Web sites (eg, Medscape, Google Scholar). Familiarity with such online resources can assist health care professionals in their ability to efficiently navigate the Web and may potentially expedite the information gathering and decision-making process, thereby improving patient care.

Essential Resources for Implementation and Sustainability of Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs: A Mixed Methods Multi-Site Case Study.

PubMed

Dattalo, M; Wise, M; Ford Ii, J H; Abramson, B; Mahoney, J

2017-04-01

As of October 2016, use of federal Older Americans Act funds for health promotion and disease prevention will be restricted to the Administration on Aging's criteria for high-level evidence-based health promotion programs. Dissemination of these programs to rural communities remains limited. Therefore a strong need exists to identify strategies that facilitate program implementation and sustainability. The objective of this study was to compare organizational readiness and implementation strategies used by rural communities that achieved varying levels of success in sustaining evidence-based health promotion programs for older adults. We utilized a qualitative multi-site case study design to analyze the longitudinal experiences of eight rural sites working to implement evidence-based health promotion program over 3 years (8/2012-7/2015). Multiple sources of data (interviews, documents, reports, surveys) from each site informed the analysis. We used conventional content analysis to conduct a cross-case comparison to identify common features of rural counties that successfully implemented and sustained their target evidence-based health promotion program. Readiness to implement evidence-based programs as low at baseline as all site leaders described needing to secure additional resources for program implementation. Sites that successfully utilized six essential resources implemented and sustained greater numbers of workshops: (1) External Partnerships, (2) Agency Leadership Commitment, (3) Ongoing Source of Workshop Leaders, (4) Health Promotion Coordination Tasks Assigned to Specific Staff, (5) Organizational Stability, and (6) Change Team Engagement. The six essential resources described in this study can help rural communities assess their readiness to implement health promotion programs and work secure the resources necessary for successful implementation.

Resource Manual for Health Occupations Education Instructors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feilner, Veronica, Ed.; Robling, Jeannine, Ed.

This resource manual is designed to assist secondary health occupations instructors in implementing their health occupations programs. It contains two types of materials: informational topics and sample forms, letters, memos, and other materials. The manual begins with an overview of the health occupations education program, followed by these…

Veterinarians in Environmental Health: Opportunities for Veterinarians at the Environmental Protection Agency

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 partially in response to widespread public concern about environmental degradation. The EPA mission is to protect human health and the environment and the Agency is tasked with enforcing our nation's envi...

Spatial and Multidimensional Visualization of Jeddah Health Resources: A Community Health Assessment of Jeddah City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamalallail, Faisal Mohammed

2012-01-01

Jeddah public health resources are struggling to meet the demand of the large populations. The city is suffering from insufficient public health resources along with other health problem, like high rates of some disease, which resulted in an amount of dissatisfaction among some of the health facilities visitors. The absence of a comprehensive…

ACToR-Aggregated Computational Resource | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ACToR (Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource) is a database and set of software applications that bring into one central location many types and sources of data on environmental chemicals. Currently, the ACToR chemical database contains information on chemical structure, in vitro bioassays and in vivo toxicology assays derived from more than 150 sources including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), state agencies, corresponding government agencies in Canada, Europe and Japan, universities, the World Health Organization (WHO) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At the EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology, ACToR helps manage large data sets being used in a high throughput environmental chemical screening and prioritization program called ToxCast(TM).

Technical Resources for Energy Savings Plus Health

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This page lists additional resources related to Energy Savings Plus Health

New resources to address antibiotic resistance are just a click away

PubMed Central

Dowd-Schmidtke, C; Tremblay, G; Gale-Rowe, M; Dodds, J; Finley, R

2014-01-01

Antibiotic resistance is a complex issue with multiple causes, and there are many roles to play in addressing it. As part of its response, the Public Health Agency of Canada is launching a pilot antibiotic awareness campaign for Canadian families and health care professionals. Coinciding with Antibiotic Awareness Week, starting on November 17, 2014, the goal of this campaign is to improve knowledge and awareness of antibiotic resistance in Canada. To achieve this, the Agency has developed a suite of resources for both Canadian families and health care providers featuring a variety of key messages explaining antibiotic resistance, why it is important, and how to reduce the risks associated with it. Resources for Canadian families include an online informational video, an educational brochure, and infographics for both adults and children. Resources for health care professionals include two online Continuing Medical Education Modules, a letter that physicians can sign and provide to parents explaining why an antibiotic was not prescribed, and two webinars to present trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use. Health professionals will also receive an electronic postcard and a bilingual campaign poster. Promoting the campaign messages and using these campaign resources will support health professionals in discussions about antibiotic resistance with their patients or clients, and in their continuing efforts to be part of the solution in addressing this important global health challenge.

New resources to address antibiotic resistance are just a click away.

PubMed

Dowd-Schmidtke, C; Tremblay, G; Gale-Rowe, M; Dodds, J; Finley, R

2014-11-07

Antibiotic resistance is a complex issue with multiple causes, and there are many roles to play in addressing it. As part of its response, the Public Health Agency of Canada is launching a pilot antibiotic awareness campaign for Canadian families and health care professionals. Coinciding with Antibiotic Awareness Week, starting on November 17, 2014, the goal of this campaign is to improve knowledge and awareness of antibiotic resistance in Canada. To achieve this, the Agency has developed a suite of resources for both Canadian families and health care providers featuring a variety of key messages explaining antibiotic resistance, why it is important, and how to reduce the risks associated with it. Resources for Canadian families include an online informational video, an educational brochure, and infographics for both adults and children. Resources for health care professionals include two online Continuing Medical Education Modules, a letter that physicians can sign and provide to parents explaining why an antibiotic was not prescribed, and two webinars to present trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use. Health professionals will also receive an electronic postcard and a bilingual campaign poster. Promoting the campaign messages and using these campaign resources will support health professionals in discussions about antibiotic resistance with their patients or clients, and in their continuing efforts to be part of the solution in addressing this important global health challenge.

Towards a Job Demands-Resources Health Model: Empirical Testing with Generalizable Indicators of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Comprehensive Health Outcomes.

PubMed

Brauchli, Rebecca; Jenny, Gregor J; Füllemann, Désirée; Bauer, Georg F

2015-01-01

Studies using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model commonly have a heterogeneous focus concerning the variables they investigate-selective job demands and resources as well as burnout and work engagement. The present study applies the rationale of the JD-R model to expand the relevant outcomes of job demands and job resources by linking the JD-R model to the logic of a generic health development framework predicting more broadly positive and negative health. The resulting JD-R health model was operationalized and tested with a generalizable set of job characteristics and positive and negative health outcomes among a heterogeneous sample of 2,159 employees. Applying a theory-driven and a data-driven approach, measures which were generally relevant for all employees were selected. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that the model fitted the data. Multiple group analyses indicated invariance across six organizations, gender, job positions, and three times of measurement. Initial evidence was found for the validity of an expanded JD-R health model. Thereby this study contributes to the current research on job characteristics and health by combining the core idea of the JD-R model with the broader concepts of salutogenic and pathogenic health development processes as well as both positive and negative health outcomes.

Towards a Job Demands-Resources Health Model: Empirical Testing with Generalizable Indicators of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Comprehensive Health Outcomes

PubMed Central

Brauchli, Rebecca; Jenny, Gregor J.; Füllemann, Désirée; Bauer, Georg F.

2015-01-01

Studies using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model commonly have a heterogeneous focus concerning the variables they investigate—selective job demands and resources as well as burnout and work engagement. The present study applies the rationale of the JD-R model to expand the relevant outcomes of job demands and job resources by linking the JD-R model to the logic of a generic health development framework predicting more broadly positive and negative health. The resulting JD-R health model was operationalized and tested with a generalizable set of job characteristics and positive and negative health outcomes among a heterogeneous sample of 2,159 employees. Applying a theory-driven and a data-driven approach, measures which were generally relevant for all employees were selected. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that the model fitted the data. Multiple group analyses indicated invariance across six organizations, gender, job positions, and three times of measurement. Initial evidence was found for the validity of an expanded JD-R health model. Thereby this study contributes to the current research on job characteristics and health by combining the core idea of the JD-R model with the broader concepts of salutogenic and pathogenic health development processes as well as both positive and negative health outcomes. PMID:26557718

48 CFR 873.109 - General requirements for acquisition of health-care resources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... acquisition of health-care resources. 873.109 Section 873.109 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... HEALTH-CARE RESOURCES 873.109 General requirements for acquisition of health-care resources. (a) Source selection authority. Contracting officers shall be the source selection authority for acquisitions of health...

48 CFR 873.109 - General requirements for acquisition of health-care resources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... acquisition of health-care resources. 873.109 Section 873.109 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... HEALTH-CARE RESOURCES 873.109 General requirements for acquisition of health-care resources. (a) Source selection authority. Contracting officers shall be the source selection authority for acquisitions of health...

Pediatric emergency care capabilities of Indian Health Service emergency medical service agencies serving American Indians/Alaska Natives in rural and frontier areas.

PubMed

Genovesi, A L; Hastings, B; Edgerton, E A; Olson, L M

2014-01-01

In the USA, the emergency medical services (EMS) system is vital for American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately burdened by injuries and diseases and often live in rural areas geographically far from hospitals. In rural areas, where significant health disparities exist, EMS is often a primary source of healthcare providing a safety net for uninsured individuals or families who otherwise lack access to health-related services. EMS is frequently the first entry point for children and their families into the healthcare system. The Indian Health Service (IHS) supports the federally funded, tribally operated EMS agencies to help meet the affiliated American Indian and Alaska Natives' pre-hospital needs. While periodic assessments of state EMS agencies capabilities to care for children occur, it appears a systematic assessment of IHS EMS agencies in regards to children had not been previously conducted. A consensus process, involving stakeholders, was used to identify topic areas for a survey for assessing the pediatric capabilities of IHS EMS. The survey was sent to 75 of 88 IHS EMS agency contacts. Sixty-one agencies (81%) responded. Nine agencies (15%) did not have a medical director. Agencies without a medical director were less likely to report the availability of online (p=0.1) or offline (p<0.01) pediatric medical direction. Half (51%) of the agencies had a mass casualties plan; however, 29% reported responding to a mass casualty incident, involving a large number of pediatric patients, that overwhelmed their service. Most agencies were well integrated with their state EMS system with almost all (95%) collecting EMS patient care data and 47% using national standard data elements. In some areas, IHS EMS agencies did not have the infrastructure to treat pediatric patients during day-to-day operations as well as disasters. Similar to operational challenges faced by rural EMS agencies, the IHS agencies lacked a medical director, were unable to

Building analytic capacity, facilitating partnerships, and promoting data use in state health agencies: a distance-based workforce development initiative applied to maternal and child health epidemiology.

PubMed

Rankin, Kristin M; Kroelinger, Charlan D; Rosenberg, Deborah; Barfield, Wanda D

2012-12-01

The purpose of this article is to summarize the methodology, partnerships, and products developed as a result of a distance-based workforce development initiative to improve analytic capacity among maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiologists in state health agencies. This effort was initiated by the Centers for Disease Control's MCH Epidemiology Program and faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago to encourage and support the use of surveillance data by MCH epidemiologists and program staff in state agencies. Beginning in 2005, distance-based training in advanced analytic skills was provided to MCH epidemiologists. To support participants, this model of workforce development included: lectures about the practical application of innovative epidemiologic methods, development of multidisciplinary teams within and across agencies, and systematic, tailored technical assistance The goal of this initiative evolved to emphasize the direct application of advanced methods to the development of state data products using complex sample surveys, resulting in the articles published in this supplement to MCHJ. Innovative methods were applied by participating MCH epidemiologists, including regional analyses across geographies and datasets, multilevel analyses of state policies, and new indicator development. Support was provided for developing cross-state and regional partnerships and for developing and publishing the results of analytic projects. This collaboration was successful in building analytic capacity, facilitating partnerships and promoting surveillance data use to address state MCH priorities, and may have broader application beyond MCH epidemiology. In an era of decreasing resources, such partnership efforts between state and federal agencies and academia are essential for promoting effective data use.

Project TEACH: A Capacity-Building Training Program for Community-Based Organizations and Public Health Agencies.

PubMed

Sauaia, Angela; Tuitt, Nicole R; Kaufman, Carol E; Hunt, Cerise; Ledezma-Amorosi, Mariana; Byers, Tim

2016-01-01

Project TEACH (Teaching Equity to Advance Community Health) is a capacity-building training program to empower community-based organizations and regional public health agencies to develop data-driven, evidence-based, outcomes-focused public health interventions. TEACH delivers training modules on topics such as logic models, health data, social determinants of health, evidence-based interventions, and program evaluation. Cohorts of 7 to 12 community-based organizations and regional public health agencies in each of the 6 Colorado Area Health Education Centers service areas participate in a 2-day training program tailored to their specific needs. From July 2008 to December 2011, TEACH trained 94 organizations and agencies across Colorado. Training modules were well received and resulted in significant improvement in knowledge in core content areas, as well as accomplishment of self-proposed organizational goals, grant applications/awards, and several community-academic partnerships.

76 FR 56503 - Agency Information Collection Activity (VSO Access to VHA Electronic Health Records) Under OMB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-13

... power of attorney by veterans who have medical information recorded in VHA electronic health records... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0710] Agency Information Collection Activity (VSO Access to VHA Electronic Health Records) Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration...

National equity of health resource allocation in China: data from 2009 to 2013.

PubMed

Liu, Wen; Liu, Ying; Twum, Peter; Li, Shixue

2016-04-19

The inequitable allocation of health resources is a worldwide problem, and it is also one of the obstacles facing for health services utilization in China. A new round of health care reform which contains the important aspect of improving the equity in health resource allocation was released by Chinese government in 2009. The aim of this study is to understand the changes of equity in health resource allocation from 2009 to 2013, and make a further inquiry of the main factors which influence the equity conditions in China. Data resources are the China Health Statistics Yearbook (2014) and the China Statistical Yearbook (2014). Four indicators were chosen to measure the trends in equity of health resource allocation. Data were disaggregated by three geographical regions: west, central, and east. Theil index was used to calculate the degree of unfairness. The total amount of health care resources in China had been increasing in recent years. However, the per 10, 000 km(2) number of health resources showed a huge gap in different regions, and per 10, 000 capita health resources ownership showed a relatively small disparities at the same time. The index of health resources showed an overall downward trend, in which health financial investment the most unfair from 2009 to 2012 and the number of health institutions the most unfair in 2013. The equity of health resources allocation in eastern regions was the worst except for the aspect of health technical personnel allocation. The regional contribution rates were lower than that of the inter-regional contribution rates which were all beyond 60 %. The equity of health resource allocation improved gradually from 2009 to 2013. However, the internal differences within the eastern region still have a huge impact on the overall equity in health resource allocation. The tough issues of inequitable in health resource allocation should be resolved by comprehensive measures from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Home Health Agency Characteristics and Quality Outcomes for Medicare Beneficiaries With Rehabilitation-Sensitive Conditions.

PubMed

Mroz, Tracy M; Meadow, Ann; Colantuoni, Elizabeth; Leff, Bruce; Wolff, Jennifer L

2018-06-01

To examine associations between organizational characteristics of home health agencies (eg, profit status, rehabilitation therapy staffing model, size, and rurality) and quality outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries with rehabilitation-sensitive conditions, conditions for which occupational, physical, and/or speech therapy have the potential to improve functioning, prevent or slow substantial decline in functioning, or increase ability to remain at home safely. Retrospective analysis. Home health agencies. Fee-for-service beneficiaries (N=1,006,562) admitted to 9250 Medicare-certified home health agencies in 2009. Not applicable. Institutional admission during home health care, community discharge, and institutional admission within 30 days of discharge. Nonprofit (vs for-profit) home health agencies were more likely to discharge beneficiaries to the community (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.33) and less likely to have beneficiaries incur institutional admissions within 30 days of discharge (OR, .93; 95% CI, .88-.97). Agencies in rural (vs urban) counties were less likely to discharge patients to the community (OR, .83; 95% CI, .77-.90) and more likely to have beneficiaries incur institutional admissions during home health (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.18-1.30) and within 30 days of discharge (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.10-1.22). Agencies with contract (vs in-house) therapy staff were less likely to discharge beneficiaries to the community (OR, .79, 95% CI, .70-.91) and more likely to have beneficiaries incur institutional admissions during home health (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.15) and within 30 days of discharge (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.28). As payers continue to test and implement reimbursement mechanisms that seek to reward value over volume of services, greater attention should be paid to organizational factors that facilitate better coordinated, higher quality home health care for beneficiaries who may benefit from rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017

75 FR 55588 - Family-to-Family Health Information Center Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Family-to-Family Health Information Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS... Florida Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) grant (H84MC00006) from the Florida Institute...

Competing Principles for Allocating Health Care Resources.

PubMed

Carter, Drew; Gordon, Jason; Watt, Amber M

2016-10-01

We clarify options for conceptualizing equity, or what we refer to as justice, in resource allocation. We do this by systematically differentiating, expounding, and then illustrating eight different substantive principles of justice. In doing this, we compare different meanings that can be attributed to "need" and "the capacity to benefit" (CTB). Our comparison is sharpened by two analytical tools. First, quantification helps to clarify the divergent consequences of allocations commended by competing principles. Second, a diagrammatic approach developed by economists Culyer and Wagstaff offers a visual and conceptual aid. Of the eight principles we illustrate, only two treat as relevant both a person's initial health state and a person's CTB per resource unit expended: (1) allocate resources so as to most closely equalize final health states and (2) allocate resources so as to equally restore health states to population norms. These allocative principles ought to be preferred to the alternatives if one deems relevant both a person's initial health state and a person's CTB per resource unit expended. Finally, we examine some possibilities for conceptualizing benefits as relative to how badly off someone is, extending Parfit's thought on Prioritarianism (a prioritizing of the worst off). Questions arise as to how much intervention effects accruing to the worse off count for more and how this changes with improving health. We explicate some recent efforts to answer these questions, including in Dutch and British government circles. These efforts can be viewed as efforts to operationalize need as an allocative principle. Each effort seeks to maximize in the aggregate quanta of effect that are differentially valued in favor of the worst off. In this respect, each effort constitutes one type of Prioritarianism, which Parfit failed to differentiate from other types. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and

15 CFR 930.34 - Federal and State agency coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FEDERAL CONSISTENCY WITH APPROVED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS Consistency for Federal... use or resource. To facilitate State agency review, Federal agencies should coordinate with the State... coordination of Federal agency activities which affect any coastal use or resource. State agency notification...

Resources, indicators, data management, dissemination and use in health information systems in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

PubMed

Mbondji, Peter Ebongue; Kebede, Derege; Soumbey-Alley, Edoh William; Zielinski, Chris; Kouvividila, Wenceslas; Lusamba-Dikassa, Paul-Samson

2014-05-01

To describe the status of health information systems in 14 sub-Saharan African countries of the World Health Organization African Region. A questionnaire-based survey. Fourteen sub-Saharan African countries of the African Region. Key informants in the ministries of health, national statistics offices, health programmes, donors and technical agencies. State of resources, indicators, data sources, data management, information products, dissemination and use of health information. The highest average score was in the identification and harmonisation of indicators (73%), reflecting successful efforts to identify priority indicators and reach international consensus on indicators for several diseases. This was followed by information products (63%), which indicated the availability of accurate and reliable data. The lowest score (41%) was in data management, the ability to collect, store, analyse and distribute data, followed by resources - policy and planning, human and financial resources, and infrastructure (53%). Data sources (e.g. censuses, surveys) were on average inadequate with a score of 56%. The average score for dissemination and use of health information was 57%, which indicated limited or inadequate use of data for advocacy, planning and decision-making. National health information systems are weak in the surveyed countries and much more needs to be done to improve the quality and relevance of data, and their management, sharing and use for policy-making and decision-making. © The Royal Society of Medicine.

[Social inequalities in health, missions of a regional healthcare agency].

PubMed

Ginot, Luc

The presence of social inequalities in health requires a multi-faceted intervention, focusing on the social determinants as well as the provision of care and prevention strategies. Regional health agencies have important levers at their disposal, as illustrated by the example of the Île-de-France region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Exploring the effect of organizational culture on consumer perceptions of agency support for mental health recovery.

PubMed

Clossey, Laurene; Rheinheimer, David

2014-05-01

This research explores the impact of mental health agency culture on consumers' perceptions of agency support for their recovery. This study hypothesized that a constructive organizational culture must be present for consumers to perceive agency support for recovery. A sample of 12 mental health agencies in rural Pennsylvania participated in the research. Agency administrators completed an instrument called the recovery oriented service environment, which measured the number of recovery model program components offered by the agency. Consumers completed the recovery oriented services indicators, which taps into their perception of agency support for recovery. Direct service staff completed the organizational social context, which measured their agency's culture. Results showed that in this sample stronger consumer perceptions of agency support for recovery were correlated with higher ratings of agency constructive culture. The results suggest that agency culture is an important variable to target when implementing recovery model programming.

Fair Resource Allocation to Health Research: Priority Topics for Bioethics Scholarship.

PubMed

Pratt, Bridget; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-07-01

This article draws attention to the limited amount of scholarship on what constitutes fairness and equity in resource allocation to health research by individual funders. It identifies three key decisions of ethical significance about resource allocation that research funders make regularly and calls for prioritizing scholarship on those topics - namely, how health resources should be fairly apportioned amongst public health and health care delivery versus health research, how health research resources should be fairly allocated between health problems experienced domestically versus other health problems typically experienced by disadvantaged populations outside the funder's country, and how domestic and non-domestic health research funding should be further apportioned to different areas, e.g. types of research and recipients. These three topics should be priorities for bioethics research because their outcomes have a substantial bearing on the achievement of health justice. The proposed agenda aims to move discussion on the ethics of health research funding beyond its current focus on the mismatch between worldwide basic and clinical research investment and the global burden of disease. Individual funders' decision-making on whether and to what extent to allocate resources to non-domestic health research, health systems research, research on the social determinants of health, capacity development, and recipients in certain countries should also be the focus of ethical scrutiny. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

77 FR 62243 - Health Resources and Services Administration

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps Notice of Meeting In accordance with section 10(a)(2... meeting: Name: National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Dates and Times...

Measuring Geographic Inequalities: Dealing with Multiple Health Resources by Data Envelopment Analysis

PubMed Central

Dlouhý, Martin

2018-01-01

The existence of geographic differences in health resources, health expenditures, the utilization of health services, and health outcomes have been documented by a lot of studies from various countries of the world. In a publicly financed health system, equal access is one of the main objectives of the national health policy. That is why inequalities in the geographic allocation of health resources are an important health policy issue. Measures of inequality express the complexity of variation in the observed variable by a single number, and there is a variety of inequality measures available. The objective of this study is to develop a measure of the geographic inequality in the case of multiple health resources. The measure uses data envelopment analysis (DEA), which is a non-parametric method of production function estimation, to transform multiple resources into a single virtual health resource. The study shows that the DEA originally developed for measuring efficiency can be used successfully to measure inequality. For the illustrative purpose, the inequality measure is calculated for the Czech Republic. The values of separate Robin Hood Indexes (RHIs) are 6.64% for physicians and 3.96% for nurses. In the next step, we use combined RHI for both health resources. Its value 5.06% takes into account that the combinations of two health resources serve regional populations. PMID:29541631

Measuring Geographic Inequalities: Dealing with Multiple Health Resources by Data Envelopment Analysis.

PubMed