This is the only book currently available that fully addresses all aspects of the safety net for healthcare." Score: 96, 4 Stars--Doody's Medical Reviews "[T]his complex treatment of a complex topic represents a valuable contribution to the health services literature."--INQUIRY "The Safety-Net Health Care System offers a road map to help safety-net providers overcome personal prejudices, understand why certain patients become ìdifficultî or fail to adhere to treatment, and deal with the stress of working in safety-net environments."--Health Affairs A unique and authoritative guide to the US safety-net health care system, this book addresses how various populations and their difficult health and socio-economic issues are dealt with and impacted by the system. Drs. Gunnar Almgren and Taryn Lindhorst, experts in the fields of social work and public health, provide critical, much-needed insight into the safety-net system and how the recession, unemployment, and reform have accelerated its growth. Ideal for graduate students and early professionals in the health professions, this textbook: Includes narratives from patients and caregivers that help readers understand and empathize with the poor, homeless, and other vulnerable populations affected by the safety-net system Discusses various health issues, including: violence, chronic diseases, mental illness, victimization, and substance abuse/addiction Examines overlaps in US public health, social work, nursing, and medical education Analyzes the differences between the populations that depend on safety-net system providers and more advantaged populations that have access to the mainstream health care system