Book description
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.
""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" --
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.
