Health Care and the Unemployed

Abstract

[Excerpt] On a chilly evening in March more than 50 residents of Calumet City Illinois, gathered to hear the findings and recommendations from a survey conducted last fall by the South Suburban Task Force on the Health Impact of Unemployment and Low Income. The Task Force had conducted interviews with unemployed workers in Calumet City and two other south Cook County communities. We wanted to find out the impact unemployment was having on people's health and their ability to get health care. The Task Force's 90-page report, The Health Impact of Unemployment and Low Income, was released in March 1984. It summarized key findings and recommendations based on interviews with unemployed workers and surveys of local physicians, dentists, and health and social service agencies. The Midwest Center for Labor Research (MCLR), along with four local health agencies, conducted the study.