Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Former Inmates’ Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Received During Incarceration, Garla Kathleen Snapp-Hart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to effective behavioral treatment is critical for the imprisoned population and newly released individuals to reduce reentry into the penitentiary system. Social workers within correctional facilities can determine the need for treatment, how often treatment is required, what specific treatment is necessary, and what resources will be needed to provide those treatments. A qualitative exploratory design was used in this study. I explored the quality of behavioral health treatment provided to the incarcerated population. Systems theory was used as the theoretical framework this study. There were 17 participants in this study who had been incarcerated in a Kentucky prison …

Social, Political, And Economic Determinants For Hiv Prep Care Delivery Innovations, Joanne Senoga Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pre-exposure prophylactic care delivery innovations (PCDI) are critical to the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. While individual studies have examined isolated factors such as patient awareness, provider willingness to prescribe, and cost-effectiveness, few have synthesized these findings into a unified framework explaining how structural social, political, and economic determinants jointly influence PCDI. Prior literature remains fragmented, emphasizing behavioral or programmatic variables rather than systemic structures. This meta-analysis was done to examine how structural determinants independently and collectively influence PCDI across the 47 U.S. EHE jurisdictions. Guided by the consolidated framework for implementation research and Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, …

Enhancing Patient Safety Through An Educational Intervention On Purposeful Rounding To Reduce Inpatient Falls In A Neuro - Medical Unit, Idiat Oyefunke Falade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral staff education project focused on improving purposeful rounding practices among staff and patient outcomes on a neuro-medical unit. The practice problem stemmed from inconsistent rounding behaviors, gaps in staff knowledge of evidence-based fall-prevention strategies, and a persistent pattern of inpatient falls. Patients with neurological conditions face impaired mobility, cognitive changes, and clinical instability, making structured rounds essential to reduce risk. The practice-focused question asked whether an educational intervention targeting the principles and procedures of purposeful rounding could measurably improve staff knowledge, increase their skill, strengthen their commitment with the pain, potty, position, and possession components of rounding and …

Exploring Strategies To Improve Turnover Staffing Shortages And Support For In-Home Family Caregivers, Katrina V. Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Home care workers play a vital role in supporting older adults, yet retaining staff in these positions can often be challenging. The purpose and review question for this integrative review concerned the strategies and best practices for home health agencies to retain formal caregivers and implement in-home/informal caregiving as an integral component of the caregiving team. Penchansky and Thomas’s theory of access supported this study by highlighting how the qualities and expectations of home care workers align with their patients. A comprehensive review of the literature resulted in 53 articles, which were screened for quality and relevance. Of these, 24 …

Staff Education On Telehealth Monitoring Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dinnah Makori

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require consistent monitoring of communication skills, behavior patterns, sensory responses, and adaptive functioning to support timely intervention and improved developmental outcomes. Although telehealth has expanded access to care, many nurses have not received structured training in conducting virtual assessments for children with ASD. Variability in telehealth competency can affect documentation quality, workflow consistency, and provider confidence. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop and evaluate a structured staff-education program designed to strengthen pediatric nurses’ competencies in telehealth monitoring of children with ASD. A quantitative pretest–posttest design was used …

Exploring The Experiences Of Cit Officers And Their Perceptions Of The Programs Effectiveness, Arkeshia Dominique Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers across the United States frequently respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises, yet many lack specialized training to manage these encounters effectively. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model was developed to improve law enforcement responses through collaboration with mental health professionals and an emphasis on de-escalation. Although prior research has examined measurable outcomes associated with CIT programs, limited qualitative research has explored CIT-trained officers’ lived experiences and perceptions of effectiveness. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how CIT-trained officers use their skills to reduce arrest, officer and citizen injury, and use of force …

A Nurse-Led Staff Education Program To Prevent And Detect Elder Abuse By Caregivers In The Home, Nicola Violet Brown-Walters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a nurse-led, evidence-based staff education initiative designed to improve the prevention and detection of elder abuse in the home by caregivers within an outpatient primary care setting. Elder abuse places older adults at risk for physical harm, neglect, medication mismanagement, and violations of autonomy and patient rights. Elder abuse remains a pervasive and underrecognized problem in nursing practice, often resulting from limited staff education, inconsistent screening practices, and uncertainty regarding mandatory reporting requirements. The practice-focused question examined whether implementing a nurse-led targeted education program guided by the ADDIE instructional design model and …

Patient Education Brochure On Diabetic Foot Care In A Primary Care Setting, Trinitas (Nitas) Duru Oha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctoral Nursing Practice (DNP) project was an evidence-based quality improvement (QI) initiative. The practice problem was the absence of expert-validated diabetic foot care education materials, insufficient and inconsistent patient education, and patients' limited knowledge of self-care for diabetic foot care, all of which led to the persistence of diabetic foot complications in primary care settings. Due to the organization’s identified lack of patient education materials, an evidence-based diabetic foot care brochure for diabetic self-foot care education was developed. The patient education materials assessment tool (PEMAT) was used to evaluate the brochure's efficacy. The practice question was designed to determine …

Turn Teams, Ashley Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are recognized as a prominent cause of patient morbidity and mortality, affect lengths of stay, and are one of the most costly and chronic adverse events in healthcare. A structured Turn Teams program with enhancements was evaluated in a novel unit within a healthcare organization that had implemented the approach on another unit as the focus of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project. The guiding question was, Does implementing Turn Teams as a quality improvement measure improve pressure injury rates in patients with a Braden Score of 18 or lower and enhance staff compliance with the …

The Impact Of Cultural Competence On Patient Outcomes In The Bahamas, Erinique Denise E. Ingraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In The Bahamas, the quality of care received by culturally diverse patients remains generally poor, highlighting an inability to adapt to the changing climate and adopt culturally responsive practices. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the relationship between perceived cultural competence of healthcare providers in The Bahamas and its impact on patient outcomes for the non-Bahamian patients they treat. The tripartite model of cultural competence grounded this study. The participants comprised 49 non-Bahamian patients from the public and private sectors. They completed the patient-reported physician cultural competency measure, self-efficacy for managing medications and treatments, and the …

Staff Education For Assessment Of Suicidal-Ideation In Patients Admitted With Mental-Illness, Sukhwinder Kaur Sangha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quality improvement project was focused on enhancing quality of nursing assessments for suicide risk among adults with psychiatric illnesses at a behavioral healthcare hospital. Inconsistencies involving assessing risks for suicide in patients who were treated in the facility led to inadequate treatment plans and missed opportunities for timely intervention, as well as potential risks for self-harm. Factors that were identified as relating to the gap in practice included inadequate knowledge or understanding of use of evidence-based suicide assessment rating scales, insufficient time that is dedicated to conducting thorough assessments, lack of standardized protocols for reinforcement, and limited resources for …

Perspectives Of Early Childhood Degree Students, Mentors, And Faculty On Quality Field Experiences, Carmen Cook

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a need for high-quality practice-based field experiences as a component of early childhood teacher preparation programs. This need had been deemed critical and was prioritized by both national and local organizations in a Midwest state. Little research had focused on the quality of field experiences. Guided by Dewey’s progressive education and Vygotsky’s social cultural theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of students, mentor teachers, and faculty on what constitutes high-quality field experiences and what components of the field experience are most important. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 early childhood degree …

Upper Elementary Teachers' Experiences In Teaching Narrative Writing In Title I Classrooms, Courteney O. Manning

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study is that third through fifth grade students continue to score below district expectations on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System in narrative writing. Guided by the Ofsted inspection framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the experiences of upper elementary teachers teaching writing in Title I classrooms. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 participants who taught upper elementary grades. Through thematic coding, four themes emerged outlining (a) the instructional success teachers experienced teaching narrative writing, (b) the instructional challenges of teaching narrative writing, (c) teachers’ beliefs about …

School Administrators’ Perspective On Juvenile Delinquency, Ebonee Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of school administrators in Maryland public schools regarding the implementation of discipline policies and their impact on juvenile delinquency. Prompted by rising concerns about delinquent behavior and inconsistent consequences for students, the research investigated how administrators perceive and navigate the challenges of enforcing discipline and the strategies they employ to foster safe, positive school environments. Grounded in defiance theory and social learning theory, the study used open-ended surveys to gather insights from 16 retired and current principals and assistant principals in Maryland public school systems. The findings reveal that while discipline policies provide …

Spartan Daily, February 18, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 12

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 02.16.26, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic assists in formation of new Christian school in South Bend
• Mark Rienzi Discusses Religious Liberty and the Roberts Court

Alumni News

• Where Law Led to Love: ND Law’s Class of 2008

Faculty Briefs

• Nicole Stelle Garnett
• Francisco Urbina
• Diane Desierto
• Mary Ellen O'Connell
• Patrick Corrigan
• Paul Miller
• Emily Bremer

Events

• Law & Technology Seminar: Frank Pasquale, Cornell Law School and Cornell Tech
• Law & Economics Workshop: Yehonatan Givati, Hebrew University
• Faculty Colloquium - Patrick Corrigan: The Crisis of Confidential Supervisory Information
• Faculty and Staff Birthday Celebration!
• Ash Wednesday Masses
• Bruen …

Illinois State University Founding Celebration Old Main Bell Ringing And Awards Ceremony Program, February 19, 2026, Illinois State University

Founding Celebration Programs

Program for annual event celebrating the founding of Illinois State Normal University on February 18, 1857. This program was initially made available as a Foleon website. An Internet Archive capture of the site is available at https://web.archive.org/web/20261007170256/https://illinoisstateuniversity.foleon.com/founding-celebration/microsite-copy-1/. A PDF copy of the program's text and images is also available to download from this page.

Human Trafficking In Central Asia: A Product Of Its Environment, Matt V. Tenberg

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Human trafficking is a complex puzzle when considering all the effort it takes to traffick another person. Many often wonder how one gets trafficked, and what is the appropriate response to human trafficking? A couple of answers can be found when analyzing Central Asia’s ongoing crisis of human trafficking into its territory. Central Asian countries have historically been combating human trafficking after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, after analyzing the laws and methods in place, it is clear that the countries are not succeeding in eliminating this problem. The countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan are grounds for …

Food Councils And Federal Committees: Community Responses To Inaction On Food Insecurity By Government, Kevin O'Connell, Liam R. Rupprecht

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Food insecurity is a devastating force in the United States, as shown by its destructive impact on vulnerable groups like children, racial minorities, and those in poverty. Non-white urban communities of color especially have significantly higher rates of household food insecurity due to systemic racism in American food systems. Despite the prevalence of these factors, they are consistently overlooked by public and private forces. Federal efforts have failed to resolve the issue, leaving it to local “food council” organizations that attempt to help through advocacy and charity. These groups face a difficult task: how can they work to mitigate food …

Stuck Behind Bars: How Neglect Of The Mental Health Epidemic In U.S. Correctional Facilities Fuels Recidivism, Alayna Bhatti

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

The nation is failing to protect the rights of all citizens. Various studies and sources of academic research show that health services in U.S. prisons fall far below the standards for health services on the ‘outside world’. Legal scholar Joshua Price highlights how mentally ill inmates are victims of the U.S. criminal justice system. “A set of institutions disavowed responsibility, leading to conditions where their own demons got the better of them, with awful consequences. Did these institutions, or the people in them, love justice?” (Price, 501) How is justice really served when these inmates are destined to be trapped …

Teaching Undergraduate Human Rights Research Through The Arts, Humanities, And Social Sciences, Alexandra Moore

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

A note from guest editor, Alexandra Moore.

Watching The Watchers: Redefining Privacy And Human Rights In Correctional Surveillance, Ianna H. Choi

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Incarcerated individuals exist in a space where security and privacy constantly clash. This study examines how surveillance technologies—biometric monitoring, video surveillance, and electronic tracking—in correctional settings impact the privacy rights of those incarcerated. Through a review of peer-reviewed literature, and insights from informal conversations with incarcerated individuals at Broome County Jail, this research examines the ethical, legal, and social implications of surveillance in carceral facilities, focusing on how constant monitoring impacts privacy, relationships, and mental well-being. Expanding beyond jails, the study considers surveillance in state and federal prisons, evaluating its implications under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and …

Incarcerated Youths In Canada And The United States: A Comparative Analysis, Grace A. Mastrangelo

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Are children, who commit adult crimes, deserving of adult punishments? According to the United Nations, not if it harms their well-being. Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted by the United Nations in November 1989, states that 1) the best interests of the child should be the primary consideration of all state actions involving children, 2) governments must allot children the protection and care necessary for their well-being, and 3) governmental institutions, services, and facilities that deal with children must uphold adequate standards for the safety, health, and supervision of children. The CRC is …

Advocating For The Workforce And Work Environment: Diversity In Meaningful Recognition, Alexis Elizabeth Hayes, Michelle Hehman, Carliss D. Ramos, Joanne Muyco

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background/Introduction: Meaningful recognition (MR) is a critical component of a Healthy Work Environment (HWE) which impacts nursing retention and work engagement ^1,4,5. In the United States, workers are four times more likely to perceive their work environment as inclusive if a valued amount of recognition is received^1,5. While there is an increased push for diversity in the healthcare workforce to mitigate disparities, attention may need to focus on diversity in MR^2,3. This could have the potential to lower burnout, maintain a diverse workforce and create a healthy yet inclusive work environment ^2. Furthermore, leaders need …

The Link February 18, 2026, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Educator Retention And Director Practices In Early Childhood Education Settings, Katherine Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education (ECE) educators leave their profession at a rate 14% higher than K-12 educators, resulting in multisystemic issues that affect children, families, staff, and the ECE industry. Research has shown a connection between leadership practices and ECE educator turnover intentions; however, there is limited research on the relationship between the servant-leadership (SL) practices of ECE directors and ECE educators’ turnover intentions. Grounded in Greenleaf’s theory of servant-leadership, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between ECE director SL practices and its seven dimensions, measured using the SL scale, and ECE educator turnover intentions, measured …

Improving Clinical Staff Competence In Depression Screening Using Phq Tools: A Staff Education Initiative, Mwandu Chisanga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctoral Project was an educational project designed to improve standardized depression screening processes among the clinical staff of a behavioral health agency. This project addressed the gap of irregular implementation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and PHQ-9 at this facility. The clinical practice issue being addressed by this project was, "Among clinical workers conducting depression screening, how does having a staff education program influence knowledge, confidence, and screening accuracy of the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9. Instructional intervention was developed based on the (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate (ADDIE) model of instructional design. The program was delivered through standardized in-person …

Executive Leadership System Improvement Program Proposal For Capturing At-Risk Patients In A Primary Care Setting, Winter Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unmet social determinants of health (SDOH) contribute significantly to poor health outcomes, increased healthcare utilization, and persistent inequities in access to care. In a primary care organization, the inconsistent identification and management of patients’ social needs resulted in variable documentation, limited referrals to social work services, and avoidable emergency department (ED) utilization. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop an executive leadership systems implementation proposal to standardize the identification and referral of at-risk patients through the integration of a validated social needs screening tool into the electronic health record (EHR). The guiding practice-focused question …

Leadership Styles And Safety Climate In An Integrated Healthcare System In Northern California, Darshan Kaur Grewal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preventable medical errors continue to challenge healthcare systems and highlight the critical role of leadership in shaping organizational safety climates. Healthcare leaders need to understand this dynamic as a primary indicator affecting patient outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and the safety climate within an integrated healthcare system in Northern California. Avolio and Bass’s full range leadership model and Neal and Griffin’s organizational safety climate theory grounded this study. The participants comprised 2,352 clinical and nonclinical staff who completed the safety attitudes questionnaire and the …

Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiences With Secondary Traumatic Stress And Coping While Working With Child Molesters, Aaliyah Blanding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was focused on law enforcement officers’ experiences with secondary traumatic stress and coping while working with child molesters. Lazarus and Folkman’s cognitive model of stress and coping were used to examine how law enforcement officers manage stress, focusing on their cognitive processes and thought patterns. Using a basic qualitative approach, eight law enforcement officers who work with child molesters in the state of South Carolina were interviewed to hear their personal experiences. Interviews were semi-structured interview questions via a video-conferencing platform. The data were analyzed and coded using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. The study’s findings confirmed …