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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The role of state government, local government, and nongovernmental organizations in medical innovative readiness training.

This article describes the Medical Innovative Readiness Training program of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. State government coordinates the various entities involved, and local government does most of the planning for the actual medical care that will be rendered. Funding is through the National Guard Bureau. The bulk of the medical professional manpower comes from National Guard medical units.

Humans↗

Local government conservation and management of native vegetation in urban Australia.

Reflecting a worldwide trend of devolution of power and responsibilities to local authorities, metropolitan local governments in Australia now have a role in protecting and managing native vegetation (bushland). Reporting on questionnaire and interview results for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide, this research examines the main disturbances in local government bushlands, local governments' efforts in bushland conservation, and universality of issues and responses among the cities and between urban and urban-rural local authorities. A number of disturbances in bushlands are common among the cities, with weeds, development impacts, and urban run off perceived to be the most threatening. Management efforts focus on weed control, whereas other main disturbances are receiving less attention. Community involvement in management is prevalent, although regional coordination among local governments is limited. Local governments are willing to be involved in biodiversity conservation and their capacity would be enhanced with increased funding, staffing, and regional coordination.

Australia↗

For debate. Local government and the National Health Service: the new agenda.

There are some interesting paradoxes in the relationship between local government and the National Health Service (NHS). Local government is responsible for a range of major services, many of which relate to health broadly defined. The NHS provides many services which are often popularly thought to be part of local government (and, indeed, in many countries are). Local government prides itself on its 'localness'; the NHS, with its services delivered in a very local fashion for the most part, cannot quite decide whether it is a national service or a local one. Yet these two major agencies of governance and public service provision often seem unable to work very well together. In the interests of good government, both agencies need to work together where their interests coincide or abut one another. Differences of perspective, priority, culture and style need to be recognized but resolved. Opportunities for joint working need to be grasped and the experience built on. The paper looks at a series of issues and opportunities which bring local government and the NHS together. They create an incentive to improve working relationships; at the same time they suggest an agenda of future possibilities.

Humans↗

[The role of local governments in the fight against the scourge of AIDS. 2003].

The challenges imposed by HIV/AIDS in urban areas make it imperative to act at the local level. Local government agencies (LGAs) are closer to the victims of HIV/AIDS and are thus better able to undertake the needed actions. However, LGAs can succeed in the fight against HIV/AIDS only if they work closely with all levels of government and other local representatives of civil society that take part in the struggle against HIV/AIDS at the community level. In fact, the most obvious comparative advantage of LGAs may be their capacity for creating an atmosphere that is conducive to coordinating, directing, and undertaking local measures - both new and preexisting - against HIV/AIDS. Even with reduced support (financial or political), LGAs can achieve significant results in the fight against HIV/ AIDS by incorporating response measures against these conditions in the municipal agenda. It is precisely in order to help solve this complex situation that the World Bank has just published a book entitled Local Government Responses to HIV/AIDS: A Handbook. This text is intended for officials working for the mayor and members of local legislative bodies in charge of implementing sustainable and responsible measures against HIV/AIDS at the municipal level. Though it is hoped that each local government office will creatively follow the suggestions given in this manual, the theoretical framework and practical approach in it are a guarantee that applying them will lead to an improved ability to respond against HIV/AIDS on the part of local government agencies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Supportive environments for physical activity and the local government agenda: a South Australian example.

In the promotion of moderate physical activity it is increasingly argued that a supportive physical environment is a key factor, and that local government is ideally placed to play an important role. This study reports on the factors that led one local government to take such a leading role. A semi-structured interview was conducted to find out why a chief executive officer of a local government decided that the creation of supportive environments for physical activity was the core business of council. The results show that key ingredients were that local government should take a strategic rather than an operational focus on the issue, that there should be open organisational structures to allow the various functions of local government to work together, and that there must be appropriate leadership. The findings suggest ways for engaging local government as a key partner in promoting supportive environments that are consistent with literature on policy, organisational structure and leadership theory.

Exercise↗

Developing healthy local communities at local government level: lessons from the past decade.

There have been many approaches by the health sector to developing healthy communities based on local government areas in Australia in the past decade. Each has struggled with the need to establish realistic goals and to find ways of working more effectively with local government. This paper outlines four of these approaches--Healthy Cities, the Healthy Localities project, municipal health plans, and programs to address specific health problems or issues. Although the picture is one of huge diversity in the ways in which the issue is defined and action taken, a number of dimensions to a healthy community are emerging. However, if we are to be able to monitor change within and between the health of communities over time, indicators need to be developed and goals set. This will require a shift away from defining goals and targets in terms of populations (people), towards goals based on changes in organisations and systems. Engaging local government in this process will be vital and will require the health sector to develop a better understanding of the ways in which local government defines its role in creating healthy communities. It will also involve learning from local government the strategies that they have found most effective in dealing with complex problems that require action at many levels.

Australia↗

The role of local government in physical activity: employee perceptions.

A key component in the promotion of health-related physical activity at the community level is the formation of key partnerships with traditional and nontraditional providers of physical activity. Local government, in particular, has a significant investment in the health and well-being of the community through their contribution to the development of infrastructure and the build environment. However, local government perceptions of how this investment, commitment, and partnership translate to the promotion of physical activity is less known. To identify the role and perceptions of local government in the promotion of physical activity, a series of focus groups were conducted within six key departments of the Rockhampton City Council. The findings show that although physical activity is not considered the core business of local government, there was a clear understanding of the role that local government has in the provision of facilities and infrastructure that support that community's ability to be active. The focus groups identified emerging patterns concerning physical infrastructure, liability and safety, responsibility within the organizational structure, and community partnerships. These results inform physical activity community initiatives and enhance future collaboration between the community and local government in Rockhampton.

Attitude to Health↗

Local government decision-making and access to primary physician services in Norway.

Public responsibility for health care can be justified by ambitious egalitarian objectives, as it is commonly believed that the private sector generates greater disparities than the public sector. Government institutions can be designed to achieve equality in provision of health services. The article addresses the geographical distribution of primary care physicians in Norway, where primary physician services are the responsibility of local governments, primarily financed by general taxation. The authors analyze the allocation of physicians using a local government demand model, a synthesis of consumers' demand and local government resource allocation. Analyses were performed on a panel data set of all Norwegian municipalities covering the period 1986-1992. The results are encouraging. A decentralized system of primary physician services does seem to be fairly effective in securing equity in access to these services for the municipal population. In particular, local governments seem to respond well to the health care needs of their populations. Distribution of physicians is only to a very small extent dependent on the wealth of the municipality.

Consumer Behavior↗

The impact of Federal Alcohol and Drug Abuse block grants on state and local government substance abuse program expenditures: the role of federal oversight.

Are the federal Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ADA) block grant funds substituting for or supplementing state and local government spending on substance abuse? Using panel data on state and local government substance abuse programs, this study explores the fiscal effects of the ADA block grant money and the increased enforcement (after 1989) of federal restrictions on state spending of ADA block grants. The findings here reveal that for the current period, the federal ADA grant has no statistically significant effect on state and local government substance abuse spending both before and after 1989, and the increased enforcement of federal restrictions on the ADA grants after 1989 does not change this result. An additional finding is that lagged ADA grants have had a large effect on substance abuse spending both before and after 1989--a feature of the program not considered in previous studies.

Financing, Government↗

Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Planning: Goals and Strategies of Local Governments.

Drawing from experiences gained from the development and implementation of four approved habitat conservation plans (HCPs), I describe the goals and strategies used by the nine local government members of the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (RCHCA) to reconcile conflicts among a rapidly growing population and the need to conserve the habitat of a number of declining wildlife species in western Riverside County, California. Several important goals have been pursued by RCHCA member governments in their sponsorship of multiple-species habitat conservation plans (MSHCPs), including (1) establishing certainty and control over future uses of land; (2) eliminating project-by-project negotiations with federal and state wildlife agencies; (3) coordinating mitigation obligations under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, California Environmental Quality Act, and other federal and state laws; (4) reducing conflict and litigation resulting from land development activities; and (5) ensuring that wildlife conservation activities are conducted in a manner that permits local governments to perform those functions necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare. I also describe the emergence of strategies by local governments to achieve MSHCP goals, including (1) use of an inclusive planning process that seeks to build consensus among affected interests; (2) extensive involvement of federal and state wildlife agencies in the preparation of MSHCP documents; (3) management of public lands to support MSHCP conservation objectives; (4) encouragement of voluntary conservation by private property owners through incentive programs; and (5) active solicitation of federal and state funding for MSHCP implementation activities.

Journal Article↗

Tooth wear in the elderly population in South East Local Government area in Ibadan, Nigeria.

It is the aim of this study to determine the pattern and degree of tooth wear in the elderly population in the South East Local Government Area in Ibadan. The study was carried out on 690 elderly individuals who were 65 years old and above, living in various wards in South East Local Government Area, in Ibadan. A multistage sampling technique was used to select elderly individuals for the study. Two interviewers, 2-record clerks and 2 examiners were trained for the study and the examiners were calibrated. The index of Eccles J.D was used to determine the severity of tooth wear. The results highlight the high prevalence of tooth wear, mainly attrition in the elderly in this local government area. Six hundred and forty (92.8%) of the elderly had tooth wear. Of these 58.59% were males and 41.41% females. Attrition was observed in 618 (89.6%) elderly individuals. The mandible exhibited a higher prevalence of tooth wear than the maxilla and was statistically significant. Severe tooth wear was observed in only 5.74% of the teeth whilst moderate and mild tooth wear were observed in 26.91% and 30.88% respectively. Unlike the Western European countries, attrition being the most common type of tooth wear in these elderly individuals suggests that the aetiological factors responsible for tooth wear are different. Common habits such as crushing of bones and chewing of sticks for routine oral hygiene care could be contributing factors to tooth wear in this environment.

Aged↗