Author Description

Product DescriptionInterest in the Cuban health care model has grown over the years and despite ongoing changes in Cuban society, the pride and satisfaction Cuban citizens take in their health care system suggest that it will likely prevail in post-Castro Cuba. Susan E. Mason, David L. Strug, and Joan Beder have edited this collection of essays by contributors who are respected professionals in Cuba and the United States. Community Health Care in Cuba examines this closely integrated system in which community representatives, nurses, doctors, social workers, and other health care specialists work together to meet the health care needs of all Cuba's citizens. The collection features a first-hand look into the country's highly successful, integrated, and prevention-oriented health care model and includes interviews with the director of Cuba's National Medical Sciences Information Center (INFOMED) and the president of the Cuban Society of Social Workers in Health Care. Placing Cuba at the forefront as a model of international health care, this book illustrates how Cuba, despite its economic constraints, is able to deliver high-quality care to its citizens from a local to national level.Review"This book is unique in the field for including authors both from Cuba and North America in making a very readable volume which focuses on current issues in health, health sociology, and social work.... this book marks an important moment in the still very much evolving story of health inthat island nation."--Richard Garfield, Columbia University School of NursingAbout the AuthorSusan E. Mason (PhD, Columbia University; MSSW, Columbia University) is professor of social work at Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work, professor of sociology, and chair of the college departments of sociology and political science. She has written many articles and book chapters on mental health, social service utilization and workforce efficacy. She is co-editor of Diagnosis Schizophrenia: A comprehensive Resource for Patients, Families, and Helping Professionals.David L. Strug (PhD, Columbia University; MSW, Hunter College) is professor emeritus of social work at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University in New York City and is also a clinical social worker in private practice. He has traveled frequently to Cuba to do research on older persons, the development of social work, and community-oriented health care. He wrote with Jeanne Lemkau Love, Loss and Longing: The Impact of U.S. Travel Restrictions on Cuban-American Families.Joan Beder (PhD, Yeshiva University; MSW, Adelphi University) is professor of social work at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University in New York City and maintains a clinical practice in Long Island. She is the author of Faces of Bereavement: A Casebook for Grief Counselors and Medical Social Work: The Interface of Medicine and Caring.