http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/digestrss.jsp This frequently updated news digest on the subject of Vulnerable Populations highlights key articles from major journals and news publications. en-us Copyright 2000-2012 RWJF Thu, 24 May 2012 07:30:13 EDT webmail@rwjf.org
]]> http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/realigning_health_with_care?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/realigning_health_with_care webmail@rwjf.org Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
Well, there is a way. These and other striking results have been documented in studies of a program called the Nurse-Family Partnership, or NFP, which arranges for registered nurses to make regular home visits to first-time low-income or vulnerable mothers, starting early in their pregnancies and continuing until their child is 2.

We tend to think of social change as more of an art than a science. “What’s unique about Nurse-Family Partnership is that the program was studied in what’s considered the strongest study design, and it showed sizable, sustained effects on important life outcomes which were replicated across different populations,” explained Jon Baron, president of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, a nonpartisan group. “This is very unusual. There are probably only about ten programs across all areas of social policy that currently meet that standard.”


]]> http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/the-power-of-nursing/?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/the-power-of-nursing/ webmail@rwjf.org Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
The big man is Dante Barksdale, an outreach worker for Safe Streets, a program that enlists former convicts to battle neighborhood violence. Safe Streets and similar programs are winning plaudits from police, mayors and the Justice Department.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says the Baltimore program gets some of the credit for a 56% reduction in homicides in the Cherry Hill neighborhood from January 2009 through December 2010.

The programs are modeled after one in Chicago called CeaseFire.
]]> http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-14/ex-cons-help-prevent-gun-violence/54963776/1?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-14/ex-cons-help-prevent-gun-violence/54963776/1 webmail@rwjf.org Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
Monday’s post about Godfrey-Lee Superintendent David Britten calling for wholesale changes to our educational system sparked some interesting comments, especially this email from Barbra Katerberg.

She’s an occupational therapist working in the Grand Rapids Public Schools’ early childhood program, and is worried that some districts are making the wrong kinds of changes.
]]> http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/is_school_recess_essential_for.html?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/is_school_recess_essential_for.html webmail@rwjf.org Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
Essentially, the state is betting that local communities can make better, more efficient decisions for patient care than the state bureaucracy in Salem, so the health system is being de-centralized. Local communities will get a lump-sum payment (called a global budget) and that will be it. That amount will have to cover Medicaid patients' physical, mental and (starting in 2014) dental health.

These local CCOs will be forced to reduce costly emergency room visits, identify and treat mental/behavioral issues up front (before they balloon into physical health problems or expensive chronic conditions), and focus on patient responsibility and primary/preventive care. They are being asked to incorporate the social determinants of health, such as housing and employment, into the health model. They will be expected to make the populations they serve healthier so that the state and the federal government can reduce the explosive rate of growth in the health care system.
]]> http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/05/oregon_communities_jump_into_h.html?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/05/oregon_communities_jump_into_h.html webmail@rwjf.org Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
They didn't lower suspension rates by administering sedatives, threatening expulsion, or bringing in a wrestler with muscles the size of Seattle. His staff didn't hire a police task force or military recruiters.

Instead, according to an article that emerged in April on the blog "ACEs Too High," Sporleder, inspired by research on the human brain, instituted a policy where students are encouraged to actually discuss their issues when disciplinary problems occur.

Lincoln High's approach has gone viral, and it's little surprise. Take Sporleder's approach with a student that used the F-word in class and was sent to his office: "Wow. Are you OK? This doesn't sound like you. What's going on?" The student, prepared to defend himself to avoid punishment, was caught by surprise by such empathetic treatment. The student's defenses melted in the face of the principal's care and compassion.

]]> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-jascz/empathy-and-understanding_b_1498041.html?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-jascz/empathy-and-understanding_b_1498041.html webmail@rwjf.org Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT
The vast majority of these women will not reoffend because they love committing crimes, says a unique study by researchers at the University of British Columbia titled Doing Time.

The recidivism rates are directly related to a lack of access to health care and social supports in the community after they walk out of jail, the study, being released Monday, found.

Most of these women struggle to find safe housing, a doctor, clean clothing, service organizations - and, in some cases, a helpful friend.
]]> http://www.vancouversun.com/Poor+health+care+lack+social+services+women+reoffend/6611535/story.html?cid=xrs_rss-nd http://www.vancouversun.com/Poor+health+care+lack+social+services+women+reoffend/6611535/story.html webmail@rwjf.org Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT