American journal of public health
-
Observational Study
Health Profiles of Newly Arrived Refugee Children in the United States, 2006-2012.
We conducted a large-scale study of newly arrived refugee children in the United States with data from 2006 to 2012 domestic medical examinations in 4 sites: Colorado; Minnesota; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington State. ⋯ Medical screening remains an important part of health care for newly arrived refugee children in the United States, and disease risk varies by population.
-
Recent changes in policymaking, such as the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, have ushered in a new era in community health partnerships. To investigate characteristics of effective collaboration between hospitals, their parent systems, and the public health community, with the support of major hospital, medical, and public health associations, we compiled a list of 157 successful partnerships. ⋯ After conducting site visits in each of the partnerships' communities and interviews with key partnership participants, we extracted lessons about their success. The lessons we have learned from our investigation have the potential to assist others as they develop partnerships.
-
The objective of this study was to estimate the dollar amount of nongovernment philanthropic spending on public health activities in the United States. Health expenditure data were derived from the US National Health Expenditures Accounts and the US Census Bureau. ⋯ The level of philanthropic spending is estimated as, on average, 7% of overall health spending, or about $150 billion annually according to National Health Expenditures Accounts data tables. When a point estimate of charity care provided by hospitals and office-based physicians is added, the value of nongovernment philanthropic expenditures reaches approximately $203 billion, or about 10% of all health spending annually.
-
Review
Leaving the Hospital Against Medical Advice Among People Who Use Illicit Drugs: A Systematic Review.
Leaving the hospital against medical advice is an increasing problem in acute care settings and is associated with an array of negative health consequences that may lead to readmission for a worsened health outcome or mortality. Leaving the hospital against medical advice is particularly common among people who use illicit drugs (PWUD) and has been linked to a number of complex issues; however, few studies have focused specifically on this population beyond identifying them as being at an increased risk of leaving the hospital prematurely. Furthermore, programs and interventions for reducing the rate of leaving the hospital against medical advice among PWUD in acute care settings have not been well studied. ⋯ To better understand risk factors associated with leaving the hospital against medical advice among PWUD, future research should consider the effect of individual, social, and structural characteristics on leaving the hospital against medical advice among PWUD. The development and evaluation of novel methods to address interventions to reduce the rate of leaving the hospital prematurely is necessary.
-
We evaluated the association of mental illnesses with clinical outcomes among US veterans and evaluated the effects of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PCMHI). ⋯ Mental illnesses are associated with poor outcomes, but integrating mental health treatment in primary care may be associated with lower risk of those outcomes.