Other Public Health Commons^™

Health Care Service Disparity: Factors Associated With The Distribution Of Primary Care Physicians, Robert L. Morgan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Primary care physicians operate on the front lines of health care. Although primary care physicians play a critical role in improving health outcomes, workforce trends in the United States show a growing shortage of primary care physicians as demand for primary care rises. In conveying the importance of primary care physicians, the worsening physician shortage, the inequitable distribution of providers, and the lackluster institutional response thus far, this paper calls into question the effectiveness of current indicators used to identify underserved areas and provide appropriate government assistance. Through the use of data from the 2010 census and American Medical Association …

The Effect Of Body Mass Index On Graft Function And Kidney Transplant Outcomes, Morgan Galle

Theses & Dissertations

Background: When determining eligibility for kidney transplantation, body mass index (BMI) is often a debatable criterion for transplant due to the clinical indication, an elevated BMI has adverse effects on kidney transplant outcomes. There is a current gap in research on the effect BMI has on kidney transplant outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the role BMI plays in post-kidney transplant clinical outcomes including delayed graft function, new onset diabetes after transplant, wound complications, hospital length of stay, albumin, and readmissions to the hospital from initial hospitalization and at six months following kidney transplantation. The primary …

Examining Employee Knowledge Of The Jennie Edmundson Hospital Active Shooter Policy, Mallory W. Darais

Theses & Dissertations

Nationally, there has been a large increase in the number of active shooter events within healthcare facilities such as hospitals. Due to this increase, government organizations have recently released documents to guide healthcare facilities on implementing active shooter policies and updating emergency operation plans. Currently, recommendations from government entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security suggest the “Run, Hide, Fight” approach during an active shooter incident. Jennie Edmundson Hospital, located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and affiliated with the Methodist Health System, currently has an active shooter policy in place. Data was collected from …

Impact Of Executive Order 13211 On Environmental Regulation: An Empirical Study, Elizabeth Ann Glass Geltman

Publications and Research

A great deal has been written about the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempting oil and gas operations using hydraulic fracturing from the purview of certain federal environmental laws. Far less attention has been paid to George W. Bush’s Executive Order 13211 (EO 13211), entitled “Actions Concerning Regulations that Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution or Use.” The executive order requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of federal regulations on “supply, distribution and use of energy.” This study examined the impact of EO 13211 on United States environmental and conservation regulations proposed and promulgated by federal agencies. The study found …

The Effect Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap As Reflected In Diabetes Medication Adherence., Jennifer A. Forristal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation involves an evaluation of the effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on diabetic medication adherence for mail order utilizers over 6 years as the Medicare Part D coverage gap begins to close. The study had 3 objectives: 1) to evaluate diabetes medication adherence of health plan members before they reach the coverage gap and then while they are in the coverage gap, 2) to compare diabetes medication adherence between two similar groups with differing benefit structures, one group with a gap in coverage as opposed to a group with no benefit changes within the …

Antibiotic Resistance And The White House Forum On Antibiotic Stewardship, Mary Lou Manning Phd, Crnp, Cic, Faan

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Quality Improvement In Ontario Public Health Units, Madelyn P. Law, J. Ross Graham, Erica Bridge

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Quality Improvement (QI) approaches are used extensively in healthcare settings and increasingly in public health. However, the proliferation of QI in Canadian public health settings is unknown.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to (a) assess the QI maturity in Ontario local public health units in Canada, and (b) to determine the relevance of the QI Maturity Tool in a Canadian setting

Methods: The QI Maturity Tool (Version 5) was used to conduct a cross-sectional assessment of the QI maturity of 36 local public health units in Ontario, Canada. After tool items were reviewed for relevance, individuals most …

Predictive Factors Of Patient Satisfaction With Pharmacy Services In South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study Of National Level Data, Sunkyung Lee, Onyeka P. Godwin, Kyungah Kim, Euni Lee

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives
Patient satisfaction has emerged as a prerequisite to improving patients’ health behaviors leading to better health care outcomes. This study was to identify predictive determinants for patient satisfaction with pharmacy services using national-level data.

Methods
A cross-sectional evaluation was conducted using 2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. To assess the predictive factors for patient satisfaction with pharmacy services, an ordinal logistic regression model was conducted adjusting for patient characteristics, clinical comorbidities, and perception of health.

Results
A total of 9,744 people, a representative sample of 48.2 million Koreans, participated in the 2008 KNHANES, of whom …

Social Networking Patterns And Attitudes Towards Patient Privacy, Frank Davison

Applied Research Projects

Sharing ideas with others having common interests is primal and the

best indication of this is the exploding world of social networking. Social

media sites have become self-reported newscasts where we post our daily

activities as a matter of permanent public record. Are we losing our

expectation of privacy? What impact could this have on patient privacy?

Do individuals who are accustomed to sharing personal information on

social networks have a relaxed attitude towards patient privacy? Does this

vary according to age, gender, or racial background?

This study explores correlations between attitudes on social

networking and patient privacy and how …

Maine Ems Community Paramedicine Pilot Program Evaluation, Karen B. Pearson Mlis, Ma, George Shaler Mph

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

In November 2014, the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine was awarded a contract to evaluate the implementation of the statewide CP Pilot Program in Maine. This report presents process level results from the evaluation. The report includes findings from interviews with the twelve community paramedicine pilot sites in Maine and with the state of Maine EMS office.

The layout of the report follows the key themes and categories from our interviews:

• Staffing
• Training
• Stakeholders and Partners
• CP Services
• CP Event
• Data Collection
• Funding
• Challenges
• Successes
• Sustainability

The report concludes with lessons learned which may …

Measuring Population Care Performance: Development Of The Population-Patient Satisfaction Survey For Use With Community Groups, Michele Issel, Christine Lurie, Betty Bekemeier

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Assessing the satisfaction of the “population-patient” requires conceptualizing the dimensions of satisfaction differently from that of individual patients.

Purpose: The focus of this study was to develop and pilot test a short questionnaire that can reliably assess satisfaction with the care provided by public health nurses (PHNs) carrying out population-level activities in their communities.

Methods: An instrument-development approach was used. With input from five experts, items were developed to assess seven dimensions of population-patient satisfaction, and then refined before use in the community with a convenience sample of community participants recruited by PHNs in six counties across two states. …

Local Health Departments’ Costs Of Providing Environmental Health Services, Simone Singh, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Ashley Tucker, Lisa Macon Harrison

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: A detailed understanding of the costs that local health departments (LHDs) incur in the provision of public health services plays an important role in their efforts to provide services in an effective and efficient manner. However, surprisingly little evidence exists about the key cost components that LHDs incur in the provision of services.

Purpose: The purpose of this report was to provide empirical estimates of LHDs’ cost structure.

Methods: Using cost information for 2012 from 15 LHDs in North Carolina for two public health services—food and lodging and onsite water—this report first presents estimates of the total costs per …

Preparedness Of Hospitals In The Republic Of Ireland For An Influenza Pandemic, An Infection Control Perspective, Mary Reidy, Fiona Ryan, Dervla Hogan, Seán Lacey, Claire Buckley

Department of Mathematics Publications

When an influenza pandemic occurs most of the population is susceptible and attack rates can range as high as 40–50 %. The most important failure in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared’. The aim of this study was to assess the preparedness of acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective.

Wdph Summer Internship Report, Samantha Arsenault

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

The Mosakowski Institute is working with the Worcester Division of Public Health (DPH) in an effort that merges classroom skills and real world experience to improve the health of the Greater Worcester community. During the summer of 2015, thirteen Clark students interned with the DPH working on five projects that advanced goals of the Community Health Improvement Plans in the areas of healthy eating and activing living; substance abuse and mental health; health equity and health disparities; violence prevention, and more. More information about the summer 2015 internship projects can be found in the report.

Legal Aid Inequities Predict Health Disparities, James Teufel, Shannon Mace

Hamline Law Review

LEGAL AID INEQUITIES PREDICT HEALTH DISPARITIES

School Design To Promote Physical Activity, Jeri Brittin

Theses & Dissertations

Increasing children’s physical activity (PA) at school is a national focus to address childhood obesity. Research has demonstrated associations between school built environments and students’ PA, but has lacked a comprehensive synthesis of evidence. Chapter 1 presents new evidence-, theory-, and practice-informed school design guidelines, including evidence substantiality ratings, to promote PA in school communities. These guidelines delineate strategies for school designers, planners, and educators to create K-12 school environments conducive to PA. They also engage public health scientists in needed transdisciplinary perspectives.

There have been few longitudinal studies to verify causal relationships between the school built environment and PA. …

Impact Of Organizational Networks On The Cost Of Core Services In Ohio’S Local Health Departments, Jason E. Orcena, Michael Petros, Patrick M. Bernet

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Introduction: Although several studies have linked population size to the cost of service delivery in local health departments, none have looked at the network position of the LHD. This study expands the understanding of how the position of an LHD in Ohio’s local health department network affects its expenditures in providing core, or nonclinical, services.

Methods: In 2014, 44% (55 of 124 eligible) of Ohio’s health officers responded to the PARTNER survey, a web-based network analysis program, with the analysis completed by the spring of 2015. Network data were then included in a regression analysis of the Core Plus-Scale model …

Measuring Changes In Local Surveillance And Investigation Capacity, Christine A. Bevc, Mary V. Davis, Anna P. Schenck

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa and confirmation of the first cases in the United States highlight the need for robust and responsive public health surveillance system. With a 25% decline in funding since 2007, the impact on local surveillance capacities has not previously been described.

Purpose: The Surveillance & Investigation domain of the Local Health Department Preparedness Capacities Survey (PCAS) was reweighted to reflect the national profile of LHDs. Changes in subdomain performance of capacities and the effect of population size on subdomain capacity performance were examined over time.

Methods: Participating LHDs (n=208) …

Paleoepidemiology Of Intestinal Parasites And Lice In Pre-Columbian South America *, Adauto Araujo, Karl J. Reinhard, Daniela Leles, Luciana Sianto, Alena Iniguez, Martin Fugassa, Berrnardo Arriaza, Nancy Orellana, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Some human parasites originated in prehominid ancestors in Africa. Nematode species, such as Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), hookworms and Trichuris trichiura are shared by humans and other close phylogenetic primates (Pan and Gorilla), showing that they infected a common ancestor to this group. When humans migrated from Africa to other continents they carried these parasites wherever climate conditions allowed parasite transmission from host to host. Other parasites, however, were acquired throughout human biological and social evolutive history when new territories were occupied. Paleoparasitology data is a valuable source to recover emergence and disappearance of parasite infections through analysis of archaeological remains. …

Diet And Parasitism At Dust Devil Cave, Karl J. Reinhard, J Richard Ambler, Magdalene Mcguffie

Karl Reinhard Publications

Human parasitism has obvious relationships to group size and composition, mobility, subsistence patterns, and rates of culture change. At their best, human endoparasites may be annoying; at their worst, some can cause death. Thus, an overall view of the parasite load of a prehistoric population can yield insights useful in interpreting past lifeways. With these thoughts in mind, we undertook a study of Desha Complex (6800-4800 B .C.) human feces recovered from Dust Devil Cave in southern Utah.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use In Collegiate Athletes, Brian Robert Davis

Dissertations and Theses

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are a class of medications used in the treatment of pain, inflammation, and illness. These medications are common, affordable, and easy to access. For these reasons, NSAIDs are commonly used by athletes of all backgrounds for treating injuries and as ergogenic aids. However, despite these behaviors, NSAIDs have well-documented side effects and the efficacious nature of these medications has been brought into question. Despite this, many athletes continue to use these medications frequently and indiscriminately. It is not known why athletes use these medications in light of their questionable effectiveness and cited adverse effects. Therefore, this …

Family Planning And Population Control In Developing Countries: Ethical And Sociocultural Dilemmas., Edward A. Komu M.D, Salome N. N. Ethelberg

Journal of Health Ethics

Do governments have the right to restrict individual freedom and right to have fewer or more children? Is it justifiable to control population in order to benefit society as a whole? Most of family planning and population control policies and programs in developing countries face resistant from the same people it aims to help. This can be mainly due to some ethical, socio-cultural beliefs, and moral values held by individuals and society as a whole. The challenges call for a need of family planning and population control programs to invest in examining ethical and socio-cultural dilemmas pertaining to these programs …

Agave Chewing And Dental Wear: Evidence From Quids, Emily E. Hammerl, Melissa A. Baier, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Agave quid chewing is examined as a potential contributing behavior to hunter-gatherer dental wear. It has previously been hypothesized that the contribution of Agave quid chewing to dental wear would be observed in communities wherever phytolith-rich desert succulents were part of subsistence. Previous analysis of coprolites from a prehistoric agricultural site, La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos in Durango, Mexico, showed that Agave was a consistent part of a diverse diet. Therefore, quids recovered at this site ought to be useful materials to test the hypothesis that dental wear was related to desert succulent consumption. The quids recovered from the …

The Relationship Between Sleep And Nutrition In Message Framing Among College Students, Abbey G. White

Doctoral Dissertations

The college years are often depicted as a time of immense change, specifically in relation to college students' level of nutrition and sleep quality. However, these health concerns not only impact college students' health but also their academic performance, mood, and as a result their future. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether technologically enhanced health messages are more effective than the traditional text format for creating healthy behavioral changes amongst college students. Secondly, the study provides the opportunity to examine previous research involving message framing, specifically, regulatory focus theory and self-efficacy, in order to provide further …

The Role Of Community Pharmacy-Based Vaccination In The Usa: Current Practice And Future Directions, Albert Bach, Jeffery A. Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Community pharmacy-based provision of immunizations in the USA has become commonplace in the last few decades, with success in increasing rates of immunizations. Community pharmacy-based vaccination services are provided by pharmacists educated in the practice of immunization delivery and provide a convenient and accessible option for receiving immunizations. The pharmacist's role in immunization practice has been described as serving in the roles of educator, facilitator, and immunizer. With a majority of pharmacist-provided vaccinations occurring in the community pharmacy setting, there are many examples of community pharmacists serving in these immunization roles with successful outcomes. Different community pharmacies employ a number …

Know Your Value: Negotiation Skill Development For Junior Investigators In The Academic Environment—A Report From The American Society Of Preventive Oncology's Junior Members Interest Group, Allison B. Burton-Chase, Maria C. Swartz, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Karen Basen-Engquist, Faith E. Fletcher, Peter G. Shields

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) is a professional society for multidisciplinary investigators in cancer prevention and control. One of the aims of ASPO is to enable investigators at all levels to create new opportunities and maximize their success. One strategy adopted by ASPO was to develop the Junior Members Interest Group in 1999. The Interest Group membership includes predoctoral fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members who are provided career development and training opportunities (1). Responsibilities of the members of the Junior Members Interest Group include serving on the ASPO Executive Committee and the Program Planning …

Airborne Infection In Healthcare Environments: Implications To Hospital Corridor Design, Ehsan Mousavi

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Several studies have linked nosocomial transmission airborne diseases to airflow in healthcare settings. Quasi-experimental methods are developed to observe the aerodynamic transport behavior of synthetic respiratory particles in corridors of a hospital. Computational models, validated by experimental results, are then developed to explore the spatial relationships of supply-exhaust air ventilation in patient corridors. The aim of this study is to determine optimal HVAC design strategies to contain and remove airborne contaminants in healthcare environments.

In addition to occupant comfort, hospital HVAC systems are designed to provide ventilation and directional airflow to contain, dilute and remove contaminants including airborne disease. Of …

Designing An Effective User Interface For A Mobile Application, Cynthia N. Kim

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to determine the best user interface design practices for an iOS mobile application created for Pre-R, a local start-up company that offers physician house calls and telemedicine services throughout San Luis Obispo. The study included initial background research on best user interface design practices, mapping out and implementing the entire process of designing for mobile applications, conducting usability tests on potential users, and making changes according to the test results. Usability tests allowed for a greater understanding of the effectiveness of Pre-R’s mobile interface design prototype. Results from the usability tests have indicated a …

Commencement Program 2015, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

1 | Message from the President

3 | 2015 Events of Commencement

5 | The Academic Procession

7 | Significance of Academic Regalia

9 | The Good Samaritan

10 | University History Highlights

12 | Loma Linda University Song - "Healing Love"

13 | The Speakers

23 | The University Honorees

45 | The School Honorees

72 | The Programs

• School of Medicine, 73
• School of Pharmacy, 95
• School of Dentistry, 103
• School of Allied Health Professions, 122
• School of Allied Health Professions - Physical Therapy, 143
• School of Public Health, 154
• School of Behavioral Health and School of …

Jefferson's Center For Refugee Health: A Model Of Community Collaboration, Colleen Payton Mph,Ches, Neesha Patel Md, Kevin Scott Md

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.