Abstract
The health status of children engaged in the child welfare system has been studied extensively, going back over fifty years to the 1970s. In recent decades there has been a focus on the disparities between youth who are engaged in the child welfare system, with non-white youth of color facing the most severe health disparities, likely due to their overrepresentation within the foster care system (Szilagyi et al.). A significant body of research on these health care concerns focuses on the mental health and trauma-responses of youth engaged in the system but not as much attention is paid to physical health or chronic illness. However, in “Physical Health Problems and Barriers to Optimal Health Care Among Children in Foster Care”, Dr. Stephanie Anne Deutsh and Dr. Kristine Fortin, MPH point out that unaddressed health needs, high rates of acute and/or chronic physical issues, and disparities in access to healthcare are found within youth who are in foster care (Deutsch and Fortin). This paper reviews why these disparities exist and solutions and implementations to decrease them.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Child welfare, Health, Physical health, Mental health, Disparities
