ABSTRACT
A survey of 1251 local health departments in 1980-81 (response rate 54 per cent) revealed that 74 per cent of those responding were healed by males, 96 per cent by Whites, 16 per cent by directors 60 or over. Forty per cent of the directors were physicians, a substantially lower percentage than that reported a decade ago. Physicians and males were most prevalent in large departments. Two-thirds of the smallest departments were headed by women, usually nurses.
Subject(s)
Administrative Personnel/trends , Public Health Administration/trends , Adult , Age Factors , Educational Status , Female , Health Occupations , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
A study was undertaken on the premise that if an increase of 1 microgram/ml in the concentration of vancomycin in Martin-Lewis medium (MLM) could improve inhibition of Gram-positive cocci, then a concomitant increase in the inhibition of gonococci could also occur. Isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that failed to grow on MLM accounted for 18-5% of all positive culture results for gonorrhoea. The incidence of isolates susceptible to vancomycin was 14% and of those susceptible to trimethoprim 2.4%; one isolate was susceptible to both vancomycin and trimethoprim. The antibiotic-susceptible isolates were more frequently isolated from asymptomatic white men. Plasmid analysis showed that the 2.4-megadalton cryptic plasmic was absent in the vancomycin-susceptible isolates. The large proportion of isolates failing to grow on selective MLM has important clinical implications for the diagnosis of gonorrhea.
Subject(s)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae/drug effects , Trimethoprim/pharmacology , Vancomycin/pharmacology , Culture Media/pharmacology , Electrophoresis, Agar Gel , Female , Humans , Male , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Neisseria gonorrhoeae/genetics , Neisseria gonorrhoeae/isolation & purification , PlasmidsABSTRACT
Although Illinois is considered an urban industrial state it has many rural areas with scant medical, social and public health services. The need to improve these services has been recognized as a priority by the Health Systems Agency and by citizens of those areas. One method of beginning to meet those needs is to extend Home Health Services from a nearby county where Medicare-certified services are already well developed. This article is to share the methodology used by Peoria City/County Health Department in developing a plan to meet the Home Health Care needs of Marshall and Putnam Counties. The presentation will be made in a case study format with identification of decision points within the process. The objective in identifying decision points is to assist home health agencies contemplating expansion into adjoining counties with the process of program development. The goal of the process is to provide Home Health Services to an underserved area.
