Public Policy Commons^™

Detroit Food Metrics Report 2018, Alex B. Hill, Amy Kuras

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

This report provides a snapshot of data and information on Detroit’s food system as well as trends over time. The report includes a broad range of programs and initiatives that local organizations, the Detroit Food Policy Council, and the City of Detroit are undertaking to address food insecurity, increase healthy food access and awareness, and support a more sustainable and just food system.

Dios, Drogas, Dinero: ¿QuiéN Gana Con El Traslado De Adictos De Puerto Rico A Ee.Uu.?, Claudia E. Irizarry Aponte, Eliana Y. Perez

Capstones

For the last 25 years, evangelical leaders have been shipping off opioid addicts in Puerto Rico to cities in the mainland US, mainly New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia--under the promise they’ll receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatment, only to end up in unregulated transitional homes and flophouses where they don’t receive proper medical care or psychotherapy. In turn, many of these unregulated transitional homes, also run by evangelical leaders, may charge Medicaid kickbacks from their “patients.”

While this so-called “air bridge” from Puerto Rico to the U.S. goes back decades, it gained momentum from 2005 to 2014, when evangelical leaders joined …

Financial Well-Being In Low- And Moderate-Income Households: How Does It Compare To The General Population?, Sicong Sun, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen P. Roll, Mathieu Despard, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Research Brief (18-03)

Research has increasingly shed light on the precariousness of many households’ financial situations. For example, a large national survey showed that 41 percent of adults lack sufficient liquidity to cover even a modest $400 emergency without taking on debt or selling an asset; a problem that is exacerbated for lower-income households. Compounding this issue is the fact that financial shocks, such as the loss of income or a major car repair, are common; 60 percent of U.S. households reported a shock in the prior year at a median cost of $2,000.

We would expect that these indicators …

Financial Well-Being In Low- And Moderate-Income Households: How Does It Compare To The General Population?, Sicong Sun, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen P. Roll, Mathieu Despard, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Research has increasingly shed light on the precariousness of many households’ financial situations. For example, a large national survey showed that 41 percent of adults lack sufficient liquidity to cover even a modest $400 emergency without taking on debt or selling an asset;¹ a problem that is exacerbated for lower-income households.² Compounding this issue is the fact that financial shocks, such as the loss of income or a major car repair, are common; 60 percent of U.S. households reported a shock in the prior year at a median cost of $2,000^.3

Officer Use Of Force: A Multicase Study Of Institutional Betrayal, Margarita Mcauliffe

Theses & Dissertations

Law enforcement officers in the United States are authorized to utilize force (Alpert & MacDonald, 2001); however, the use of force can cause physical and emotional trauma to the person against whom it is used, and to the person’s loved ones (WHO, 2002; Bloom, 2012; APA, 2013). The needs and rights of traumatized individuals must be addressed for healing to occur (U.S. DOJ, 2013). It was not known if the needs and rights of the survivors of officer use of force were being met. Filling a gap in the literature, this exploratory multicase study investigated 5 use-of-force incidents with demographically …

Prescription Opioids And Heroin Abuse In New Mexico: Swot Analyses Of Possible Policies/Interventions And The Way Forward, Ali Abbasi

Public Administration ETDs

Throughout the last decade or so, Opioid related fatalities are at all-time high in the United States. New Mexico’s problem with Opioids abuse in not a new phenomenon and a large number of New Mexicans are losing their lives almost on a daily basis. The paper highlights the alarming situation of overdose deaths caused specifically by the abuse of Prescription Opioids and Heroin which, in 2016 alone have taken 347 lives in New Mexico. Policy makers along with other stakeholders play a vital part in shaping the politics along with other interventions which can help tackle the epidemic. The paper …

Using Social Media To Assess The Consumer Nutrition Environment: Comparing Yelp Reviews With A Direct Observation Audit Instrument For Grocery Stores, Ying Shen, Philippa Clarke, Iris N. Gomez-Lopez, Alex B. Hill, Daniel M. Romero, Robert Goodspeed, Veronica J. Berrocal, Vg Vinod Vydiswaran, Tiffany C. Veinot

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Objective
To examine the feasibility of using social media to assess the consumer nutrition environment by comparing sentiment expressed in Yelp reviews with information obtained from a direct observation audit instrument for grocery stores.

Design
Trained raters used the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) in 100 grocery stores from July 2015 to March 2016. Yelp reviews were available for sixty-nine of these stores and were retrieved in February 2017 using the Yelp Application Program Interface. A sentiment analysis was conducted to quantify the perceptions of the consumer nutrition environment in the review text. Pearson correlation coefficients (ρ) were …

The Life She Deserves: Medical Marijuana In The United States, John Hudak, George Burroughs, Maritza Bermudez

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Brookings Mountain West offered an event titled, "The Life She Deserves: Medical Marijuana in the United States on Monday, November 5, 2018. This event featured a viewing of the film, and was followed by a panel discussion with John Hudak, George Burroughs, and Maritza Bermudez. “The Life She Deserves” is an intimate portrait of Jennifer Collins and her family’s struggle to find a treatment to control her debilitating epilepsy. Because her legal pharmaceutical treatments cause severe side effects, Jennifer and her mother move across the country to access medical marijuana. The therapy provides Jennifer and her family with the relief …

Access To Health Care Services For Adults In Maine [Policy Brief], Erika C. Ziller Phd, Barbara Leonard Mph, Amanda Burgess Mppm, Nathan Paluso Mph

Access / Insurance

This data brief by researchers at the Maine Health Access Foundation and the University of Southern Maine's Maine Rural Health Research Center found ongoing inequality in the ability of people in Maine to get quality health care. The report examines data from 2014-2016 and shows that Maine people, of all income groups, report difficulties in paying medical costs. Research has also found the ability to seek timely and appropriate health care is impacted by income levels, educational background, race and ethnicity.
This brief provides an update to the 2016 study (available in Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038&context=insurance)

For more information, please …

Unlv School Of Medicine: Rethinking Governance, Planning, And Economic Impact, The Lincy Institute

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

The launch of the UNLV School of Medicine presented a unique opportunity for Southern Nevada to address two critical issues: the absence of adequate healthcare services for a region of more than 2.2 million people, and the economic impact of a new medical school resulting in an expanded regional health care economy. A collaborative process that engages local, state, and private sector interests is essential to the development of the UNLV School of Medicine and the expansion of an effective, efficient, and profitable healthcare economy.

In this colloquium The Lincy Institute released new health policy publications prepared with the support …

Making Occupations Possible? A Critical Analysis Of Social Assistance Policy In Ontario, Nedra R. Peter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis reports on a two-part study exploring the occupational possibilities of people receiving social assistance in Ontario. The research conducted in this thesis was guided by the research question: How does social assistance in the form of Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program influence occupational possibilities for adults living in poverty? Guided by a governmentality perspective, Laliberte Rudman (2010) proposes that social and political processes shape expectations and possibilities for occupations. Occupational possibilities refer to the occupations that are supported and promoted by various aspects of the broader systems and structures in which lives are lived (Laliberte …

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (Ecmo) Access In The 30 Largest U.S. Metros, Kaylie Pattni, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

This Fact Sheet highlights the locations and availability of ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) medical capacity in the 30 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Using the ELSO (Extracorporeal Life Support Organization) registry,1 the Table that follows shows all registered ELSO hospitals in the top 30 MSAs, and their respective type(s) of ECMO access.

An Analysis Of The Universal Home Care Program: Considerations For Implementation With The Context Of Maine's Existing Ltss Programs, Eileen J. Griffin Jd, Elizabeth C. Gattine Jd, Louise Olsen, Stuart Bratesman Mpp

Disability & Aging

A citizen initiative on the November 2018 ballot (Question 1, An Act to Establish Universal Home Care for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities) would establish a "Universal Home Care Program" (UHC Program) to serve older adults and persons with a disability living in Maine. This report does not constitute either support for or opposition to the referendum but is intended as an independent assessment of how the UHC Program could be implemented if it were to be approved by Maine voters. This analysis focuses on the implications of the UHC Program within the context of the Medicaid and …

Alternative Financial Services And Health Status In U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Courtney Hundley, Richard W. Wilson 8520196, John Chenault

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Abstract

Alternative financial services (AFS) such as, payday lenders, pawn brokers, tax refund loans, and check cashers are more prevalent in minority and lower income neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods also found to have disparities in health, compared to more affluent neighborhoods and communities. The focus of this paper is to determine if any relationship exists between use of AFS and health disparities.

Using data from a survey performed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), we compared four banking variables to several measures of health for 85 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) across the nation. The four banking variables all related …

Medicaid Income Eligibility Transitions Among Rural Adults, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Deborah Thayer, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs

Access / Insurance

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid Expansion allows coverage for all adults aged 18 to 64 with income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), and as of 2018, 32 states had implemented expansion. Research prior to the ACA suggests people may transition in and out of Medicaid income eligibility, but little is known about how this may affect rural adults. Movement in and out of Medicaid may increase administrative costs, create benefit and provider discontinuity, or lead to patient difficulties in paying medical bills and accessing care. This brief uses data from the national Survey of Income …

Adults Using Long Term Services And Supports: Population And Service Use Trends In Maine, Sfy 2016, Kimberly I. Snow Mhsa, Ba, Frances Jimenez Ba, Tina Gressani, Louise Olsen

Disability & Aging

All of us have likely either used, will use, or know someone who uses long term services and support (LTSS). They enable us to live with dignity and as much independence as possible and offer us the opportunity to remain involved and productive in our communities. The need for LTSS can arise suddenly after injury or illness or a life-long condition. But how ever the need arises, the impact is the same—services such as personal care, work support, home health care, and residential care provide not just for individual health and comfort, but also for interaction, inclusion, and engagement with …

The Pricing Impact Of The Decreasing Competitiveness Of The Health Insurance Market, Lauren N. Patterson

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The Affordable Care Act created the national insurance exchanges of qualified health plans to encourage a higher insured rate, larger risk pools, and lower prices for quality health coverage. Consolidation of insurers can have opposing effects. The insurers’ risk pools will grow, allowing insurers to better hedge for risk. However, consolidation decreases the prevalence of competition in the market, and past research shows that insurer consolidation decreases market competition and increases prices.

I examine how the number of plans offered in a set market, pricing components, and county health variables impact the monthly premium pricing of plans sold on the …

Resolving The Water Pollution Crisis In The Philippines: The Implications Of Water Pollution On Public Health And The Economy, Gabriella Andrews

Pepperdine Policy Review

Imagine being told that the water in all your faucets, the water you drink and use to bathe, contains toxins such as mercury and feces. Now imagine that your local government knew about these dangers but actively refused to share them until most of the people you knew and loved had fallen ill.

This hypothetical scenario is the current reality in the Philippines. An eighth of the country’s rivers are considered too toxic for human and animal ingestion or contact and are unable to support most forms of life. Moreover, fewer than half of the total number of rivers in …

Policy Of Current Hospital Translation Services And Recommendations For Future Adjustments For Spanish-Speaking Patients, Isidora Rose Beach

Baker Scholar Projects

It is a seldom-discussed fact that English-speakers in America enjoy a quality of health care that is not necessarily afforded to non-native speakers receiving care at the same facilities. Policy regarding what is required of health institutions in terms of translation services is exceedingly vague, and implementation of this policy is inconsistent. This lack of guidance makes it possible for many patients needing interpreters to fall through the cracks. This project will examine current policy guiding interpretive services in the U.S., and will recommend more specific guidelines that would improve quality of care for limited English proficiency individuals. This project …

The Pricing Impact Of Decreasing Competitiveness Of The Health Insurance Market, Lauren N. Patterson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Policy Of Current Hospital Translation Services And Recommendations For Future Adjustments For Spanish-Speaking Patients, Isidora Rose Beach

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Cost Burden Of Social Isolation For Wheelchair Users In Louisville, Kentucky., Connie Light

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Social isolation is an important predictor for poor health status, chronic diseases, and healthcare utilization and costs. There is a growing number of Americans with one or more disabilities, and evidence suggests that many are also socially isolated. This is especially true for those with immobility, as the built environment including housing structures are not universally designed to be accommodating. Immobility describes those who use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs, with the latter suffering the most impact. The cost of social exclusion can be measured by the exacerbation of disease in wheelchair users, whose fragile health status and social networks …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

The Importance Of Medicaid For Children With Disabilities And Special Health Care Needs, 2017-2018 Cohort Of New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education In Neurodevelopmental And Related Disabilities (Nh-Me Lend) Program Trainees.

Policy Analysis

Changes to Medicaid financing structure should be carefully considered because any change could have a potentially negative impact on children with disabilities and special health care needs (hereafter referred to as children with disabilities) and limit their access to critically needed health care services and community supports. Currently, Medicaid funding operates through a state and federal partnership, with the federal government providing 60% of funding on average. A cornerstone of Medicaid is the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) child health benefit. This program offers vital support services to children with disabilities, including early and periodic screenings, comprehensive …

A Qualitative Assessment Of New Graduate Nurse Practitioners First Year Of Practice, Alex Beggs Rn, Msn

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This project serves as a Capstone and final requirement for the Master of Public Health Degree at the University of Southern Maine Muskie School for Public Service. The project is a qualitative inquiry into the experience of new graduate nurse practitioners’ in their first year of practice, and their transition from the registered nurse (RN) into the nurse practitioner (NP) role. Using the theoretical constructs of Benner’s “From Novice to Expert” and the Burch’s “Conscious Competence model” new graduate nurse practitioners’ experiences will be analyzed. Risk and protective factors for role confidence will be identified through the use of qualitative …

College Women's Interest In An Over-The-Counter Oral Contraceptive, Haley Dougherty

Senior Theses and Projects

The purpose of this thesis was to learn whether an over-the-counter (OTC) oral contraceptive pill would benefit college students. To find out, I conducted sixteen semi-structured interviews with college students from Trinity College and Capital Community College, both located in Hartford, Connecticut. All participants either currently took oral contraceptives or had taken them in the past. This thesis accepts as its premise that oral contraceptives should be available OTC, but as a policy solution to increase access, I found that an OTC pill would have a limited effect.

Gatekeeping Decriminalization Of Prostitution: The Ubiquitous Influence Of The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective, Janice G. Raymond

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article explores the activities of The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC) in promoting decriminalization of prostitution and its role in gatekeeping this legislation. The NZPC has loomed large in the government’s evaluations of the decriminalization legislation known as the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA). It has collected information, partnered on the research team appointed by the Ministry of Justice to conduct the research, and ultimately secured seats as evaluators on the Prostitution Law Review Committee (PLRC) charged with assessing the research and making recommendations. Much of its outsized influence on the research and conclusions of this report is demonstrated in …

Employee Financial Wellness Programs: Differences In Reach By Financial Circumstances, Sophia R. Fox-Dichter, Yingying Zeng, Mathieu R. Despard, Ellen Frank-Miller, Geraldine Germain

Social Policy Institute Research

Workplace-based Employee Financial Wellness Programs (EFWPs) aim to strengthen employees’ financial well-being through services such as financial coaching, payroll advances and short-term installment loans, credit counseling, debt management, and online financial management tools. Although EFWPs are a fast-growing part of employee benefit packages, offerings vary widely in service type and delivery method across em-ployers, and little research has assessed their efficacy and reach.1 Our prior research2 indicates significant differences among employees, includ-ing by race/ethnicity3, regarding their awareness, utilization, and self-reported benefits from EFWP services. This brief adds to this research by exam-ining these differences in EFWP reach by employ-ees’ financial …

The Flint Food Store Survey: Combining Spatial Analysis With A Modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey In Stores (Nems-S) To Measure The Community And Consumer Nutrition Environments, Erika R. Shaver, Richard C. Sadler, Alex B. Hill, Kendall Bell, Myah Ray, Jennifer Choy-Shin, Joy Lerner, Teresa Soldner, Andrew D. Jones

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Objective
The goal of the present study was to use a methodology that accurately and reliably describes the availability, price and quality of healthy foods at both the store and community levels using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S), to propose a spatial methodology for integrating these store and community data into measures for defining objective food access.

Setting
Two hundred and sixty-five retail food stores in and within 2 miles (3·2 km) of Flint, Michigan, USA, were mapped using ArcGIS mapping software.

Design
A survey based on the validated NEMS-S was conducted at each retail food store. …

The Role Of Rural Hospitals In Addressing Opioid And Other Substance Use Problems, John A. Gale Ms

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Webinar presentation to the Small Rural Hospital Transition project addressing issues of rural opioid and other substance use issues, focusing on the role of rural hospitals, and the importance of community engagement. Component parts of an effective opioid/substance use system of care include prevention, treatment, and recovery. Models must be adapted to the geographic, resource, and cultural realities of rural areas. Examples of strategies are provided.