Community Public Health Services Research Articles

Maternal Health Care at a Japanese American Relocation Camp, 1942–1945: A Historical Study

Background: From late summer of 1942 until the fall of 1945, approximately 120,000 ethnic Japanese were confined behind barbed wire within 10 relocation camps in the United States. Although histories have been written about the relocation camps, little data are available about women's lives. This study explored women's lives and experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and child care in a Japanese‐American relocation camp. Methods: Twenty women who were ages 18 to 31 years at the time of internment at Heart Mountain, Wyoming Japanese American Relocation Camp, and one caucasian nurse who worked in the obstetric unit of the camp's hospital were interviewed. Archival, demographic, and historical data, including some prenatal records, provided information about maternity and public health care for pregnant women and new mothers. Results: Obstetric hospital practices were typical of the 1940s in the United States. Community public health services for new mothers included formula kitchens and well‐baby clinics. Infant mortality statistics from 1942 to 1945 at Heart Mountain were comparatively better for the same time period than for the state of Wyoming or the United States. These outcomes may have reflected the camp's extensive social and family support, adequate housing and food, and universal access to maternity services. Conclusions: The Heart Mountain internment provides a story about how women's lives are impacted by war. Since World War II, civilians, especially women and children, have increasingly been targeted during wars with profound impact upon the health of mothers and babies. (BIRTH 24:3, September 1997)

Graduate training in community psychology.

The results of a 1975 survey of graduate training programs in community psychology and community mental health are presented. For 62 programs offering master's or doctoral training, formal curriculum components in each of five content areas (community systems and behavior, prevention or promotion of effectiveness, practice of community mental health, research and evaluation, and administration) are reported. Availability of training in six sites (community mental health centers, state hospitals, schools, legal, public health, and social service systems) is also indicated for each program. The number of faculty primarily involved in community psychology or community mental health training and principal sources of financial support for graduate students are described. A list of the 62 programs is provided.

Mental health services for the community public health services

In a mental health service in which increasing emphasis is to be placed on community care, the arrangements made by local authorities need to be planned and maintained as a part of a comprehensive mental health service the components of which are dependent on each other. The Mental Health Act has given an opportunity for greater flexibility in providing the different form of community care based on individual need. The increased provision of training centres in a system of progressive and continuous social rehabilitation emphasises the need for accurate clinical diagnosis and social assessment. The provision of residential accommodation for different groups of mentally disordered persons is bound to introduce problems of selection. These may not be so troublesome as may be supposed. There is an increasing scope for preventive measures by local authorities, based on research in medical and social fields.