Free Clinics
Free Clinics

Author: Virginia M. Brennan

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2013-05-15

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1421408856

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Free clinics and student-run clinics are an essential part of America's health care safety net. In community after community, pro bono and student-run health clinics have sprung up over the past 30 years, providing critically needed care to medically underserved populations. Free Clinics is a mosaic formed by accounts of such clinics around the United States. These wide-ranging narratives—from urban to rural, from primary care to behavioral health care—provide examples that will assist other communities seeking to find the model that best fits their needs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has improved access to health care for many Americans, but millions remain and will remain uninsured or underinsured. Free clinics provide non-emergency care to those in need. Nationwide, professionals can be found offering volunteer services at these clinics. Contributors to this volume—typically people with personal familiarity (as clinicians or area residents) with the clinics they write about—cover a variety of topics, including a review of the literature, data-driven accounts of clinic usage, and ethical guidelines for student-run clinics. They describe the motivations of clinic staff, the day-to-day work of a family nurse practitioner working in clinics and teaching at a university, the challenges and rewards of providing health care for homeless people, and more. Student-run clinics are the topic of the second section: in addition to providing care to a small subset of those in need, student-run clinics are an important venue for training future clinicians and helping the seeds of altruism with which many enter their professions to germinate. Free Clinics will be useful to policymakers, students and faculty in public health and health policy programs, and clinicians and students who are embarking on launching new clinics.

Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis
Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis

Author: Cindy Grove

Publisher: American Library Association

Published: 2020-04-23

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 0838948081

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The opioid epidemic, and other behavioral health issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, directly impact every community across the nation; and, by extension, public libraries’ daily work. Because libraries are not only trusted guardians of information but also vital community centers, people struggling with addictive behaviors as well as their family members and friends often turn to the library for help. But many library workers feel overwhelmed, finding themselves unprepared for serving these patrons in an effective and empathetic way. This book encourages readers to turn their fears and uncertainty into strengths and empowerment, offering to-the-point guidance on welcoming people with substance use disorders and their loved ones through policy, materials, outreach, collaboration, programs, and services. Written by a frontline librarian whose personal experiences inform the book, this resource explores the library’s role in the fight against addiction and how to become part of the solution by combating stigma; provides background on understanding how substance abuse and related behaviors affect different age groups and populations; explains how to be proactive regarding library safety and security by carefully crafting library policies and effectively communicating them to staff; offers real world guidance on training library staff, including pointers on recognizing observable signs of drug abuse and responding appropriately and safely to uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations; discusses safeguards such as a needle disposal unit, defibrillator, and Naloxone; gives tips on marketing, outreach, and programming, from putting together displays of materials and resources to partnering with local organizations; and recommends useful websites, documentaries, and additional resources for further learning.

People Power
People Power

Author: U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. Consumer Information Division

Publisher:

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13:

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Abstract: A resource book is presented for community groups and individual citizens on consumer action projects related to food, housing, energy, and health. Successful local projects are described in each category. A section on basic tools provides guidelines for organizing a community project and obtaining necessary resources. Appendices contain organization names and addresses and other resource materials.