title: The evolving role of partnerships in addressing community public health issues: policy and ethical implications.
abstract: The current state of health insurance coverage in the United States is deteriorating. Historically, efforts to address access at the federal level have met with insurmountable opposition. This article describes a model utilizing the Partnership Approach to Community Health Improvement to engage communities in developing creative ways of addressing local health issues, discusses the policy implications of such a model, and explores ethical issues inherent in the discussion of universal access. An argument is presented for a national dialogue seeking societal agreement to approach access and health from a perspective of solidarity.
authors.affiliation: Center for Community Health Development, Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, College Station, USA. mwendel@tamu.edu
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wendel
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Burdine
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: McLeroy
mesh_terms: D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D017146:Models, Organizational; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States; D019472:Universal Health Insurance / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*