The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) profoundly affects the lives of all Americans. Its agencies and programs protect against domestic and global health threats, assure the safety of food and drugs, advance the science of preventing and conquering disease, provide safeguards for America's vulnerable populations, and improve health for everyone. However, the department faces serious and complex obstacles, chief among them rising health care costs and a broadening range of health challenges. Over time, additional responsibilities have been layered onto the department, and other responsibilities removed, often without corresponding shifts in positions, procedures, structures, and resources. At the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, HHS in the 21st Century assesses whether HHS is ideally organized to meet the enduring and emerging health challenges facing our nation. The committee identifies many factors that affect the department's ability to address its range of responsibilities, including divergence in the missions and goals of the department's agencies, limited flexibility in spending, impending workforce shortages, difficulty in retaining skilled professionals, and challenges in effectively partnering with the private sector.
This handbook is intended to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the Medicaid program. There is a specific emphasis on the interplay between Medicaid principles and behavioral health services. The goal is for the reader to navigate his or her state Medicaid program so that he or she can contribute meaningfully to policy conversations related to provision of behavioral health services to individuals who are eligible for Medicaid. Throughout this document, the term behavioral health encompasses both mental and substance use disorders. When a mental or substance use disorder is addressed singularly, the reference will be only to that disorder. Because each state's Medicaid program is different from all others and because Medicaid laws and policies are ever changing, this handbook cannot contemplate every permutation of program construction.
This guide was created to promote the early identification of children and adolescents with mental health and substance use problems as well as to provide guidance, tools, and resources for early identification-including a compendium of the most developmentally, culturally, and environmentally appropriate screening instruments. SAMHSA developed the guide using the input of the members of the Federal/National Partnership* (FNP) Early Identification Workgroup, chaired by representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Comprehensive history of the Children’s Bureau from 1912-2012 in eBook form that shares the legacy of this landmark agency that established the first Federal Government programs, research and social reform initiatives aimed to improve the safety, permanency and well-being of children, youth and families. In addition to bios of agency heads and review of legislation and publications, this important book provides a critical look at the evolution of the Nation and its treatment of children as it covers often inspiring and sometimes heart-wrenching topics such as: child labor; the Orphan Trains, adoption and foster care; infant and maternal mortality and childhood diseases; parenting, infant and child care education; the role of women's clubs and reformers; child welfare standards; Aid to Dependent Children; Depression relief; children of migrants and minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans), including Indian Boarding Schools and Indian Adoption Program; disabled children care; children in wartime including support of military families and World War II refugee children; Juvenile delinquency; early childhood education Head Start; family planning; child abuse and neglect; natural disaster recovery; and much more. Child welfare and related professionals, legislators, educators, researchers and advocates, university school of social work faculty and staff, libraries, and others interested in social work related to children, youth and families, particularly topics such as preventing child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption will be interested in this comprehensive history of the Children's Bureau that has been funded by the U.S. Federal Government since 1912.
Vital Statistics in the United States, 1940-1960" is the 16th book in the "History of Vaccination" series. The 25 books in the “History of Vaccination” series shed light on the history of vaccines through the eyes of doctors, scientists, and historical data. They answer the pressing question, “Are vaccines safe and effective?” The 25 books in the “History of Vaccination” series are: 1) The Poisoned Needle: Suppressed Facts About Vaccination Eleanor McBean 1957 2) A Century of Vaccination and What It Teaches William Scott Tebb, MA, MD, DPH 1898 3) Vaccination: Proved Useless and Dangerous From 45 Years of Registration Statistics Alfred R. Wallace, LLD DUBL., DCL OXON., FRS, etc. 1885 4) Vaccination: Its Fallacies and Evils Robert A. Gunn, MD 1882 5) Compulsory Vaccination: The Crime Against the School Child Chas. M. (Charles Michael) Higgins 1915 6) The Truth about Vaccination and Immunization Lily Loat, secretary of the National Anti-Vaccination League of London 1951 7) Leicester: Sanitation versus Vaccination Its Vital Statistics Compared with Those of Other Towns, the Army, Navy, Japan, and England and Wales By J.T. Biggs, J.P. 1912 8) The Vaccination Question Arthur Wollaston Hutton, MA 1895 9) Vaccination a Delusion: Its Penal Enforcement a Crime Alfred Russel Wallace, LLD DUBL., DCL OXON., FRS, etc. 1898 10) Vaccination a Curse and Menace to Personal Liberty With Statistics Showing Its Dangers and Criminality James Martin Peebles, MD, MA, PhD Tenth Edition, 1913 11) Dr. C.G.G. Nittinger’s Evils of Vaccination C. Charles Schieferdecker, MD 1856 12) The Vaccination Question in the Light of Modern Experience An Appeal for Reconsideration C. Killick Millard, M.D., D.Sc. 1914 13) Jenner and Vaccination: A Strange Chapter of Medical History Charles Creighton, MD 1889 14) The Horrors of Vaccination: Exposed and Illustrated Charles M. Higgins 1919 15) Vaccination: The Story of a Great Delusion William White 1885 16) Vital Statistics in the United States, 1940-1960 Robert D. Grove, Alice M. Hetzel US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 1968 17) The Mandatory Vaccination Plan National Immunization Policy Council 1977 18) The Fraud of Vaccination Walter Hadwen, JP., MD, LRCP., MRCS, LSA From "Truth," January 3, 1923 19) Vaccination a Curse C.W. Amerige, MD 1895 20) Vaccination a Medical Fallacy Alexander Wilder, MD 1879 21) The Dream & Lie of Louis Pasteur Originally Pasteur: Plagiarist, Imposter R.B. Pearson 1942 22) The Vaccination Problem Joseph Swan 1936 23) The Fallacy of Vaccination John Pitcairn, President of the Anti-Vaccination League of America 1911 24) The Case Against Vaccination Walter Hadwen, JP, MD, LRCP, MRCS, LSA 1896 25) A Catalogue of Anti-Vaccination Literature The London Society for the Abolition of Compulsory Vaccination 114 Victoria Street, Westminster 1882, 2018 Never Vaccinate Your Child Lessons from Parents, Doctors, Scientists, Media, and HISTORY Trung Nguyen June 2018
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “Open Government Plan” outlines the agency's commitment to transparency, and defines transparency as both increasing access to public information and enabling better engagement and advocacy on behalf of Veterans. Key elements of the transparency initiative involve public presentation of health system and facility data about quality of care and safety. Examples include the VA Hospital Compare website, which provides outcomes and process data for selected diagnoses and the ASPIRE dashboard, which reports quality and safety goals for all VA hospitals. There are many reasons to make quality and safety information available to the public. One of the key goals of public reporting is to improve the quality of services. Theories and experience suggest multiple pathways from public reporting to health services improvement and ultimately to better patient outcomes. In a situation where patients and families have a choice among health care providers (systems or facilities), quality information makes it possible for patients to select providers based on performance. Public reporting also “levels the playing field” by making the knowledge about quality more accessible to patients. Without public reporting this information may only be known by providers. In turn, concern about loss of market share may motivate providers to improve processes and strive to improve outcomes. Publicly available data may also give provider organizations direct incentives to improve care. Report cards, rankings, and websites about quality allow organizations to compare their performance to that of their peers, but also make providers aware that others can make these comparisons as well. Concern about reputation can itself be a powerful motivator for change. Patient advocates, policy makers, and the media can also use publicly reported data to identify high and low performing organizations, track change over time, and promote high quality care. VA is committed to making its publicly reported performance data as accessible and useful as possible. This review and synthesis seeks to identify the key lessons for VA drawn from available research on public reporting that could be applied to future VA transparency efforts. The Key Questions were: 1. What is the most effective way of displaying quality and service information so that it is understandable? 2. How do patients prefer to receive or access this information? 3. What is the evidence that patients or their families use publicly reported quality and safety information to make informed health care decisions? 4. What is the evidence that public reporting of quality and safety information leads to improved quality of safety?
Community-based behavioral health providers and systems have an essential role in serving individuals with mental and substance use disorders who are currently or formerly involved with the criminal justice system. These individuals are a part of every community, and as for all community members with behavioral health needs, individualized, integrated, comprehensive, coordinated, and continuous service is the standard of care. Individuals with behavioral health issues are overrepresented in jails and prisons across the United States.1 Most of these individuals return to their communities, families, and social networks and subsequently require community-based behavioral and physical health care services. Research has shown that mental and substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life, with or without justice involvement, and, with the services and supports of behavioral health providers, many people recover.
reatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each TIP involves the development of topic-specific best-practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of substance use and mental disorders. TIPs draw on the experience and knowledge of clinical, research, and administrative experts of various forms of treatment and prevention. TIPs are distributed to facilities and individuals across the country.
10% of the Americans diagnosed with diabetes! 25% of seniors! Currently, more than 18 million Americans have diabetes and are at risk for related complications like heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations and kidney disease. On average, every 25 seconds, someone in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes rates are steadily increasing in America, and millions are unaware that they have the disease. Yet these facts do not tell the whole story of the true impact that diabetes has on Americans. Diabetes touches millions of Americans and their families and friends in ways that are difficult if not impossible to measure. Diabetes and its complications seriously diminish the quality of life for individuals suffering from this disease. In order to reverse these trends, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has increased its efforts to address this health crisis. I am proud to present our Diabetes: A National Plan for Action. This plan will help mobilize individuals, communities, businesses, and other organizations to address the rising rates of diabetes and its consequences. Many key stakeholders, such as government agencies, elected officials, public health experts, providers, professional organizations, and individuals impacted by diabetes, contributed to this document. The document provides up-to-date and accurate prevention, detection and treatment information, and includes simple action steps for individuals, families, health practitioners, policy-makers, government officials, employers, others in the medical community and members of the media to address this growing public health problem. It also provides screening tools, information on other federal diabetes programs, and listings of federally funded resources. We hope that this document not only will be informative, but also will encourage all interested persons to work together to reduce the burden that diabetes imposes on our nation. Only by joining together can we overcome this public health threat and secure a healthier future for our children. No effort is too small, and no specialized training is required, to begin to improve your health or the health of your family or community. Diabetes is a serious public health problem, but the good news is that important advances are being made in prevention, detection, and treatment of diabetes. For example, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial established that intensive control of blood glucose levels greatly reduces complications for people with type 1 diabetes, and the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study has shown similar dramatic reductions in complications with control of blood glucose for persons with type 2 diabetes.6 In 2002, results from the Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrated that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by weight loss and increased physical activity for many people at risk for the disease.7 These findings provide exciting evidence that the potentially devastating consequences of diabetes can be reduced dramatically. This document is designed to: 1. Reduce the prevalence of diabetes and factors that increase the risk of diabetes; 2. Promote improved diabetes detection, monitoring, and treatment; and 3. Reduce the complications of diabetes. The plan seeks to raise national awareness of existing resources, facilitate and coordinate efforts, and leverage resources for the prevention, detection, and treatment of diabetes. This book is a B&W copy of the government agency publication.
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program was borne of a movement that began with the onset of the AIDS epidemic in America. First by the tens, then by the hundreds, then by the thousands, brave and commit¬ted people from all walks of life made a decision to get involved. Some were public health officials; others were activists. Some were community leaders, and others—at least until that time—were citizens quietly living their lives. In this sixth edition of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) Progress Report, we celebrate the legacy of those first responders. We also celebrate the incredible journey we have taken since 1990, when the first Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act was passed into law. Who could have imagined in those early years that we would one day have treatments powerful enough to forestall the progression of HIV/AIDS? Who could have known that we would touch so many lives? This year alone, through scores of grantees and providers* in cities and towns across America, the Ryan White HIV/ AIDS Program will serve well over half a million people. We continue to face hurdles in our fight against the epidemic, but we have made enormous progress. Highlights from this year include the following: At $2.29 billion, FY 2010 appropriations for the Program were the largest in Program history; Our AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs) conducted more than 18,000 trainings; Under the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), we distributed medications to more than 175,000 clients; We treated the people most disproportionately affected by HIV: 73 percent of our clients were racial and ethnic minorities, and 88 percent of our clients had no private health insurance; We conducted research on innovative, replicable models of HIV care to reduce health disparities in women of color, improve access to oral health care, establish linkages between jail settings and HIV primary care, and expand health information technology and electronic medical systems; We have been involved in the Healthy People 2010 broad-based national collaborative to meet the Nation's most pressing health needs; We continue to set the standard for HIV/AIDS care using well-respected performance measures. This response to HIV/AIDS constitutes nothing less than a modern public health miracle. . . and within it lie other miracles, too—like that of an HIV-positive person living into old age, or the promising future that unfolds before the eyes of an HIV-positive adolescent. In this publication, you will read about many of the milestones we have encountered in our 20-year journey and the many qualities that make our team successful. We embarked on a quest that many would not. We stepped up to the plate when others stepped away. And today we constitute a powerful and cohesive force seldom seen in combating a single disease. Our rewards lie in victory after victory over isolation and disease and in the improved lives of our clients. It has been an amazing and empowering journey, and it is not over. We are trained. We are committed. We are full of resolve. And we will not stop. In this Progress Report, we remember and we honor the determination of those first responders and of Ryan White himself. It was the determination to go the distance for people living with HIV/AIDS, what¬ever it took and whatever the cost. That determination has never been more alive than it is today.
Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices (HHS). Each TIP involves the development of topic-specific best practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of substance use and mental disorders. TIPs draw on the experience and knowledge of clinical, research, and administrative experts of various forms of treatment andprevention. TIPs are distributed to facilities and individuals across the country. Published TIPs can be accessed via the Internet at http: //store.samhsa.gov. Although each consensus-based TIP strives to include an evidence base for the practices it recommends, SAMHSA recognizes that behavioral health is continually evolving, and research frequently lags behind the innovations pioneered in the field. A major goal of each TIP is to convey "front-line" information quickly but responsibly. If research supports a particular approach, citations are provided.
The audience for these documents includes those interested in familiarizing themselves with the child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and court systems. These documents are also intended for jurisdictions interested in or in the process of developing cross-systems relationships. The primer and guide are targeted to management and administrative personnel in State, county, and tribal jurisdictions' alcohol and drug services, child welfare, and court systems. The primer is not an exhaustive review of each system's mandates, practices, and policies. However, this document does provide an overview of the framework, target population, key legislation and funding sources, and structure and organization of services for each system.
Major research advances have substantially improved our understanding of the biology of HIV and the pathogenesis (i.e., origin and development) of AIDS. The pathogenesis of AIDS is now known to result from the ability of HIV to replicate at the rate of a billion new virions (viral particles) per day and nearly 10 trillion new virions over the course of HIV infection. This, countered by the ability of the body to produce CD4+ T cell lymphocytes (a primary target cell for HIV), sets the stage for the struggle between HIV and the immune system-a struggle that lasts from the first day of HIV infection to end-stage disease and death.
For many years, laboratory dogs have served as important animal models for biomedical research that has advanced human health. Conducted at the request of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), this report assesses whether laboratory dogs are or will continue to be necessary for biomedical research related to the VA's mission. The report concludes that using laboratory dogs in research at the VA is scientifically necessary for only a few areas of current biomedical research. The report recommends that the VA adopt an expanded set of criteria for determining when it is scientifically necessary to use laboratory dogs in VA biomedical research; that the VA promote the development and use of alternatives to laboratory dogs; and highlights opportunities for the VA to enhance the welfare of laboratory dogs that are being used in biomedical research areas for which they have been deemed necessary.
In the first decade of this new century, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Division of Laboratory Sciences have lots to be excited about. The results of our laboratory achievements over the last 30 years have led to significant improvements in public health. Sophisticated equipment and state-of-the-art facilities are critical to that effort, but it's the ingenuity of the Division's staff that makes the difference. The CDC and the public health community salute the quality of our work as we head into the future. This brochure offers a brief glimpse of our many and diverse programs. It explains how our laboratory is organized and summarizes how each specialized laboratory in our organization uses its expertise.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.