Community Health Books

This was as comprehensive a study as I can imagine possible on how New York City, under the guise of urban renewal, allowed certain poor areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan in the 1970's and 1980's to burn down, displacing huge numbers of people, and resulting in the spread of TB, and AIDS throughout New York City, the surrounding areas, and beyond.

Especially of interest in its detailed analysis of how and why New York's poorer neighborhoods were pushed over the cliff of decline thanks not only to the city, but to (who'd have guessed?) the RAND Corporation. "Urban renewal" will never look the same again. geocities.com/singlepayerweb

The significant feature of this magnificent book - the last shape taken by an ongoing series of studies into the results of neo-liberal public policy by Roderick and Deborah Wallace - is that the authors know what they are talking about. Their expertise in statistical studies, developped in a completely different field of study (zoology) is such that, when they first by chance found themselves reading the so-called statistical arguments for expenditure cuts in fire prevention and other services, they KNEW - not as bleeding-heart liberals, but as professional statisticians - that what they were reading was incompetent, pseudoscientific, ideologically motivated nonsense. Since then they have waged, in a string of devastating publications, a truly heroic struggle against the powers of prejudice, governmental meanness and big business-motivated press disinformation. If the the poor stupid general public that reads the newspapers and elects the politicians were ever allowed to know about the Wallaces and their battle for the truth, they would have long since been recognized as among the greatest names alive. Think about it: why did they take it upon themselves to fight this fight? Not, by any means, to advance their career: their career was in another field, and might even have been endangered by their taking controversial stances on public matters. Not for self-interest; and not for a thirst for fame - for they carried on for decades in spite of being completely ignored by the major media. They acted only out of pure civic passion and a sense of right and wrong. Therefore, known or unknown, the Wallaces are genuine living heroes, and their names deserves to ring as nobly as that of old Sir William of that ilk, who also fought for the downtrodden and ignored when there was nobody else to fight for them.

The Wallaces document the effects of the reduction in fire service and planned strinkage of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I would have liked to see statistics included in how many fire deaths (civilian and firefighter), major injuries, families left homeless, etc. Another not to be missed book is Report from Engine 82: written in a totally different style, but brimming with empathy for the inhabitants of the area, it's the memoir of a fireman who fought fires in the South Bronx during this era.

This book gives a thorough analysis on how public policies were the catalysts for the socioeconomic destruction of low-income communities of color in New York City. Necessary reading for those who still do not realize that activism and organizing are important vehicles through which marginalized communities keep in check the forces that seek to further fragment and disenfranchise them.

I read "The Bond" over two nights. What an incredible story! It tells the story of triumph over adversity. I recommend every parent; single or married; every teacher,teen-ager, male or female read this book!

This is a wonderful book, particularly for men and teen-age boys who have difficult relationships with their fathers. In their sequel to "The Pact," the three doctors -- Jenkins, Davis and Hunt -- give an open and honest account of how they learned to forgive and reconnect with their dads. In a unique twist, the fathers' stories also are told, revealing how a generational curse such as fatherlessness is hard to break. The women's guild of my church read "The Bond" for a recent book discussion. We had a great conversation with author Margaret Bernstein.

"The Bond" is a story about three African-American doctors who lived in Newark, New Jersy. Drs. Hunt, Davis and Jenkins all show what srtuggles of inner-city life can bring.

The three doctors have taken their time to discuss what has become a big problem in the U.S. and the world -- absentee fathers. Their fathers didn't "measure up" to their idea of what a father should be. Whether it was as a result of the fathers not being at home, unmarried, alcoholism, drugs, jail or simply not knowing how to communicate, one thing is for sure, it's not okay to bring a child into this world solely to fend for themselves.

The Bond by the Three Doctors, as they are more affectionately called, is an extension of their first book, The Pact. In The Pact, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt tell how they became friends in high school and ultimately, how they promised to stick together and graduate from college to become doctors. The Bond goes even further into the friendship of these three young men.

Davis, Jenkins and Hunt were able to become friends because of what is considered a growing epidemic in the African American community - children growing up in single family homes. Each doctor tells the reason why his father was not present in his home. They also give their fathers an opportunity to share their stories. They learn that their fathers either grew up in the same circumstances or they did not know themselves, the impact they were passing on through each generation. The doctors discuss how they struggled to learn about developing relationships with women, building confidence, and peer pressure and to learn a simple task such as how to fix a tie or picking out a suit without the guidance of male presence in their lives. They also discuss their devotions to their mothers, who sacrificed to keep their families together. Despite not having a male role model, the doctors basically learned from each other. The Bond tells of their need and desire to understand the reasons why their fathers were absent and what they have done to begin to build relationships with their fathers. Dr. Hunt stated "even though they missed out on a portion of their lives, parenthood last a lifetime".

The story was very compelling and thought provoking. The Doctors also describe the ways that they have set out to mentor other children who are growing up in similar homes. This is a recommended book that can be read by both males and females who are living in single family homes and are struggling to come to terms with an absent parent.

Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

In Newark, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt met as fatherless children struggling to survive ghetto living without a male mentor or role model; they formed THE PACT in high school to help one another make it and they succeeded as each became a doctor.

In THE BOND, the physicians look into the most prevalent disease destroying America's family: no father. The trio does this by seeking their dads, who never had a role in their lives. The threesome separately describe growing up fatherless and how difficult that is to overcome, but do not add any new insight than they already described in the PACT. However, their recommendations to youths suffering from this pandemic illness are solid especially to go out and find a role model to mentor you. However, the most poignant segments are the sections written by the absentee dads, who offer no rationalization as to why, but explain their failures in depth. Especially discerning is that each of them also grew up fatherless. THE BOND is a moving autobiography and though anecdotal should be must reading for everyone who wonders what has gone wrong with the American family unit as generational repetition is difficult to turn around.

Harriet Klausner

I was one of those kids in Southwood. Wow does this book bring it back and now it all makes sense to me.

Christy Scheck did not have to die. The mental health system is getting better but there is so far to go. Especially in the eyes of the public. People with mental illness are not lepers, they just need medicine as a diabetic needs insulin. The general public is so ill-informed. This book is about this young girl who got caught up in the protocol of management and money and greed, and she did not have to die. There is hope and with movies like A Beautiful Mind and Girl, Interrupted and others, like Mike Wallace and Kim Basinger to bring mental health to the forefront of society, it will not hide behind the doors any longer, and will be dealt with in the dignified manner it deserves.

It's amazing and truly sad what greed and money does to people, at the expense of someone else's life and a families happiness.

i read an article in Roling stone.. it in first paragraph stated the parents took this kid out of soccer coed... or something of that nature.. mostlikely the parents have all to do more with the death as much as the hospitals who take advantage .
i happend to be a honors student in art school no drugs or alchol and recovering frm bulima when my father intended to keep me from school by trying to tell a doctor iwas ill.despite he was told to leave me alone .. the next fifteen years of my life were draged into hospitals on lies and hysteria. i was subject to for no reason .. ect. and drugs and i had nt even suffered depression i was a higly educated and adjsuted happy person till my father began to do this.. he admitted this to but not to doctors my father was a md so it was easy to get away with this . my fahter was also a food aholic and gamblerand sick.. see a movie called terror in the family it goes into the lies parents tell of children and who realy is the sick person...
my life was destroyed by these places and i saw first hand what goes on and parents who realy need the places not kids who ar exposed to sick families dysfunction who are basicly reacting to an illness.....
they realy need to have the parents admitted along side the kid id they do this ...
i was kept sick for 115 years and negelcted of anything i said that would have saved me . as a reslut my life suffered ill from truama.... i saved my own life when i escaped this cycle of doctors looking for insurance. butthe effects of damge it left on my life eventuly despite i live about four to five years very happy super healty like i was before this happened i will now die from thethings that were done to me inthe years i was [mistreated] by this system.....
parents have all todo with this kids death .. if they were functional parents they would not need a shrink . they mighttry communcation and being honest with them self.. somewhere they failed and it is not just the system...

Kafka lives and her name is Leon Bing. But the truly scary thing is that Bing's report on society - "A Wrongful Death: One Child's Fatal Encounter with Public Health and Private Greed" - is NON-FICTION. This could happen to any troubled teen - and it did. But what's even more interesting than how and why this 13 year old girl committed suicide while under professional medical care is how and why this book isn't getting reviewed! Attention authors and investigative journalists everywhere: you may have a story worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize - but how's it going to effect change if no one reads it?

This book was recieved quickly. I founds the book to be very informative and useful. I found the answers to several of my questions I had. I will keep the book close to use for a reference and I am sure I will use it a lot. Thanks.

I have the 4th edition (at this time is the most recent edition in print) and as a psych home care nurse, this little, portable wealth of knowledge has helped me validate to management, as well as to public health and other surveyors, the range in situations that qualify "homebound status" for psychiatric patients. Throughout the book there are samples provided to support a variety of situations that help the nurse better understand, and therefore more accurately report, on each sector of the OASIS forms. Medicare regulations are explained in detail, and I learned information that I had not known in the 14 years I have been doing mental health home care nursing. The manual provides a history and background of homecare, its evolution, provides an overview of documentaion, including the importance of coding, and its significance in home care. Also, valuable tips on improving the nursing visit, setting achievable goals, managing the case, and the guidelines for care for all the home care disciplines, are provided, so the nurse can be knowledgable regarding the roles of the other disciplines. There is a great resource section at the end of the book, and home care definitions, roles, and abbreviations are delineated in this manual as well. All home care codes are listed.

With the often-confusing regulations and data gathering tools out there, at least we on the front lines have this portable manual to help us sort out our assessments and evaluations into the accurate coding and leveling criteria that supports what we do, what we observe, and allows for the appropriate revenue to support the levels of care our patients require. As OASIS data-gathering evolves, newer editions will be needed to keep up with the miriad of changes that will ensue, but at least here is a standard we can all make good use of, and I am willing to bet every nurse, from novice to manager, will find something in this manual that was not known or delineated as well to them in the past.

This manual would also make a wonderful teaching tool for nursing students. They may as well learn early on how intricate the data-gathering tools are in the real working world. Accurate notations on the OASIS forms can either make or break a case, not only regarding reimbursement, but as to whether the levels of care, and variety of disciplines, that you feel are needed, are allowed to provide services to your patient. Hasty and inaccurate translation of evaluations and assessments onto the OASIS forms results in inability to justify to Medicare that the levels of intervention you are requesting are appropriate.

I love this book because, being in the home health industry you have to know what you're charting. If charting is lacking then you will not get the full reimbursement that you are entitled to. Thanks alot.

i had the early verison and used it for making my care plan. the content is now updated and still valuable.

A MUST resource guide for all nurses who work in the Home Health industry.

One of the greatest desire of lovers-to-be and lovers in action is the desire to find one's soul mate. This book shows you how to find that soul mate and if you are already with someone who is definitely not your soul mate then, this book will teach you how to bring God to make your mate your soul mate. It all starts with the person in the mirror. I truly enjoyed reading this book. It is my belief.
Dr. Israel King,Ph.D. Author of How To Keep A Man

This book was all I hoped it would be. It showed me that God's love is a very powerful thing and should be used accordingly; not just in romantic relationships, but in ALL Christian Love relationships. Everyone should read this book.

This is one of those books that you have to buy multiple copies of because your own copy has so many notes you don't want to lose, and you just have to pass it's truths on to others. If you are focused on being 'pre-married', married or just wanting to be a better relater, you need to read this great manual and let it affect your style of relating. You won't be sorry and those around you will see a difference.

In a world of superficial relationships, this book helps men & women alike with the practicals of how to go deeper. It's biblically-based under grace and biblically solid, but it's not just for Christians. Chapter 3 is worth the price of the book, describing the elements of casual-close-intimate relationships. This book is a super guide for successful dating & pre-marital counseling, but it's also terrific for helping men & women alike overcome the competing, comparing, and conditional relating that inhibits deep friendships. It's been a life-saver breakthrough for me -- I was the poster-child of an emotionally shut down husband.

This book is a MUST for anyone dating or getting married. Great book to read as a couple so you can start off your relationship God's way.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Found it extremely helpful in understanding and handling myself as a caregiver. Best book I have read in a long time.

This book was an excellent resource. I loved the suggestions and guidelines at the end of each chapter. I would highly reccomend it to anyone with aging parents.

In the middle - many baby boomers find themselves caring for three generations- their own children, themselves, and their aging elderly parents. "Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents" is a compilation of stories of baby boomer parents dealing with all three of the generations under their one roof. Brilliantly written and compiled heartwarming tales that will touch readers who can relate with these problems and stories. Also contains numerous and invaluable tips on caring for ones elderly parents to make ones relations with them as smooth as possible. "Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents" is highly recommended for community library health and memoir shelves alike.

Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories And Tips For Caregiving Your Elderly Parents The stories in "Stuck in the Middle" ring true and give me hope. At my stage in life, my greatest concern is becoming a burden on my daughters. Thank you for your great list of DOs and DON'Ts for those of us who will soon be receiving care.
This book was so meaningful to me that I gave a copy to a dear friend who has been trying to "hold it together" while caring for her 98 year-old mother. In her "Thank You" note she wrote, "I have read "Stuck in the Middle" and, whaddaya know, there are others out there just like me - some are much worse off - I feel fortunate. I appreciate so much your thinking of me with the book - it is comforting to read how others have coped and get the little hints and tidbits that they offer."

Stuck in the Middle is a must have, an authentic book filled with incise stories of caregivers who struggle to remain sane while juggling their lives and caring for an elderly parent. I cried, I commiserated, and I laughed out loud. I felt their pain and their triumphs; and - most importantly - the stories are a beacon, calling all caregivers to a bright ray of light.

What an impressive book - you get 400+ pages of ways to make life more comfortable for someone with Alzheimers. These also help the caregiver in a variety of situations.
The advice covers things like how to deal with wandering and gives four types of this behavior. It tells how to eliminate places to hide and rummage, coping with fears (of bathing, of strangers, of abandonment), and managing incontinence.
The book helps with mobility issues, addresses safety and how to manage daily living. It includes a valuable section (38 pages) lists where to find special products from stair lifts to bathing aids to ramps to bedwetting alarms.
I'm so glad to see a book this comprehensive to assist with Alzheimer's needs.

Mark Warner's book on Alzheimer's proofing your home is more than a how to book. Mr. Warner gives an in-depth description of the ways in which Alzheimer's disease affects a person's life, and the life of the extended family. By understanding the disease in depth and the changes that take place in a person physical and emotional need, there is a context to understanding why modifications and alterations are needed. He explains what to do and why to do it. His approach is that of a loving caregiver who not only wants to make the home safe and secure, but also wants to raise the quality of life. . Modifications are practical, but also designed to bring comfort. Even after over two decades of working professionally with people with memory loss, many of his suggestions caught me by surprise. I kept saying to myself, "why didn't I think of that?" He addresses all the behaviors associated with the disease, from wandering to agitation, and suggests environment solutions that could ease the situation. Not only will this bring a higher level of comfort to the person with the disease, but many of the suggestions are a benefit for anyone who wishes to have a safe and barrier free home. I recommend this book to anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's, anyone involved in home care, and anyone who is interested in altering environments to meet specific needs of unique individuals. Like any thoughtful book, his ideas about adapting environments to the needs of people with Alzheimer's disease also stretches one's thinking about changing environments for anyone with specific needs, or who wants to think about the highest level of safety for family members.

Since first reading this book over 14 months ago, I've found it a constant source for information and resources. It addresses the problems I encounter on a daily basis AND gives sources for products that I can use to provide better care for my loved one.

"...Alzheimer's Proofing Your Home" is the most complete, most helpful, and most insightful volume I have read on the subject of AD care. With incredible attention to detail, every issue one could encounter is addressed individually. It isn't enough to have a how-to-do-it manual with AD - Mark confronts matters like behavior, wandering, mobility, safety and comfort with deep sensitivity and compassion. A rich, in-depth source of information, Mark explains in detail how to transform any home into a safe haven in a manner that the patient will find warm and welcoming. Cognitive, spatial, and emotional deficits can be compensated for using Mark's well thought out guidelines, and I wish his book had been around when I began caregiving many years ago. There are many books on the subject, all filling a need; but Mark's is far and away superior to anything I've read, which is considerable. Hundreds of situations and their remedies are explored. Concerns encountered as AD progresses are addressed one by one, with a wealth of hints, tips, and shortcuts that are the lifesaver of harried caregivers. Easy to accomplish safety and comfort measures are provided - how needed! Emphasis is placed on concerns all CGs share - how to keep loved ones protected and content, AD being the antithesis of both. Mark has given us an instructional book, made warm and personal because it's about individuals and their needs. There is a comprehensive listing of product and service providers for caregivers, and most of the numbers are toll free. The title of this book does not begin to do it justice, it's so much more. Plus, it's very attractively bound - a beautiful volume of superior quality. Among my treasured books on the subject of dementia caregiving, this is my bible. ..........Sue B.

This book is a must for caregivers and professionals facing the challenges of Alzheimer's. It is the first book I've read devoted to Alzheimer's care that offers something more than reasons to institutionalize our people. Caregivers need information, options and where to access tools and resources before they can make informed decisions about their choices or their role as caregiver. As someone who spent 25 years designing rehabilitations plans for handicapped people and another 10 years facing the care of my husband, Tom, who died of this disease in our home, this is the first volume I've picked up that speaks of caregiving in positive, life-giving, do-able terms and not the drudgery that we are all led to believe consumes the process. While it offers pragmatic, workable, affordable solutions to caregivers, it never loses sight of the continued humanity and needs of our family members for love and regard in spite of their loss of cognitive skills. My experience as a caregiver was met with nothing but obsticles in my quest to keep my husband home, a journey I relate in my book, "He Used to be Somebody." I found Tom's care problems were 75% attitude and 25% tools, resources and help. This book offers both to families. I highly recommend it.

Great practical information on crisis intervention. Easy read and tons of practical applications to use when dealing with clients who are crisis.

As a former crisis intervention worker I am impressed with the all-inclusive nature of this book which covers crisis intervention across multiple populations and practice settings with sensitivity to cultural diversity. As a current social work faculty member teaching crisis intervention course content, I am impressed that Dr. Robert's book is grounded in clinical research with contributing authors who are the experts in this field. A must read for all crisis workers and an outstanding book to incorporate into the classroom. Very impressive!

As an Emergency Room Social Worker, this handbook has been invaluable, it offers comphrensive perspectives in everyday situations and how to handle these crisis. True life situations and hands on approaches to options that can be used with patients in crisis and some facing mortality. This handbook is one of my more invaluable tools for daily emergency room situations.

Dr. Roberts' newest edition of the Crisis Intervention Handbook will be an exceptional resource for all mental healthe professionals. However, the first ten chapters which combine Roberts' seven step model of crisis intervention and solution focused brief therapy will be especially useful to school counselors. Counselors will refer to this book time and again when school and family crises occur. I highly recommend this book.

This vitally important and comprehensive handbook provides informed citizens, healthcare specialists, and mental health professionals with everything they need to know about crisis episodes and crisis interventions. This compelling, yet practical book is vitally needed and provides the most comprehensive information to date on everything from school violence, date rape, 24-hour mobile crisis units to hospital emergency room crises. This book is a rare gem for every graduate student and practitioner in the human services field.

Este libro me ayudó a mí personalmente cuando trabajaba en un lugar remoto de Colombia. Es de fácil lectura para los campesinos que no tienen acceso a servicio médico. También es útil para preparar ayudantes de enfermería y clases en los colegios y escuelas.

This is a fantastic reference for people interested in working as a medical interpreter. The information presented is practical, well-organized, and addresses the impact of culture on health care. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a valuable self-training manual.

excelente contenido,muy práctico,favoreciendo una filosofia de la medicina como curación de salud,estés donde estés,sea donde sea,al precio que sea,a quien sea.Bueno para transportar y bueno para no perderse entre miles de páginas y complejas explicaciones. Muy útil para solucionar algunas de las causas de muerte del 90por cien de la población,los no-occidentales,especialmente latinoamérica.

We just returned from a Hurricane Mitch Medical Relief Team in Honduras. This book was invaluable to the entire team. Comprehensive enough to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of ailments not often encountered in the US, and basic enough to share the info with the patients to aid with education. A must for anyone practicing medicine in Spanish speaking developing countries. We live near the Mexico border and I've ordered one to help me out here!

I loved reading this book from a friend that I was compelled to special order it on the same day I read it! I never buy books but this book changed my life. I spread the news about it and now all of my friends have bought the book too. I'll be going to Mexico and will be taking extra copies of Donde No Hay Doctor with me. I plan to distribute them to rural and literate families. I hope this book will be announced more especially within the Hispanic Communties. I can only wish this book is read at least once and that people will see how invaluable it is.

This book is chalked full of the information about FASD! From the beginning of awareness in the public till now! Reccomended reading for all who deal with FASD.

Dr. Streissguth is one of the pioneers in the identification and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the entire spectrum of congenital damage arising from in-utero exposure to alcohol. 25 years after the identification of this common and devastating disability, most efforts in the academic community still focus on definition and diagnosis, with relatively little attention paid to treatment. Dr. Streissguth stands atop the heap in extending her basic science research into the actual lives of affected individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live. I consider her the foremost authority in the academic community on exploring pragmatic options for helping affected individuals, families, and community.

This little volume is jam packed with useful information.

After reading Dr. Streissguth's book on fetal alcohol syndrome, I feel this book should be given to every parent or caretaker who receives this diagnosis about their child. This is the most thorough book I have found on this subject. Dr. Streissguth's knowledge in this area is so extensive and her book offers a step by step approach and guidelines on what you will need to know to in raising a child with FAS. I truly recommend her book and am so grateful for her insights.

Written by one of the leading behavioral experts in the field. A must for anyone with a problem child, in medicine or psychology, social or justice work...it is a recognized primer for the topic of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Dr. Streissguth's Book is the best explanation of the effects of alcohol on the unborn child, that I have ever found. For years, I did not know what was wrong with the beautiful little girl that my husband and I adopted. Twenty-seven doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, school counsellors, guidance counsellors, religious leaders, police or addictions counsellors over the past 16 years never once, suggested that FAS/E was the problem. For every person in those positions dealing with troubled children, "Fetal Alchohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Coommunities" should be compulsory reading!
I cried over and over while I read the book when I saw how my community, my family and I had let my daughter down, because we didn't know. I wrote to Dr. Streissguth and thanked her personally, and I am doing my best to help my daughter and to educate others, so no one has to fail their child the way we did. Thank you again, Dr. Streissguth!