Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Direct Care Nursing Aide Turnover In Long-Term Care Facility, Qilian Luo

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This capstone project, Direct Care Nursing Aide Retention in a Long-Term Care Facility, will uses both qualitative and quantitative analyses to identify the possible contributors to high nursing aide turnover rates in Maine. The quantitative analyses of this project are based on the staffing payroll data of one Maine assisted living facility. The final product of this capstone project will be shared with the study facility, in the hope that they may find uses for its content.

New Outpatient Experience Survey Design: A Quality Improvement Case Study, Nathan Paluso

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this capstone project is to evaluate the implementation process for a new survey methodology introduced by Maine Medical Partners (MMP), by following the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement cycle framework. This new survey has been implemented to collect data on patients’ experiences in the MMP outpatient facilities, and is offered to the patients via iPad at check-out after their appointment. Through observation at MMP practices and MMP staff interviews, strengths and weaknesses of the implementation process have been identified. Evidence-based solutions pertaining to the identified weaknesses have been selected through a literature review and are incorporated in recommendations …

Assessment Of The Use Of Overdose Education And Naloxone Distribution By Maine Buprenorphine/Naloxone Prescribers, Stephen Kirsch

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Background: Overdose deaths, specifically related to opioids, have been identified as a public health problem both nationally and in the state of Maine. Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) is an innovative model of patient education that has been shown to be effective in increasing knowledge of overdose risk and has the potential to help reduce opiate related overdose deaths.

Methods: A 28-item web-based survey examining clinician attitudes, OEND practices and characteristics was distributed to 196 Maine based physicians with a Drug Enforcement Agency waiver to prescribe burprenorphine/naloxone. Facilitators and barriers to the provision of OEND were also assessed. Surveys …

Monhegan: A Prescription For Resilience, Kenneth Paul Kiel Gross

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Monhegan, like many island communities, is threatened by the loss of population as its young adults migrate to the mainland. The purpose of this study is to develop a resilient population on Monhegan Island.

Knowing the problem is easy, as is asking the obvious question, “How do we get people to move to this area?” This is a problem that confronts not only Monhegan, but also other Maine islands and even Maine itself.

Several factors make Monhegan’s future uncertain. The first is the gradual shift from commercial fishing, the mainstay of its economy, as it becomes more reliant on tourism …

Capstone Summary Report, Kayla Blais

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Leadership is vital to the practice of public health. The following review of current literature delves into present understanding of leaders that the public health field needs. As leadership within public health is being explored, specific skills required of future leaders, different types of leaders, and the impacts we can expect to see are being defined.

Visualizing Road Network Congestion To Inform Regional Planning In Southern Maine, G Andrew Smith-Petersen

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In this analysis, road traffic volumes and capacity estimates are used in conjunction with population data and population change forecasts to visualize the potential for congestion at present, and to project the potential for congestion in 2030. The areas most and least at risk of congestion are identified, so as to inform thought and effort around planning on a regional scale in southern Maine. The area of study includes large portions of York and Cumberland Counties, as well as a small portion of Androscoggin County, in the Greater Portland region.

Strategic Planning In The Non Profit Sector: Creating A Strategic Plan For Affinity 2014-2017, Emilee Taplin-Lacey

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of engaging in the creation of a strategic plan for Affinity is to integrate knowledge acquired through participation in the Public Policy and Nonprofit Management Master’s Degree program at the Muskie School of Public Service. In addition, my facilitation of a strategic planning process for Affinity is meant to meet the requirements of graduation and represents my capstone project in this regard.

Improving Home Suitability For Aging In Place: A Review Of Programs To Assist Maine's Seniors Make Necessary Home Repairs And Energy Efficiency Updates, Andrea Westbye

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

With its median age of 42.7 years, Maine is the oldest state in the nation and it is getting older. The population 65 and older is growing at a rapid pace and this expansion presents many challenges to communities, particularly in the area of housing. Most seniors want to stay in their homes for as long as possible and adequate, accessible, safe, and affordable housing is a primary factor for successful aging in place. Low income seniors face additional difficulties when aging in place. This paper looks at the availability of home repair/modification and energy efficiency programs for Maine’s low …

Safe Routes For Portland: A Comparative Analysis Of The Walking School Bus Model For Maine Schools., Rebecca Spitko

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This purpose of this paper is to identify the effects an increase in active transportation to and from school would have on both commuters and communities, and to examine how to create a successful environment for active transportation models in Maine.

A Vision For Berwick: A Case Study Of The Citizen Initiated Visioning Process For Downtown Redevelopment In Southern Maine, John Stoll

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This Capstone follows the downtown redevelopment visioning process in Berwick from the initial presentation to Town Officials up until formal adoption as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. Berwick has a monumental task ahead of it as the Town looks to redevelop an 11 acre abandoned factory site that is located directly where a downtown should be. Residents of Berwick had to work with Town Staff to navigate a considerable amount of lingering controversy and to rebuild trust between the public and local government. Members of the Downtown Vision Committee worked tirelessly to reach out to the community through education …

Broadband Policy In Maine: The Efficacy Of The Current Approach And A Vision Of The Future, Ethan Wiley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Today in Maine anemic internet speeds reinforce a digital divide between rural and urban areas. Even where adequate connectivity is possible its adoption rate lags behind. In order to overcome this technical solutions are necessary such as streamlining access and building capacity. It will require additional incentives to bring levels to an ideal state as well as public enlightenment to the increasingly vital role that broadband performs. Until this happens the deficit that the state faces in access and adoption will continue to hamper progress in business, health, education and other arenas.

High Peaks Back - Country Trails Plan, Benjamin Godsoe

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The High Peaks Trails Plan is a regional vision for back-country trails in Maine's High Peaks region. The plan identifies challenges and opportunities which face the trails community, and outlines several strategies for trails groups to move forward together to overcome mutual challenges.

What Incarcerated Women At The Women’S Center Say They Need From The Criminal Justice System, Jillian Foley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to give a voice to Maine’s incarcerated women and potentially influence the ongoing policy revision process in Maine. The researcher conducted 3 focus groups with 18 residents of the Women’s Center- a gender-responsive facility that houses about 70 to 80 incarcerated women at the Maine Correctional Facility in Windham, ME. The perspectives of the participants varied, however, the findings of the study were largely in line with the literature guidelines for gender-responsive policies and practices.

Walking And Cycling In Waterville: Bike And Pedestrian Planning For An Active Community, Scott E. Workman

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This is an initial plan for the City of Waterville focused on making realistic headway in building a safer city that accommodates even the most vulnerable transportation system users. While it makes strides to capture every needed improvement and opportunity, it is by no means a complete document and should be accepted as a first of a continuing effort. Future efforts will make evaluations of accomplishments and failures of this plan, and continue this effort.

Creating A Benefit Index For Targeting Investment In Pedestrian Connectivity Improvements East Bayside Neighborhood: Portland, Me, Damon Yakovleff

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This project demonstrates how a GIS-based analysis of pedestrian accessibility to selected amenities from locations in and around the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, Maine can help identify and guide decisions about public investment in improving such access. Two street network configurations are analyzed: the current (2011) condition, and a hypothetical configuration including several connectivity improvements currently under discussion or in the process of construction. The GIS tools are used to calculate the network distances between the centroid of the area’s census blocks and two amenities: the nearest full-service grocery store, and an outdoor fitness station available to the public. …

Using Pen Source Data Inputs To Map Food Insecurity In Cumberland County, Maine, Daniel Wallace

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In 2010, Mapping Food Insecurity’s Project Director (PD) participated in “The Campaign to Promote Food Security in Cumberland County, Maine.” The Campaign drew together a 60 member coalition to address rapidly increasing food insecurity challenges in the county. It produced a report with a series of recommendations grouped under six strategic community goals. One of the recommendations called for the use of ‘mapping and connectivity software to determine location of vulnerable populations and services in order to plan best future delivery and use of food access services in Cumberland County

Reinventing Maine's Corrections System: A Survey Of Budget Smart Alternatives To Unsustainable Spending, Griffin Jones

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

After the recent Great Recession of 2008, state budgets are facing increased scrutiny in every area of spending. States are increasingly turning to corrections spending, as one such area, to look for efficiencies and innovations that will help relieve fiscal stress, while also maintaining the strict judicial and safety standards expected by the public. However, state corrections systems are coming out of an imprisonment “binge” during what was often referred to as the “Tough on Crime” nineties, and without intervention in the form of smarter, more effective strategies, further uncontrolled growth in the corrections system will prove untenable to the …

Public Debt Management In The State Of Maine 1993 Through 2010, John B. Greenwood

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

An analysis of Maine's public debt position was undertaken in order to: 1) review the history of Maine's public debt position; 2) compare Maine's public debt position against the U.S. average; 3) determine whether Maine's public debt position has been doing progressively better, worse, or about the same; and 4) if possible, make immediate-future hypotheses about Maine's public debt position.

A Comparative Fiscal Analysis Of Scarborough, Maine, Maxwell K. Chikuta

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This study seeks to assess Scarborough’s fiscal and budgetary position within a comparative framework, in an effort to assist the town in identifying fiscal trends, opportunities and potential policy pitfalls. This scope and content of the analysis requires the author to make sense of a complex set of community fiscal indicators and budget data.

A Comparison Of Maine’S Per Capita Spending, 1996-2006 To The Us And Other States, Ryan Boyd

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Great Recession of 2008-2010 is showing that the states and national government have spent too much. We need the vision of Thomas Friedman to move beyond our spending and planning habits of the past.1

In 2016, expenditures compared to 2006 will look very different, unlike the previous similarities of 1996 to 2006. This retraction, due to the recession and our government’s embracement of concerns about debt from policy wonks such as former US Comptroller David Walker, debt will have a significant affect on many populations of our society. Maine has been noted as being a state that looks after …

The Creative Economy In Small Places: Eight Cases And A Developmental Model, Jennifer L. Hutchins

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Eight case studies across New England offer understanding of the role of the creative economy in the community and economic development of rural towns and small cities. The cases include Providence and Pawtucket, RI; Burlington, VT; and Portland, Bangor, Norway, Dover-Foxcroft, and the St. John Valley, ME. Ten elements or “building blocks” are observed to be important, leading to an explanatory model for the development of the creative economy in small communities. These elements include creative people, education centers, cultural and natural amenities, business engagement, infrastructure, leadership, networks, strategies, time, and money. The creative economy in the eight communities has …