AMCHP TOOLBOX: Improving the Receipt of Clinical Preventive Services among Women with Disabilities
According to the U.S. Census, 17.8 million women (15.1%) aged 18 years or older have some type of disability including "sensory, mental, or physical impairments; or limitations in self-care, leaving the house, and employment.”1 Compared with women without disabilities, women with disabilities are less likely to receive routine clinical preventive services.2, 3, 4 Clinical preventive services are healthcare services that are delivered in clinical settings to identify early or prevent the onset of health conditions and illnesses.
Identifying Tools to Improve Clinical Preventive Services for Women with Disabilities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disability (NCBDDD) and the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) launched a new internet-based TOOLBOX: Improving the Receipt of Clinical Preventive Services among Women with Disabilities.
The Toolbox was created through a collaborative process involving a review of the literature and national data sources to identify data, barriers, strategies, and tools to help improve and increase the use of clinical preventive services.
In April 2012, CDC and AMCHP hosted a meeting for maternal and child health experts and stakeholders to examine examples of existing tools and to provide input on developing a one-stop online toolbox for programs and staff who may encounter women with disabilities and special health care needs in their work. Stakeholders reviewed existing tools, including the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, Disability and Health Data System (DHDS), a community action guide, a transportation resource hotline, and training sessions for clinicians and women with disabilities.
A One-Stop Online Toolbox
The Toolbox provide links to existing tools for increasing knowledge about recommended services, identifying service gaps, identifying accessible health care facilities and transportation, and improving healthcare interactions between clinicians and women with disabilities.
- U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). 2008‒2010 American Community Survey, 3-Year Estimates American Fact Finder Table B18101: Sex-By-Age-By-Disability Status. Available at: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.
Accessed June 2013.
- Weitz T.A., Freund, K.M., & Wright, L. (2001). Identifying and caring for underserved populations: Experience of the national centers of excellence in women’s health. Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine,10(10), 937–952.
- Wisdom, J.P. et al. (2010). Health disparities between women with and without disabilities: A review of the research. Social Work in Public Health, 25(3), 368–386.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disability and Health Data System (DHDS). Available at: http://dhds.cdc.gov Accessed June 2013.
- Page last reviewed: April 15, 2014
- Page last updated: April 15, 2014
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