Guide to the Health Advocacy Program Records
RG 3.5.1

Summary Information

Repository

Sarah Lawrence College Archives

Creator

Sarah Lawrence College. Health Advocacy Program.

Title

Health Advocacy Program Records

ID

RG 3.5.1

Date [bulk]

Bulk, 1989-1998

Date [inclusive]

1979-present

Extent

2.5 linear feet 2 record cartons, 1 document box, digital objects

Language

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Sarah Lawrence College Archives April 2012

Conditions Governing Access note

Administrative records are closed for 20 years from the date of creation. Partially restricted or restricted folders are labeled as such and are usually restricted for 75 years from the date of creation or death of the individual(s) mentioned. See Archivist for further information.

Processing information

Processed in April 2012 by Sarah Pinard.

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Historical note

The Health Advocacy Program was founded in 1980 by Joan Marks ‘51. This program was the first of its kind in the nation and trained professionals to be liaisons between patients and the healthcare system. It was initially funded in part by the J.M., Helena Rubinstein, and Florence V. Burden Foundations. In the beginning, coursework was completed in three semesters and has always included intensive fieldwork outside the classroom. Current students typically complete their degrees after four semesters and one summer. The program was originally directed by Joan Marks in conjunction with Ruth Ravich of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center. The program’s faculty was, and continues to be, composed of outside professionals who work in psychology, healthcare, health law, ethics, and economics, as well as Sarah Lawrence College faculty from all disciplines.

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Scope and Contents note

This collection consists of advisory board reports, material relating to grants and other funding sources, administrative correspondence, meeting minutes, fieldwork placement documentation, curricular material, program, flyers, and correspondence related to Health Advocacy Program activities and events, as well as reference sources in the form of clippings, newsletters, and press releases. Photographs of classes and program-sponsored events have been rehoused in the Photograph Collection. There are a significant number of audiocassette tape recordings of conferences, classes, and lectures. Many of these recordings are from the Health Advocates in Research Conference, held in 2005. These recordings are listed in the appendix to this finding aid.

The bulk of the records date from 1967 to 1999. Records dating before 1968 are mostly brochures and reference materials.

The majority of these records were created by daily administrative functions. These materials include the directors’ correspondence, committee and advisory board reports, and documents related to funding. This also includes faculty meeting minutes, curricular material, and document in the Open House folders. Flyers, programs, and other ephemera are products of conferences, workshops, and lectures held on campus and sponsored by the Health Advocacy Program.

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Series Description

The records are organized in nine series:

1. Administrative Files
2. Directors and Administrators
3. Faculty
4. Students and Alumni
5. Curriculum
6. Program Activities and Events
7. Reference
8. Audiovisual
9. Photographs

Series I. Administrative Files

This series is arranged in alphabetical order. In 1991 the College applied for and received funding from the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute to develop and run a series of educational workshops on HIV/AIDS. Nine one-day and five two-day workshops were designed and offered over a six month grant period. Brochures, administrative correspondence, reports, New York State material for all seminars and workshops conducted by Sarah Lawrence College with support from the AIDS Institute are located in this series.

This series also houses administrative papers that document the accreditation and certification of the Health Advocacy Program, documents created by the Advisory Board, and administrative correspondence, contracts, and forms for fieldwork placement sites.

Series II. Directors and Administrators

This series is arranged alphabetically by last name. The correspondence in the folders is both internal, external, and to students and alumni. The external correspondence includes letters about student placements and internships with site coordinators. There is also a folder of recommendation letters for students by Marsha Hurst. This folder is restricted. Also of note is a file of detailed notes taken at a conference about patient rights and attended by Marsha Hurst, circa 2000.

Series III. Faculty

This series is arranged alphabetically by subject. The majority of files in this series are from faculty and meeting retreats held between 1998 and 2004. Additional materials include a folder of correspondence from Laura Weil in her role as a faculty member in the Health Advocacy Program, and a folder of faculty lists, some of which include salary information. This folder is restricted.

Series IV. Students and Alumni

This series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Many of the folders in this series are restricted including class and student lists, documentation about fieldwork placements, and student reports. The author of the student paper, “Staff Nursing: A White Paper,” is unknown. The Questionnaire folder contains correspondence regarding the student questionnaire. The material in this series dates to 1980 through 2000, with the bulk of the material dating to the late 1980s through 1999.

Series V. Curriculum

This is a small series arranged alphabetically by subject. The series includes an overview of course descriptions that are undated, summer reading lists that were sent to students between 1982 and 2002, and material about co-requisite courses, the Cuba Study Program, and the fieldwork program. Additional correspondence about Health Advocacy II and The Politics and Economics of Health Policy courses are also located in this series. Much of the material in this series is undated. The folders for which dates are known span 1982 to 2002.

Series VI. Program Activities and Events

This series is arranged in six sub-series:

1. Commencement
2. Conferences and Workshops
3. General
4. Lectures
5. Open House
6. Orientation

The bulk of the material in this series is located in two sub-series: Conferences and Workshops and Open House. These sub-series, as well as the Orientation sub-series, are arranged in chronological order. The remaining sub-series are arranged in alphabetical order by subject.

Files in sub-series B. Conference and Workshops contain flyers, programs, correspondence, lists, and publicity materials for these events. Some events have more documentation than others. Of note for their quantity of material are the folders of the Veterans Administration Patient Representatives Conference and Workshops (1996-1997), and the Conference for Veterans Administration Patient Representatives (1997), as well as the Health Advocacy in Research Conference (2005). Audiocassette recordings of sessions from the Health Advocacy in Research Conference are located in the Audiovisual Collection. There are photographs and audiocassette recordings of the Childhood Asthma and the Community event (2003), and photographs from Expressions of Caregiving: Sharing Experience and Exploring Meaning (2005).

Sub-series E. Open House includes material from 1986 to 1999 with the bulk of this material dating from 1991 to 1999. In addition to containing orientation schedules and information important to new Health Advocacy students, the folders in sub-series F. Orientation also include campus-wide schedules of events, College policies, and semester and academic year calendars. This material dates from 1995 to 2003.

Series VII. Reference

This series is arranged alphabetically by subject. This is a small series containing reference material produced by the Health Advocacy Program and the College in promotion of the program. This includes program brochures and newsletters, often written by students, as well as press releases written by the College. There is also a folder of clippings about events on campus and courses offered by the Health Advocacy Program. The material in this series dates from 1980 to 2012.

Series VIII. Audiovisual

This is a series of cassette tapes. These cassettes are housed in the Audiovisual Collection. The majority of these tapes are recordings of classroom lectures and discussions. There are also recordings of conferences sponsored by the Health Advocacy Program. It is of note that there are two recordings for which print material also exists. These are: "Childhood Asthma and the Community" and "Health Advocacy in Research."

Series IX. Photographs

This is a small series of photographs. These photographs are housed in the Photograph Collection. Additional material about "Childhood Asthma and the Community," and "Communicating with Children and Adolescents with Life-Limiting Conditions" is located in the Audiovisual Collection and also in Series VI. Program Activities and Events. All photographs are in color.

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• New York (State). AIDS Institute.

Genre(s)

• Audiocassettes
• Bulletins
• Correspondence
• Newsletters
• Photographs

Personal Name(s)

• Carroll, Mary
• Greene, Crystal
• Hurst, Marsha
• Marks, Joan H.
• Mizrahi, Terry
• Ravich, Ruth
• Taben, Eva
• Weil, Laura

Subject(s)

• AIDS (Disease) - United States - Prevention
• Patient advocacy

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Collection Inventory