Developing community occupational therapy services in Canada.

International trends in health care point to increasing development of community services. However, the majority of occupational therapists work in institutional settings. A study, between 1985 and 1987, defined and created a profile of existing community occupational therapy services across Canada, and identified the processes and strategies which led to the development of these services. One hundred and eighty nine (189) services, including home care, other salaried services, and private or consulting services were identified. A national sample of community occupational therapy program developers described processes and strategies from which the author suggests a general "ripple effect" strategy to enhance the occupational therapy contribution to the community.

The Occupational Therapy Northern Outreach Program: a description.

The Northern Outreach Program is a joint project of the University of Western Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health. This program strives to develop health care services in northern Ontario. One aspect of this program is directed specifically towards the development of occupational therapy services. This paper provides a description of the structure of the Northern Outreach program, program objectives and approaches towards meeting the objectives. Although limited formal evaluation of the program has been completed some results will be described.

A historiography of a model statewide allied health manpower supply/demand study.

Noting the absence of unified data on the supply and demand of allied health practitioners in New York State, a study was conducted at the State University of New York at Stony Brook of 16 professional groups. The study consisted of a statewide census; a market survey of professional leaders, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and practicing professionals; and an analysis of educational programs available and minority enrollment in those programs. The results indicated that, in general, the supply and demand for the services of allied health professionals in New York State are in rough equilibrium, with some shortages in rural and inner-city locations. It was further noted that while the educational institutions are preparing adequate numbers of professionals to meet the employment demand, minority groups are significantly underrepresented in the enrollment figures.