Thursday, January 08, 2004

Understanding the Health-Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities: Findings from a 2003 Survey
A Kaiser Family Foundation report (in Adobe Acrobat format)made available at the Open Minds web site - " A central goal of this study was to describe the health-care experiences of non-elderly adults across a broad array of disability types and sources of health insurance. The questions in the screener instrument were designed to capture two groups of individuals between ages 18-64: 1) those receiving disability payments through either the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) programs; and 2) those who consider themselves as having a mental or physical disability, but who are not receiving payments from either program. These questions were asked again for validation purposes when the households were recontacted for complete interviews. The survey instrument included items on respondents’ disabling conditions, health-care utilization, health insurance, access to care, cost burdens, employment status and history, and basic demographic characteristics."  
  

Experts Question Baker Act Practices
Tampa Tribune story reprinted at the NAMI web site - " Florida's growing practice of using the Baker Act to lock up emotionally disturbed children is poorly understood and needs review, a University of South Florida study suggests. The study raises particular questions about children who are committed repeatedly, saying research into their lives could answer questions about how to reduce or prevent these crises...."  
  

Unemployment Strikes A Harder Blow On Men's Mental Health
Brief item from the American Journal of Public Health at InteliHealth - "Although women typically have higher rates of unemployment than men, the mental health of unemployed men tends to be worse than that of unemployed women, according to a recent study."