Browsing by keyword "Social Welfare"
Now showing items 1-7 of 7
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As Economy Climbs, Don’t Leave People with Disabilities BehindAn op/ed in the Boston Globe explaining the importance of hiring people with disabilities as the economy strengthens. The column discusses the need to allay any fears and uncertainties associated with hiring people with disabilities. There are approximately 200,000 adults with disabilities in Massachusetts who are willing and able to work, but are unemployed. Without employment, many individuals with disabilities live at or close to the poverty level. There are opportunities for employers to offer positions to people with disabilities or provide work experience through internships. Employers can learn more at Work Without Limits, a Massachusetts disability employment initiative.
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Assistive Technology (AT): Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Service DeliveryThe World Health Organization has estimated that 10% of the world’s population (650 million people) has a disability. Assistive Technology (AT) has the potential to improve function for individuals with disabilities. Research and development must to focus both on universal design approaches for the population, as well as customization to meet individual functional demands. This mini-symposium will present the trends driving the need for AT, case studies demonstrating solutions to functional challenges, and evidence-based policy measures that are being implemented to meet the needs of people with disabilities living in the community. Since 1991, UMass Lowell has operated an AT Program through which individuals with disabilities and community organizations meet with teams of students and faculty to design customized solutions. Symposium participants will discuss the development of population-level measures and examine indicators linking AT device use to psychosocial well-being: ultimately informing AT policies regarding access and provision. Participants will also to discuss challenges in translation of AT research due to the diversity of users and the functional implementation of AT solutions. Ultimately, participants will recognize the complex nature of AT solutions for persons with disabilities, and provide input on a strategy for a multidisciplinary collaboration to foster a novel person-center approach to research in this area.
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Effect of a global longitudinal pathway on medical students' attitudes toward the medically indigentBACKGROUND: The increase in people with insufficient health insurance has largely been fueled by a record influx of immigrants, who often live in medically underserved areas of inner cities. An increase in the desire of medical students to practice in underserved areas is needed to counter low physician-to-population ratios in these areas. PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a Pathway on Serving Multicultural and Underserved Populations, which includes domestic and international experiences with recent immigrant groups, on the attitudes of students toward the indigent. METHODS: Students from the classes of 2002 and 2003, including a cohort in the Pathway program, were participants in this study. Changes in attitudes within Pathway and non-Pathway students were studied over their 4 years of medical school. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the rate of change of attitudes over time. The determination of any potential difference was hampered by small sample sizes. Thus, interesting trends, especially related to a more rapid decline in attitudes of non-Pathway students, including their sense of professional responsibility, did not achieve statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Further research, both quantitative and qualitative, is needed before we can state more definitively that the Pathway curriculum supports positive attitudes toward serving the medically indigent.
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Family planning and female sterilization in the United StatesThis report critically examines the issue of sterilization in the United States based on data from the National Survey of Family Growth, Cycles I and II, spanning the years 1973 to 1976. Of particular concern is analysis of sterilization rates as they vary across categories of race, socioeconomic status, welfare status, number of children and desire for the service. The development of a framework containing competing theories and philosophies, based upon previous literature in the area, provides a useful paradigm for an understanding of the significance of sterilization rates. The methodology includes bivariate techniques involving tabular analysis as well as multivariate techniques through the use of logistic regression analysis. Findings support hypotheses related to class factors and parity, while the racial and altruistic interpretations are not supported. Policy implications and areas requiring further research are specified.
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Knowledge Exchange as Program Evaluation: The Family Networks Implementation Study as a Case ExampleThe Family Networks is a comprehensive system transformation initiative to redesign and integrate traditional categorical services across the Commonwealth into local service systems for children, youth, and families served by the child welfare system. The Family Networks Implementation Study (FNIS), a partnership between MA/DCF and UMMS, is a study of the process of implementing systems change, and provides a case example of knowledge exchange
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Medication assistance programs: do all in need benefit equallyOBJECTIVE: To determine if medication assistance programs (MAPs) provided by pharmaceutical companies were used differently by African Americans and Whites. RESEARCH DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients of primary care practices from 2005 to 2007 within the Alabama Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) Patient Safety Study. SETTING: Telephone survey. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents were 568 African American and White patients reporting annual household incomes < $50,000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Use of MAPs. RESULTS: Of all patients, 12.8% used MAPs, 39.5% were African American, 75.2% were female, 69.1% were aged > 65 years, 79.8% had annual household incomes < $25,000, and 35.5% indicated that their income was inadequate to meet their basic needs. MAPs were used by 11.2% African-Americans and 14.0% Whites. After multivariable adjustment, MAP use was higher among respondents with incomes not adequate to meet basic needs (odds ratio [OR]: 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-4.08) but lower among African Americans than Whites (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25-0.95). Physician characteristics did not independently predict MAP use. CONCLUSIONS: Overall MAP use was low even among the most vulnerable, and especially among African Americans. As currently used, MAPs may contribute to disparities in medication access.
