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Mental Health And The Intersectionality Of Race And Gender Of Crossover Youth, James Freeman, Shieláh Deblanc, Shani Yeldell, Passion Williams, Christine White-Taylor, Jacquet Toliver

Journal of Family Strengths

Abstract

African American youth and their kinship families engaged in dual systems of care (i.e., child welfare system and juvenile justice system) commonly known as “crossover youth” can become overwhelmed by the competing priorities of both systems. While one system purports to advance a best interests standard of children in out of home care, the other, is stated to be centered on tenets of restorative justice. Children and families simultaneously involved in systems that are incompatible can be very difficult to negotiate. In addition to the traditional developmental gaps in crossover youth development there are subsequent layers that contribute to …

Utilization And Workforce Integration Of Physician Assistants, Tara Harkins Pa-C, Jason Thomas Pa-C, Brian Fontenot Pa-C, Joseph Day Pa-C, Marielle Faraone Pa-C, Alexandra Borden Pa-C, Megan Lomax Pa-C, Darius Dranginis Pa-C, Ryan Krasnosky Mpas, Pa-C, Dfaapa, Drph, Angelo P. Giardino Md, Phd

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Background: The healthcare field is experiencing rapid growth in the number of advanced practice providers (APPs) with projections that demonstrate that this trend will only continue. Even though the number of APPs is growing, the development of facility-specific APP management infrastructure often grows at a slower pace. Specific policies and procedures on APP utilization and clinical efficiency metrics are lacking. This can lead to deficiencies in the understanding of the education and practice boundaries of APPs.

Objective: Our study aimed to analyze the growth and utilization of physician assistants (PAs) in several hospitals located within Texas Medical Center (TMC) …

Can The Hunger Vital Sign™ Act As A Prescreen For Other Social Needs?, Richard Sheward, Charlotte Bruce, Deborah A. Frank, Sharon Coleman, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, Blair Robinson, Diana B. Cutts

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: Addressing health-related social needs is essential for improving health and reducing longstanding disparities. However, barriers to screening – including clinician and patient time burden of screening for multiple social needs – limit identification. To address this concern and promote the uptake of screening by clinicians, it is important that screening tools effectively and efficiently identify social needs’ presence and absence among patients.

Objective: This study evaluated whether a validated and widely implemented 2-question food insecurity screening tool, the Hunger Vital Sign™ (HVS™), has adequate negative predictive value to serve as a pre-screen for other social needs.

Methods: In 2007-2015, …

The Effects Of Cumulative Natural Disaster Exposure On Adolescent Psychological Distress, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Meghan Zacher Phd, Alexis Merdjanoff Phd, Mai P. Do Md Drph, Nhungoc K. Pham Mph, David Abramson Phd Mph

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and destructive due to climate change and have been shown to be associated with a variety of adverse mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. This study utilizes data from three cohort studies of Hurricane Katrina survivors—including low-income mothers from New Orleans; displaced and highly impacted families from Louisiana and Mississippi; and Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans—to examine the relationship between cumulative natural disaster exposure and adolescent psychological distress approximately 13 years after Katrina. Among 648 respondents with children ages 10-17, 112 (17.2%) reported that their child had exhibited one or more symptoms of …

Improving The Health Care Of Foster Children Throughout The Us: Texas, A Case Example, Nickolas Agathis, Jean L. Raphael, Christopher Greeley

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Children who have been exposed to the foster care system comprise a high-risk, vulnerable, and potentially medically complex population that has both poor health and poor access to health care. This review with Texas as a case example aims to describe the health and health care issues impacting children in foster care (CFCs), the state and federal level mechanisms to ensure appropriate funding for the health care of CFCs, and recent legislative efforts to improve the health and health care access for CFCs. The review discusses potential solutions in regards to improving the health of CFCs through four main domains: …

First Foods Nutrition Curriculum For New Immigrant Families: A Pilot Study, Elizabeth E. Dawson-Hahn M.D., Mph, Lorren Koceja Rd, Cd, Abigail R. Grant M.D., Anisa Ibrahim M.D., Beth Farmer Lcsw, H. Mollie Grow M.D., Mph, Sarah Lowry Phd, Mph, Suzinne Pak-Gorstein Phd, Mph

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: Immigrant families arrive in the US from a variety of nutritional landscapes and educational experiences. Early childhood is a key time to intervene to set children on a healthy path. Creating nutritional education programs tailored for immigrant families may improve nutrition and health outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the First Foods curriculum as a tool for knowledge and behavior change for new immigrant families of young children.

Methods: Immigrant caregivers of children less than 2 years old were invited to attend First Foods, a 4-class series. Each series was offered in 1 of 5 different languages (Arabic, Dari, Somali, Burmese, …

Unmet Needs Of Unaccompanied Minors From Central America: Perceptions Of Professionals From Multiple Sectors, Sheyla P. Medina, Carol Lewis, Roberta Goldman

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: In recent years, there has been a significant influx of Central American youth who cross the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian. While federal procedures are established to oversee the treatment and placement of unaccompanied minors, less is known about the needs of unaccompanied minors and available services afterthey are placed in appropriate custody.

Methods: Purposive and strategic sampling of professionals from medical, social work, education and legal fields was conducted. Fourteen informants were recruited across the U.S. for confidential semi-structured interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed in 2016 to 2017. Standard anthropological …

Human Trafficking: It’S Not Just A Crime, Frances H. Recknor, Makini Chisolm-Straker

Journal of Family Strengths

Human trafficking, although commonly conceived of as a crime, is also a matter for the fields of health and public health. Trafficked individuals suffering physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse can experience acute and chronic health sequelae, bringing them to the attention of health and/or mental health professionals. Communicable infections affect many trafficked individuals and can be transmitted to those not trafficked. The factors that contribute to people being trafficked, like poverty, educational disparities, and systematic oppression based upon identities, are multifaceted and interlinked with other trauma experiences. Incorporation of public health principles into anti-trafficking efforts facilitates a comprehensive and holistic …

Eliminating Mental And Physical Health Disparities Through Culturally And Linguistically Centered Integrated Healthcare, Octavio N. Martinez Jr.

Journal of Family Strengths

Since the U.S. Surgeon General’s report on mental health (1999) declared mind and body to be inseparable, integrated healthcare, bringing the body and mind back together, has been gaining significant momentum across the nation as a preferred approach to care for people with co-morbid physical health and mental health conditions. Primary care settings often are the gateway to healthcare for racial and ethnic minority populations and individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and, as such, it has become the portal for identifying undiagnosed or untreated behavioral health disorders. An integrated holistic philosophical approach to behavioral healthcare provides an opportunity to …

Supporting Parent Engagement In Linguistically Diverse Families To Promote Young Children’S Life Success, Sandra Barrueco, Sheila Smith, Samuel A. Stephens

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

This paper examines research that can inform policies aimed at building the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families. The key questions addressed include:1 )What factors affect linguistically diverse families’ access to early care and education programs?; 2)What do we know about linguistically diverse families and how parents in these families support their young children’s learning and development?; 3) What features of early care and education programs appear to contribute to high levels of parent engagement in linguistically diverse families?; and 4) What policies can help increase the capacity of early care …

Sustainability And Spread Of Community-Based Initiatives: A Case Study Of Community Cares, A Children’S Hospital’S 16 Year Effort To Serve Its Community, Robert F. Austin, Patricia Coleman, Stephanie Meads, Angelo P. Giardino

Journal of Family Strengths

The sustainability and spread of innovations is often elusive, presenting continuous challenges to clinicians and healthcare leaders. Somewhere between 33 - 70% of all innovations are reportedly not sustained, and even fewer are spread beyond the original team, or to other units within an organization. In plain language, sustainability is defined as locking in progress, while continually building upon that foundation, while spread is the exchange of knowledge and experience to others beyond the original implementing team. The literature supports the concept that sustainability is both multi-dimensional and multi-factorial and has several characteristics and pre-conditions. Tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations in the …

Promoting Health Literacy For People With Disabilities And Clinicians Through A Teamwork Model, David W. Hollar Jr., Jennifer Rowland

Journal of Family Strengths

Current health literacy programs for people with disabilities lack clear operational definitions, rely on inconsistent health literacy statistics, and tend to follow a medical model approach that often fallaciously assumes people with disabilities have limited health knowledge. The central issue in addressing and improving health literacy among people with disabilities is to focus on clear and effective health communication among health care team members, including people with disabilities, which can ultimately improve this population’s health outcomes. Our proposed teamwork model builds upon the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) biopsychosocial model, decision-making theory, and health …

Making A Community Ready For Oral Health, Paul Casamassimo, Catherine M. Flaitz

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The challenges of resolving the oral health disparities among children and other vulnerable populations requires a well-organized community safety net, along with a sincere commitment to prioritize the elimination of this common, but preventable, dental disease. Adequate funding for basic health needs, while incorporating oral health care into a comprehensive primary care model in our neighborhoods provides the best chance for a successful outcome. In order to build better communities for our children, improvement in the access and delivery of dental care must be part of the equation.

Being A Child Today Is Simply Not Easy, Ira Colby, Catherine M. Flaitz

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Issue Editor, Ira Colby and Catherine M. Flaitz's, point of view and summary of the articles in Accountable Communities: Healthier Neighborhoods, Healthier Children.

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Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

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Journeying Beyond The Balcony To The Block Party And Up To 50,000 Feet: Disparities In Children’S Health And Healthcare, Yolande M. Pengetnze, Glenn Flores

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Invited Commentary on “Observations from the Balcony: Directions for Pediatric Health Disparities Research and Policy".

Observations From The Balcony: Directions For Pediatric Health Disparities Research And Policy, Jean L. Raphael

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine released Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare, a landmark monograph documenting health disparities in the U.S. health care system. Since the publication of Unequal Treatment, the field of pediatric health disparities research has advanced significantly with a proliferation of studies examining a wide array of topics concerning inequities in child health. Advances in health care policy and legislation have also added to a heightened discourse on pediatric health disparities. While there has been substantial activity in efforts to address pediatric health disparities, questions remain regarding whether these efforts have changed …

Poverty, Educational Attainment And Health Among America’S Children: Current And Future Effects Of Population Diversification And Associated Socioeconomic Change, Steve Murdock, Mary Zey, Michael E. Cline, Stephen Klineberg

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

A complex of interrelated factors including minority status, poverty, education, health status, and other factors determine the general welfare of children in America, particularly in heavily diverse states such as Texas. Although racial/ethnic status is clearly only a concomitant factor in that determination it is a factor for which future projections are available and for which the relationships with the other factors in the complex can be assessed. After examining the nature of the interrelationships between these factors we utilize direct standardization techniques to examine how the future diversification of the United States and Texas will affect the number of …

The Effectiveness Of Court Mandated Intervention Versus Voluntary Services In Child Protective Services:, Loring Jones, Irene Becker, Krista Falk

Journal of Family Strengths

The general objective of this research was to compare the relative effectiveness of court mandated services versus a voluntary service plan in preventing in child maltreatment recidivism. Four-thirty-two children were selected at random from among children in a large California County who were receiving in-home services under a court mandate or a voluntary plan. Protective services files of study children were reviewed to derive study data.

Type of plan did not make a difference on case outcome. Children were more likely to remain in the home at the end of the service delivery period in families that received voluntary plans. …