Books by "Mark E. Rushefsky"
4 books found
Our public health system is primarily concerned with the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. But while everyone may agree with these goals in principle, in practice public health is a highly contentious policy arena. that is inevitably entangled with sensitive issues ranging from occupational safety and environmental hazards to health education, immunization, and treatment of addiction and sexually transmitted disease. Today however, concern for protecting the population against bio-terrorism and new epidemics such as SARS is tipping the balance back toward increased support for public health. This book focuses on the politics, policies, and methodologies of public health and the twenty-first century challenges to the public health system of the United States. It explores the system's relatively weak position in the American political culture, medical establishment, and legal system; scientific and privacy issues in public health; and the challenges posed by ecological risk and the looming threat of bio-terrorist attack. Each chapter includes study questions. The volume also includes a chronology of major laws and events in public health policy along with an extensive bibliography.
The American health care system is a unique mix of public and private programs that critics argue has produced a two-tier system - one for the rich and the other for the poor - that delivers dramatically unequal care and leaves millions of Americans seriously underinsured or with no coverage at all. This book examines the root causes of the inequalities of the American health care system and discusses various policy alternatives. It systematically documents the demands on and the performance of our health care system for different population groups as defined on the basis of gender (women), age (children), race and ethnicity (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans), and residence in high poverty areas (rural and inner city locales).For each population, the book documents: historical and demographic profile, data on health status, aspects of inequality including access; quality of care; and endemic, cultural, and lifestyle issues affecting health; policies, laws, and programs relevant to health care; and, indicators of improvement or negative trends.
The current opioid epidemic in the United States began in the mid-1990s with the introduction of a new drug, OxyContin, viewed as a safer and more effective opiate for chronic pain management. By 2017, the opioid epidemic had become a full-blown crisis as over two million Americans had become dependent on and abused prescription pain pills and street drugs. This book examines the origins, development, and rise of the opioid epidemic in the United States from the perspective of the public policy process. The authors, political scientists Kant Patel and Mark Rushefsky, discuss institutional features of the American political system that impact the making of public policy, arguing that the fragmentation of that system hinders the ability to coherently address policy problems, taking the opioid epidemic as an example. The book begins with a brief historical examination of the history of the problem of opioid addiction and crises in the United States and public policy responses to past crises, but the main focus is on the current national public health emergency. The book analyzes the following: The origins of the current crisis Indicators and warning signs pointing to the emergence of a significant public problem Factors that contributed to the opioid crisis Why the crisis emerged in the United States and not in other Western countries The nature and scope of the opioid crisis, including socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and the human, social, and economic costs Presidential administrations’ public response, and nonresponse, to the opioid crisis Parallels between the role played by opioid manufacturers and tobacco/cigarette manufacturers in creating the problem of addiction, resulting in high mortality rates, and the public policy response to both This book explores the national policy response to the opioid crisis, as well as state and local government responses and separation of powers, including how the three branches of government deal with the opioid problem. The authors conclude with a discussion of how accurate problem definition, problem diagnosis, and appropriate and timely responses could have produced a more appropriate and robust policy response—policy process tools that will be essential in fighting both the current crisis and the next one. The Opioid Epidemic in the United States is essential reading for policy analysis courses in political science, health, and social work programs, as well as for United States policymakers at the local, state, and national levels.
Covering the period up through the 2012 elections, this book accomplishes three important goals: First, it introduces readers to the American approach to public policy making; second, it surveys American public policy and policymaking in all the major policy areas from economic policy to health care policy to environmental policy; and finally the book challenges readers to come to terms with the widely shared but often competing values that must be balanced and rebalanced in the ongoing policy making process. The book is well-illustrated and includes case studies, terms, and study questions.