Cultural competency is an issue that is becoming increasingly more important as thousands of people come to this country every year. Because of widely different social mores, living conditions, traditions, personal beliefs, and practices of clients, health professionals in all specialties are finding it difficult to communicate effectively with the members of the diverse racial and ethnic groups that come to them for help. To give health and human services professionals the necessary training, material on cultural competency has been mandated in several different curricula, yet appropriate pedagogical material remains relatively rare. This pioneering volume presents the latest information and techniques for improving cultural competency in the delivery of health, social, and human services to ethnic and racial minority groups in the United States. Special attention is paid to the importance of understanding the social and culture backgrounds of clients when assessing diagnosis of policy and economic issues, which are rarely examined in this context. Notable for its combination of theory and practice, which will be invaluable for both professionals and students, this book also includes material on cultural competency within such special populations as the mentally ill, the elderly, children, and families.

Make the most of your contribution to health care delivery! Allied Health: Practice Issues and Trends in the New Millennium is a comprehensive look at present and future concerns in the allied health care field. Leading experts in allied health practice and education address practice and policy issues that have developed as technology and a changing health care environment have created new and expanded roles for allied heath professionals. With the allied health field projected to add an estimated four million new jobs by 2005 in the United States alone, this book is an essential resource for maximizing the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver safe, efficient, effective, and equitable care. Allied Health: Practice Issues and Trends in the New Millennium presents an overview of the concerns facing the largest and most diverse pool of health workers in the United States as they provide disease detection, prevention, dietary, health promotion, rehabilitation and health management services at all levels of health care delivery. This unique book addresses critical issues that affect allied health practice, including managed health care, computer technology, drug information, and demographic trends in society, with an emphasis on implications for education. The book also includes appendices listing allied health organizations, accrediting agencies, and descriptions of federally recognized allied health professions. Allied Health: Practice Issues and Trends in the New Millennium presents information on: public policy research needs new directions for accreditation interprofessional collaborative alliances employment opportunities practice directions and much more! Allied health professionals play a critical role in health care delivery, comprising a significant portion of the health care work force with tremendous potential for addressing issues of health care cost, quality, and access within the health care system. Allied Health: Practice Issues and Trends in the New Millennium is an essential resource for the future of health care in the United States and a must read for allied health care educators and students, and health care policymakers.

Find remarkable prevention and treatment strategies for preschool-age children of substance abusers in this informative volume. It provides an overview of the various problems exposure to substance abuse can cause for preschool children. Because of the strong influences parents have on their children, early childhood is a critical time for intervention to counteract the damaging effects of alcohol and drug abusing parents. Research shows that attitudes about alcohol and other drugs are already formed by junior high school level, and senior high school is too late for significant attitude change. Preschoolers and Substance Abuse promotes preschool age as the ideal time to apply strategies that will aid the family in building the self-esteem, trust, autonomy, and initiative necessary to protect the child from further problems caused by addictive parents. Intervention strategies are presented in a succinct manner, making them easy for practitioners, health officials, government officials, and family members to put into immediate practice. This book offers a unique approach to substance abuse, treating it as a community and societal problem rather than an individual problem. Intervention and treatment strategies are geared toward the substance abuse problem itself as well as how it impacts children and family systems. The harmful impact of alcohol or drug abusive parents is evaluated for all stages of childhood development, from pre-natal influences through infancy and the preschool years. Some of the harmful results of alcohol and drug abuse affecting preschool children addressed in this volume include violence, sexual abuse, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and intra-uterine exposure to drugs. The authors outline a comprehensive list of imperatives for a future agenda to protect preschool children from suffering the consequences of their parents’substance abuse. Public health officials, decision makers, practitioners, and legislators will find a series of policy recommendations including increased research, substance abuse training for child care workers, increased outreach and education for expectant mothers, and community-based outreach programs to insure ethnic or socioeconomic sensitivity and appropriateness.

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Cultural competency is becoming increasingly more important as thousands of people come to this country each year. Because of widely differing social mores, living conditions, traditions, personal beliefs and practices of clients, health professionals in all specialties are finding it difficult to communicate effectively with the members of the diverse racial and ethnic groups that come to them for help. This volume presents the latest information and techniques for improving cultural competency in the delivery of health, social, and human services to ethnic and racial minority groups in the United States. Special attention is paid to the importance of understanding the social and cultural background of clients when assessing diagnosis and treatment modalities. In addition, the book includes a unique discussion of policy and economic issues, which are rarely examined in this context. Notable for its combination of theory and practice, this book also includes material on cultural competency within such special populations as the mentally ill, the elderly, children, and families.

This book introduces the reader to the scope and extent of minority underrepresentation in the health professions. Underrepresented minority groups include Afro-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. Drs. Lecca and Watts have cited a number of studies and papers describing trends in minority enrollment in health profession institutions. Among the areas which the authors focus on are the recruitment and admissions process which they note need intensive reexamination by higher education administrators and educators. They describe examples of academic enrichment and retention programs. They suggest that minority retention and the ultimate goal, increase in graduation, will only be achieved if financial and other forms of institutional and private/public support are forthcoming. The book concludes with some 'modest' recommendations.