Health in Appalachia Conference 1988

THE DEAF ADOLESCENT - A MENTAILY HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

This paper focuses on the characteristics of the deaf adolescent, development prior to adolescence, results of research studies on deaf children and adolescents, and information for parents, professionals, and service providers on the characteristics of a mentally healthy environment for a deaf adolescent.

CANCER MORTALITY IN RURAL APPALACHIAN KENTUCKY

-Cancer mortality rates are increasing at a more rapid pace among both the rural Appalachian and rural non-Appalachian Kentucky populations compared to the U.S. population.
-The lung cancer mortality rate among rural Appalachian Kentucky males is much higher than that of either rural non-Appalachian Kentucky or the U.S. male
population.
-Lung cancer mortality has surpassed breast cancer mortality to become the leading cause of death from cancer among rural Appalachian women.

A RETAIL THEFT EDUCATION PROGRAM ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR DEALING WITH ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS

In the past three years, the Alternatives Counseling Services has been treating and educating adolescents who have come to the attention of the criminal justice system for various reasons: truancy, maladaptive behavior at home and at school, underage drinking, and most recently, compulsive and impulsive behavior regarding retail theft. The study we have conducted explores, through an educational and prevention program, the social and emotional factors surrounding the offender who commits retail theft. Our study covers an 18-month period (April 1987 to October 1988).

ORAL HEALTH CARE STRATEGIES FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF DEPENDENT ELDERLY IN APPALACHIA

Family caregivers in rural ccmwnities of northern West Virginia and northeastern Tennessee, as well as urban families in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, participate in workshops to leam mouth screening as well as daily mouth care for homehound impaired elderly with arthritis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, or Alzheimer's disease. Retired elderly volunteers aided in materials developoent and now serve as health educators.

A COMMUNITY NURSING PRACTICE FOR HEALTH IN APPALACHIA

A faculty practice site was created at the Shack, a neighborhood house sponsored 1 by the United Presbyterian Church, located in the north central area of West Virginia. It is a totally Appalachian community. The environment surrounding the Shack is relatively isolated from the standard medical system services found at a nearby university setting. This relative isolation is sometimes attributed to economic as well as geographic factors.

MATERNAL HEALTH RISK AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES

The ability of maternal risk factors to predict neonatal outcomes was examined in a retrospective study of 139 randomly selected women who received obstetric care from the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) from November 1984 - June 1986. The goal of the project was to develop a statistical model for risk assessment, to be applied in a subsequent prospective study, with the ultimate goal of replication to validate the risk model. The sample consisted of low income, white women residing in rural Kentucky.

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS'LOCATION AND PRACTICE IN RURAL UNDERSERVED AREAS AN ASSESSMENT OF VARIABLES

Despite the increased number of health
professionals trained during the past two
decades, many communities in rural Appalachia
continue to suffer from health
manpower shortages. For example, about
half of the 49 Kentucky Appalachian counties
are designated, either partially or
wholly, as primary care health manpower
shortage areas.

THE KENTUCKY AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER PROGRAM UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITIES WORKING TOGETHER TO MEET KENTUCKY'S HEALTH MANPOWER NEEDS

Issues of imbalance in the number and
specialty of physicians and the supply of
other health professionals have been
important areas of health policy concern
for decades, and particularly so in the
last 20 years. Nationwide, both state and
federal programs have been developed to
address these issues.

ASSESSING MEDICARE'S PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM IN THE CONTEXT OF RURAL HEALTHCARE DELIVERY AN APPALACHIAN CASE STUDY

Medicare's prospective payment system often provides inadequate reimbursement for rural hospitals, especially for those patients called "outliers" whose inpatient care needs greatly exceed nationally established averages. This paper domirents spatial and medical characteristics of outliers and their communities in a 1986 case study of outliers from West Virginia University Hospital. Distances from their homes to the hospital and the lower levels

STRESS AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN A RURAL ADULT EDUCATIONAL COOPERATIVE

Low-income students frm an educational cwperative in rural Appalachia answered questions ahout stress levels, health. behaviors, somatic complaints, and other medical-related infomation. Many students reported significant problems stemming from the demands of their education involvements. At the same time, positive effects of working together toward a common goal and learning to meet new challenges successfully were acknowledged.