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Health Care in the Black Community: Empowerment, Knowledge, Skills, and Collectivism
by Sadye Logan Edith M. FreemanEmpower patients with culture-specific strategies for promoting health, treating disease, and preventing violence!Current reports show that Black Americans have the highest death rate of all racial and ethnic groups. They suffer disproportionately from a number of fatal diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers. Moreover, violence takes far too high a toll, especially among young Black men. Clearly a different approach to health education and promotion is needed to end this tragic waste of valuable human lives. Health Care in the Black Community: Empowerment, Knowledge, Skills, and Collectivism proposes an innovative model for health professionals working in the Black community.Traditional Western medicine focuses on sickness, the isolated individual, and the material world. However, the Afrocentric values of many Black people emphasize wellness, the community, and the spiritual world. By basing health care approaches on the community's positive values of holistic healing and mutual assistance, Health Care in the Black Community suggests practical, effective strategies for promoting physical and emotional wellness. This comprehensive and informative book offers a solid intellectual framework as well as practical advice. Health Care in the Black Community: identifies deeply held African-American cultural traditions and attitudes offers specific suggestions for combining health care priorities with respect for cultural concerns shows how to gain compliance by involving patients in their own care and drawing on community strengths discusses the impact of specific problems such as low self-esteem, infertility, HIV/AIDS, and violence on Black families develops strategies for preventing family violence by helping family members define and identify emotions shares programs and ideas for enhancing the physical and mental health of elderly Black people identifies ways to overcome the drawbacks of early parenthoodHealth Care in the Black Community offers health care professionals-- policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and educators in the fields of social work, health care, and cultural studies--successful methods, models, and suggestions to help improve health care in Black communities.
Health Care in the Next Curve: Transforming a Dysfunctional Industry
by John AbendshienHealthcare in the U.S. is a critical juncture. We face a sharp upward rise in the number of people with chronic diseases and disabilities. As demands on our current health system grow, so will costs. But as a society we are approaching the upper limit of how much we are willing (or able) to spend on health care. Health care policy makers know this. That is why major health reform measures are focused on population health and value-based care. These are the so-called second curve objectives. But these initiatives are doomed to failure. We are asking a system to do things that it was not designed to do. In fact, we don’t have a health care "system" as such. We have a parts bin of disconnected silos. Fragmented delivery systems. Specialized caregivers. Professional groups. Trade associations. All with distinct cultures. Each with their own motivations and agendas. Our payer and regulatory structures have evolved over the decades in response to political and policy initiatives. However well intentioned (or not), these structures defy logic. They reward and reinforce counter-productive industry behaviors. They pose formidable roadblocks to achieving needed changes. Current reform initiatives are an implicit recognition that our health model is flawed. The attitude seems to be, "Yes, we know the overall health system is a problem, but we can make failure less severe if we implement these measures." We are at a critical juncture. We can continue to place additional demands on an industry model that has outlived its functional utility. Or we can take more of a clean slate approach and move toward a model that is in keeping with today’s needs. The outlook is not good if we stay on the current curve. The demands on resources will continue their upward trajectory. The default scenario will be one of rationing and less to invest in new cures and new technologies. The good news is that we are within sight of a future state of health care that can really work. In this future state, we have gotten rid of the artificial barriers to effective and efficient patient care. Physicians and other health professionals work in a coordinated, inter-disciplinary fashion. They have accountability for the whole care cycle. Caregivers have both the flexibility and encouragement to innovate and come up with optimal delivery approaches. And because they are in a risk-reward relationship with payers, they have the incentives to provide true value. Patients feel intimately connected to a system that is focused on their specific needs. The key to this future state is good old-fashioned market discipline. Other delivery models must either improve or get out of the way. The market will demand cost-efficiencies and won’t tolerate waste. Much of our regulatory structure will be rendered unnecessary. There will be not rewards for poor performance. This book takes a unique macro-level perspective of clinical, economic, and regulatory problems and possible solutions. It takes an objective and something scathing look at current industry structure: a silo-driven culture and entrenchment that is driven by self-interest; as well as the complicity of government in preserving the status quo through regulations, licensure, payment systems, etc.
Health Care in the United States
by Greenwald Howard PHealth Care in the United States combines an explanation of population health with a comprehensive introduction to health services delivery. The author, an expert on health care policy and management, shows how the U. S. health services system is organized, managed, financed, and evaluated. Filled with numerous examples and tables, this important resource illustrates key concepts, trends, and features of the system. It places special emphasis on recent health care reform legislation and its implications for the future. Health Care in the United States reviews the historical origins of health care, its resource requirements, costs, quality, and contributions to both individual and social well-being. By combining basic concepts in population health with coverage of health services, the book offers extraordinary breadth of information in a highly accessible, easy-to-read text. Along with an in-depth look at the origins and possible impact of recent health reform legislation, the book explains the ongoing dilemmas that face the health care system and highlights health and disease in the modern world, the fundamentals of epidemiology, and health behavior. Health Care in the United States also explains the special challenges of managing health service personnel and organizations. The author reviews key innovations in financing and delivery, explaining the outcomes of cost sharing, HMO enrollment, and rationing of services. This vital resource is written for students and professionals in health care management and policy, as well as public health, medical sociology, medical anthropology, social work, political science, and most, if not all, clinical fields.
Health Care in the United States: Organization, Management, and Policy
by Howard P. GreenwaldA one-stop resource covering American health care and the challenges it faces In the newly revised Second Edition of Health Care in the United States: Organization, Management, and Policy, distinguished health and organizational researcher Dr. Howard P. Greenwald delivers a comprehensive exploration of the US health care system and the challenges its practitioners, professionals, and consumers face. From organization to management, financing, and evaluation, this book discusses the critical concepts, trends, and features of this sprawling set of interlocking systems. It also examines the historical origins of modern health care and how it delivers services to over 300 million Americans. Readers will discover: Modern controversies in American health care that animate political debate and discussion, including the Affordable Care Act. Discussions of the health care labor force, as well as its history, background, and crucial challenges. Possible future directions for US health care, including preventive medicine, new policy initiatives, and proposals for reform. Written for students and professionals working in or studying health care management, health policy, public health, medical sociology, or anthropology, social work, or political science, this latest edition of Health Care in the United States is also a fascinating read for members of the general public curious about one of the most important services they'll ever interact with.
Health Care of the Aged: Needs, Policies, and Services
by Abraham MonkFocusing on the need for developing new service delivery models for the aged, Health Care of the Aged examines fiscal, political, and social criteria influencing this challenge of the 1990s. The aged are caught in the sweeping changes currently occuring in the financing, organizing, and delivery of human and health care services. From various perspectives, this new book will help shape the direction for elderly health care program development and implementation. With an emphasis on greater long-term care in either home, community, or institutional settings, this important book will increase the understanding for a comprehensive, effective policy designed to carry the growing number of elderly through this decade and into the next. As roles and issues change, this valuable book will become increasingly important to those involved in providing services and care to the elderly. Health care administrators, policymakers, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and caregivers will benefit from the expertise presented in Health Care of the Aged.
Health Care of the Elderly: Essays in Old Age Medicine, Psychiatry and Services (Routledge Library Editions: Health, Disease and Society #1)
by Tom ArieOriginally published in 1981 and edited by a pioneer in psychogeriatric services, this book spans medicine, psychiatry, social work and organisation of services of the elderly, written by eminent authors from several different professions. Chapters include those on stroke rehabilitation, dementia, neurosis, psychotherapy for the elderly and institutional care, among others. The book discusses many issues which remain as pertinent today as when it was first published, not least the problems of providing health services for ageing populations.
Health Careers Today
by Judith GerdinCovering more than 45 health careers, this book offers a practical overview to help students make an informed decision in choosing a profession. Not only does it discuss the roles and responsibilities of various occupations, it provides a solid foundation in the skills needed for all health careers. Clear explanations of anatomy and physiology provide essential knowledge of health related to the human body, and show how this applies to different careers. Content in the book now adheres to and reflects National Health Care Skills Standards. A clear writing style makes it easy for students to explore health career options. Health career discussions include the requirements and roles and responsibilities of each. Full-color drawings and photographs illustrate concepts, techniques, and equipment. Summaries of essential points introduce new concepts and help with exam preparation. Anatomy and Physiology unit covers all of the body systems, and applies A&P to practice. Skill Activities provide the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience. Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter help readers focus on key information. Key Terms with definitions are listed at the beginning of each chapter. Core concepts are reinforced with more than 70 content boxes, skill boxes, review questions, and critical thinking questions. A comprehensive glossary includes all key terms and definitions for quick reference. The companion CD-ROM has been completely revised, now including over 20 all-new skills videos, animations, chapter-specific quizzes, and an audio glossary. NEW Culture and Health Care chapter provides information on cultural and religious diversity as required by the National Health Care Skills Standards (NHCSS), including strategies that various cultures use to solve health-related problems, clients and patients who use English as a second language, and the awareness of religious diversity as it relates to client care. NEW Standards and Accountabilities section appears at the end of appropriate chapters, with the specific number and name of each national standard covered, along with its page number, so that correlations can be found quickly and easily. Revised Interpersonal Dynamics and Communication chapter now includes information on team-building, goal-setting, evaluation, and traits of leaders and team members. NEW chapter summaries review and identify vital content covered in each chapter. Seven new skills have been added, offering additional hands-on experience.
Health Careers Today
by Judith GerdinDescribing more than 45 health careers, Health Careers Today, 5th Edition offers a practical overview to help you make an informed decision in choosing a profession. Not only does it discuss the roles and responsibilities of various occupations, it provides a solid foundation in the skills needed for all health careers. Clear explanations of anatomy and physiology provide essential knowledge of health related to the human body, and show how this applies to different careers. A companion Evolve website includes skills videos, animations, quizzes, and flashcards. Written by experienced educator Judith Gerdin, this book reflects National Health Care Skills Standards. A clear, easy-to-read approach makes it easy to explore health career options. Over 45 health careers are discussed, including the requirements and roles and responsibilities of each. Full-color drawings and photographs illustrate concepts, techniques, and equipment. The National Health Care Skills Standards are incorporated, and the book's organization closely follows the standards. An Anatomy and Physiology unit covers all of the body systems, and applies A&P to various career settings. Skill Activities provide the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience. Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter focus on key information. Key Terms with definitions are listed at the beginning of each chapter. Core concepts are reinforced with more than 70 content boxes, skill boxes, review questions, and critical thinking questions. National Standard sections summarize the specific number and name of each national standard covered in that chapter, along with page references. Chapter summaries make it easy to review and identify key content. A comprehensive glossary includes all key terms and definitions for quick reference. Student resources on a companion Evolve website include fill-in-the-blank and drag-and-drop quizzes, flashcards, anatomy and physiology animations, skill videos, an audio glossary, and web links. A workbook corresponds to the chapters in the textbook, and features learning activities such as vocabulary practice exercises, medical abbreviation practice exercises, coloring/labeling activities, concept application exercises, laboratory exercises, critical thinking exercises, and Internet activities. Sold separately. Updated and expanded content covers the electronic medical record, HIPAA, examples of career ladders in various health professions, superbugs and MRSA, cultural diversity, autism, BMI and its relationship to obesity, infection control, basic methods of cleaning and sterilizing instruments, HOSA guidelines, and all NHCSS (National Health Care Skills Standards) required information. Bios and photographs feature working professionals in many health careers, adding personal stories that you can relate to. Brain bytes reinforce concepts and keep you engaged in the material. New photographs show workers in various health care settings. References to websites connect you to online resources and research. Full-page forms are located in the appendix, with printable versions available on the companion Evolve website for use in assignments.
Health Careers Today
by Judith GerdinFind the health career that s right for you! Health Careers Today, 6th Edition offers a practical overview to help you make an informed decision in choosing a profession. Not only does this book discuss the roles and responsibilities of various occupations, it provides a solid foundation in the skills that each health career requires. Clear explanations of anatomy and physiology provide essential knowledge of the human body and show how A&P applies to different careers. From experienced educator Judith Gerdin, this edition adds three new chapters, and an Evolve companion website includes new health career videos, animations, exercises, and more. A clear, easy-to-read approach makes it easy to explore and understand health career options.Over 45 health careers are discussed, including the requirements and roles and responsibilities of each.Full-color photographs, drawings, and design illustrate concepts, techniques, and equipment."Anatomy and Physiology" unit covers all of the body systems, and applies A&P to various career settings."Skill Activities" provide the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience.Review" q"uestions and critical thinking questions in each chapter allow you to test your understanding of what you ve learned."Brain Bytes" reinforce concepts and keep you engaged in the material."Health Careers in Practice" boxes show working professionals in many health careers, featuring personal stories that you can relate to.Objectives and Key Terms at the beginning of each chapter focus on the key information to be learned.Chapter summaries make it easy to identify and review key content.Updated National Health Care Skills Standards are summarized with the specific number and name of each national standard covered in that chapter, along with page references.A glossary includes all key terms and definitions for quick reference.Evolve website provides exercises, new career videos, animations, and competency skill sheets for further information, review, and practice.A workbook corresponds to the chapters in the textbook, and features learning activities such as vocabulary practice exercises, medical abbreviation practice exercises, coloring/labeling activities, concept application exercises, laboratory exercises, critical thinking exercises, and online activities. "Sold separately. "NEW! Three new chapters on professionalism, medical mathematics, and medical terminology provide a firm foundation in health care basics.NEW CPR guidelines meet the 2015 guidelines for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.NEW! Employment strategies have been added to emphasize the skills necessary for retaining a job.NEW! Updated and expanded EHR information reflects the increased role of the electronic health record in health care.NEW! Expanded "Culture and Health" Care chapter prepares you to care for patients from other cultures and to address cultural differences safely and tactfully.NEW! Coverage of informatics and technology addresses this growing health care career.NEW! Career videos on the Evolve companion website showcase professionals discussing their health care career choices. "
Health Careers Today (3rd Edition)
by Judith GerdinThis valuable guide provides an introduction to the basic health care environment and a preview of various popular health careers designed to help students make informed choices based on their interest and their commitment to the educational and professional responsibilities of each health career. It gives students a realistic glimpse of various health careers available today, outlining the roles and responsibilities, levels of education and credentialing, daily functions, and key disorders and assessment tools that are involved.
Health Colonialism: Urban Wastelands and Hospital Frontiers (Forerunners: Ideas First)
by Shiloh KruparThe role of American hospital expansions in health disparities and medical apartheidHealth Colonialism considers how U.S. urban development policies contribute to the uneven and unjust distribution of health care in this country. Here, Shiloh Krupar investigates the racially inequitable effects of elite U.S. hospitals on their surrounding neighborhoods and their role in consolidating frontiers of land primed for redevelopment. Naming this frontier &“medical brownfields,&” Krupar shows how hospitals leverage their domestic real estate empires to underwrite international prospecting for patients and overseas services and specialty clinics. Her pointed analysis reveals that decolonizing health care efforts must scrutinize the land practices of nonprofit medical institutions and the liberal foundations of medical apartheid perpetuated by globalizing American health care.
Health Communication
by Renata SchiavoHealth Communication: From Theory to Practice is a much needed resource for the fast-growing field of health communication. It combines a comprehensive introduction to current issues, theories, and special topics in health communication with a hands-on guide to program development and implementation. While the book is designed for students, professionals and organizations with no significant field experience, it also includes advanced topics for health communication practitioners, public health experts, researchers, and health care providers with an interest in this field.
Health Communication and Disease in Africa: Beliefs, Traditions and Stigma
by Bankole Falade Mercy MurireThis book is a collection of essays from across Africa which highlight the roles of beliefs and traditions in health behaviour. Chapters address mental health, risk perception, stigma, reproductive health, religion and health. The book also examines conceptual approaches in health communication and community development, both western and indigenous. Specific topics include Alzheimer’s, HIV and stigma; perception of risk from obesity, HIV prevention and preeclampsia; doctor-patient relationship and health beliefs of birth attendants; culture and mental health access and social media effects on mental health; the complementary use of contemporary and indigenous communication strategies and the accommodation of science by religious leaders during the COVID 19 pandemic. The book, which starts by examining global inequalities in health, proposes an African approach informed by problematisation as theorised by Foucault and Freire, to unpack habits and social problems. It ends by asking the question: “Is science enough” and making a strong case for health enabling environments alongside science communication.
Health Communication for Health Care Professionals: An Applied Approach
by Michael P. PaganoThe author underscores the importance of developing and maintaining successful relationships with patients, peers, and colleagues as a cornerstone of effective health care outcomes. With an emphasis on interactive learning, the text utilizes communication theories to analyze verbal and non-verbal behaviors in diverse health care contexts and assess which are more effective and why.
Health Communication for Social Justice: A Whole Person Activist Approach (Routledge Social Justice Communication Activism Series)
by Vinita AgarwalThis textbook combines whole person and social justice perspectives to educate students on the role of communication in promoting inclusive and person-centered healthcare practices. This book explores health inequities experienced by disadvantaged and marginalized populations and outlines the actions students can take to address these challenges. The book demonstrates how physical, mental, and emotional health is connected to equitable understandings of individual, community, and environmental health. It considers how social, interpersonal, and systemic factors such as personal relationships, language, literacy, religion, technology, and the environment affect health equity. To present strategies and invite action to support the goals of the whole person, social justice activist approach, the book provides contemporary examples, interviews with communication scholars, and case studies that examine local communities and the everyday contexts of health meaning making. This textbook serves as a core or supplemental text for graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses in health communication. Online resources include PowerPoint slides and an instructor manual containing sample syllabi, assignments, and test questions. They are available online at www.routledge.com/9781032081038.
Health Communication in the Changing Media Landscape
by Ravindra Kumar Vemula Subbarao M GavaravarapuThis book advances new understandings of how technologies have been harnessed to improve the health of populations; whether the technologies really empower those who use information by providing them with a choice of information; how they shape health policy discourses; how the health information relates to traditional belief systems and local philosophies; the implications for health communicators; how certain forms of silence are produced when media articulates and problematizes only a few health issues and sidelines others; and much more. The book brings together current research and discussions on the three areas of policy, practices and theoretical perspectives related to health communication approaches in developing countries, presenting well-researched and documented essays that will prove helpful for academic and scholarly inquiry in this area.
Health Communication: From Theory to Practice
by Renata Schiavo"Health Communication: From Theory to Practice" is a much needed resource for the fast-growing field of health communication. It combines a comprehensive introduction to current issues, theories, and special topics in health communication with a hands-on guide to program development and implementation. While the book is designed for students, professionals and organizations with no significant field experience, it also includes advanced topics for health communication practitioners, public health experts, researchers, and health care providers with an interest in this field.
Health Communication: Research and Practice for a Diverse and Changing World
by Nancy Grant Harrington Rachael A. RecordThis thoroughly revised second edition covers the major areas of research, theory, and practical application in health communication. This textbook takes an in-depth approach to health communication by analyzing and critically evaluating research conducted across multiple paradigmatic perspectives and focusing on translational application of research findings. Using the story of the Montgomery family, a biracial, multigenerational family, and their health experiences as a case study, chapters explore topics including patient–provider communication, health communication in the media, ethical issues, and public health crises. New chapters cover the potential for communication to address discrimination in healthcare settings, health information seeking, social support and caregiving, and the relationship between health and environmental communication. Chapters offer pedagogical features that will prove useful to students and instructors of health communication, such as summary boxes, theory tables, suggestions for in-class activities, discussion questions, and lists of additional resources. Developed for use in advanced undergraduate and master’s level health communication and public health courses, this text represents the breadth and depth of health communication theory and research as it exists today. Online resources for instructors including additional theory tables, PowerPoint slides, test questions and assignments, sample syllabi, and lists of additional resources are available at https://www.routledge.com/9781032100470.
Health Communication: Strategies for Developing Global Health Programs (Health Communication #5)
by Arvind Singhal Gary L. Kreps Do Kyun KimPromotion of healthy behaviors and prevention of disease are inextricably linked to cultural understandings of health and well-being. Health communication scholarship and practice can substantially and strategically contribute to people living safer, healthier, and happier lives. <p><p>This book represents a concrete step in that direction by establishing a strategic framework for guiding global and local health practices.
Health Communication: Theoretical and Critical Perspectives
by Ruth Cross Ivy O'Neil Sam DavisHealth communication is key to promoting good population and individual health outcomes. As the field has developed, there is a growing need for a critical appraisal of the ideologies and theories underpinning health communication in order to ensure effective practice. This book clearly situates health communication within its social context. It provides a critical overview of three key disciplinary areas - education, psychology and communication. Drawing on international examples throughout, the book challenges the underlying assumptions that drive the design and delivery of health promotion interventions. The authors argue that health communication is inherently political and pay close attention to issues of power, ethics and inequality throughout the text. This book will be valuable for those students at all levels who require a critical perspective, as well as practitioners in health communication and health promotion. With reference to detailed examples and annotated suggestions for further reading, the book is an accessible resource for analysing contemporary health communication.
Health Communication: Theory, Method, and Application
by Nancy Grant HarringtonHealth Communication provides coverage of the major areas of interest in the field of health communication, including interpersonal, organizational, and health media. It takes an in-depth approach to health communication research by analyzing and critically evaluating research conducted across multiple paradigmatic perspectives. This edited textbook includes chapters covering such topics as: interpersonal health communication issues, challenges, and complexities in health communication, communication aspects of health behaviors and conditions, organizational issues in health communication, and media and eHealth research. Chapters have been contributed by noted researchers and educators in health communication and represent the current state of the field. They offer pedagogical features that will prove useful to students and instructors of health communication, such as sidebars, summary boxes, suggestions for in-class activities, discussion questions, and lists of additional resources. A companion website provides online resources for use with this text, including: For students: Test questions Downloadable flash cards Exam study guides For instructors: PowerPoint slides Sample syllabi Sample assignments Developed for use in upper-level health communication courses, this text represents the breadth and depth of health communication theory and research as it exists today.
Health Communism: A Surplus Manifesto
by Beatrice Adler-Bolton Artie VierkantA searing analysis of health and illness under capitalism from hosts of the hit podcast &“Death Panel&” In this fiery, theoretical tour-de-force, Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant offer an overview of life and death under capitalism and argue for a new global left politics aimed at severing the ties between capital and one of its primary tools: health. Written by co-hosts of the hit &“Death Panel&” podcast and longtime disability justice and healthcare activists Adler-Bolton and Vierkant, Health Communism first examines how capital has instrumentalized health, disability, madness, and illness to create a class seen as &“surplus,&” regarded as a fiscal and social burden. Demarcating the healthy from the surplus, the worker from the &“unfit&” to work, the authors argue, serves not only to undermine solidarity but to mark whole populations for extraction by the industries that have emerged to manage and contain this &“surplus&” population. Health Communism then looks to the grave threat capital poses to global public health, and at the rare movements around the world that have successfully challenged the extractive economy of health. Ultimately, Adler-Bolton and Vierkant argue, we will not succeed in defeating capitalism until we sever health from capital. To do this will require a radical new politics of solidarity that centers the surplus, built on an understanding that we must not base the value of human life on one&’s willingness or ability to be productive within the current political economy. Capital, it turns out, only fears health.
Health Consequences of Service During the Persian Gulf War: Recommendations for Research and Information Systems
by Committee to Review the Health Consequences of Service During the Persian Gulf WarIn January 1995 the Institute of Medicine released a preliminary report containing initial findings and recommendations on the federal government's response to reports by some veterans and their families that they were suffering from illnesses related to military service in the Persian Gulf War.The committee was asked to review the government's means of collecting and maintaining information for assessing the health consequences of military service and to recommend improvements and epidemiological studies if warranted. This new volume reflects an additional year of study by the committee and the full results of its three-year effort.
Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa
by Carol Azungi Dralega Angella NapakolThis is an open access book which brings together leading scholars and critical discourses on political, economic, legal, technological, socio-cultural and systemic changes and continuities intersecting media and health crises in Sub-Saharan Africa. The volume extensively discusses COVID-19 but it also covers other epidemics, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS as well as “silent” health crises such as mental health---simmering across the subcontinent. The chapters fill knowledge gaps, highlight innovations, unpack the complexities surrounding the media ecosystem in times of health crises. They explore, among other issues, the politics of public health communication; infodemics; existential threats to media viability; draconian legislations; threats to journalists/journalism; COVID-related entrepreneurship, marginalization, and more.This is a timely resource for academics, advocacy groups, media practitioners and policy makers working on crises and media reporting, not just in Africa but anywhere in the global South.
Health Crisis Communication: Multimodal Classification for Pandemic Preparedness (Routledge Studies in Language, Health and Culture)
by Sheng-Hsun LeeSheng-Hsun Lee develops a new way of understanding public health crisis communication through the lens of multimodal classification. He draws on examples from COVID-19 press conferences in Taiwan and public online comments to outline multimodal classification as sorting pandemic phenomena into categorical types.Lee argues that when public health officials classify health crisis phenomena into categories, they also set parameters for official responses and shape public perceptions of a crisis. He illustrates the argument through examining Taiwan’s initial successes in keeping most infections at bay and subsequent challenges of obtaining enough vaccines for international border reopening. The successes and challenges are closely linked to multimodal classification, which includes using speech, gestures, and objects to make some categories travel broadly and impede the circulation of other categories. The book discusses a wide range of crisis categories from the three dreadful first times—the first confirmed case, the first community-acquired case, and the first death—to the politicized debate over vaccine brands. Lee emphasizes the importance of understanding how crisis categories are produced, circulated, and received. The comprehensive coverage looks beyond initial responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and outside English-dominant places to redefine effective public health messaging. Based on the findings, the book highlights implications for communicating official messages and offers a list of ready-to-use strategies for updating existing guidelines on public health communication.The book is an essential read for public health practitioners and researchers and advanced students in discourse analysis and public health communication.