In the face of increasing costs, administrative and regulatory pressures, and shrinking budgets, higher education institutions today are finding it difficult to provide their employees with the enhanced disability benefits they have come to expect. In an effort to more effectively address and manage employee disabilities, many colleges and…

In response to a journalist inquiry regarding research on funding of Ohio's teacher retirement system and its effect on school district finances, this analysis by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute points to serious questions and profound concerns about the health of Ohio's teacher pension system, and that similar time bombs may be ticking in other…

In recent years, concerns have been raised about the adequacy of dental care for low-income children. Attention to this subject became more acute due to the widely publicized case of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy who died as a result of an untreated infected tooth that led to a fatal brain infection. Deamonte had health coverage through…

The 2000 Census reported that more than 7 million black residents five years and older (almost 24 percent of black persons, compared to 19 percent of the total population) had one or more disabilities. Black and Native American residents share the highest overall estimated disability rate. Based upon the data from the 2000 Census among black…

The Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-Being Index Project at Duke University issues an annual comprehensive measure of how children are faring in the United States. The Child Well-Being Index (CWI) is based on a composite of 28 "Key Indicators" of wellbeing that are grouped into seven "Quality-of-Life/Well-Being…

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between self-reported mental health and binge drinking, as well as health status, sociodemographic, social support, economic resource, and health care access indicators to antihypertension medication adherence. Method: Analysis of 2003 California Health Interview Survey data. Results: Having poor mental…

The National Capital Region (NCR) is home to more than one-and-a-half million children and youth (ages birth through 24 years). Although the NCR is known as a place with a highly transient population, if history is any guide, many of these young people will remain in this region and fundamentally shape the quality of life--not only for themselves,…

This study investigates the prevalence of medication use within a Head Start population. Parent-reported data (N = 1,397) from initial enrollment information indicated 6.8% of children were taking 34 different types of medication. More than two thirds (69%) of those on medication were prescribed more than one medication, and more than one third…

In the late 1990s, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation made grants to study people's attitudes toward retirement and to determine what factors influenced their decisions to retire. Although faculty were not talking to college administrators or human-resources departments about health care, the researchers found to their surprise that when they…

Purpose: The study describes Oregon state policy and supply developments for licensed long-term-care settings, particularly apartment-style assisted living facilities and more traditional residential care facilities. Design and Methods: Data came from a variety of sources, including state agency administrative records, other secondary data…

Purpose: Little is known about whether an association exists between agency ownership and length of service among home care patients with different payment sources. This study investigated how for-profit and not-for-profit agencies responded to policy changes in the 1990s with respect to length of service. Design and Methods: We examined length of…

Aside from the fear, isolation, or the loss of a loved one that violence imposes on many Americans, the financial burden placed on taxpayers through medical costs is significant. This fact sheet provides statistical information on the monetary impact of treating the "typical" gunshot victim in the United States. Data are provided on cost…

This report presents highlights of a seminar which focused on the unique health care needs of adolescents. Comments by the following panelists are summarized: Christine Winquist Nord, research associate at Child Trends Inc.; John Sargent, an adolescent psychiatrist, pediatrician and family therapist at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic; and…

This monograph reflects the writings, discussions, and recommendations of the Switzer Scholars at the 16th annual Memorial Seminar. Introductory materials include the following: "A Tribute to Mary E. Switzer"; "Welcome from the National Rehabilitation Association" (Spencer L. Mosley, Ann Ward Tourigny); list of seminar sponsors; "Introduction"…

This document provides witness testimony and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to investigate the cost of long-term care for the chronically ill and disabled. The merits of a public-private initiative on long-term care insurance are considered by the witnesses, who include a woman struggling to care for herself and her son,…