Public Administration Commons^™

Obesity Policy Stringency Over Time: A Four State Policy Design, Luisa M. Lucero

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Over the past several decades obesity rates in the United States have increased exponentially, reaching epidemic proportions and placing heavy financial and health-related burdens on states. States could reduce their obesity-related spending by billions of dollars, however, if they reduced their obesity prevalence by five percent by 2030, which would reduce medical costs, loss of productivity, and loss of life. Despite the incentive to improve obesity rates, not all states are taking advantage of obesity-related policy as a means to combat obesity. Using a multiple case study design and policy design as the theoretical foundation, this study explores whether or …

Factors Influencing Health Outcomes Across The Least, Average And Healthiest States In America, Somayeh Hooshmand

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Although there is a growing literature that uses national and international data to investigate health outcomes and their link to the determinants of health, empirical studies on whether or not there is a causal relationship between health outcomes and the determinants of health, to our knowledge, has not been generally done previously. To fill this gap, the main focus of this dissertation is to empirically analyze the relationship existing between health determinants and health outcomes among the least healthy state (Mississippi), the middle ranked state (Virginia) and the healthiest state (Hawaii) as measured by American Health Ranking (AHR). This study …

Narrative In Police Communication: The Art Of Influence And Communication For The Modern Police Organization, Chelsea Fray

Theses and Dissertations

Violence in the City of Rockford, Illinois and surrounding cities has made the Rockford Police Department’s communication vitally important for shaping the future of the community. The primary objective of this project was to gain a greater understanding of how the local police department utilizes one particular communication channel: social media. While some research examining law enforcement’s use of social media exists, this study is unique as it specifically applies Fisher’s (1984) narrative paradigm and key concepts related to public relations functions including relationship building. The analysis revealed that the department does utilize some narrative concepts, but could certainly reevaluate …

Cpaf Updates Vol. 18 Special Issue 2017, Virginia R. Cardenas, Stoix Nebin S. Pascua

CPAf Updates

In this issue:

• All the best to our new ‘glocal’ leaders, 1
• 2017 Awardees: Academic Excellence Awardees, 2
• CPAf Class of 2017, 4
• 2017 Awardees: Best Field Study, 6
• 2017 Awardees: Best thesis, 7
• 2017 Awardees: Best Dissertation, 8

Latina Political Leadership In Massachusetts, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This Fact Sheet offers an analysis of Latina leadership and political representation in the Massachusetts, as of the 2017.

Aging In Reading, Massachusetts: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin Coyle, Jan Mutchler

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes collaborative efforts undertaken by the Town of Reading’s Elder and Human Services Division and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging, within the Gerontology Institute at the McCormack Graduate School, University of Massachusetts Boston. During Spring 2017, these organizations partnered to conduct a study to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of the Town’s older resident population, with respect to living and aging in Reading.

The Silent Crisis Ii: A Follow-Up Analysis Of Latin@ Participation In City Government Boards, Commissions, And Executive Bodies In Boston And Chelsea, Massachusetts, James Jennings, Jen Douglas, Miren Uriarte

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides an update on the participation of Latin@s in city government in Chelsea and Boston. Since 2001 several studies have documented a severe underrepresentation of Latin@s in policy-making bodies in government institutions that affect their lives (e.g., Hardy-Fanta, 2002; Uriarte, Jennings, & Douglas, 2014). The Silent Crisis, the 2014 study (Uriarte et al., 2014) commissioned by the Greater Boston Latin@ Network, found significant under-representation of Latin@s in the city governments of Boston, Chelsea, and Somerville. In each of the three cities, the representation of Latin@s in the population far outpaced their role in the municipal governments.

Health Budget Tracking At Local Levels: A Training Manual For Uganda’S Youth Leaders And Advocates, Rehema Z. Namukose Ms.

Capstone Collection

Uganda’s decentralization policy was introduced in 1997 under the Local Government Act to transfer power from central government to local government levels. The main purpose was to promote participation of all citizens in decision making processes to enhance responsibility and accountable monitoring of services delivered to citizens at all levels. The policy “aimed to achieve efficiency and effectiveness” in services delivered and managed at lower levels (Kebba & Ntanda, 2005). But how were citizens at local levels going to participate in accountability processes? How would they monitor the quality of services delivered under this policy framework? In what ways were …

Municipal Resource Guide To Leading Practices In Cost Savings, Martin Horak, Andrew Sancton, Rachna Goswami, Umera Ali

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

Ontario municipalities of all sizes face pressure to “do more with less.” Commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs, this Resource Guide provides municipal officials with single-source information about a range of current leading practices in cost savings in small and mid-sized Ontario municipalities. Municipalities across the province are continually developing innovative practices that save costs without incurring service level reductions. Most of these practices involve small-scale initiatives that result in modest savings. Yet even modest savings add up over time, and multiple small initiatives in a single municipality can make a big difference. In addition, by providing an …

Cpaf Updates Vol. 18 No. 3, Melanie P. Maullon, Stoix Nebin S. Pascua, Stella Concepcion R. Britanico, Chrislyn Joanna P. Faulmino

CPAf Updates

In this issue:

• CPAf 8th Annual Recognition rites held, 1
• CPAf holds seminar on records management, 2
• USAID Philippines Mission Director visits Bicol Agri-Water Project sites, 3
• Dr. Reyes gives synthesis in NAST PHL forum, 4

An Examination Of The Emergency Water Supply Of Healthcare Facilities In Southeast Louisiana, Charles Canan

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

Water is a crucial commodity, especially in the aftermath of disaster events. Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, require a water supply for both every day and emergency processes. As required by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), healthcare facilities must stock a sufficient amount of water for medical services following disaster events. The purpose of this research is to explore the capabilities of healthcare facilities regarding the water supply for emergency purposes. The study investigated the usage and preparedness trends of water supply in two hospitals in Southeast Louisiana. The hospitals selected for research allowed for …

Umass Memorial Healthcare Information System Job Ladder, Matthew Simoncini, Vamsi Kavuru, Antariksh Nanda, Tahaseen Mahaboob Basha, Vikram Patil

School of Professional Studies

The capstone project report emphasizes the importance of a job ladder and the need of an hour to implement it at UMASS Memorial health care. The scope of this project is to create a well-established job ladder at UMASS with pre-defined standards on job levels related to Information Technology department that would facilitate in hiring, developing and promoting employees at various stages.

A Learning Framework For The Ywca Central Massachusetts, Dayna Ankermann, Manjushree Burdekar, Priyanka Joshi, Ying Song, Yumeng Chen, Xing Xie

School of Professional Studies

After meeting with the Director of Wellness and Health Equity at the YWCA Central Massachusetts (which will be referred to as the YWCA from here on out), we learned that as a non-profit gym and health center, it is heavily underfunded. The main focus of the project was to determine how to upkeep the facility while bringing in new customers with limited resources and budget. Due to the needs of the YWCA, our group focused on six aspects: revenue stream, donor retention, increasing membership, customer experience, social media marketing, and membership fee structure. After completing extensive research, we were able …

Human Services Management (Hsm) Certificate Program Expansion To Western Massachusetts Feasibility Study, Paul Campbell, Patrick Deschenes, Maria Pacheco, Bradley Paul, Elizabeth Vittum, Jing Zhang

School of Professional Studies

One of the most popular cost-savings programs that the Providers’ Council currently offers its members is a Certificate in Nonprofit Human Service Management (HSM) provided in partnership with Clark University and Suffolk University. As human services providers are struggling to hire and retain qualified staff, the need to provide professional development opportunities to help grow and expand a skilled health and human services workforce is a critical issue facing nonprofit organizations and communities in Massachusetts. This feasibility study examines the viability of Providers’ Council and Clark University expanding its HSM Certificate Program to organizations and staff located in western Massachusetts. …

Somali National University, Sharmarke Abdulla, Nikala Pieroni, Jenna Caskie, Sergii Odnodvorets, Tanyue Gong, Lahari Dasari

School of Professional Studies

The executive summary presents an overview of the principal conclusions and recommendations for Somali National University Faculty of Education (FoEd) regarding the following concerns: Difficulty with recruiting high quality prospects to the FoEd; Ineffective and counterintuitive use of social media as a tool to improve brand equity, as well as as a tool to attract and communicate with prospective and current students; Unbalanced gender ratio of current student body; Absence of student services and student supports; Low student retention rate; Limited resources for academic advising; This document is the result of a Clark University School of Professional Studies Capstone Project.

Collective Impact: Working Together For Robust Community Emergency Preparedness, Cheryl H. Galloway

Master's Projects

This study identifies a shortfall of solid emergency preparedness between organizations and individuals in Gilroy, providing a gap analysis in disaster mitigation on the civilian side. This information is important for emergency managers and public safety officials to understand as they strive to develop plans and solutions to increase participation, effectiveness, planning, training and implementation at the Gilroy Unified School District and in the community at large. Using an evaluation of current efforts for review by the school board, city council, Chamber of Commerce and non-profits in the public safety sector, more expansive outreach through collaboration is the common goal. …

Addressing The Ab 109 Population In Santa Cruz County: The Santa Cruz County Recidivism Study Of Post-Realignment Offenders (2011–2016), Shea Johnson

Master's Projects

The goal of this paper and the included “Santa Cruz County Recidivism Study of Post-Realignment Offenders (2011–2016)” is to provide a meaningful presentation of recidivism rates for Santa Cruz County and, in doing so, help Santa Cruz County agencies to better design recidivism reduction programs, highlight the problems every county faces in trying to conduct recidivism reduction studies, and provide a roadmap for what is and is not possible for policymakers who are increasingly demanding more refined data sets and streamlined data for budgeting.

A Comparative Study Of Local Municipalities’ Implementation And Compliance Of Construction Site Controls, As Required By The California Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, Municipal Regional Stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (Npdes) Permit, Maria Begiebing

Master's Projects

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has programs designed to protect the navigable waters of the United States from urban runoff pollution. One source of polluted runoff regulated by EPA is from construction sites. In support of this effort, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a regional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit called the Municipal Regional Permit (MRP). The goal of the MRP is to provide consistent regulation of stormwater contaminants across multiple jurisdictions (CRWQCB, 2015).

This research project evaluated the construction inspection programs of fourteen cities located in California’s San Francisco Bay Area to determine …

Under The Care Of The City Of Fremont: Employees Embrace A Healthier Lifestyle Through Worksite Wellness, Kelly Wright

Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) if the City of Fremont has effectively implemented wellness activities that promote health and wellness for employees; and (2) what strategies can the City of Fremont use to encourage and increase employee participation in workplace sponsored health and wellness program activities.

Ending Transitional Homelessness In San Jose, California: A Process Evaluation Of The City Of San Jose’S Plan To Convert A Hotel/Motel Into A Single Room Occupancy Living Unit For The Transitionally Homeless, Alyssa Garcia

Master's Projects

The City of San Jose has been working on the Hotel/Motel Supportive Housing Program and Underutilized City-Owned Property project since 2012. The City acquired the Plaza Hotel in downtown San Jose from the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Authority and leased the property to Abode. Abode converted the rooms into SRO units for the transitionally homeless and occupancy is expected in July of 2017. The program is estimated to operate for five years before it is torn down. The project is unique, as the city has never had a hotel/motel conversion program tailored towards transitionally homeless adults.

A process evaluation …