Purpose: To assess the extent of bypass for inpatient care among patients living in Critical Access Hospital (CAH) service areas, and to determine factors associated with bypass, the reasons for bypass, and what CAHs can do to retain patients locally. Methods: Six hundred and forty-seven subjects, aged 18 years and older, who had been admitted to…

Dropout prevention programs are school- and community-based initiatives that aim to keep students in school and encourage them to complete their high school education. To be included in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) review, programs have to operate within the United States and include dropout prevention as one of their primary objectives.…

The recovery and long-range redevelopment of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region is a complex undertaking requiring simultaneous planning in a wide range of disciplines. There is a paramount need to create a planning infrastructure that will enhance collaboration and reduce duplication in all of the planning disciplines moving forward. To…

This hearing was convened to discuss the Human Services Amendments of 1984 (H.R. 5145) which would extend the authorization for Head Start, Follow-Through, and the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG) and would establish the Child Care Information and Referral Services Act, as proposed in H.R. 2242. Testimony concerns (1) Head Start…

In 1974, the California legislature directed the California Postsecondary Education Commission to develop a plan for establishing independent postsecondary education counseling centers to serve California residents not enrolled in a college or high school. On the basis of interviews, a review of the literature, and site visits to existing…

In a two-day workshop at the San Francisco Public Library, the staff of the Bay Area Reference Center (BARC) led discussions on how the library can serve as a community information and referral center. Various speakers reviewed the problems and possibilities of such a service and presented guidelines for the establishment, volunteer staffing, and…

This paper summarizes the various visually-oriented and informational projects that were developed to enhance the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town of Cody (Wyoming). Some of the projects that were developed included: (1) a slide show presentation detailing Cody's growth from 1896 to the 1920s; (2) a pictorial…

This report presents highlights of a seminar which focused on solutions emerging at the local and state level to keeping troubled families together. Comments by these panelists are summarized: Elizabeth Cole, a consultant to many family preservation projects; Kristine Nelson, a researcher on the social work faculty of the University of Iowa; Bill…

Human-service experts have addressed the complex social-service needs of children and families by creating increasingly diverse community-based programs. To assist human-service-program professionals in their efforts, this report explores some new tools for program planning and evaluation that combine results-based accountability systems and a…

This article reports a survey of members of the International Toy Library Association and others in order to describe the international toy library/lekotek movement today. Information from 37 countries was evaluated and the similarities and differences among the toy libraries/lekoteks identified, as well as the various philosophies, aims, and…

This report provides three case studies illustrating the characteristics and general nature of selected family support programs in socially vulnerable communities. The profile of each program provides in-depth information about how the program operates. Fundamental barriers to program development and service provision are identified, and specific…

Both the rural economy and the disability community in rural areas can benefit from a recognition that they are mutually dependent. With the decline of rural America, the economic base underpinning all aspects of disability support systems is weakening. In addition, rural disability services often are compartmentalized along functional lines with…

Describes a suburban community's effort to identify and intervene in situations where children are designated as "vulnerable." This program operates through a coordinated system of interagency and hospital communication, a community cross-indexing Register of Vulnerable Children, and a system of quality control. (Author/SDH)

Reviews literature relating to work and leisure and predicts that Americans will soon have more leisure time than they know what to do with. Community colleges can provide a sense of community, job skill upgrading, occupational training or re-training, avocational education, physical activities, academic coursework, and a place to pursue hobbies.…