Correlates of Patient-Centered Care Practices at U.S. Substance Use Disorder Clinics.

Objective: Substance use disorder treatment professionals are paying increased attention to implementing patient-centered care. Understanding environmental and organizational factors associated with clinicians' efforts to engage patients in clinical decision-making processes is essential for bringing patient-centered care to the addictions field. This study examined factors associated with patient-centered care practices in substance use disorder treatment.

Understanding the Collaborative Planning Process in Homeless Services: Networking, Advocacy, and Local Government Support May Reduce Service Gaps.

Objective: The Continuum of Care (CoC) process-a nationwide system of regional collaborative planning networks addressing homelessness-is the chief administrative method utilized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to prevent and reduce homelessness in the United States. The objective of this study is to provide a benchmark comprehensive picture of the structure and practices of CoC networks, as well as information about which of those factors are associated with lower service gaps, a key goal of the initiative.

Design: A national survey of the complete population of CoCs in the United States was conducted in 2014 (n = 312, 75% response rate).

Residents' perceptions of effective community representation in local health decision-making.

Community participation in local health decision-making has been envisioned as a key strategy to improve the design and delivery of health services in the USA. While much literature has sought to understand this participatory approach, considerably fewer studies have engaged the essential first-order question: How would we know who the appropriate community representatives are? An important first analytic step is to learn from community members themselves what characteristics they feel a 'good' representative should possess. Two primary research questions are addressed: 1) To what degree can low-income adults identify and articulate what they believe constitutes an effective community health representative and 2) What do low-income adults believe are the specific characteristics an effective community health representative should possess? In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with 14 African-American and Latino residents of four low-income communities on the Southside of Chicago, USA.