Who will speak for the children? is the question posed by Judith S. Palfrey, a pediatrician and child advocate who confronts unconscionable disparities in U.S. health care -- a system that persistently fails sick and disabled children despite annual expenditures of $1.8 trillion.

In Child Health in America, Palfrey explores the meaning of advocacy to children's health and describes how health providers, community agencies, teachers, parents, and others can work together to bring about needed change. Palfrey presents a conceptual framework for child health advocacy consisting of four interconnected components: clinical, group, professional, and legislative. Describing each of these concepts in useful and compelling detail, she is also careful to provide examples of best practices.

This original and progressive work affirms the urgent need for child advocacy and provides valuable guidance to those seeking to participate in efforts to help all children live healthier, happier lives.

Community Child Health is designed to orient physicians, nurses, social workers, public health officers, and allied professionals to the world of children and to help them devise practice styles and priorities in concert with the current needs of children. Palfrey's central thesis is that society has lost sight of children, and, as a result, we have done a very poor job of structuring the environment to nurture them as they grow. Ironically, communities are breaking apart just at the time when families need them the most, leaving children vulnerable, confused, and isolated. The health consequences include poor school performance, behavioral problems, injuries, early sexuality, drug and alcohol use, weapons possession, homicide, and suicide.

The medical professions can have a major impact in reversing these social and health problems. Palfrey has designed this book to equip such professionals with the conceptual frame, data base, and practical tips and tools that will result in improved results in the growth and development of children. It is an advocate's manual, a cookbook for the program planner, and a guide for the child health professional seeking improvements in community child care.

Essential for every school health office, this fully illustrated reference is the ultimate guide to caring for and supporting children with special health care needs in educational settings. A comprehensive update of the classic guide school nurses trust, this authoritative book compiles the latest guidelines on working with students with special health care needs, step-by-step procedures for using todaya s medical technologies, and access to more than 50 reproducible planning forms and checklists. Experts from nursing, medicine, and parent advocacy across the country reviewed and vetted the content, so you can implement the techniques and guidelines with confidence. A must for school nurses and related professionals, this practical reference tool will help schools deliver the services and supports that promote health, safety, and success for children with special health care needs.
THE LATEST ON:

• Supporting students with a wide range of special care needs, such as respiratory concerns, neurological issues, diabetes, allergies, and bladder and kidney issues
• Safely and skillfully using medical technologies, including feeding tubes, insulin administration devices, baclofen pumps, ventilators, ostomies, intravenous lines, oxygen and more
• Planning supportive classrooms that meet legal requirements and are well prepared for both everyday care and medical emergencies
• Collaborating with a studenta s whole health care team to create a family-centered, child-centered health care plan
• Meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse families
• Facilitating a studenta s smooth transition from the pediatric to adult health care systems

• Dozens of skills checklists for specific medical technologies
• Entrance Process Checklist
• Individualized Health Care Plan forms
• Emergency Plan form for students
• One-Page Portable Medical Summary Template
• Latex Allergy Checklist for Schools
• School and Camp Medication Order
• and more