Last data update: May 20, 2024. (Total: 46824 publications since 2009)
Records 1-4 (of 4 Records) |
Query Trace: Whitton A[original query] |
---|
Strengthening public health capacity to address infectious diseases: Lessons from 3 Centers of Excellence in Public Health and Homelessness
Bien MB , Whitton A , Meehan A , Thornhill L , Ellis K , Leopold J , Borne D , Vickery KD , Imbert E , Twohey-Jacobs L , Perez KA , Mosites E . J Public Health Manag Pract 2023 29 (6) 775-779 People experiencing homelessness are disproportionately affected by infectious diseases and often face barriers to receiving appropriate medical treatment. Responding to the needs of people experiencing homelessness requires state and local health departments to integrate information sources and coordinate multisector efforts. From 2021 to 2023, the CDC Foundation, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, established pilot Centers of Excellence in Public Health and Homelessness in Seattle, Washington; San Francisco, California; and the state of Minnesota. These centers strengthened their capacity to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness by supporting cross-sector partnerships, assessing the interoperability of data systems, prioritizing infectious disease needs, and identifying health disparities. These programs demonstrated that health departments are heterogeneous entities with differing resources and priorities. They also showed the importance of employing dedicated public health staff focused on homelessness, establishing diverse partnerships and the need for support from local leaders to address homelessness. |
Design and implementation of an innovative, rapid data-monitoring strategy for public health emergencies: Pilot of the United States school COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies Project
Hertz MF , Dierst-Davies R , Freire K , Verlenden JMV , Whitton L , Zimmerman J , Honeycutt S , Puddy R , Baldwin GT . Public Health Rep 2023 138 (6) 333549231190050 During the COVID-19 pandemic, an urgent need existed for near-real-time data collection to better understand how individual beliefs and behaviors, state and local policies, and organizational practices influenced health outcomes. We describe the processes, methods, and lessons learned during the development and pilot testing of an innovative rapid data collection process we developed to inform decision-making during the COVID-19 public health emergency. We used a fully integrated mixed-methods approach to develop a structured process for triangulating quantitative and qualitative data from traditional (cross-sectional surveys, focus groups) and nontraditional (social media listening) sources. Respondents included students, parents, teachers, and key school personnel (eg, nurses, administrators, mental health providers). During the pilot phase (February-June 2021), data from 12 cross-sectional and sector-based surveys (n = 20 302 participants), 28 crowdsourced surveys (n = 26 820 participants), 10 focus groups (n = 64 participants), and 11 social media platforms (n = 432 754 503 responses) were triangulated with other data to support COVID-19 mitigation in schools. We disseminated findings through internal dashboards, triangulation reports, and policy briefs. This pilot demonstrated that triangulating traditional and nontraditional data sources can provide rapid data about barriers and facilitators to mitigation implementation during an evolving public health emergency. Such a rapid feedback and continuous improvement model can be tailored to strengthen response efforts. This approach emphasizes the value of nimble data modernization efforts to respond in real time to public health emergencies. |
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptability Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Central Florida and Southern Nevada, March-June 2021.
Meehan AA , Aarvig K , Kashani M , Whitton A , Mosites E . J Public Health Manag Pract 2022 28 (6) 693-701 CONTEXT: Understanding COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among people experiencing homelessness is critical to improve vaccine coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about COVID-19 vaccine acceptability people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (PEUH). OBJECTIVE: To identify and describe motivators for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and reasons for hesitancy, information sources utilized and trusted for vaccine decision making, logistical barriers to receiving vaccination, and what might increase comfortability to receive a COVID-19 vaccination among PEUH. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey design, implemented from March to June 2021. SETTING: Two US cities: Las Vegas and Nevada (urban), and Orlando, Florida (suburban). PARTICIPANTS: People experiencing predominantly unsheltered homelessness accessing handwashing stations and other wrap-around social services at program sites managed by Clean the World Foundation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures assessed included survey responses about current vaccine receipt (if participants have already received one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine), intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if not already received, motivators for receiving or wanting to receive a vaccine, reasons for hesitancy or uncertainty about receiving a vaccine, sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, and actual or anticipated logistical barriers or challenges to receiving COVID-19 vaccines. RESULTS: Among 864 participants, 465 (53.8%) were classified as "vaccine accepting," and 399 were classified "vaccine hesitant or undecided." The primary motivator to be vaccinated was to protect their health (212, 45.6%). Hesitant or undecided participants reported that vaccines were too new (269, 67.4%) or they needed more information (223, 55.9%) and were more likely to receive information from social media than accepting participants (80.0% vs 58.3%, P < .001). Logistical barriers to vaccination included distance to vaccination locations (85, 21.3%), lack of transportation (79, 19.8%), and limited time (64, 16%). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination efforts to reach PEUH should consider how information and logistical needs may be addressed. |
Teachers' dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Factors contributing to a desire to leave the profession.
Gillani A , Dierst-Davies R , Lee S , Robin L , Li J , Glover-Kudon R , Baker K , Whitton A . Front Psychol 2022 13 940718 INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic required more responsibilities from teachers, including implementing prevention strategies, changes in school policies, and managing their own mental health, which yielded higher dissatisfaction in the field. METHODS: A cross-sectional web survey was conducted among educators to collect information on their experiences teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Qualtrics, an online survey platform, fielded the survey from May 6 to June 8, 2021 to a national, convenience sample of 1,807 respondents. RESULTS: Findings revealed that overall, 43% of K-12 teachers reported a greater intention to leave the profession than previously recalled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Intention to leave was multi-level, and associated with socio-demographic factors (e.g., age: AOR = 1.87, p < 0.05), individual factors (e.g., perceived COVID risks: AOR = 1.44, p < 0.05), and teachers' agency (e.g., dissatisfaction with school/district communications and decisions: AOR = 1.34, p < 0.05). We also found demographic disparities with respect to race and gender (e.g., female teachers: AOR: 1.78, p < 0.05) around teachers' ability to provide feedback to schools on opening/closing and overall dissatisfaction with school/district COVID-19 prevention strategies implementation and policies. CONCLUSION: These findings are consistent with the Job-Demand and Resources Model (JD-R), which posits that lack of organizational support can exacerbate job stressors, leading to burnout. Specifically, dissatisfaction with the way school policies were implemented took a toll on teachers' mental health, leading to a desire to leave the profession. These findings are also consistent with research conducted once in-person teaching resumed in 2020-2021, specifically that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated preexisting teacher shortages that led to self-reported issues of stress, burnout, and retention. IMPLICATIONS: Further research is necessary to understand the resources that may be most useful to reduce the demands of teaching in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teachers are more likely to leave the field, and educational agencies may wish to target their teacher-retention efforts with emphasis on strong employee wellness programs that help educators to manage and reduce their stress. Education agency staff may wish to review policies and practices to provide meaningful opportunities to give input to school/district decisions and enable proactive communication channels. |
- Page last reviewed:Feb 1, 2024
- Page last updated:May 20, 2024
- Content source:
- Powered by CDC PHGKB Infrastructure