Project Description:
RRTC: Health and Wellness for Persons with Long-term DisabilitiesAbstractManaging one’s health and wellness is essential to being self-sufficient, maintaining independence and participating fully in society. For the more than 49 million Americans with disabilities, maintaining health and wellness requires practicing wellness-enhancing behaviors, having providers who are knowledgeable and supportive of health and wellness practices, and benefiting from policies and resources that promote wellness. Oregon Health & Science University leads a Consortium with Baylor College of Medicine, Independent Living Research Utilization, the World Institute on Disability, Oregon State University, the National Rehabilitation Hospital Research Center, and the National Council on Independent Living to direct the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Health and Wellness for Persons with Long-term Disabilities. With funding from NIDRR (U.S. Department of Education), this Center is founded on the goal that by the year 2004, people with long-term disabilities will experience improved health and wellness, and that providers, researchers, policy-makers and other critical stakeholders will enhance the health and wellness of persons with disabilities through the development and dissemination of new knowledge about effective health maintenance strategies and best practices for health promotion.The Center’s design is guided by principles that emphasize: · The capacities of people with disabilities to be healthy and well.· The belief that health and wellness are impacted by person and context, and must be addressed holistically.· The need for collaboration among individuals with disabilities, providers and systems in order to increase health and wellness opportunities.· The recognition of new knowledge on health and wellness based on a shared definition that calls for appropriate measures and research on person and provider practices as well evaluating and understanding the policy impact.· Health promotion strategies that include persons with disabilities, support self-direction and are culturally congruent.The Center is philosophically committed to promoting and integrating two emerging paradigms that are altering international conceptualizations of wellness and disability:· The concept of living well with a disability; that regardless of one’s disability status, one can practice and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.· The critical importance of the person-environment interaction in determining disability and wellness outcomes.Current and topical areas of studies include: self-definitions of health and wellness, health constructs and measurement, Medicaid policy analysis, health practices in managed care, provider health promotion practices, alcohol an drug treatment access, BRFSS health behaviors and outcomes, health practices and secondary conditions, cancer incidence and detection, exemplary models in health and wellness, women’s reproductive health, physical activity, culturally responsive health promotion, and self-directed wellness screening.Training initiatives include a Health and Wellness Science Conference, courses for health care providers, internship experiences, policy forums, and consumer on-line conferences. Our training initiatives are designed for a broad audience of researchers, policy makers, health care providers and people living with disabilities and their families.Complementary and alternative medicine and cultural diversity principles are woven throughout each of the Consortium research and training projects.
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances
