Are public health services available where they are most needed? An examination of local health department services.
Local health departments (LHDs) play a key role in the provision of public health services in the United States. Little is known about the extent to which LHD service availability varies by the socioeconomic characteristics of regional populations. This study merges data from the 1996 National Association of County and City Health Officials LHD profile survey and the Area Resource File system. The empirical analysis suggests that LHDs in low-socioeconomic background counties are more likely to provide services such as family planning. For other services, either LHD involvement is low across the board or the distribution of LHD services does not favor low-socioeconomic background counties. Thus, there is often room for improvements in service availability and targeting.
World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA.
Cem
C
Mete
Joan P
JP
Cioffi
Maureen Y
MY
Lichtveld
D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D008330:Management Audit; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000592:standards*; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States