Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Healthcare Management Primer, Students Of Health Management 721.01 (2017), University Of New Hampshire, Mark Bonica

Open Educational Resources

This primer was written by students enrolled in HMP 721.01, Management of Health Care Organizations, in the Health Management & Policy Program, College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire. This course was taught by Professor Mark Bonica in Fall 2017.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Confidentiality Boot Camp, Lucy C. Hodder, Stephanie Cameron, Marcy Doyle, Christina Muñiz, Jeanne Ryer Edd

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt]: "INTRODUCTION: The Health Law and Policy Programs at UNH School of Law, Institute for Health Policy and Practice, and the NH Citizens Health Initiative have contracted with several of the New Hampshire Building Capacity for Transformation Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Integrated Delivery Networks (IDN) to provide technical assistance to the IDNs as they develop confidentiality tools related to substance use disorder services projects.

A UNH Team assisted the IDNs by providing an educational summary of federal and state confidentiality requirements, focusing on 42 CFR Part 2, and hosting IDN interdisciplinary teams in three Substance Use Disorder (SUD) …

More Than 95 Percent Of U.S. Children Had Health Insurance In 2015, Michael J. Staley

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Michael Staley examines rates of children’s health insurance across the United States, by region and by place type, breaking down rates by private and public coverage. He reports that over 95 percent of all U.S. children under age 18 were covered by some form of health insurance in 2015—the highest share since the American Community Survey began measuring insurance rates in 2008. Rates of coverage increased between 2014 and 2015 in all four U.S. regions, and the greatest growth occurred in the South and West. Growth in public insurance—Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program— remained …

The Zika Virus Threat: How Concerns About Scientists May Undermine Efforts To Combat The Pandemic, Thomas G. Safford, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Emily Whitmore

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from the University of New Hampshire’s October 2016 Granite State Poll, authors Thomas Safford, Lawrence Hamilton, and Emily Whitmore investigate how New Hampshire residents view the Zika crisis. They report that most New Hampshire residents believe Zika is only a minor threat to public health in the United States, and they generally trust the CDC as a source of information about the virus. The data also show that, while there is doubt about the government’s ability to control the spread of the virus, the public feels that emergency federal funding to combat Zika should be a priority. They …

Marijuana Regulation And Federalism, John M. Greabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "Federal law makes the cultivation and use of marijuana illegal for all purposes. Yet, over the past two decades, 28 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, and eight states plus the District of Columbia have legalized it for recreational purposes. Marijuana regulation thus provides a useful and timely example for exploring the ways in which the distribution of power between the federal government and the states can facilitate policy change."

Empathy, Casey Golomski

Anthropology

A short poem about suicidal ideation and alcoholism in the United States.

Drugs, Alcohol, And Suicide Represent Growing Share Of U.S. Mortality, Shannon M. Monnat

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Shannon Monnat identifies trends in mortality rates from drugs, alcohol, and suicide by race and sex for adults aged 25 to 54, from the years 2000 to 2014. She reports that—nationwide--the mortality rate from deaths involving drugs, alcohol, and suicide rose 52 percent from 2000 to 2014. Drug, alcohol, and suicide mortality rates are highest among middle-aged non-Hispanic white males and are growing fastest among non-Hispanic white females. Nearly half of all young white male deaths are caused by drugs, alcohol, or suicide. A little over a quarter of young Hispanic male deaths and 13 percent …

Opinion: The Mental Health Parity And Addiction Equity Act: What Parity Means For New Hampshire, Lucy C. Hodder

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "New Hampshire lawyers can help clients and colleagues with mental health or substance use disorders by advising individuals how to overcome barriers to insurance coverage for treatment, and encouraging them to pursue state and federally mandated internal, external and expedited appeal opportunities when denied coverage."

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

Characterizing Food Insecurity At A Northeast Land-Grant University, Alana Ruth Davidson

Honors Theses and Capstones

In 2015, 15.8 million U.S. households were food insecure. While nationally food insecurity is assessed at the household and childhood level, university students are not explicitly monitored. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of food insecurity at a northeast land grant university and characterize the contributing factors. A pilot study (n=211) was conducted in fall 2014 among a general nutrition class and found that 12.4% of students were food insecure, with another 5.7% reported marginal food security. A larger, university wide survey among graduate and undergraduate students was conducted in fall 2015 (n=943) and found that …

Gender Differences In Parents' Assessment Of Language Development, Michelle Lacroix

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study aims to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between genders in the reporting of their child’s communication abilities. Possible variances between men and women are important to consider because parent-based questionnaires are often used to help identify children who are in need and eligible for the services of a speech-language pathologist. Literature surrounding parental stereotypes and the impact of the parent in development, as well as stigma in relation to the need for speech therapy services is explored. A survey based off of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition was distributed to parents of children …

Social-Pragmatic Communication In Women With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multiple Case Study, Lacey W. Ryder

Honors Theses and Capstones

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is identified much later and less often in females than in males. Some researchers suspect that a different set of characteristics of ASD in females may not be consistent with the more established and widely recognized characteristics of ASD, leading to under-identification in women. In the present study, four women and one non-binary feminine-presenting person with ASD were interviewed. The five participants conveyed their experiences with social-pragmatic communication, and their views on gender, ASD, and gender differences in ASD. The results are discussed in relationship to the limited amount of past research on women with ASD.

Localization Of Cck(+) Neurons In The Sensory Pathways Of Mus Musculis, Zachary Ryan Tepper

Honors Theses and Capstones

With dependence upon opioids, such as codeine, morphine, and heroin, steadily increasing amongst the American public, the withdrawal symptoms associated with disuse are receiving much more attention. Our research identifies neurons that are implicated in the hyperanalgesic response to the cessation of opiate-medication after dependence has been established. These neurons are identified by the Cholecystokinin protein (CCK). The first chapter of this research focuses on localizing these neurons in regions of the central nervous system that are responsible for transducing painful signals from the periphery to the brain. Our research supports the hypothesis that neurons with high levels of CCK …

Characterizing Food Selectivity In Children With Autism, Samantha H. Wohlmacher

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food selectivity or “picky eating” affects a large percentage of children on the autism spectrum and as a result can have negative impacts on a child’s health and nutritional status (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010). Few studies compare food selectivity in children on the autism spectrum to children with other developmental issues. Such a comparison may reveal how food selectivity presents itself uniquely in children on the autism spectrum. This study examined data from past health records collected from the Seacoast Childhood Development Center (SCDC). Thirty-eight children whose parents were concerned about their diets were taken from a larger sample …

Comparison Of Environmental Supports To A Healthy Lifestyle On The Unh Campus With Student Behaviors, Mary Hammar

Honors Theses and Capstones

Background: Environmental factors play a large role in shaping diet and lifestyle behaviors. Creating a college campus environment conducive to healthy dietary choices and physical activity may promote student health.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and describe the availability of environmental supports for a healthy lifestyle on the UNH campus and student behaviors.

Design: The Healthy Campus Environmental Audit (HCEA), a comprehensive tool developed by a USDA multi-state research team led by Syracuse University, was implemented to measure the availability of healthy options in dining establishments (n=12) and the adequacy of recreation facilities (n=3) and walking/biking …

Radiation Therapy Medical Physics Review – Delivery, Interactions, Safety, Feasibility, And Head To Head Comparisons Of The Leading Radiation Therapy Techniques, Cielle Collins

Honors Theses and Capstones

Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy for cancer treatment can take the form of photon therapy (using x-rays and gamma rays), or charged particle therapy including proton therapy and electron therapy. Within these categories, numerous methods of delivery have been developed. For example, a certain type of radiation can be administered by a machine outside of the body, called external-beam radiation therapy, or by a “seed” placed inside of the body near cancer cells, called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy. Approximately half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy, and the form of radiation …

Antimicrobial Resistance (Amr) And Multidrug Resistance (Mdr): Overview Of Current Approaches, Consortia And Intellectual Property Issues, Andrew Jenner, Niresh Bhagwandin, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

The supply of new diagnostics and treatments is insufficient to keep up with the increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR) as older medicines are used more widely and microbes develop resistance to them. At the same time, significant quantities of antibiotics are used on patients and animals that do not need them, while others who do need them lack access.

Effective responses to AMR/MDR require effort by both the public and private sectors to develop and disseminate new diagnostics, vaccines and treatments on a global scale, as well as to adapt them to local needs. This calls …

Associations Of Suicidal Ideation With Opioid/Prescription Drug Use, Violence, Food Insecurity, And Community Factors Among New Hampshire High School Students, Emily R. Carbonara, Semra Aytur

Honors Theses and Capstones

Purpose: Suicide is the second leading cause of death for New Hampshire (NH) youth. Evidence-based public health emphasizes the use of data for translating research into practice/policy. We utilized data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to support community-academic partnerships and inform suicide prevention interventions. Methods: Data from the 2011 NH YRBS, a cross-sectional survey of 9th-12th grade students, were analyzed. Gender-stratified, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression models (SAS 9.4, ProcSuveylogistic) to evaluate associations between suicidal ideation (seriously considering attempting suicide within the past 12 months), violence (e.g., physical bullying, …

A Vowel Analysis Of The Northwestern University-Children's Perception Of Speech Evaluation Tool, Kassie Nicole Zukowski

Honors Theses and Capstones

In an analysis of the speech perception evaluation tool, the Northwestern University – Children’s Perception of Speech test, the goal was to determine whether the foil words and the target word were phonemically balanced across each page of test Book A, as it corresponds to the target words presented in Test Form 1 and Test Form 2 independently. Based on vowel sounds alone, variation exists in the vowels that appear on a test page on the majority of pages. The corresponding formant frequencies, at all three resonance levels for both the average adult male speaker and the average adult female …

The Effect Of Alcohol Prep Pads And Blood Drop Number On Capillary Blood Glucose Values, Joanna E. Foos

Honors Theses and Capstones

Capillary blood glucose monitoring is a common nursing procedure. However, no consensus exists regarding which drop of blood to test (drop 1 vs. drop 2) and whether using alcohol pads to prepare the fingertip affects blood glucose values. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of these factors and contribute to the development of evidence-based nursing protocols for capillary blood glucose monitoring. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study was conducted in a laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. 96 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each group underwent a pair of capillary blood glucose tests …