A unique and authoritative guide to the US safety-net health care system, this book addresses how various populations and their difficult health and socio-economic issues are dealt with and impacted by the system. Drs. Gunnar Almgren and Taryn Lindhorst, experts in the fields of social work and public health, provide critical, much-needed insight into the safety-net system and how the recession, unemployment, and reform have accelerated its growth.
Ideal for graduate students and early professionals in the health professions, this textbook:
Includes narratives from patients and caregivers that help readers understand and empathize with the poor, homeless, and other vulnerable populations affected by the safety-net system
Discusses various health issues, including: violence, chronic diseases, mental illness, victimization, and substance abuse/addiction
Examines overlaps in US public health, social work, nursing, and medical education
Analyzes the differences between the populations that depend on safety-net system providers and more advantaged populations that have access to the mainstream health care system.