Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Social Determinants Of Health And Reentry: An Exploratory Study, Makayla Lewis, Brian Schaefer, Heather Ouellette

The Cardinal Edge

Being released from jail affects a person’s ability to secure basic needs such as health, housing, and employment. Compounding these barriers are issues related to returning to impoverished communities, complicated relationships with families and support systems, and minimal reentry opportunities within jails and upon release. This study explores how the Opportunity Network’s reentry workbook is working to address the social determinants of health and improve perceptions of successful reentry outcomes.

From Awareness To Action: Understanding And Addressing Health Disparities, Aamira Shah

The Cardinal Edge

In the United States, marginalized groups consistently face barriers to healthcare services necessary for maintaining quality of life and achieving positive health outcomes. Health disparities can be defined as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by populations that have been disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, or environment” (CDC, 2008). With input from insightful interviews, this article seeks to investigate specific challenges faced by marginalized groups in the healthcare setting and provide potential solutions to reduce health disparities.

Health Professional Well-Being And Preparedness During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Trinidad And Tobago: An Online Survey, Loren De Freitas, Darren Dookeeram, Shastri Motilal

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Poor well-being impacts mental health and subsequently affects personal lives, leads to absenteeism, poor productivity, and compromised patient safety. Frontline healthcare workers are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health strain. This study assessed the well-being and preparedness of frontline healthcare workers in Trinidad and Tobago during the pandemic.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was sent to doctors, nurses, and prehospital providers from public and private healthcare sectors. Data was collected from May to June 2020 utilizing a self- administered online platform. The WHO Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) was used to assess well-being. Raw scores less than 13 indicated …

An Evaluation Of Covid-19 Vaccination Rates Of The Patients At The Kentucky Racing Health Services Center, Aditya Mehta, Dedra Hayden

The Cardinal Edge

COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available to the U.S. public since early 2021. However, vaccination rates still vary considerably across geographical areas and different populations. The objective of this study was to research overall vaccination rates against COVID-19 for Latinx patients at the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center (KRHSC). Vaccination and booster data was collected from June to December 2021 for all unique patients visiting the center. It was initially hypothesized that these rates of vaccination and booster doses for the KRHSC patients would be lower than the data reported by Kentucky and Jefferson County. After a retrospective review, the …

Knowledge And Awareness Of Vitamin D Among Pregnant Or Lactating Iraqi Refugee Women: A Call For Different Approaches In Health Education And Outreach, Someireh Amirfaiz, Ed.D.

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and lactation has negative impacts on maternal, fetal, and infant health. Low health literacy and other social determinants of health may increase the risk of deficiency among refugee women. This qualitative study used a survey and in-depth individual interviews to examine knowledge of vitamin D among ten pregnant or breastfeeding Iraqi refugee women in the United States, and sought participants’ recommendations on culture-centered and participatory health promotion strategies. All participants reported having insufficient information and understanding of vitamin D, its health benefits, and the risks of deficiency. The four primary themes that emerged from the …

Student Loans And Health-Related Financial Hardship, Sophia T. Anong, Robin Henager

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Research has shown that student loan borrowers in repayment exhibit physical and mental health problems. These can be exacerbated by and contribute to health-related financial hardship. We use the 2015 U.S. National Financial Capability Study to examine the likelihood of having past due medical bills and of avoiding health care services by not purchasing prescribed medication, skipping tests or follow-up with a doctor or not seeking care for a medical problem. Borrowers on income-driven repayment plans and those who made late payments are found to be more likely to have unpaid medical bills and to have avoided required medical attention. …

Wellness In The Helping Professions: Historical Overview, Wellness Models, And Current Trends, Ashley J. Blount, Dalena L. Dillman Taylor, Glenn W. Lambie

Journal of Wellness

Introduction

Wellness and the concept of holism have rich histories throughout the helping professions. However, Westernized medical models often promote the concept of treatment rather than prevention, limiting the helper’s ability to focus on wellness when working with clients/patients. Therefore, in order to support a re-integration to holistic wellness and the prevention of illness, and re-focus on a wellness ideology, we conducted a thorough theoretical overview of wellness in the helping professions to: (a) provide a historical overview of wellness in helping professions, (b) discuss prominent wellness models, (c) review wellness assessments, (d) present wellness supervision models, and (e) offer …

Gaining A “Foothold” On The Diagnosis Of Leishmaniasis, Brent M. Troy, Rebecca Hart, Navjyot Vidwan, Bethany Hodge

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Pediatric refugees and immigrants may present with unusual diagnoses due to their extensive migration and potential harsh conditions in travel. Trauma and family separation add to the difficulty of obtaining a history of exposures. We report a case of one of the more commonly neglected tropical diseases, Leishmaniasis. A 15-year-old male refugee patient presented to the hospital with ulcerative lesions to his legs. His migration history was extensive, starting in Central Africa with travel to South America, followed by migration through Central America to Texas. The patient developed ulcerative lesions on his legs, and he was brought to the children’s …

Evaluating Mental Health In Cuban Refugees: The Role Of The Refugee Health Screener-15, Rahel Bosson, Victoria A. Schlaudt, Monnica T. Williams, Ruth M. Carrico, Adriana Peña, Julio A. Ramirez, Jonathan Kanter

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

The Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) is widely used in refugee populations, but the psychometric properties and clinical utility have not been evaluated in Cuban refugees and entrants. The current study explored results from the Spanish version of the RHS-15 in a sample of 53 Cuban entrants and refugees, and of these, 17.6% screened positive for a mental health concern. Analyses suggested that a positive screening was significantly related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder; however, it was not associated with demographic variables such as gender, mode of transport, or the number of countries through which a refugee …

Refugee-Centered Medical Home:A New Approach To Care At The University Of Louisville Global Health Center, Rahel Bosson, Ruth M. Carrico, Anupama Raghuram, Paula Peyrani, William A. Mattingly, Rebecca Ford, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Refugees arrive to the United States with a full spectrum of health conditions, many of which involve intense case management requiring significant financial investments and use of healthcare resources. Kentucky receives more than 3,000 new refugees each year and ranked 10th in the nation for numbers of new arrivals resettled during 2015. These refugees arrive from diverse countries representing different cultures and speaking different languages. In addition, they arrive with diverse health conditions and medical needs. The aims of this paper are to share experiences from the University of Louisville Global Health Center regarding conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of a …

Refugee Health And The Kentucky Global Health Center, Rahel Bosson, Ruth M. Carrico

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

In this University of Louisville Grand Rounds lecture, Drs. Rahel Bosson and Ruth Carrico give an overview of the real struggle of the refugee population and provide an update of the current state of refugee health in Kentucky.

They also provide an overview of the Global Health Initiative at University of Louisville, which includes the follow programs: HIV/AIDs, Refugee Health and Immunization, Vaccine and International Travel and Global Health Research Support.

The talk concludes looking to the future with a comprehensive Global Health Center composed of improving refugee orientation and EMR, healthcare worker education, developing guidelines, and bettering our surveillance …