Throughout much of its history, the United States was predominantly a rural society. The need to provide sustenance resulted in many people settling in areas where food could be raised for their families. Over the past century, however, a quiet shift from a rural to an urban society occurred, such that by 1920, for the first time, more members of our society lived in urban regions than in rural ones. This was made possible by changing agricultural practices. No longer must individuals raise their own food, and the number of person-hours and acreage required to produce food has steadily been decreasing because of technological advances, according to Roundtable member James Merchant of the University of Iowa. The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Science, Research, and Medicine held a regional workshop at the University of Iowa on November 29 and 30, 2004, to look at rural environmental health issues. Iowa, with its expanse of rural land area, growing agribusiness, aging population, and increasing immigrant population, provided an opportunity to explore environmental health in a region of the country that is not as densely populated. As many workshop participants agreed, the shifting agricultural practices as the country progresses from family operations to large-scale corporate farms will have impacts on environmental health. This report describes and summarizes the participants' presentations to the Roundtable members and the discussions that the members had with the presenters and participants at the workshop.

This is a summary of the workshop Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment: A New Vision of Environmental Health for the 21st Century. The goal of this workshop was to emphasize the connection between human health and the natural, built, and social environments. This workshop integrated talks from many fields and created a dialogue among various environmental health stakeholders. The language presented in this respect should not be viewed as an endorsement by the Environmental Health Sciences Roundtable or the Institute of Medicine of what action is needed for the future, but rather as an effort to synthesize the various perspectives presented.

"This book describes the population health concerns of small-town America and how these concerns are affected by the unique characteristics of these places focusing on the built environment"--

Offers vivid narratives illuminating the challenges and opportunities health professionals and policymakers face Distinguished by abundant patient and health provider narratives highlighting the impact of health disparities on health outcomes worldwide, this scholarly yet practical text prepares RN-BSN, DNP, and PhD students to work toward improving community health for a variety of underserved and vulnerable populations. Grounded in the population health approach addressed in AACN Essentials, the text delivers practical steps nurses can take to address population health goals, including the improvement of quality of care, access to healthcare, improved outcomes, and cost management. The resource is also unique in its reflection of the interconnected points of view of the patient, the provider, and the health system. Written by lawyers, physicians, social workers, statisticians and economists, psychologists, ethicists, finance experts, population health specialists, anthropologists, and nurses, the text emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to learning and all components of health care—delivery of care, policy, research, and teaching. It examines demographic differences, chronic and acute health conditions, and the health needs of the unserved/underserved across the life cycle. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the social determinants of health and discusses ways to address health disparities through changes in public policy, attitudes, beliefs, education, research, and advocacy. Objectives, key terms, discussion questions, and exercises facilitate group discussion about best practices. Key Features: Delivers practical knowledge with detailed narratives and case studies of specific populations from experienced interprofessional authors Highlights the interwoven perspectives of patients, health providers, and health systems to promote cultural competence Pinpoints health disparities including a discussion of COVID-19 Presents selected historical landmarks and cases that influence population health outcomes among vulnerable groups Interdisciplinary approach includes the perspectives of other health and social science disciplines

Global Development Goals and Linkages to Health and Sustainability is the summary of a public three-part webinar series hosted by the Global Environmental Health and Sustainable Development Innovation Collaborative between October and December, 2012. Experts within the fields of environmental and global health and members of government, academia, and civil society discussed global development goals that will focus on sustainable development to inform the Rio+20 post-2015 development agenda framework, which will likely be adopted at the September 2015 UN General Assembly. This report focuses on possible health-related measures and metrics that can be utilized for creating new Sustainable Development Goals as the Millennium Development Goals sunset in 2015, using existing measurements that can be adapted to track progress of global sustainable development and human health.

In 1992 world leaders met at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to reaffirm the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that was established on June 16, 1972 in Stockholm. The meeting resulted in the adoption of Agenda 21 by the member states which is a framework for the transition to a more sustainable world. In 2012 the members gathered to assess and reaffirm the importance of progress towards the efforts of Agenda 21. In response to this the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine held a workshop to inform the policies that are discussed at the 2012 Earth Summit. The workshop, held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on July 25-26, 2011, focused on the issue of sustainability and health as well as the linkages that are currently present between the two. The workshop included presentations and discussions which are summarized in Public Health Linkages with Sustainability: Workshop Summary. The report presents how different areas of public health, such as food and water resources, link to sustainability and opportunities or venues that can be examined.

Ethics in Rural Psychology provides readers with theoretical underpinnings, practical applications, and empirically based knowledge of the practice of psychology in rural communities. Dr. Boilen explores the similarities and differences within and across rural American communities to provide a framework for understanding this vast and varied population. Focusing on the ethical considerations unique to these communities, chapters use illustrative case examples, useful exercises, and personal anecdotes to highlight obstacles unique to rural areas. Finally, the book emphasizes the opportunity to be innovative and creative in rural practice, demonstrating how rural practices hold promise for cutting-edge advancements in the field of psychology. This book will serve practitioners, students, and researchers as a primer, handbook, and road map for the challenging and rewarding clinical work that awaits in rural America.

Community and Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Public’s Health, 10th Edition delivers an engaging introduction to the principles of public health nursing and employs a highly visual, student-friendly approach to guide students in developing the understanding and skills to confidently promote health, foster disease prevention, and protect at-risk populations — including older adults, homeless populations, veterans, refugees, and the LGBTQ community — whether practicing in acute care or community and public health settings. Extensively revised and featuring a wealth of real-world examples, this updated edition reflects today’s most prominent public health issues and empowers students to provide the most effective nursing care wherever they may choose to practice.

The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.