Browse Publications

Improving Oral Health Care Systems in California: A Report of the California Dental Access Project, 2000

California and the nation now face an oral disease situation that is of a crisis nature. The situation has developed over several decades and involves a complex set of problems, institutions,...

Author(s): Elizabeth Mertz, Carolyn Manuel-Barkin, Beverly Isman, Ed O'Neil
Date: Dec 2000

Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios in California Acute Care Hospitals

As California implements its minimum staffing legislation, it becomes increasingly important that researchers continue to examine the relationship between RN staffing and quality of care. Research...

Author(s): Joanne Spetz, Jean Ann Seago, Janet Coffman, Emily Rosenoff, Ed O'Neil
Date: December 1, 2000

Hospital Use of Nursing Personnel: Holding Steady Through the 1990s

In a March 1998 Journal of Nursing Administration article, I reported that nurse staffing did not, in fact, decline through 1996 in California, where concerns about nurse staffing have been prominent...

Author(s): Joanne Spetz
Date: Jul 2000

Public Policies to Promote Community-based and Interdisciplinary Health Professions Education

CONTEXT: Many rural and inner-city communities in the United States have persistent shortages of health professionals. In addition, health services are increasingly delivered in community-based...

Author(s): Janet M. Coffman, Tim Henderson, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
Date: Apr 2000

Nurse Practitioners Physician Assistants and Certified Nurse Midwives in California

Nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) play growing roles in the health care workforce. Experts recommended in the mid-1990s that their numbers be...

Author(s): Kevin Grumbach, Janet Coffman, Elizabeth Mertz, Emily Rosenoff
Date: Apr 2000

Geographic Distribution of Dentists in California Dental Shortage Areas

Access to dental services in California is an issue of increasing concern to federal and state policy makers, as demonstrated by both new legislation addressing access to dental care and increased...

Author(s): Elizabeth Mertz, Kevin Grumbach, Laurie MacIntosh, Janet M. Coffman
Date: January 1, 2000

The Effects of Managed Care and Prospective Payment on the Demand for Hospital Nurses: Evidence from California

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of managed care and the prospective payment system on the hospital employment of registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and aides. DATA SOURCES: ...

Author(s): Joanne Spetz
Source: PubMed
Date: December 1, 1999

Evaluation of a Preclinical, Educational and Skills-Training Program to Improve Students' Use of Blood and Body Fluid Precautions: One-Year Follow-Up

BACKGROUND: Little is known about long-term improvements in medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and use of blood and body fluid precautions following preclinical training. METHODS: We evaluated...

Author(s): Donna Jeffe, Sunita Mutha, Lynn Kim, Bradley Evanoff, Victoria Fraser
Date: November 1, 1999

The Hidden Health Care Workforce: Recognizing, Understanding and Improving the Allied and Auxiliary Workforce

Allied and auxiliary health care workers play critical support roles in the health care system. Any significant reform in the way health care is delivered will require changes in their training and...

Author(s): Jennifer Ruzek, Lindsey Bloor, Jennifer Anderson, Mai Ngo
Date: Jul 1999

A Snapshot of California’s Local Public Health Departments

This report provides a descriptive overview of local public health departments in California. Data are provided on the size and scope of agencies, characteristics of the population served, managed...

Author(s): Elizabeth Mertz, Leonard Finocchio
Date: June 1, 1999