In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Important Notice: The digital edition of this book is missing some of the images or content found in the physical edition.The gold standard for midwives and students is back with Varney’s Midwifery, Fifth Edition. New to this edition are chapters describing the profession of midwifery, reproductive physiology, clinical genetics, and support for women in labor. Interwoven throughout is information on primary care, gynecology, maternity care, and neonatal care. With chapters written by a variety of expert midwives and an increased emphasis on reproductive anatomy and physiology, this new edition assists students and clinicians in understanding not only what to do but why. Updated to reflect evidence-based care, this edition also discusses the pathophysiology of various conditions in the context of normal changes in the reproductive cycle. Also included are numerous new anatomical and clinical illustrations.

Community mental health care has evolved as a discipline over the past 50 years, and within the past 20 years, there have been major developments across the world. The Oxford Textbook of Community Mental Health is the most comprehensive and authoritative review published in the field, written by an international and interdisciplinary team.