Risk behaviors and health care use among 396 initially hospitalized veterans with severe mental illnesses were examined. Health care use was abstracted from Veterans Affairs databases (March 1998 to June 2000) for one year after hospital discharge. Lifetime intravenous drug use was related to increased use of outpatient services, and current alcohol use was related […]
An evaluation was conducted to compare the impact of an 8-week cardiovascular disease risk reduction group teaching program for 92 individuals with mental retardation (MR; IQ less than 70) and 97 normal learners. The curriculum emphasized exercise, nutritional choices, and stress reduction. Body Mass Index (BMI; weight in kilograms, divided by height in meters, squared), […]
An evaluation was conducted to compare the impact of an 8-week cardiovascular disease risk reduction group teaching program for 92 individuals with mental retardation (MR; IQ less than 70) and 97 normal learners. The curriculum emphasized exercise, nutritional choices, and stress reduction. Body Mass Index (BMI; weight in kilograms, divided by height in meters, squared), […]
In this project, researchers examined access to health care by individuals with developmental disabilities in Kansas from low-income populations and from minority backgrounds (i.e., African American, Hispanic, and American Indian). Four criteria for determining access were: availability, accessibility, affordability, and appropriateness of care. Factors that pose barriers and facilitate access are described and recommendations are […]
Health is influenced by political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioral and biological conditions—either positively or negatively. Health promotion aims to make these factors more favorable through health advocacy. Advocating for physical, mental, and social health requires that individuals with I/DD have opportunities to identify and realize their aspirations, develop the capacity to satisfy their needs, […]
Purpose: To provide a review of the health problems of women with severe mental illness (SMI) that are related to their psychiatric disorders and disabilities, prolonged use of psychotropic medications, and high-risk lifestyle practices. Data Sources: Review of current literature uncovered through MEDLINE, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and Psychological Abstracts as well […]
AAHD and the Lakeshore Foundation have joined a NHMH – No Health without Mental Health – led submission collaboration with Clinical Social Work Association and Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health to Battelle’s Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) request for comments on Digital Quality Measures (dQMs). Battelle serves as the HHS and CMS external quality […]
Health equity becomes more possible when every person with a disability can access the supports and services they need to live a full life. Through legal and policy approaches, US public health institutions are helping to improve the systems and environments that affect health day to day for people across the disability community. Since the […]
Even with the most expensive health care system in the world, health outcomes in the United States are low across many measures. What kind of changes need to happen in our care delivery system to shift these trends? In this next installment in our policy priorities blog series, we’re looking at emerging care approaches that […]
AAHD and the Lakeshore Foundation have joined 24 organizations of the Coalition for Whole Health, led by the Legal Action Center, comments to HHS on state flexibility in implementing the Reconciliation Law Medicaid Work and Community Engagement requirements. See October 14 AAHD public policy updates posting of disability and aging community ideas: Reconciliation Law (HR […]