Since 1900, the nation has witnessed unprecedented improvement in the health of its people thanks, in large part, to the public health movement that works to prevent disease and its spread, and to promote mental, physical and emotional well-being. As a result of a century of public health initiatives, such as vaccinations, improved nutrition and sanitation, and new treatments to combat acute illnesses, millions of people have led longer, healthier lives. As a result, the emphasis of the nation's work in public health has shifted from a focus solely on acute illnesses to a more balanced approach that has added attention to chronic medical conditions and the factors that cause them. The perception of disability—a condition of the body, mind, or senses of a person of any age that may affect the ability to work, learn or participate in community life—also is in transition. With the recognition that disability is not an illness, the emphasis increasingly is on continuity of care and the relationship between a person with a disability and the environment at the physical, emotional and environmental levels. This approach is based on the knowledge that good health means the same thing for everyone, and that the best possible health status and quality of years of life should be a goal for everyone, whether experiencing a disability or not. Today, 54 million Americans—more than one fifth of us—are living with at least one disability. Some individuals are born with a disability; others acquire disabilities over the course of their lifetime. At any time, each of us is at risk for acquiring a disability, whether through an illness, an injury, genetics, or any number of other causes. This Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities is built on the need to promote accessible, comprehensive health care that enables persons with disabilities to have a full life in the community with integrated services, consistent with the President's New Freedom Initiative. Persons with disabilities must have accessible, available and appropriate health care and wellness promotion services. They need to know how to—and to be able to—protect, preserve and improve their health in the same ways as everyone else. This Call to Action encourages health care providers to see and treat the whole person, not just the disability; educators to teach about disability; a public to see an individual's abilities, not just his or her disability; and a community to ensure accessible health care and wellness services for persons with disabilities. This volume provides a roadmap for change. It delineates the challenges and strategies to address this critical public health concern. Because it is based on input not only from health specialists in the disability field, but also from individuals with disabilities and their family members, this Call to Action presents not just a scientific perspective on disability, but also the reality experienced by those living daily with disabilities. This Call to Action can, and must, resonate with community leaders in both the public and private sectors (including employers and the media) and with policymakers who craft or influence the creation of community programs. The principle and goals of this document can both incentivize and yield dividends for employers of persons with disabilities, including greater productivity and lower overall health costs by preventing illnesses and injuries secondary to a disability. Advocates for persons with disabilities can use this Call to Action to promote the involvement of individuals with disabilities as equal partners in all aspects of American life. With concerted action—undertaken through public-private partnerships spanning all levels of government and all service, education and research systems—the full potential of legal, health policy and health program initiatives to improve access to health and wellness services by persons with disabilities can be realized.

This Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities emphasizes the centrality of health to the quality of our lives. Developed by the Surgeon General in collaboration with the Department's Office on Disability, it describes the particular challenges to health and wellbeing faced by persons of all ages with disabilities. It places their health squarely among the public health issues at the forefront of research, service delivery, financing, training and education and health care policy today. It also builds upon the Nation's efforts to promote wellness and disease prevention in all persons, including those with disabilities, as called for in the President's HealthierUS Initiative.

The Affordable Care Act, landmark health legislation passed in 2010, called for the development of the National Prevention Strategy to realize the benefits of prevention for all Americans¿ health. This Strategy builds on the law¿s efforts to lower health care costs, improve the quality of care, and provide coverage options for the uninsured. Contents: Nat. Leadership; Partners in Prevention; Healthy and Safe Community Environ.; Clinical and Community Preventive Services; Elimination of Health Disparities; Priorities: Tobacco Free Living; Preventing Drug Abuse and Excessive Alcohol Use; Healthy Eating; Active Living; Injury and Violence Free Living; Reproductive and Sexual Health; Mental and Emotional Well-being. Illus. A print on demand report.

Disability is a universal aspect of the human experience. It will affect all of us, either directly or indirectly, at some point in our lives. Healthcare professionals frequently provide care for and communicate with people who have disability. Many care providers have acknowledged that additional education would help them deliver optimal evidence-based care. The educational gap has broad implications and repercussions for the care of this population. Delivering Quality Healthcare for People With Disability provides a road map for nurses, nursing students, and other healthcare professionals to deliver quality healthcare for individuals with dis-ability. From social determinants of health to disability models to an understanding of different types of disability, author Suzanne Smeltzer helps nurses take the lead in redefining education and addressing the needs of people with disability.

Today, healthy ageing and active, meaningful lives are core values and aims for international and national health policies. Health services are challenged to ensure that the recipients of their services are active participants in their own care and beyond. Participation allows patients to become less dependent on healthcare providers, increasing their control over their own treatment and health. Increasingly, the idea of ‘participation’ is shifting, from participation in services to participation in mainstream society. This book examines the concept of participation, as well as the different meanings it takes on in the context of health and welfare services. It asks how services can enable and stimulate participation outside of those services. The contributions in this volume particularly focus on participation as engagement in daily life and ‘everyday life’ in order to develop the field of participation beyond the sphere of health and social care services. This book will appeal to researchers in the fields of health and social care, social services, occupational therapy and the sociology of health and illness. It will be of interest to practitioners of health and welfare services.