Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Federal Medication-Assisted Treatment Expansion Grants Do Not Reduce Homelessness, Andrew Sullivan, Changwe Park

Population Health Research Brief Series

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is an evidence-based intervention that, combined with counseling and behavioral therapies, can effectively treat opioid use disorders. However, MAT is underused due to multiple barriers. To increase access to MAT, the U.S. government awarded grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to increase and retain the number of people receiving MAT. This brief examined differences in homelessness and employment outcomes between places that received a MAT grant and those that did not. They found that these grants did not reduce homelessness or unemployment rates in the places that received funding and concluded that their effectiveness may have …

How Has The Opioid Crisis Affected Health, Health Care Use, And Crime In The United States?, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Justine Mallatt, Christopher J. Ruhm, Kosali Simon

Population Health Research Brief Series

The U.S. opioid crisis is the deadliest drug crisis in the nation’s history and is not abating. This brief summarizes what is known about the relationships between opioid misuse, health, healthcare use, and crime. The authors show that the opioid crisis has led to worsening health, increased mortality, increased healthcare use, and modest increases in crime. In addition, the policies designed to curb opioid misuse and its associated harms have had only limited success.

Which Demographic Groups And Which Places Have The Highest Drug Overdose Rates In The U.S.?, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Although the drug overdose crisis has affected all demographic groups and places in the United States, overdose rates are much higher in some sub-populations and places than others. This brief describes demographic and geographic differences in fatal drug overdose rates from 1999-2020. Throughout most of this period, fatal drug overdose rates were highest among young and middle-aged adult White and Native American males and middle-aged and older Black males. Rates have been consistently highest in Appalachia, but in recent years have spread throughout several regions in urban and rural areas alike. Although opioids have been the main contributor, cocaine- and …

Opioid Treatment Programs Can Reduce Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits And Foster Care Placements, Lindsey Rose Bullinger, Vivian Wang, Kenneth A. Feder

Population Health Research Brief Series

The U.S. opioid epidemic has led not only to unprecedented increases in opioid overdoses, functional impairment, and deaths among adults but also harmed children. After lifting a long-standing moratorium on drug treatment programs and increasing the number of medication-assisted opioid treatment programs (OTPs), Indiana saw a decrease in emergency overdose treatments and foster care placements. This brief explores the positive effects of medication-assisted treatments on children and their caregivers and the cost savings for foster care agencies.

The Opioid Epidemic Has Disrupted Children’S Living Arrangements, Mónica L. Caudillo, Andres Villarreal, Philip N. Cohen

Population Health Research Brief Series

The contemporary drug overdose crisis has had profound impacts on children and families in the United States. This brief summarizes how children’s living arrangements have changed during the opioid epidemic. The authors find that opioid overdose deaths are associated with decreasing shares of children living with two married parents and increases in shares of children living with unmarried but cohabiting parents, single fathers, and adults other than their parents. These changes have been most pronounced among White children.

U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler

Population Health Research Brief Series

The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3^rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.

Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores

Population Health Research Brief Series

The adverse impacts of the U.S. opioid crisis have been documented in many domains, but surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding how the opioid crisis has affected children’s educational outcomes. This brief shows that students in counties with high levels of opioid prescribing are learning more slowly over time than their peers in counties with low levels of opioid prescribing. In addition to directing more support to schools, the authors advocate for policies that address the underlying social conditions that lead to prescription opioid misuse.

Over Two-Thirds Of Opioid Overdose Victims In Canada Were Employed Before They Died, Alexander Cheung, Joseph Marchand, Patricia Mark

Population Health Research Brief Series

As in the United States, drug overdose is the leading cause of unnatural death in Canada, with most overdoses involving opioids. The authors of this brief quantify the lost labor productivity from opioid overdoses in Canada. They show that from 2016 to 2019, over two-thirds of opioid overdose victims were working and contributing to the economy before they died, with those employed in construction, trades, and transportation having the highest opioid overdose rates. The authors argue that destigmatizing drug use, ensuring a safe supply, and improving access to medical care and take-home Naloxone kits are critical for reducing overdose deaths.

A Case Of Obstructed Left Diaphragmatic Hernia, Shikha Agarwal Dr.

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Diaphragmatic hernia is protrusion of abdominal viscera into the chest cavity. Most commonly seen due to congenital defects in the diaphragm, hence causing herniation of abdominal contents including stomach, bowel, pancreas, omentum. Acquired diaphragmatic hernia can be secondary to injury to diaphragm. Patient presents with respiratory distress, due to reduced lung expansion. Early correlation with radiological scans is required for appropriate timely management, to prevent further deterioration of condition.

Editorial: Assessing And Addressing Health Inequities And Disparities: The Role Of Health Informatics, Gulzar H. Shah, Anjum Khurshid, Joanne Chopak-Foss

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perceived Effectiveness Of Study Skills Training For Division Iii College Athletes: A Pilot Program, Jill W. Lassiter, Amanda L. Campbell

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

College athletes experience high levels of stress and academics is one of the primary causes. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a study skills training workshop designed around the theory of Multiple Intelligences. The pilot-workshop was developed with minimal resources, tailored to college athletes, and focused on helping them adopt personally meaningful active study strategies. An inductive, naturalistic evaluation approach was used to analyze the qualitative responses of 55 athletes who participated in the workshop. Findings showed that those who adopted active study strategies experienced benefits in the areas of decreased stress, perceived effectiveness, perceived efficiency, greater …

Supporting Caregivers Of The Aging Adult: A Program Evaluation, Tanya O'Brien

Student Scholarly Projects

There is an ever-increasing burden on caregivers of individuals with cognitive illness as a result of the increasing number of older adults with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Currently, St. John's County Florida offers three programs designed to provide support for caregivers of individuals with cognitive illness. This project evaluated the three programs as part of a program evaluation to determine the efficacy of program selection for sustainability. Utilizing the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Program Evaluation Framework (PEF), a detailed and thorough evaluation review of the Power Tools for Caregivers, Savvy Caregiver, and an original three-model program developed by the …

Hypermitotic Meningiomas Harbor Dna Methylation Subgroups With Distinct Biological And Clinical Features, Abrar Choudhury, William C Chen, Calixto-Hope G Lucas, James C Bayley, Akdes S Harmanci, Sybren L N Maas, Sandro Santagata, Tiemo Klisch, Arie Perry, Wenya Linda Bi, Felix Sahm, Akash J Patel, Stephen T Magill, David R Raleigh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas, the most common primary intracranial tumors, can be separated into 3 DNA methylation groups with distinct biological drivers, clinical outcomes, and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Alternative meningioma grouping schemes using copy number variants, gene expression profiles, somatic short variants, or integrated molecular models have been proposed. These data suggest meningioma DNA methylation groups may harbor subgroups unifying contrasting theories of meningioma biology.

METHODS: A total of 565 meningioma DNA methylation profiles from patients with comprehensive clinical follow-up at independent discovery (n = 200) or validation (n = 365) institutions were reanalyzed and classified into Merlin-intact, Immune-enriched, or Hypermitotic DNA methylation …

In Vivo Functional Characterization Of Egfr Variants Identifies Novel Drivers Of Glioblastoma, Kwanha Yu, Kathleen Kong, Brittney Lozzi, Estefania Luna-Figueroa, Alexis Cervantes, Rachel Curry, Carrie A Mohila, Ganesh Rao, Ali Jalali, Gordon B Mills, Kenneth L Scott, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. Large-scale sequencing initiatives have cataloged its mutational landscape in hopes of elucidating mechanisms driving this deadly disease. However, a major bottleneck in harnessing this data for new therapies is deciphering "driver" and "passenger" events amongst the vast volume of information.

METHODS: We utilized an autochthonous, in vivo screening approach to identify driver, EGFR variants. RNA-Seq identified unique molecular signatures of mouse gliomas across these variants, which only differ by a single amino acid change. In particular, we identified alterations to lipid metabolism, which we further validated through an unbiased …

The Investigation Of First-Year Wellness Programming In College To Reduce Stress And Anxiety Levels, Charlotte Muriel

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The COVID-19 pandemic brought mental health to light, although college students have long been experiencing mental health struggles. First-year experience courses have been shown to relieve some of the stresses associated with the college transition (Holliday, 2014); however, the existing programming does not meet the needs of college students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the increased need for mental health services and counseling on college campuses, there is a need for additional support for students dealing with wellness concerns.

This action research study used a three-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods design. Phase One included two audio-recorded focus group …

Syndemics And Social Factors: Infectious Disease Patterns Within The Population Of People Experiencing Homelessness In The United States, Kathleen Berzonsky

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Individuals experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of suffering from infectious diseases. This is due to a number of social factors and healthcare disparities, as well as the idea of syndemics, by which diseases cluster together to worsen disease burden. Current intervention strategies approach treatment from a post-infection perspective, but reducing transmission rates of infectious diseases within the population of people experiencing homelessness will require a shift in the healthcare framework. The issue of people experiencing homelessness must be viewed through a biosocial lens, focusing on preventative care and treatment. I provide an overview of the social factors governing infectious …

Mouth Care Is Self-Care, Abigail Waunch, Katelynn Huot, Aleya J. Germany, Oleksandra Shmatok, Elizabeth M. Cortes, Cortney M. Firns

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

In February of 2023, six Seattle Pacific University (SPU) nursing students partnered with a Seattle rehab agency to deliver mouth care education while prioritizing the health literacy level of the community. The agency aims to foster an inclusive and empathetic environment that builds a diverse community for those traumatized by homelessness, addiction, and mental health (Recovery Café, n.d.). The nursing group upheld the agency's mission with honor and respect during each project step. The special projects manager of the agency expressed a lack of health literacy among members. Tailoring health literacy to the appropriate education level has significantly improved dental …

Finding Equity In Education, Isara Krieger, Carlos Hoyt, Change Cadet, Innopsych Organization

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In our program, Isara seeks to use The Highest Standard documentary film as a conversation starter with educators, educational activists, mental health professionals and students that are part of the film to discuss what tools are available and what tools that should to be created to support students of greater need in the classroom and beyond.

Anatomy Lab, Brian R. Smith

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

A Nationwide Study Of The “July Effect” Concerning Postpartum Hemorrhage And Its Risk Factors At Teaching Hospitals Across The United States, Zahra Shahin, Gulzar H. Shah, Bettye Apenteng, Kristie Cason Waterfield, Hani M. Samawi

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Objective To assess the “July effect” and the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and its risk factors across the U.S. teaching hospitals. Method This study used the 2018 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and included 2,056,359 of 2,879,924 single live-birth hospitalizations with low-risk pregnancies across the U.S. teaching hospitals. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) medical coding was used to identify PPH and other study variables. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare the adjusted odds of PPH risk in the first and second quarters of the academic year vs. …