Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Human Resources in the Non-Profit Sector (Canada)
A report (in Adobe Acrobat format) at the Canadian Policy Research Network web site - "In a presentation to the Halifax Metro United Way in May 2003, CPRN's President, Judith Maxwell, reviews CPRN's findings on the characteristics of Canada's non-profit sector organizations and the paid workers they employ. Largely statistical in content, her presentation outlines the size of the non-profit sector, profiles its employees, assesses the quality of their jobs, their level of job satisfaction and the skill requirements and training response of the sector." The associated page at the CPRN site also provides links to a variety of related reports.  
  

Electronic Disability Claims Processing: Social Security Administration’s Accelerated Strategy Faces Significant Risks
A GAO publication (in Adobe Acrobat format) of the statement of Linda D. Koontz, Director Information Management Issues, available via the Open Minds web site, which notes, "SSA’s goal to establish a more efficient, paperless disability claims processing system is important, and one that could benefit millions. To achieve this goal, SSA’s immediate focus is on developing an electronic folder to store claimant information and large volumes of medical images, files, and other documents that are currently maintained in paper folders, and then make this information accessible to all entities involved in disability determinations. SSA’s accelerated strategy calls for development of this capability by January 2004 rather than in 2005, as originally planned. "  
  

Health foundation closing in October (Maryland)
Feature article in the Baltimore Sun - "The Maryland Health Care Foundation was formed by the state legislature six years ago to funnel to public good some of the windfall from the for-profit conversions of hospitals and health insurers, notably the giant CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. ... Now that the CareFirst deal has been derailed by controversy over executive bonuses, and the sale of hospitals has cooled, the foundation is out of money. Although it launched some valuable programs with $8 million since 1997, lacking new sources of funding on the horizon, the foundation plans to close Oct. 1. "  
  

Shortage of Adult Day Services in Most U.S. Counties
A page at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation web site on the results of an RWJF-funded National Study of Adult Day Services survey. This page indexes a variety of related resources, including the report's conclusions, an executive summary, and an Adult Day Services Census Interactive Map that allows you to "find out how adult day services stack up in your state or county." The executive summary notes that the survey included 3,407 adult day centers in the United States, 53 percent of which are "well established, having been open for 11-20 or more years," and that 24 percent of those who receive these centers' services are diagnosed with mental retardation/developmental disabilities and 14 percent have a chronic mental illness.