This article discusses how an art therapist working in a hospital palliative care unit has incorporated a ritual of hand casting to help bring closure to dying patients and family members who are grieving as death approaches. The finished hand sculptures depict the hands of the patients and, sometimes, of their loved ones. They are faithful and…

Background: Over the years, the closure of institutions has meant that individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) must access mainstream (i.e. general) mental health services. However, concern that general services may not adequately meet the needs of patients with ID and mental illness has led to the development and implementation of more…

Background: The aim was to evaluate the effect of the closure of a small intellectual disability hospital on the community use of those people involved. In addition, the study sought to identify those factors that might influence the community use of people with intellectual disabilities. Methods: The impact of resettlement was investigated using…

Between 1980 and 1988, 132 rural hospitals closed and as a result many rural towns also lost physicians, including 19 communities that were still without a physician 2 years after closure. Smaller, more remote towns had few physicians to begin with and were more likely than larger towns to lose physicians along with their hospitals. (LP)

In the selective contracting era, consumer choice has generally been absent in most state Medicaid programs, including California's (called Medi-Cal). In a setting where beneficiary exit is not a threat, a large payer may have both the incentives and the ability to exercise undue market power, potentially exposing an already vulnerable population…

Concern about a possible bird flu pandemic has grown in the medical community with the spread of the avian flu virus around the globe. Health officials say there is no immediate threat but add that an influenza pandemic occurs every 30 to 40 years, and prudence demands planning now. That planning will increasingly involve local school officials,…

This bulletin focuses on workplace mentors for all students involved in work-based learning as required in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. It reviews these key issues that should be addressed in developing an effective mentoring component in a school-to-work system: a recruitment plan for mentors; eligibility screening for mentors and…

This fact sheet summarizes evidence on the work status of successful rehabilitations/closures for people with mental retardation in light of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992, which strengthened the focus of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs on community employment outcomes. Data analyzed were drawn from the Rehabilitation…

This annual report on the quality of care for the mentally retarded in New York is organized in three sections focusing on obligations, opportunities, and the future, respectively. Subsections are organized into discussion, findings, and conclusions/corrective actions or recommendations. The first section examines issues in protecting individuals…

Five papers, discussing research on nonwhite disabled persons, were presented at a 1984 conference on the needs of this population. In "Innovative Approaches and Research in Addressing the Needs of Nonwhite Disabled Persons," B. J. Atkins examines counseling approaches and research needs. In "The Role of Social Support in Disease Severity in…

This report by the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Council for Higher Education in Israel discusses the resources and actions needed within higher education in Israel in order to provide access to education to students from abroad as well for Israeli citizens. The report describes Israel's higher education system, as well as the…

This practicum report describes a 12-week project to decrease truancy and improve motivation and academic performance of three students (ages 12 to 18) hospitalized with severe emotional disturbances. A visible and powerful reward system using a menu strategy was developed and implemented in which students participated daily in establishing goals…

This report details the findings of a survey of supported employment directors in the 50 state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, that sought to identify potential barriers to a variety of supported employment services for persons with severe physical disabilities. Key findings include: (1) 84 percent of the agencies provided services to…

This brief paper reports on an evaluation of 10 community rehabilitation providers, six that successfully closed a facility-based program between 1989 and 1994, and four who are currently involved in a change process. Data collection consisted of participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. Findings indicated: (1)…

This monograph summarizes national and state level changes in employment patterns for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. It presents longitudinal data from state mental retardation/developmental disability (MR/DD) agencies covering 8 years between FY88 and FY96, and for federal/state vocational rehabilitation…