Public Health and Social Justice A Jossey-Bass Reader

by Donohoe, Martin T.

• ISBN13: 9781118088142
• ISBN10: 111808814X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-16
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

The author explores the role of social and economic injustices as root causes of the uneven distribution of disease across population groups according to class, race and gender. There is a strong relation between social and economic inequities and health inequities and the author shows how to develop a framework to understand social and economic policies that would improve the health status of all segments of society. The book explores the global public health issues, processes for influencing policy, and the skills to effectively advocate for health and social justice.

Author Biography

Martin T. Donohoe, MD, FACP is adjunct associate professor in Community Health at Portland State University, practices internal medicine, and is on the Social Justice Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) and the Board of Advisors for Oregon PSR.

Table of Contents

Introduction x

Acknowledgments xix

The Editor xxii

The Contributors xxv

PART I Human Rights, Social Justice, Economics, Poverty, and Health Care

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights 5

2. Public Health as Social Justice 11

Dan E. Beauchamp

3. What We Mean by Social Determinants of Health 21

Vicente Navarro

4. The Magic Mountain: Trickle-Down Economics in a Philippine Garbage Dump 39

Matthew Power

5. Family Medicine Should Encourage the Development of Luxury Practices: Negative Position 55

Martin Donohoe

PART TWO Special Populations

6. Homelessness in the United States: History, Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy 77

Martin Donohoe

7. Historical and Contemporary Factors Contributing to the Plight of Migrant Farmworkers in the United States 85

Safina Koreishi, Martin Donohoe

8. The Persistence of American Indian Health Disparities 99

David S. Jones

9. Prejudice and the Medical Profession: A Five-Year Update 123

Peter A. Clark

10. Sexual and Gender Minority Health: What We Know and What Needs to Be Done 153

Kenneth H. Mayer, Judith B. Bradford, Harvey J. Makadon, Ron Stall, Hilary Goldhammer, Stewart Landers

11. Mental Disorders, Health Inequalities, and Ethics: A Global Perspective 171

Emmanuel M. Ngui, Lincoln Khasakhala, David Nndetei, Laura Weiss Roberts

12. Incarceration Nation: Health and Welfare in the Prison System in the United States 193

Martin Donohoe

PART THREE Women’s Health

13. Individual and Societal Forms of Violence Against Women in the United States and the Developing World: An Overview 217

Martin Donohoe

14. Obstacles to Abortion in the United States 233

Martin Donohoe

15. The Way It Was 249

Eleanor Cooney

PART FOUR Obesity, Tobacco, and Suicide by Firearms: The Modern Epidemics

16. Weighty Matters: Public Health Aspects of the Obesity Epidemic 265

Martin Donohoe

17. Cigarettes: The Other Weapons of Mass Destruction 287

Martin Donohoe

18. Guns and Suicide in the United States 295

Matthew Miller, David Hemenway

PART FIVE Food: Safety, Security, and Disease

19. Factory Farms as Primary Polluter 303

Martin Donohoe

20. Genetically Modified Foods: Health and Environmental Risks and the Corporate Agribusiness Agenda 307

Martin Donohoe

21. Opposition to the Use of Hormone Growth Promoters in Beef and Dairy Cattle Production (American Public Health Association Policy Statement, Adopted 2009) 319

Elanor Starmer, David Wallinga, Rick North, Martin Donohoe

PART SIX Environmental Health

22. Roles and Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals in Combating Environmental Degradation and Social Injustice: Education and Activism 333

Martin Donohoe

23. Global Warming: A Public Health Crisis Demanding Immediate Action 355

Martin Donohoe

24. Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold: The Destructive Public Health, Human Rights, and Environmental Consequences of Symbols of Love 365

Martin Donohoe

25. Is a Modest Health Care System Possible? 385

Andrew Jameton

PART SEVEN War and Violence

26. The Health Consequences of the Diversion of Resources to War and Preparation for War 399

Victor W. Sidel, Barry S. Levy

27. A Brief Summary of the Medical Impacts of Hiroshima 405

Robert Vergun, Martin Donohoe, Catherine Thomasson, Pamela Vergun

28. Medical Science Under Dictatorship 409

Leo Alexander

29. War, Rape, and Genocide: Never Again? 427

Martin Donohoe

PART EIGHT Corporations and Public Health 30. Combating Corporate Control: Protecting Education, Media, Legislation, and Health Care 439

Martin Donohoe

31. The Pharmaceutical Industry: Friend or Foe? 451

Jennifer R. Niebyl

32. Unnecessary Testing in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and General Medicine: Causes and Consequences of the Unwarranted Use of Costly and Unscientific (yet Profitable) Screening Modalities 463

Martin Donohoe

33. Urine Trouble: Practical, Legal, and Ethical Issues Surrounding Mandated Drug Testing of Physicians 473

Martin Donohoe

PART NINE Achieving Social Justice in Health Care Through Education and Activism

34. Promoting Public Understanding of Population Health 493

Stephen Bezruchka

35. Some Ideas for a Common Agenda 509

Peter Montague, Carolyn Raffensperger

36. Taking On Corporate Power—and Winning 521

Robert Weissman

37. US Health Care: Single-Payer or Market Reform 551

David U. Himmelstein, Steffie Woolhandler

38. US Health Professionals Oppose War 563

Walter J. Lear

39. The Residency Program in Social Medicine of Montefiore Medical Center: 37 Years of Mission-Driven, Interdisciplinary Training in Primary Care, Population Health, and Social Medicine 571

A. H. Strelnick, Debbie Swiderski, Alice Fornari, Victoria Gorski, Eliana Korin, Philip Ozuah, Janet M. Townsend, Peter A. Selwyn

40. Stories and Society: Using Literature to Teach Medical Students About Public Health and Social Justice 597

Martin Donohoe

Index 609