The State Of Mental Health In The Mountain West, 2023, Ayda Atici, Freddy Nie, Jesse M. Fager-Larsen, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines the state of mental health for both youth and adults and availability of mental health care in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are retrieved from Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2023 report, The State of Mental Health in America.

Unlv Mental Health Initiatives: Unifying Through Innovation And Collaboration, The Lincy Institute, Unlv Practice, Behere Nv, Unlv Department Of Psychology

Lincy Institute Events

Nevada persistently ranks at or near the bottom in the country for overall access to mental health services despite the need (Mental Health America, 2015-2023). UNLV faculty are developing initiatives to change this unacceptable situation. The Lincy Institute, in partnership with UNLV PRACTICE, BeHERE Nevada, and researchers from the Department of Psychology, offered a community forum showcasing three mental health initiatives harnessing faculty collaboration and innovation to drive overdue changes in Nevada’s mental-health landscape. Following the presentations policymakers engaged in open discussion with UNLV presenters and the audience. The three main initiatives showcased in this forum …

How Covid-19 Changed Us: Compassion, Leadership, And Policy, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

Nevada was one of the hardest hit states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past three years, researchers at The Lincy Institute and other institutions collected interviews from 80 Nevada leaders across sectors including elected officials, leaders in education, community organizations, government agencies, and the business community. Four years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities continue to build a resilient and healthy Nevada. This forum discusses how the crisis prompted us to rethink how we lead and how we can prepare for future challenges. Following a presentation of the project and its deliverables, leaders across sectors discuss …

Promoting Mammography Screenings In African American Women: Media, Church, And Health Providers, Lasonya Little, Debra C. Wallace, K.Jay Poole

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Due to the underutilization of screening mammography, African American women (AAW) are more likely to experience negative health outcomes after receiving a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis than White Women (WW). The purpose of this article is to examine the roles of the media, health community and the African American church and pastor and their potential impact in AAW screening decisions. Fifteen AAW, ages 45 and older, were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Most women agreed the African American pastor and church as well as the health community, and media are an integral part of their lives. Therefore, specific …

Understanding Firearm Purchasing During A Purchasing Surge Among Black Individuals, Esprene Liddell-Quintyn, Jasmin Brooks Stephens, Michael D. Anestis

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Abstract

Purpose: During 2020, the US experienced a record-breaking year for firearm purchases, with major spikes occurring at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and in June 2020. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with firearm purchasing during a purchasing surge among Black individuals and to document their reasons for surge purchasing.

Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey from January to June 2021. Participants were recruited through quota sampling using Qualtrics. This study focuses on a sample of Black individuals (n=1115) from which a subsample of respondents (n=108) indicated that they purchased firearms since …

Nursing Homes In The Mountain West, 2023, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents nursing home data in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Data from a September 2023 ProPublica publication titled, “Nursing Home Inspect” are presented including the total number of nursing homes, homes with serious deficiencies, homes with infection related deficiencies, the amount nursing homes paid in penalties and the number of payment suspensions for nursing homes in the Mountain West.

Mountain West State Health System Rankings, 2023, Julia Salangsang, Ivan Sun, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents data from the “2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance” published by The Commonwealth Fund. The original report includes data from all 50 states and measures health system performance based on health care access, quality, use of services, costs, health disparities, reproductive care and women’s health, and health outcomes.

Does Using Sofa Score For Ventilator Triage Among Covid 19 Patients Result In Suboptimal Allocation Of Medical Ventilators For The Bipoc Population?, Alexandrea Mp Masocco, Elisabeth Michel, Ebbin Dotson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: Since the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Black, and Latinx populations have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be inferred with high confidence that those most vulnerable are the least likely to receive essential care. Kidney transplant allocation and COVID-19 triage protocols share commonalities in that both protocols involve using multivariate scored criteria with objective and subjective inputs. As such, the similar conclusion in outcomes is concerning. It is worth questioning whether the racial inequalities demonstrated in the COVID-19 pandemic related to access to life-saving ventilators were associated with triage protocols.

Methodology: Using an exploratory …

Supporting Minority Serving Institution Faculty To Enhance Biomedical Research: The Csulb Center For Health Equity Research Institute, Laura H. D'Anna, Thomas Alex Washington, Wendy Nomura

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Scientists from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) bring unique perspectives and experiences that enhance the potential for understanding factors that are associated with racial, ethnic, and social inequities in health and health status. However, inadequate research infrastructure and mentoring opportunities within MSIs limit faculty engagement in the research enterprise. Additionally, structural inequities embedded in the NIH grant funding process disproportionately disadvantage underrepresented minority (URM) faculty and faculty at MSIs. The foci of the intensive Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Institute were to 1) increase the number of early career faculty members (with an emphasis on MSI faculty) who are better …

Sports Wagering In The United States: What We Do And Don't Know, Joshua B. Grubbs, Shane W. Kraus

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Abstract

In the wake of the Murphy vs. NCAA decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, over 30 states now permit sports betting and a majority of Americans now have access to this activity. Even so, much remains unknown about the effects of widespread access to sports betting in the U.S. The present work reports interim results of multi-year data collection efforts in the U.S. In April of 2022, a U.S. nationally representative sample of 2,806 Americans and an additional sample of 1,553 sports wagering people were recruited by YouGov opinion polling, with follow up data collected in …

Addressing Disparities For Gambling Treatment Service Use In The Latinx Community: Outreach, Education, Screening, And Referral By Community Health Workers, Michael D. Campos Phd, Abraham J. Caballero Bs, Hugo Ramirez Bs, Hanssel Walker Bba

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

ABSTRACT

Problem gambling/gambling disorder prevalence among Latinx individuals in the U.S. is similar to that seen in the non-Latinx Caucasian community (Alegria et al., 2009). However, there are disparities in the use of State-funded treatment for such problems in California. This is true for mental health service use for ethnic/racial minorities in the US overall (Alegria et al., 2008; Dua et al., 2011; Wells et al., 2001). The California Office of Problem Gambling (OPG), the UCLA Gambling Studies Program (UGSP), and Visión y Compromiso (VyC) are conducting a 2-year pilot project using community health workers (promotores/as) to increase Latinx utilization …

The Black Progress Index In Mountain West Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Msas), Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data from the Brookings Institution report, “Black Progress Index: Examining Social Factors That Influence Black Well-Being” authored by Andre Perry and Jonathan Rothwell in September 2022. The Black Progress Index (BPI) score is constructed using data and social factors that impact life expectancy for Black Americans. This fact sheet compares the BPI with the actual life expectancy of Black people in Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This fact sheet also examines each of the 13 variables included in the original report to present the BPI in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA.

Physician Workforce In The Mountain West, Hira Ahmed, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

Using data from the Association of American Medical College’s State Physician Workforce Data Report, this fact sheet synthesizes Mountain West data on the numbers of active physicians and active physician demographics in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet focuses on active physicians in the Mountain West region by gender, race and ethnicity, as well as the number of students pursuing medical and premedical education.

Prescription Drug Retail Sales In The Mountain West, Caren Royce Yap, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet synthesizes data on prescription drug retail sales in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). "Retail Sales for Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies by Payer," a 2019 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, includes data on the amount of retail sales for prescription drugs made in each state by dollar amount, along with the method of coverage, including commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and cash payment.

Births In The Mountain West, 2016-2020, Corryn Richardson, Hira Ahmed, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines state-level data on births and health indicators from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a government health statistics unit of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This fact sheet presents data related to births in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

Self-Reported Covid-19 Diagnosis And Severity And Its Association With Utilization Of And Delays In Needed Medical Care, Mohammad Hesam Alavi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Covid-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The pandemic-related disruptions and the pursuant lockdowns have adversely impacted every aspect of people’s lives including access to medical care, cancer care, preventive medicine, mental health, and dental care in an already imperfect healthcare system in the US. This study utilized the 2020 self-reported data from quarters 3 and 4 of the National Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional interview survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to determine the possible association of self-reported COVID diagnosis, test positivity, and …

Payment Profiles: Using Payment Transaction Data To Identify And Characterize Gamblers, Kasra Ghaharian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Payment providers in the gambling industry facilitate transactions, allowing customers to transfer money to and from wagering accounts. Payments transaction data is information that is captured from these transactions, including, for example, the type, amount, time, and location. How this data may be used for gambling harm minimization and prevention has garnered significant interest, particularly due to accelerated payments modernization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this study, I explored the utility of payments transaction data to categorize subgroups of gamblers in order to identify individuals who may be at-risk of harm. I benchmarked six cluster analysis methods …

Health Rankings: Mountain West States, 2021, Hira Ahmed, Sofia Takhtadjian, Olivia K. Cheche, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

Using data from the United Health Foundation’s “America’s Health Rankings Annual Report 2021,” this fact sheet compares various measures of health in the Mountain West using data from 2014 to 2021. The original report includes data on the five determinants of health including social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes. This fact sheet examines health metrics for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Awareness And Knowledge On Aging And Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Service User And Provider Perspectives In Southern Nevada, Brandon C. Ranuschio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) is a condition that can affect up to 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and present as a cluster of neurocognitive difficulties in domains such as attention, memory, concentration, language, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, and even motor skills. The current study intended to identify awareness and knowledge of HAND among middle-aged and older PLWH and their healthcare or service providers in Southern Nevada. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, participants from the community were recruited to complete a survey that assessed awareness and knowledge of HAND. The survey also assessed the personal experiences of PLWH …

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Stds) In The Mountain West, 2015 - 2019, Kristian Thymianos, Saha Salahi, Zachary Walusek, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines data on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the Mountain West as originally reported in the “STD Surveillance Report 2019” published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). This includes data for Mountain West states and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) on the following STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis.

Quality Of Care: A Business Case For Us Hospitals, Iwimbong Kum Ghabowen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act present some threats and opportunities to many hospitals across the USA. Under the Value-Based Purchasing Program, acute care hospitals' rewards are tied to incentive payments for the quality of care provided in the inpatient hospital. In the last 20 years, growing research has examined the effects of the quality of care on the financial performance of hospitals. There is a gap in the literature, particularly exploring the relationship between quality and hospital financial performance using national samples. This dissertation investigates the association between patients' experience of care, 30-day readmission rates, and case-mix-index (CMI) …

The Association Between Neighborhood Social Media Use And Social Cohesion, Sense Of Community And Perceived Safety Among Adults In Clark County, Nevada, Emily Strickler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Place-based health is a concept that suggests where you live has an effect on your health outcomes. Social health factors such as social cohesion, sense of community, and perceived safety are all influenced by the neighborhood environment, and positively associated with health outcomes such as self-reported minutes of physical activity and symptoms of depression. With the increasing popularity of social media sites used specifically for neighborhood purposes, more neighbors are connecting than ever before. The purpose of this study was to determine if use of neighborhood social media sites was associated with the social health factors of social cohesion, sense …

Introspective Meditation Before Seeking Pleasurable Activities As A Stress Reduction Tool Among College Students: A Multi-Theory Model-Based Pilot Study, Manoj Sharma, Amar Kanekar, Kavita Batra, Traci Hayes, Ram Lakhan

Social & Behavioral Health Faculty Publications

In the realm of behavioral interventions, a combined approach of yoga and a cognitive-behavioral strategy in the form of introspective meditation (manan-dhyana) may offer benefits as a stress management tool. This pilot study focuses on introspective meditation performed before seeking pleasurable activities, which is a self-reflection about whether to pursue a goal that will bring sensory pleasure in life. A non-probability sample of college students was recruited from a mid-sized Southern University of the United States using a 52-items web-based survey built in Qualtrics. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics were used to analyze data. Of total 65 students, only 21.5% …

Civic Engagement As A Pathway To Meaningful Medical Student Engagement On The Social Determinants Of Health, Alexander Reardon, Jennie Deblanc, Alister Martin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The social determinants of health have gained increasing prominence in medical education, but medical students and professionals alike are under-prepared to address those determinants. There is a growing body of evidence that voting and other forms of civic engagement affect the health of patients and communities. Registering patients in healthcare settings offers students and professionals an opportunity to impact their patients’ health beyond the clinical encounter. Medical students are particularly well suited to this work for a variety of reasons, including increasingly positive attitudes toward this kind of advocacy, increasing diversity in the medical student body, and lighter clinical and …

What’S Next For Tobacco Control Efforts? Health Equity Related Lessons Learned From A National Qualitative Study On Tobacco Control And Prevention, Courtney A. Parks, Hollyanne E. Fricke, Alethea Chiappone, Jennie L. Hill, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Context: Despite gains in the tobacco prevention and control movement, tobacco products remain a threat, with specific populations at greater risk.

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that leaders in the tobacco prevention and control movement have played in progress achieved to date and identify recommendations for the future using a health equity framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that leading organizations in the tobacco prevention and control movement have played in progress achieved to date, identify future recommendations within the context of current public health priorities (e.g., obesity prevention), …

The State Of Mental Health In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Kristian Thymianos, Katie M. Gilbertson, Kelliann Beavers, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet explores mental health rankings of Mountain West states from Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2022 report, The State of Mental Health in America. This study offers a snapshot of U.S. mental health based on data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. MHA is the nation’s leading community based mental health nonprofit, founded in 1909, and “dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all.” This report is a companion to MHA’s interactive data available through its website.

Covid-19 Vaccination Rates In Nevada Counties, December 2021, Kristian Thymianos, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr., Caitlin J. Saladino

Health

This fact sheet presents vaccination rates in Nevada counties as originally reported by the Data Strategy and Execution Workgroup in the Joint Coordination Cell, under the White House COVID-19 Team in the December 30th “COVID-19 Community Profile Report.” Data on one-dose and full vaccination rates are presented.

Women's Safety In Nevada, Tsion Mekonnen, Aika Dietz

Research Briefs

43.8% of Nevadan women experience domestic violence in their lifetime (2020).

Fidelity Monitoring In The Solution Focused Wellness For Hiv (Sfwh) Intervention For Women, Helen Taylor Yates, Spencer Elise Lee

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Solution Focused methods are often interpreted by different practitioners with a degree of flexibility and adaptation to specific practice settings (Lehmann & Patton, 2012). This flexibility is one of the features that makes SFBT a very client-centered approach and has been highlighted as one of the key aspects of successful co-construction of desired outcomes with clients (Franklin et al., 2017). This collaborative approach is possible due to SFBT’s utilization of social constructionist principals in the solution-building process (Blundo & Simon, 2015). While encouraging flexibility of implementation of SFBT, identifying the main tenets of the therapy, including specific techniques and mindsets …

Vaccine Hesitancy Within Nevada Counties, June 2021, Kelliann Beavers, Madison Frazee-Bench, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet highlights estimated rates of vaccine hesitancy, vaccination rates, the index of social vulnerability, and the level of concern for 17 Nevada counties as of June, 2021. The data are reported in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) estimates.