Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Sharing Our Blessings With Those In Need, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

Each year, National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week asks us to think about our most challenged neighbors during the days before Thanksgiving. As we consider our own reasons to be thankful, let us ask ourselves how we may share our blessings with those around us in need of food and shelter. [excerpt]

Sandhill Crane Roost Selection, Human Disturbance, And Forage Resources, Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Sites used for roosting represent a key habitat requirement for many species of birds because availability and quality of roost sites can influence individual fitness. Birds select roost sites based on numerous factors, requirements, and motivations, and selection of roosts can be dynamic in time and space because of various ecological and environmental influences. For sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at their main spring staging area along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, USA, past investigations of roosting cranes focuse donphysical channel characteristics related to perceived security as motivating roost distribution.We used 6,310 roost sites selected by 313 sandhill cranes over …

Lessons From The Development Of A Guidebook On Pedestrian And Bicycle Connections To Transit, Nathan Mcneil, Allison Boyce Duncan, Drew Devitis

PSU Transportation Seminars

To improve safety and increase transit use, transit agencies and the jurisdictions they serve have to approach transit service as door-to-door not just stop-to-stop.

Walking and bicycling are key modes for transit access.

Working with the Federal Transit Administration, a team from Portland State University developed a guidebook on improving pedestrian and bicycle access to transit (forthcoming). As part of the guidebook process, the PSU team conducted case studies on best practices of recent efforts in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

This presentation will cover key lessons from the case studies, along with an overview of the guidebook.

Envisioning Mechanisms For Success: Evaluation Of Ebcd At Cheo, Kristina Rohde, Mireille Brosseau, Diane Gagnon, Jennifer Schellinck, Christine Kouri

Patient Experience Journal

To advance patient engagement (PE) and more comprehensively involve patients, families, and staff in quality improvement (QI) at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Experience Based Co-Design (EBCD) approach was piloted. Set against the backdrop of envisioning factors that would facilitate success, an evaluation was designed to assess five domains: strengthening of mutual understanding, collaboration, and partnerships between patients/families and staff; a greater involvement of patients, families, and staff in QI; satisfaction with the process; the ability of EBCD to generate clear and useful data to ascertain the patient/family and staff experience; and the ability of EBCD to …

Patient Advisors: How To Implement A Process For Involvement At All Levels Of Governance In A Healthcare Organization, Marie-Pascale Pomey, Edith Morin, Catherine Neault, Veronique Biron, Lise Houle, Louise Lavigueur, Guy Bouvette, Nicole St-Pierre, Martin Beaumont

Patient Experience Journal

Patient involvement at the operational (clinical care and services), tactical (management), and strategic (board of directors and executive management) levels of establishments is increasingly sought after. To address this specific challenge, a Canadian healthcare organization, the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec, has developed an integrated strategy based on three principles: (1) shared leadership between a patient and a manager to build the strategy; (2) a clear process for recruiting, training, and coaching patient advisors (PA) so that they can participate in decision-making at the various levels of governance of the establishment; and (3) …

Using Patient Value Statements To Develop A Culture Of Patient-Centred Care: A Case Study Of An Ontario, Canada Hospital, Erica Bridge, Madelyn P. Law, Miya Narushima

Patient Experience Journal

Patient-centred care (PCC) is not a new concept; however, in recent years it has garnered increasing attention in the research literature and clinical practice. PCC in clinical practice has been found to improve clinical outcomes, resource allocation, and the patient experience. In response to the need for PCC and quality in healthcare, the Ontario, Canada government developed the Excellent Care for All Act (ECFAA) in 2010. The ECFAA imposes six obligations to Ontario hospitals, one of which is developing and publishing a Patient Declaration of Values (PDoV). The purpose of this study was to explore how a leading patient-centred Ontario …

Improving The Patient Experience Through A Commit To Sit Service Excellence Initiative, Cari D. Lidgett

Patient Experience Journal

Effective communication between nurses and patients positively impacts patient care, outcomes, and the patient experience.While in the hospital, patients receive information from multiple caregivers and are often overwhelmed and confused. Nurses make up the majority of interactions with patients and are in an ideal position to improve the patient experience from the front lines. The purpose of implementing the Commit to Sit service excellence initiative was to positively impact the patient’s perception of nurse communication by nurses sitting with their patients during each shift. Outcomes were measured by the overall nurse communication composite on the Press Ganey survey, as well …

Beyond Patient-Centered Care: Enhancing The Patient Experience In Mental Health Services Through Patient-Perspective Care, Timothy A. Carey Prof

Patient Experience Journal

Delivering mental health services as patient-centered care has been an international priority for more than 50 years. Despite its longevity there is still not widespread agreement regarding how it should be defined or how it should guide the delivery of services. Generally, though, prioritizing the patient’s values and preferences seem to be at the core of this particular approach. It is not clear, however, that services attend to patient values and preferences as closely as they should. Terms such as “treatment resistant” and “noncompliant” seem to belie an attitude where the therapist’s opinion is privileged rather than the patients. To …

Why Do They Do That?: Looking Beyond Typical Reasons For Non-Urgent Ed Use Among Medicaid Patients, Cynthia J. Sieck, Jennifer L. Hefner, Randy Wexler, Chris A. Taylor, Ann S. Mcalearney

Patient Experience Journal

Barriers to accessing primary care, including lack of transportation and inadequate appointment times, are common reasons for non-urgent emergency department (ED) use yet even when these barriers are addressed, the problem persists. This study explored non-urgent ED use by Medicaid enrollees through interviews with patients and providers and sought to identify themes beyond the commonly mentioned logistical and access issues. Qualitative interviews with 23 Medicaid enrollees and 31 PCP and ED providers utilizing a semi-structured interview guide focused on reasons for seeking care in the ED and issues associated with PCP appointments. We identified overlap as well as surprising differences …

Uninsured Free Clinic Patients’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Healthcare Services, Community Resources, And The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Akiko Kamimura, Jeanie Ashby, Ha Trinh, Liana Prudencio, Anthony Mills, Jennifer Tabler, Maziar Nourian, Fattima Ahmed, Justine Reel

Patient Experience Journal

Free clinics provide free or reduced fee healthcare to individuals who lack access to primary care and are socio-economically disadvantaged. There has been a paucity of free clinic research with the few studies employing a quantitative design. The purpose of this study is to conduct an in-depth qualitative exploration of free clinic patients’ experience and perceptions of healthcare services, community resources, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Free clinic adult patients (n=35) participated in four focus groups between June and July 2014 (one Spanish group in June, and two English groups and one Spanish group in July) …

Why Human Resources Policies And Practices Are Critical To Improving The Patient Experience, Shari Berman

Patient Experience Journal

While providing patient-centered care seems to be a goal for many organizations, delivering on this goal requires practices which are embedded in the organization, which incent patient-centered behavior. The author argues Human Resources (HR) policies, procedures and programs are key to supporting an organizations’ vision and culture. This means an HR executive partnering with the CEO who sets the vision and HR builds programs to support the vision. As the organization understands what is important to patients and how to best serve them, HR can build patient care improvement into every aspect of the organization. The author describes how competency …

‘First, Do No Harm’: Shifting The Paradigm Towards A Culture Of Health, Karen Luxford

Patient Experience Journal

Over the past 17 years since the release of the Institute of Medicine report ‘To Err is Human’,¹ health services and agencies around the world have increasingly focused on improving the safety and quality of health care. Historically, the commitment by health care professionals to ‘first do no harm’ has produced a focus on the absence of interventions that may cause adverse outcomes. This clinical approach links to the Hippocratic Oath which includes the promise "to abstain from doing harm". The Oath reminds clinicians to first consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. This approach to interactions …

The Experience Era Is Upon Us, Jason A. Wolf Phd

Patient Experience Journal

In this moment in healthcare, the challenges for those in the system are dynamically shifting and the perspectives, desires and needs of the healthcare consumer are putting positive and lasting pressures on how healthcare works that will shift healthcare from where it has been to where it must go. At the heart of this transition are the ideas framing an experience era, where collaborative, consumer-focused and purposeful actions can and will lead to a healthcare system returning to its fundamental calling, that of human beings caring for human beings. In doing so we can change the nature of healthcare and …

The Politics Of Electoral Systems In The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Dardan Berisha

Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (“FYROM”) experienced four major changes to its electoral system in the eight parliamentary elections held between 1990 and 2014. The Macedonian 1990 and 1994 parliamentary elections were held under a majority system, in which 120 members of the Parliament were elected from 120 constituencies, one member per constituency. A mixed-majority/proportional representation (“PR”) system was adopted for the 1998 elections, in which eighty-five seats were elected under the majority system from the constituencies, and thirty-five seats were elected proportionally from a nation-wide electoral district. Yet another system was adopted for the 2002 elections, in which …

Struggling To Get It Right: Performance Measurement Challenges And Strategies For Addressing Them Among Funders Of Human Services., David Campbell, Kristina T. Lambright

Public Administration Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the challenges public and nonprofit human service funders face in the performance measurement process and the strategies they use to address these challenges. We use survey and interview data to compare funders’ experiences across a region. Common challenges included dissatisfaction with formal data collection procedures, difficulty getting providers to comply with reporting requirements, provider performance problems and lack of capacity to use performance information. Capacity issues were a greater concern for smaller funders. Funders used a variety of strategies to address challenges. Use of some strategies depended on context. Practices were relatively consistent across funder groups.

Home Visiting Programs For Families Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: A Systematic Review, Nannette Nicholson, Patti Martin, Abby Smith, Sheila Thomas, Ahmad A. Alanazi M.Aud.

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Prelingual hearing loss greatly restricts a child’s language development, hindering his or her behavioral, cognitive and social functioning. Although technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants are an option for providing access to sound, they fail to teach the child how to listen or attend, how to process language (whether visual or spoken), or how to produce language and communicate. Home visiting is widely recognized as a cost-effective intervention service delivery model. Home visiting programs for promoting language development in children who are diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing have been in existence for over 50 years, yet …

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 2: Disproportionalities Among Student Movers, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As part of our series on integration in Little Rock, this brief examines the demographics and academic performance of students switching between public school sectors, and disproportionate representation of certain students among sector switchers

Integration In Little Rock, Part 1: Patterns Of Enrollment And Characteristics Of Student Movers, Elise Swanson, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Arkansas Education Reports

This report examines trends in racial and socioeconomic composition of public schools in the Little Rock area between 2008-09 and 2014-15. The Little Rock metropolitan area is characterized by a variety of schooling options for students and families, including multiple traditional public school districts, public charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling. We examine the demographics of each public sector in the area, and whether students who move are representative of the sector they choose to exit. This report is structured around two main research questions.

Crafting Chaos: The Classification Of Unilateral Transfers Under The Current Account At Bretton Woods And Its Impact On Remittances To The Indian State Of Kerala, Anish Gawande

Undergraduate Economic Review

This essay aims to analyse the classification of unilateral transfers under the current account at Bretton Woods despite significant opposition from larger delegations of major Allied powers, bringing to the forefront the global liquidity of remittances in the post-War years permitted by their fully currency convertible nature. Using the example of the Indian State of Kerala, this paper charts the relevance of their sustained uninterrupted flow to their subsequent exponential growth in the last three decades, using the case study as a pivot to argue for better policy measures that maximise their multiplier effect.

Gendered Vulnerabilities To Small Arms In South Central Somalia, Abigail Jones, Nicola Sandhu, Lucas Musetti

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Somalia is a very young nation demographically; estimates place half the population under the age of 14 and less than five percent over the age of 60. A large portion of the population grew up during incredible civil instability and violence, making exposure to armed violence an ever-present prospect. Further, the presence of more than one million displaced persons and refugees exacerbates the difficulties of protecting vulnerable groups from violence.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 20.3 (2016), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Feature: SA/LW and CWD | Spotlight: Libya | Special Report: Solomon Islands’ Explosive Legacy | Plus: Editorial, Field Notes, Research and Development

Special Report: Solomon Islands’ Explosive Legacy, Mette Eliseussen, John Rodsted

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Solomon Islands encompass over 900 islands scattered across the ocean north of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea. Many of the 500,000 inhabitants still live with unknown quantities of explosive remnants of war (ERW) left behind from combat between Japan and the United States during World War II. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) of both U.S. and Japanese origin remains on some of the nation’s atolls. Since the end of the war, sporadic clearance was undertaken, including through Operation Render Safe, a joint clearance program between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. There have also …

Working From A Distance In War-Affected Libya, Nikolaj Søndergaard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A unique partnership between DanChurchAid (DCA) and Lebanese authorities facilitates explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training for Libyan authorities, who can now start their own national EOD teams and begin the clearance process.

Effectiveness And Impact Of Undp Mine Action Support: Lessons Learned, Charles Downs, Alan Fox

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported mine action in more than 40 countries since its first involvement in Cambodia in 1992. UNDP support generally focuses on the development of national mine action management capacities. In early 2016, the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP concluded the first global evaluation of the results of UNDP support in mine action, with particular attention to its effectiveness and impact. The evaluation reviewed documentation relating to all national, UNDP-supported mine action programs, in-depth desk reviews of support to 14 countries, and background for field case studies of three national programs (Laos, Mozambique, …

Emerging Patterns Of Erw Injuries In Laos, Stacey Pizzino, Colette Mcinerney, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The year 2016 marks the beginning of a new era for international development, with the adoption of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that will drive global development efforts until 2030. In post-conflict countries, humanitarian mine action will be an important enabler in achieving a number of SDGs, including goal 3: “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Of particular relevance is target 3.9 of the SDGs, which specifies the need to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from soil pollution and contamination. At present this relates primarily to indoor and outdoor air pollution. However, since …

Maxml: Coordinating Mine Action With Xml Technologies, Dionysia Kontotasiou, Olivier Cottray

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Mine Action XML (maXML) is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema developed by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). It aims to standardize data management and data exchange among actors in the mine action community, which includes individuals and groups involved in any aspect of addressing the landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination. In this field, data exchange is mostly manual and often has to deal with chaotic environments. The goal of maXML is to contribute to the automatization of many of these processes, saving valuable time for staff in the field and improving the …

Endnotes Issue 20.3, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 20.3

From The Director, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Here at CISR, our team is busy planning the 13th Senior Managers’ Course (SMC), which will take place in Biograd na Moru, Croatia, from 20 March to 7 April 2017. With the help of our local partner, the Croatian Mine Action Centre, CISR will implement a course designed specifically to address the needs of senior managers working in greater Southeast Europe as the region’s mine action programs undergo planned transitions. The course in Croatia will be our third regional SMC (Tajikistan in 2014 and Vietnam in 2015) since we began implementing the regional format in 2014; we hope to facilitate …

Explosive Remnants Of War Contamination Response In Libya, Damir Djakovic, Katarina Cvikl Balić

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Abu Grain is a town located 106 km (66 mi) east of Misrata and 138 km (86 mi) west of Sirte with an estimated population of 2,000 inhabitants. The town is known for its strategic road intersection connecting the Mediterranean cities of Misrata and Sirte with the desert district of Jufra. Between February and March 2016, Abu Grain’s population fled as Islamic State (IS) group forces advanced into town in an attempt to expand control toward the west of its stronghold in Sirte. According to the Libyan Red Crescent, Abu Grain’s inhabitants mostly fled to Bani Walid, Misrata, and Tripoli.

Rbm And Theories Of Change, Russell Gasser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

“Give me your money; I’m busy doing things” is not the most convincing fundraising appeal. Instead, “Look at the difference our program has made to the lives of the people that were helped” is far more likely to get a positive response. The overall purpose of mine action is to improve people’s lives and livelihoods, to reduce casualties, and increase compliance with political commitments like the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC). Although this is widely known, standard reporting excessively includes information on how many people received risk education, how many square meters of land were cleared, or how many people …