Community Health Commons^™

A Crisis Of Her Own: Fatal Opioid Overdose, Opioid Use Disorder, And Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural Utah Women, Timothy Light, Erin Fanning Madden, Debasree Das Gupta, Hilary Disch, Katie Zaman, Suzanne Prevedel, Sandra H. Sulzer

All Current Publications

The Centers for Disease Control report that the rate of overdose deaths among women is rapidly increasing, with women experiencing a 532% increase in fatal opioid overdose deaths between 1999 and 2017, compared to a 355% increase for men. Among women, those in rural areas have disproportionately higher drug overdose death rates than women in urban areas (Mazure & Fiellin, 2018), indicating an opportunity for targeted rural public health interventions to slow overdose fatality increases among women. This fact sheet reviews Utah trends, potential factors increasing fatal opioid overdose, intimate partner violence and substance use disorders, and provides resources for …

Hello Darkness My Old Friend: An Experience Of A Transformative Session With Zero Balancing, James Mccormick

Journal of Transformative Touch

An Experience of a Transformative Session with Zero Balancing showing the effects of client experiencing an expanded state of consciousness furring a Zero Balancing session.

Public Health Employees’ Perceptions About The Impact Of Emerging Public Health Trends On Their Day-To-Day Work: Effects Of Organizational Climate And Culture, Kristie Cason Waterfield, Gulzar H. Shah, Linda Kimsey, William A. Mase, Jingjing Yin

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of this research was to assess the workforce characteristics associated with public health employees’ perceived impact of emerging trends in public health on their day-to-day work. Methods: Multinomial logistic regression was performed to analyze data from the 2017 PH WINS, a cross-sectional survey utilizing a nationally representative sample of the United States public health workforce. Results: More than 55% of the public health workforce perceived that their day-to-day work was impacted by the emerging public health trends. Workplace environment was significantly associated with the perception of their day-to-day work being impacted by emerging public health trends such …

Area Agencies On Aging Provide Crucial Support For Older New Yorkers During Covid-19, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

This research brief discusses how Area Agencies on Aging are providing crucial support for older NewYorkers during COVID-19.

Environmentally Marginalized Populations: The "Perfect Storm" For Infectious Disease Pandemics, Including Covid-19, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Oyemwenosa Avenbuan, Christina Awada, Oluwakemi B. Oyetade, Tricia Blackman, Simona Kwon Drph, Mph, Esther Erdei Phd, Judith T. Zelikoff Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

COVID-19 has exacted a severe toll on the United States population’s physical and mental health and its effects have been felt most severely among people of color and low socioeconomic status. Using illustrative case studies, this commentary argues that in addition to COVID-19 health disparities created by psychosocial stressors such as the inability to socially distance and access quality healthcare, environmental justice communities have the additional burden of disproportionate exposure to toxic contaminants that contribute to their higher risk of COVID-19. Environmental contaminants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants found contaminating their nearby environments can alter the immune response, …

Spiritual Care In Sparsely Populated Regions, Robin Haensel

Consensus

No abstract provided.

St. Andrew’S Gratitude Project: The Impact Of Daily Practices Of Gratitude On Feelings Of Loneliness, Eric Partridge

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Covid-19 Crisis For Persons With Hiv: The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health, Kristie Cason Waterfield, Gulzar H. Shah, Gina D. Etheredge, Osaremhen Ikhile

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background

With the indiscriminate spread of COVID-19 globally, many populations are experiencing negative consequences such as job loss, food insecurity, and inability to manage existing medical conditions and maintain preventive measures such as social distancing and personal preventative equipment. Some of the most disadvantaged in the COVID-19 era are people living with HIV/AIDS and other autoimmune diseases.

Discussion

As the number of new HIV infections decrease globally, many subpopulations remain at high risk of infection due to lack of or limited access to prevention services, as well as clinical care and treatment. For persons living with HIV or at higher …

Misty Rhoads Ijzbtt Editorial Welcome, Misty Rhoads

Journal of Transformative Touch

Editorial Welcome to the IJZBTT from the Executive Editor -Dr. Misty Rhoads-

Sullivan County Covid-19 Needs Assessment, Melissa Mccollister

2020 Fall Reports (Sullivan)

Sullivan responded and continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. A community needs assessment was performed through the SOWK 382 course in partnership with United Way of the Wabash Valley. The needs assessment revealed how the community has responded in relation to mental health and addiction, food, schooling, and stability. The assessment reveals how Sullivan should respond to further help the community members during this pandemic.

Tb/Hiv Coinfection And Patient Outcomes: Evidence From 241 Clinics In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Gulzar H. Shah, Raimi Ewetola, Gina D. Etheredge, L. Maluantesa, Kristie C. Waterfield, L.-K. Lukusa

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: To provide efficient, equitable, patient-centered, and evidence-based services to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), it is critical for the intervention programs to understand the nature of barriers to effective treatment and additional risks faced by PLWH with tuberculosis (TB) coinfection. This study analyzes two aspects of TB coinfection in PLWH: (a) variation in TB/HIV coinfection by demographic and clinical characteristics of patients; and (b) risks of negative outcomes such as death, loss to follow up, and higher viral load among PLWH with TB coinfection compared to those without such coinfection.

Methods and materials: This quantitative study used …

Hiv Clinical Stage Progression Of Patients At 241 Outpatient Clinics In Democratic Republic Of Congo: Disparities By Gender, Tb Status And Rurality, Gina D. Etheredge, Raimi Ewetola, Gulzar H. Shah, L. Maluantesa, Kristie C. Waterfield, A. Mulenga, A. Kilundu

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: HIV clinical care programs are increasingly cognizant of the importance of customizing services according to patients’ clinical stage progression (WHO's four-tiered staging) and other risk assessments. Understanding factors associated with Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV) patients’ progression through the treatment cascade and clinical stages is essential for programs to provide patient-centered, evidence-based services.

Methods and materials: To analyze patient characteristics associated with disease progression stages for PLHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), this quantitative study used data, from January 2014–June 2019, from 49,460 PLHIV on ART from 241 HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in 23 health zones in Haut-Katanga and …

Retention And Predictors Of Attrition Among Children Living With Hiv On Antiretroviral Therapy (Art) In Côte D’Ivoire Between 2012 And 2016, F. Traore-Toure, Gina D. Etheredge, Gulzar H. Shah, C. Brennan

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: In Côte d’Ivoire a retrospective national-level cohort study conducted in 2009 indicated that 77%, 72% and 75% of children living with HIV (CLHIV) remained in care at 12, 36, and 48 months after starting ART, respectively. The CDC-sponsored Improving HIV Surveillance and Program Evaluation in Côte d’Ivoire project assessed retention progress since that study.

Methods and materials: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted using 2-stage cluster sampling. HIV care and treatment centers (CTC) were sampled based on patient caseload, then records of patients under 15 years of age who initiated ART between 2012–2016 were randomly …

The Silence Of Food Insecurity: Disconnections Between Primary Care And Community Organizations, Nicole K. Runkle, David A. Nelson

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Food insecurity is a prominent issue in the United States, and it is well established that food insecurity is linked to health and chronic illnesses. Studies show that screening for food insecurity is not yet part of standardized practice among all primary care physicians, nor are care providers comfortable with how to proceed with a patient who presents with this issue. Food insecurity is often handled by community-based organizations (CBOs) such as food pantries. Family medicine and pediatric clinics (FMPC) and CBOs hold unique relationships with their clients and can benefit from partnerships with each other to improve health …

A Predictable Home Environment May Protect Child Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Laura M. Glynn, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Joan L. Luby, Tallie Z. Baram, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Information about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent and adult mental health is growing, yet the impacts on preschool children are only emerging. Importantly, environmental factors that augment or protect from the multidimensional and stressful influences of the pandemic on emotional development of young children are poorly understood.

Methods

Depressive symptoms in 169 preschool children (mean age 4.1 years) were assessed with the Preschool Feelings Checklist during a state-wide stay-at-home order in Southern California. Mothers (46% Latinx) also reported on externalizing behaviors with the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire. To assess the role of environmental factors in …

Do Needle Exchange Programs Cause More Harm To Injection Drug Users And Compromise The Safety Of The Communities In Which They Are In Place?, Amber L. Payne

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Needle Exchange Programs (NEP) are put in place in regions in the US, where illegal injectable drug use is prevalent, in order to decrease the amount of blood borne diseases by at least 10%, such as Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), being spread throughout the drug-using community. People and Healthcare Professionals in these communities have questioned if NEPs have caused more harm to the drug users and if they have compromised public safety due to incorrect disposal of syringes.

During a study in 2011, the spread of blood borne diseases in areas where NEPs were present, decreased among …

Capital Region Collaborative Community Survey Project To Document Disparate Impacts Of Covid-19, The Albany Minority Health Task Force, Lawrence Schell, Annis Golden, Alex Pieterse, Archana Krishnan, Masahiro Yamamoto, Elizabeth Holdsworth, Pallavi Khurana, Olivia Mata, Amy Williams, Hnin Wai Lwin Myo

Understanding and eliminating minority health disparities in a 21st-century pandemic: A White Paper Collection

The Capital Region Collaborative Community Survey project was undertaken in December 2020- January 2021 to document the social, economic and health impacts of COVID-19 on residents in the Capital Region, particularly in the city of Albany with an emphasis on the impacts on Black and African American (B/AA) communities (n=239). Key findings included B/AA participants reported experiencing general racism or racial discrimination significantly more than other racial groups as did Hispanics. The pandemic impacted employment of Capital Region residents significantly as half of the respondents either lost their jobs or had their hours reduced. B/AA individuals were more likely than …

Effects Of The Needle Exchange Program Implemented In West Virginia, Amber Graves, Anthony B. Uriarte, Katherine Duty

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: West Virginia has had a recent spike in infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis due to increased rates of injectable drug use. The rising costs associated with such diseases have been a cause for concern in the sector of healthcare and public health. In the state, the exchanging of dirty needles has resulted in the spread of bloodborne pathogens, however, the implementation of needle exchange programs has sought to decrease the rates of infection, improve health outcomes, and lower healthcare costs. However, there is a question as to the effectiveness of such programs.

Purpose of Study: …

Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory

United States Natonal Institutes of Health: Materials

Conclusion

As we learn the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, and start recovering and rebuilding, we have an opportunity to offer a more comprehensive, more fulfilling, and more inclusive vision of what constitutes public health. And for a generation of children facing unprecedented pressures and stresses, day in and day out, change can’t come soon enough.

It won’t come overnight. Many of the recommendations offered in this Advisory require structural buy-in and change.

But everyone has a role to play in combating this mental health pandemic. Without individual engagement, no amount of energy or resources can overcome the biggest barrier …

Evaluating Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Access To Primary Care Among Gay And Bisexual Men In The Us, A Population At High-Risk Of Hiv Infection, Jessica S. Kiernan, April D. Kimmel

Graduate Research Posters

BACKGROUND: 69% of new HIV diagnoses in the US are among gay and bisexual men, with disparities by race and ethnicity. Primary care providers increasingly provide HIV prevention. Racial and ethnic disparities in primary care access are well-documented, but their persistence among gay and bisexual men is unknown. We examined racial and ethnic disparities in access to primary care among this population.

METHODS: We used nationally representative person-level sociodemographic, health status and utilization data, and data on organizational- and socially determinant barriers to care, from the National Health Interview Survey, 2013-2018. Outcomes were: 1) general physician visit

RESULTS: The sample …