Appalachian Health and Well-Being

Appalachians have been characterized as a population with numerous disparities in health and limited access to medical services and infrastructures, leading to inaccurate generalizations that inhibit their healthcare progress. Appalachians face significant challenges in obtaining effective care, and the public lacks information about both their healthcare needs and about the resources communities have developed to meet those needs. In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs. Robert L. Ludke is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is also a member of the Board of the Urban Appalachian Council. Phillip J. Obermiller is a Senior Visiting Scholar in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati and a past president of the Appalachian Studies Association. This volume pulls together an enormous amount of information that has been scattered in obscure publications in diverse fields. It synthesizes that information, puts it in context, and makes it available to the anyone interested in general health issues. It should be in the library of every postsecondary education institution with an Appalachian constituency. -- Wayne Meyers, M.D. A well-written, insightful work that encompasses the breadth of this important topic. -- Baretta R. Casey, M.D., M.P.H. Ludke and Obermiller\u27s work goes far beyond the borders of Appalachia to document the relationship between health and economic status. It particularly emphasizes the long-term effects of poverty on health. Its usefulness is not limited to Appalachia but to all those who believe that the opportunity for good health should not be defined by income and wealth. -- William W. Philliber, author of Appalachian Migrants in Urban America An important and much-needed book. Mountaineers, both those inside the region as well as those beyond it, will receive better care from health-care providers and more humane treatment by policy makers if both read carefully the multidisciplinary perspectives contained in this timely volume. -- Chad Berry, author of Southern Migrants, Northern Exiles An excellent introduction to the persisting health challenges of Appalachia, where health disparities are one of the continuing markers of inequality. In this volume some of the region\u27s leading health researchers examine the economic, environmental, behavioral and systemic causes of those disparities. -- Ronald D Eller, Distinguished Professor of History, author of Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945 Brings together researchers who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions. -- Kentucky Enquirer Ludke and Obermiller summarize the state of Appalachian health. . . . An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries A truly exemplary book. . . . Surveys nine areas of health in the region and concludes with policy recommendations. -- Apalachian Heritage An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries This medical text, the first of its kind, focuses on health of the region’s inhabitants as well as those who have moved away. -- Library Journal While the idea of geographically-based health disparities is still evolving, this engaging resource has greatly expanded the concept in what is a remarkable volume of well-organized, well-written, evidence-based studies on health in Appalachia presented from a host of critical perspectives. This book should become required reading for policy makers, health care providers, community activists, and students everywhere. -- Elke Jones Zschaebitz, David C. Gordon, Family and Community Health Appalachian Health and Well-being develops an enriched analytical framework for health care and creates a new, comprehensive source of knowledge that will benefit multidirectional efforts to improve Appalachian health. Authors offer informed recommendations for assessing and preventing disease and promoting health. This compilation is a pioneering work that will inform and guide readers and serve as a model for future Appalachian health research. -- Journal of Appalachian Studieshttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_medicine_and_health_sciences/1013/thumbnail.jp

If The Situation Seemed Insurmountable, I Always Wanted To Be There : Virginia Coffey, A Midwest Human Relations Pioneer

The devastating 1943 rioting in Detroit led to the formation of municipal human relations committees across the country, and among the oldest of these was the Cincinnati Mayor’s Friendly Relations Committee. Five years after its founding, executive director Marshall Bragdon ensured that the MFRC would continue to be a force for racial equality by hiring Virginia Coffey to be assistant director. Virginia Coffey would go on to make important contributions to human relations internationally through her consulting work in England and nationally as a board member of the National Association of Intergroup Relations Officials. Coffey was appointed the executive director of the MFRC’s successor, the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, in 1968. She organized the city’s human relations response to the riots that occurred after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and developed police-community relations policies and neighborhood programs that echo to this day. After retirement Coffey continued to be a proponent of mutually respectful relations among minorities, races and ethnic groups

Too Few Tomorrows

Between the 1940s and 1970s, approxiately three million people left the Appalachian mountains in search of jobs in Midwest urban areas, such as Cincinnati, Chicago, and Detroit. Unfortunately, about a third of these people were forced into a life of long-term underclass dwellers. Struggling with questions of identity, rootlessness, and cultural negation, these people were given the name of “urban Appalachians.” Published in 1987, Too Few Tomorrows addresses some of the pressing questions regarding urban Appalachians and their story of migration to city life

Reconsidering Appalachian Studies

In an excerpt from Studying Appalachian Studies: Making the Path by Walking (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2015), editors Chad Berry, Phillip J. Obermiller, and Shaunna L. Scott challenge the field's status quo and reflect on the scholarly, artistic, activist, educational, and practical endeavor known as Appalachian Studies. In these "Final Thoughts," the editors advocate for a more accurate and contemporary understanding of Appalachia and its scholarly study

The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission A History, 1943-2013

In the summer of 1943, as World War II raged overseas, the United States also faced internal strife. Earlier that year, Detroit had erupted in a series of race riots that killed dozens and destroyed entire neighborhoods.Intro -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1: Responding to the "Calamity in Detroit" -- 2: Intervening "in and between Crises" -- 3: Working with "Social Dynamite" -- 4: Moving from Stability to "Complete Disarray" -- 5: Dealing with Instability -- Gallery of images -- 6: Starting the Decade Well, Ending with Difficulty -- 7: Containing the Turmoil -- 8: Completing Seventy Years of Service -- Conclusion: "A Rugged and Controversial Existence" -- Appendix A: MFRC/CHRC Timeline -- Appendix B: Chairs and Directors -- Sources -- IndexIn the summer of 1943, as World War II raged overseas, the United States also faced internal strife. Earlier that year, Detroit had erupted in a series of race riots that killed dozens and destroyed entire neighborhoods.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries