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Macmadu A. Restoring and Expanding Pandemic-Era Support Policies to Reduce Economic Precarity and Overdose Deaths. Am J Public Health 2024:e1-e3. [PMID: 38696734 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2024.307701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Macmadu
- Alexandria Macmadu is with the Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI
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2
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Vicente-Alcalde N, Sferle SM, Franco-Paredes C, Tuells J. Acceptance of the COVID-19 Vaccine by Prisoners and Staff in Spanish Prisons. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1547. [PMID: 37896950 PMCID: PMC10610590 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11101547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 vaccination of prisoners and prison staff represents a public health intervention to reduce the impact of the pandemic in conglomerate settings. In Spanish prisons, the road map of the Ministry of Health was followed to protect the population at risk. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination by prisoners and prison staff in a prison in Alicante, Spain. We analyzed data obtained through a standardized, self-administered, and anonymous questionnaire; 1016 prisoners and 288 prison staff responded to the survey. The majority of inmates and staff reported no history of symptomatic COVID-19, 90.15% and 91.66%, respectively. Respondents reported that 88.72% agreed to be vaccinated and 89.64% would recommend the vaccine to others. Approximately 89% believe that the benefit of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is greater than the risk, and 70.55% reported that vaccination should be mandatory for inmates and staff to participate in some activities. The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among prisoners and prison staff is high in a Provincial Prison in Spain. Elevated acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in prisons is a major factor in public health intervention and vaccine equity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sorina Madalina Sferle
- Instituto Universitario de Matemática Multidisciplinar, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Carlos Franco-Paredes
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Dr. Márquez 162, Ciudad de Mexico 06720, Mexico;
| | - José Tuells
- Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, 03690 Alicante, Spain;
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3
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James JE, Dauria EF, Desai R, Bell A, Izenberg JM. "Good luck, social distance": rapid decarceration and community care for serious mental illness and substance use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Justice 2023; 11:39. [PMID: 37721650 PMCID: PMC10506186 DOI: 10.1186/s40352-023-00238-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic inspired calls for rapid decarceration of prisons and jails to slow the spread of disease in a high-risk congregate setting. Due to the rarity of intentionally-decarcerative policies, little is known about the effects of rapid decarceration on individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) substance use disorder (SUD), a population who receive many services via the criminal legal system (CLS). We conducted interviews with 13 key informants involved in CLS in San Francisco, CA to better understand the implication of the decarcerative policies put into practice in early 2020. Participants described a tension between the desire to have fewer people incarcerated and the challenges of accessing services and support - especially during the lockdown period of the pandemic - outside of the CLS given the number of services that are only accessible to those who have been arrested, incarcerated, or sentenced. These findings emphasize the need for investing in community social services rather than further expanding the CLS to achieve the goal of supporting individuals with SMI and SUD shrinking the US system of mass incarceration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E James
- Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Emily F Dauria
- School of Public Health, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Riya Desai
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Jacob M Izenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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4
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Klein B, Ogbunugafor CB, Schafer BJ, Bhadricha Z, Kori P, Sheldon J, Kaza N, Sharma A, Wang EA, Eliassi-Rad T, Scarpino SV, Hinton E. COVID-19 amplified racial disparities in the US criminal legal system. Nature 2023; 617:344-350. [PMID: 37076624 PMCID: PMC10172107 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05980-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
The criminal legal system in the USA drives an incarceration rate that is the highest on the planet, with disparities by class and race among its signature features1-3. During the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of incarcerated people in the USA decreased by at least 17%-the largest, fastest reduction in prison population in American history4. Here we ask how this reduction influenced the racial composition of US prisons and consider possible mechanisms for these dynamics. Using an original dataset curated from public sources on prison demographics across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we show that incarcerated white people benefited disproportionately from the decrease in the US prison population and that the fraction of incarcerated Black and Latino people sharply increased. This pattern of increased racial disparity exists across prison systems in nearly every state and reverses a decade-long trend before 2020 and the onset of COVID-19, when the proportion of incarcerated white people was increasing amid declining numbers of incarcerated Black people5. Although a variety of factors underlie these trends, we find that racial inequities in average sentence length are a major contributor. Ultimately, this study reveals how disruptions caused by COVID-19 exacerbated racial inequalities in the criminal legal system, and highlights key forces that sustain mass incarceration. To advance opportunities for data-driven social science, we publicly released the data associated with this study at Zenodo6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brennan Klein
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Institute on Policing, Incarceration & Public Safety, The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - C Brandon Ogbunugafor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA.
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | | | - Zarana Bhadricha
- College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Preeti Kori
- College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jim Sheldon
- Roux Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nitish Kaza
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Arush Sharma
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily A Wang
- SEICHE Center for Health and Justice, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Justice Collaboratory, Yale Law School, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tina Eliassi-Rad
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- The Institute for Experiential AI, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel V Scarpino
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA.
- Vermont Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
- Roux Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Institute for Experiential AI, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Hinton
- Institute on Policing, Incarceration & Public Safety, The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Justice Collaboratory, Yale Law School, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of African American Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Law School, New Haven, CT, USA.
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5
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Bono MH, Treitler P, Saloner B, Crystal S. Returning home during the pandemic: a thematic analysis describing experiences of people with substance use disorders released early from New Jersey prisons during COVID-19. Health Justice 2023; 11:11. [PMID: 36847934 PMCID: PMC9969013 DOI: 10.1186/s40352-023-00208-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The COVID-19 pandemic created intersecting health risks for incarcerated people with a history of substance use disorder (SUD). To reduce exposure to COVID-19 in prison, several US states enacted decarceration legislation. New Jersey enacted the Public Health Emergency Credit Act (PHECA), granting early release to thousands of incarcerated persons meeting eligibility criteria. This study undertook to explore how large scale decarceration during the pandemic impacted the reentry process for released individuals with SUDs. METHODS Twenty seven participants involved in PHECA releases - 21 persons released from NJ carceral facilities with past/present SUDs (14 with opioid use disorder, 7 with other SUDs) and 6 reentry service providers acting as key informants - completed phone interviews on PHECA experiences from February-June 2021. Cross-case thematic analysis of transcripts identified common themes and divergent perspectives. RESULTS Respondents described challenges consistent with long-documented reentry difficulties including housing and food insecurity, difficulty accessing community services, insufficient employment opportunities, and limited access to transportation. Challenges that were pertinent to mass release during a pandemic included limited access to communication technology and community providers and community providers exceeding enrollment capacity. Despite reentry difficulties, respondents identified many areas where prisons and reentry service providers adapted to meet novel challenges presented by mass decarceration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilitators made available by prison and reentry provider staff included providing released persons with cell phones, transportation assistance at transit hubs, prescription support for medications for opioid use disorder, and pre-release assistance with ID and benefits through NJ's Joint Comprehensive Assessment Plan. CONCLUSIONS Formerly incarcerated people with SUDs experienced reentry challenges during PHECA releases similar to those that occur during ordinary circumstances. Despite barriers faced during typical releases and novel challenges unique to mass release during a pandemic, providers made adaptations to support released persons' successful reentry. Recommendations are made based on areas of need identified in interviews, including reentry service provision facilitating housing and food security, employment, medical services, technology fluency, and transportation. In anticipation of future large scale releases, providers will benefit from planning ahead and adapting to address temporary increases in resource demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline H Bono
- Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Peter Treitler
- Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Brendan Saloner
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stephen Crystal
- Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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James JE, Riddle L, Perez-Aguilar G. "Prison life is very hard and it's made harder if you're isolated": COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies and the mental health of incarcerated women in California. Int J Prison Health 2022; 19:95-108. [PMID: 36394281 PMCID: PMC10129363 DOI: 10.1108/ijph-09-2021-0093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aims to describe the COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies implemented in California prisons and the impact of these policies on the mental health of incarcerated women. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The authors conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten women who were over the age of 50 and/or had a chronic illness and had been incarcerated in California prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors also interviewed ten health-care providers working in California jails or prisons during the pandemic. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory coding framework and triangulated with fieldnotes from ethnographic observations of medical and legal advocacy efforts during the pandemic. FINDINGS Participants described being locked in their cells for 23 hours per day or more, often for days, weeks or even months at a time in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For many participants, these lockdowns and the resulting isolation from loved ones both inside and outside of the prison were detrimental to both their physical and mental health. Participants reported that access to mental health care for those in the general population was limited prior to the pandemic, and that COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies, including the cessation of group programs and shift to cell-front mental health services, created further barriers. ORIGINALITY/VALUE There has been little qualitative research on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated populations. This paper provides insight into the mental health effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies for the structurally vulnerable older women incarcerated in California prisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. James
- Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Leslie Riddle
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Giselle Perez-Aguilar
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
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7
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Dauria EF, Kulkarni P, Clemenzi-Allen A, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Beckwith CG. Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Continuum of Care Outcomes for Persons with HIV in Contact with the Carceral System in the USA. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2022; 19:281-291. [PMID: 35674879 PMCID: PMC9175158 DOI: 10.1007/s11904-022-00609-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To describe existing evidence and identify future directions for intervention research related to improving HIV care outcomes for persons with HIV involved in the carceral system in the USA, a population with high unmet HIV care needs. RECENT FINDINGS Few recent intervention studies focus on improving HIV care outcomes for this population. Successful strategies to improve care outcomes include patient navigation, substance use treatment, and incentivizing HIV care outcomes. Technology-supported interventions are underutilized in this population. Notable gaps in the existing literature include intervention research addressing HIV care needs for cisgender and transgender women and those under carceral supervision in the community. Future research should address existing gaps in the literature and respond to emergent needs including understanding how the changing HIV care delivery environment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the approval of new injectable ART formulation shape HIV care outcomes in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily F Dauria
- Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Priyanka Kulkarni
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Angelo Clemenzi-Allen
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein
- Department of Social Medicine and Center for Health Equity Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Curt G Beckwith
- Alpert Medical School, Division of Infectious Diseases/Department of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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8
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Liu YE, LeBoa C, Rodriguez M, Sherif B, Trinidad C, del Rosario M, Allen S, Clifford C, Redding J, Chen WT, Rosas LG, Morales C, Chyorny A, Andrews JR. COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Northern California Jails: Perceived Deficiencies, Barriers, and Unintended Harms. Front Public Health 2022; 10:854343. [PMID: 35774562 PMCID: PMC9237366 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.854343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Carceral facilities are high-risk settings for COVID-19 transmission. Little is known about the hidden burden of infection or practical barriers to infection control in these settings, especially in jails. There is also limited research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic among people living and working in carceral facilities. Methods Between July 8, 2020 and April 30, 2021, we performed SARS-CoV-2 rapid antibody testing and administered a questionnaire among residents and staff of four Northern California jails. We utilized multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic and carceral characteristics, to analyze factors associated with prior infection, including perceived likelihood of prior infection and access to new masks. We additionally assessed the implementation of, perceptions toward, and impacts of COVID-19 policies in practice. We engaged stakeholder representatives, including incarcerated individuals, to guide study design, procedures, and results interpretation. Results We enrolled 788 jail residents and 380 jail staff. Nearly half of residents and two-thirds of staff who were antibody-positive had not previously tested positive for COVID-19. Among residents without a prior COVID-19 diagnosis, antibody positivity was significantly associated with perceived likelihood of prior infection (adjusted OR = 8.9; 95% CI, 3.6–22.0). Residents who had flu-like illness in jail cited inadequate responses to reported illness and deterrents to symptom reporting, including fears of medical isolation and perceptions of medical neglect. Residents also disclosed deficient access to face masks, which was associated with antibody positivity (adjusted OR = 13.8, 95% CI, 1.8–107.0). Worsened mental health was pervasive among residents, attributed not only to fear of COVID-19 and unsanitary jail conditions but also to intensified isolation and deprivation due to pandemic restrictions on in-person visitation, programs, and recreation time. Conclusion Carceral settings present significant challenges to maintaining infection control and human rights. Custody officials should work diligently to transform the conditions of medical isolation, which could mitigate deterrents to symptom reporting. Furthermore, they should minimize use of restrictive measures like lockdowns and suspension of visitation that exacerbate the mental health harms of incarceration. Instead, custody officials should ensure comprehensive implementation of other preventive strategies like masking, testing, and vaccination, in conjunction with multisector efforts to advance decarceration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran E. Liu
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Yiran E. Liu
| | - Christopher LeBoa
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Marcela Rodriguez
- Stanford Center for Clinical Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Beruk Sherif
- Stanford Center for Clinical Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Chrisele Trinidad
- Stanford Center for Clinical Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Michael del Rosario
- Division of Correctional Health Services, San Mateo County Health, Redwood City, CA, United States
| | - Sophie Allen
- Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Sociology, Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, CA, United States
| | | | - Jennifer Redding
- Santa Clara County Office of the Public Defender, San Jose, CA, United States
| | - Wei-ting Chen
- Office of Community Engagement, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Lisa G. Rosas
- Office of Community Engagement, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Carlos Morales
- Division of Correctional Health Services, San Mateo County Health, Redwood City, CA, United States
| | - Alexander Chyorny
- Division of Custody Health, Department of Medicine, Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, San Jose, CA, United States
| | - Jason R. Andrews
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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Erfani P, Sandoval RS, Rich KM, Ojo A, Walker L, White-Hammond G, Lambert E, Wurcel A. Ask Me Anything": Lessons learned in implementing a COVID-19 vaccine information initiative in Massachusetts jails. Vaccine 2022; 40:2981-2983. [PMID: 35440414 PMCID: PMC8989684 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
As a group of medical professionals, faith-community leaders, and jail staff, we launched a COVID-19 vaccine Q&A initiative across Massachusetts county jails to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake among detained individuals. Here we describe the lessons learned in developing and implementing this initiative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parsa Erfani
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Raquel Sofia Sandoval
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Harvard Kennedy School, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Ayotomiwa Ojo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Harvard Kennedy School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Liz Walker
- Roxbury Presbyterian Church, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gloria White-Hammond
- Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, United States; Harvard Divinity School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Eugene Lambert
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alysse Wurcel
- Tufts Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, United States; Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Infectious Diseases Liaison, Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, Boston, MA, United States.
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10
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LeMasters K, Ranapurwala S, Maner M, Nowotny KM, Peterson M, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. COVID-19 community spread and consequences for prison case rates. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266772. [PMID: 35417500 PMCID: PMC9007382 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 and mass incarceration are closely intertwined with prisons having COVID-19 case rates much higher than the general population. COVID-19 has highlighted the relationship between incarceration and health, but prior work has not explored how COVID-19 spread in communities have influenced case rates in prisons. Our objective was to understand the relationship between COVID-19 case rates in the general population and prisons located in the same county. METHODS Using North Carolina's (NC) Department of Health and Human Services data, this analysis examines all COVID-19 tests conducted in NC from June-August 2020. Using interrupted time series analysis, we assessed the relationship between substantial community spread (50/100,000 detected in the last seven days) and active COVID-19 case rates (cases detected in the past 14 days/100,000) within prisons. RESULTS From June-August 2020, NC ordered 29,605 tests from prisons and detected 1,639 cases. The mean case rates were 215 and 427 per 100,000 in the general and incarcerated population, respectively. Once counties reached substantial COVID-19 spread, the COVID-19 prison case rate increased by 118.55 cases per 100,000 (95% CI: -3.71, 240.81). CONCLUSIONS Community COVID-19 spread contributes to COVID-19 case rates in prisons. In counties with prisons, community spread should be closely monitored. Stringent measures within prisons (e.g., vaccination) and decarceration should be prioritized to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine LeMasters
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
- Center for Health Equity Research, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shabbar Ranapurwala
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
- Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Morgan Maner
- Center for Health Equity Research, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Kathryn M. Nowotny
- Department of Sociology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Meghan Peterson
- Center for Health Equity Research, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein
- Center for Health Equity Research, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
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11
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Jayaraj VJ, Rampal S, Ng CW, Chong DWQ. The Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Malaysia. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2021; 17:100295. [PMID: 34704083 PMCID: PMC8529946 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the globe. Critical to the control of COVID-19 is the characterisation of its epidemiology. Despite this, there has been a paucity of evidence from many parts of the world, including Malaysia. We aim to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Malaysia to inform prevention and control policies better. METHODS Malaysian COVID-19 data was extracted from 16 March 2020 up to 31 May 2021. We estimated the following epidemiological indicators: 7-day incidence rates, 7-day mortality rates, case fatality rates, test positive ratios, testing rates and the time-varying reproduction number (Rt). FINDINGS Between 16 March 2020 and 31 May 2021, Malaysia has reported 571,901 cases and 2,796 deaths. Malaysia's average 7-day incidence rate was 26•6 reported infections per 100,000 population (95% CI: 17•8, 38•1). The average test positive ratio and testing rate were 4•3% (95% CI: 1•6, 10•2) and 0•8 tests per 1,000 population (95% CI: <0•1, 3•7), respectively. The case fatality rates (CFR) was 0•6% (95% CI: <0•1, 3•7). Among the 2,796 cases who died, 87•3% were ≥ 50 years. INTERPRETATION The public health response was successful in the suppression of COVID-19 transmission or the first half of 2020. However, a state election and outbreaks in institutionalised populations have been the catalyst for more significant community propagation. This rising community transmission has continued in 2021, leading to increased incidence and strained healthcare systems. Calibrating NPI based on epidemiological indicators remain critical for us to live with the virus. (243 words). FUNDING This study is part of the COVID-19 Epidemiological Analysis and Strategies (CEASe) Project with funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (UM.0000245/HGA.GV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Jason Jayaraj
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive, Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia
| | - Sanjay Rampal
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive, Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chiu-Wan Ng
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive, Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Diane Woei Quan Chong
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive, Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia
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12
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Valera P, Carmona D, Malarkey S, Sinangil N, Owens M, Lefebre A. Exploring Online Health Reviews to Monitor COVID-19 Public Health Responses in Alabama State Department of Corrections: Case Example. JMIR Form Res 2021; 5:e32591. [PMID: 34609313 PMCID: PMC8580175 DOI: 10.2196/32591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has devastated incarcerated people throughout the United States. Objective The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a COVID-19 Health Review for Correctional Facilities. Methods The COVID-19 Health Review survey for the Department of Corrections was developed in Qualtrics to assess the following: (1) COVID-19 testing, (2) providing personal protective equipment, (3) vaccination procedures, (4) quarantine procedures, (5) COVID-19 mortality rates for inmates, (6) COVID-19 mortality rates for correctional officers and prison staff, (7) COVID-19 infection rates for inmates, (8) COVID-19 infection rates for correctional officers and prison staff, and (9) uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. The estimated time to review the Alabama State Department of Corrections COVID-19 responses on their website and complete the survey items was 45 minutes to 1 hour. Results Of the 21 participants who completed the COVID-19 Health Review for Correctional Facilities survey, 48% (n=10) identified as female, 43% (n=9) identified as male, and 10% (n=2) identified as transgender. For race, 29% (n=6) self-identified as Black or African American, 24% (n=5) Asian, 24% (n=5) White, 5% (n=1) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, and 19% (n=4) Other. In addition, 5 respondents self-identified as returning citizens. For COVID-19 review questions, the majority concluded that information on personal protective equipment was “poor” and “very poor,” information on COVID-19 testing was “fair” and above, information on COVID-19 death/infection rates between inmates and staff was “good” and “very good,” and information on vaccinations was “good” and “very good.” There was a significant difference observed (P=.03) between nonreturning citizens and returning citizens regarding the health grade review with respect to available information on COVID-19 infection rates. Conclusions COVID-19 health reviews may provide an opportunity for the public to review the COVID-19 responses in correctional settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Valera
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - David Carmona
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Sarah Malarkey
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Noah Sinangil
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Madelyn Owens
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Asia Lefebre
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
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13
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Stewart AC, Cossar RD, Wilkinson AL, Quinn B, Dietze P, Walker S, Butler T, Curtis M, Aitken C, Kirwan A, Winter R, Ogloff J, Kinner S, Stoové M. The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) cohort study: Prevalence of health, social, and crime characteristics after release from prison for men reporting a history of injecting drug use in Victoria, Australia. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 227:108970. [PMID: 34488074 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People who inject drugs are overrepresented in prison and have diverse and complex health needs. However, outcomes after release from prison are poorly understood, limiting effective interventions supporting community reintegration. We describe the prevalence of socio-demographics, physical and mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and crime characteristics of men with histories of injecting drug use after their release from prison in Victoria, Australia. METHODS Data come from the Prison and Transition Health (PATH) prospective cohort study. Interviews were undertaken approximately three, 12, and 24 months after release from their index prison episode and were completed in the community, or in prison for those reimprisoned during the study. We present cross-sectional descriptive statistics for each follow-up wave of the PATH study. RESULTS Among 400 men recruited into PATH, 85 % (n = 336) completed at least one follow-up interview; 162 (42 %) completed all three interviews. Participants reported social disadvantage and health inequity, including high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and physical and mental health morbidities at each follow-up time point. Rapid return to illicit substance use was common, as was overdose (ranging 9 %-13 %), receptive syringe sharing (ranging 20 %-29 %), involvement in crime-related activities (ranging 49 %-58 %), and reimprisonment (ranging 22 %-50 %) over the duration of follow-up. CONCLUSION Men in this study experienced substantial health and social challenges across a 24-month prospective follow-up period. Improved understanding of characteristics and experiences of this group after release from prison can inform more coordinated and continued care between prison and the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh C Stewart
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Reece D Cossar
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology and Forensicare, Australia.
| | - Anna L Wilkinson
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brendan Quinn
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul Dietze
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Shelley Walker
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tony Butler
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael Curtis
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Campbell Aitken
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Amy Kirwan
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rebecca Winter
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - James Ogloff
- Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology and Forensicare, Australia
| | - Stuart Kinner
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Justice Health Unit, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia; Mater Research Institute-UQ, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mark Stoové
- Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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14
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Meinert E, Murphy M, Kane K, Chan P, Rich J, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. Initial SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Uptake in a Correctional Setting: Cross-sectional Study. JMIRx Med 2021; 2:e30176. [PMID: 34658368 PMCID: PMC8483152 DOI: 10.2196/30176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the United States have occurred in correctional facilities, and little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine campaigns among incarcerated people. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe a statewide vaccination program among incarcerated people and staff working in a prison setting. METHODS Between December 2020 and February 2021, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) offered the opportunity for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to all correctional staff and sentenced individuals. Two RIDOC public health educators provided education on the vaccine, answered questions, and obtained consent before the vaccine clinic day for the incarcerated group. All staff received information on signing up for vaccines and watched an educational video that was created by the medical director. Additional information regarding vaccine education and resources was sent via email to the entire RIDOC department. RESULTS During this initial campaign, 76.4% (1106/1447) of sentenced individuals and 68.4% (1008/1474) of correctional staff accepted and received the vaccine. Four months after the first vaccine was offered, 77.7% (1124/1447) of the sentenced population and 69.6% (1026/1474) of staff were fully vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of vaccine implementation in a carceral setting. Education and communication likely played an important role in mitigating vaccine refusals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew Murphy
- Rhode Island Department of Corrections Providence, RI United States.,Warren Alpert Medical School Brown University Providence, RI United States
| | - Kimberly Kane
- Rhode Island Department of Corrections Cranston, RI United States.,Warren Alpert Medical School Brown University Providence, RI United States
| | - Philip Chan
- Warren Alpert Medical School Brown University Providence, RI United States.,Rhode Island Department of Health Providence, RI United States
| | - Josiah Rich
- Warren Alpert Medical School Brown University Providence, RI United States
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15
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Bayeh R, Yampolsky MA, Ryder AG. The Social Lives of Infectious Diseases: Why Culture Matters to COVID-19. Front Psychol 2021; 12:648086. [PMID: 34630195 PMCID: PMC8495420 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the course of the year 2020, the global scientific community dedicated considerable effort to understanding COVID-19. In this review, we discuss some of the findings accumulated between the onset of the pandemic and the end of 2020, and argue that although COVID-19 is clearly a biological disease tied to a specific virus, the culture-mind relation at the heart of cultural psychology is nonetheless essential to understanding the pandemic. Striking differences have been observed in terms of relative mortality, transmission rates, behavioral responses, official policies, compliance with authorities, and even the extent to which beliefs about COVID-19 have been politicized across different societies and groups. Moreover, many minority groups have very different experiences of the pandemic relative to dominant groups, notably through existing health inequities as well as discrimination and marginalization, which we believe calls for a better integration of political and socioeconomic factors into cultural psychology and into the narrative of health and illness in psychological science more broadly. Finally, individual differences in, for example, intolerance of uncertainty, optimism, conspiratorial thinking, or collectivist orientation are influenced by cultural context, with implications for behaviors that are relevant to the spread and impact of COVID-19, such as mask-wearing and social distancing. The interplay between cultural context and the experience and expression of mental disorders continues to be documented by cultural-clinical psychology; the current work extends this thinking to infectious disease, with special attention to diseases spread by social contact and fought at least in part through social interventions. We will discuss cultural influences on the transmission, course, and outcome of COVID-19 at three levels: (1) cross-society differences; (2) within-society communities and intergroup relations; and (3) individual differences shaped by cultural context. We conclude by considering potential theoretical implications of this perspective on infectious disease for cultural psychology and related disciplines, as well as practical implications of this perspective on science communication and public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Bayeh
- Culture, Health, and Personality Lab and Centre for Clinical Research in Health, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Andrew G Ryder
- Culture, Health, and Personality Lab and Centre for Clinical Research in Health, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Culture and Mental Health Research Unit and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
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16
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meghan Peterson
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | | | | | - Justin Berk
- Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI
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17
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Testa A, Fahmy C. Family member incarceration and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Justice 2021; 9:16. [PMID: 34244863 PMCID: PMC8270238 DOI: 10.1186/s40352-021-00142-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The disproportionately high rate of incarceration and COVID-19 cases during the summer of 2020 in the United States contributed to a set of circumstances that has produced considerable public health concerns as correctional facilities have emerged as significant COVID-19 hot spots. During the COVID-19 pandemic, having a family member incarcerated can be an especially stressful experience. This study assesses how concern about an incarcerated family member contracting COVID-19 impacts diverse coping strategies. RESULTS Data are from a survey of individuals who have a family member incarcerated in Texas (N = 365). Ordinary least squares regression is used to examine the association between concern about an incarcerated family member contracting COVID-19 and coping strategies. Findings demonstrate that higher levels of concern for an incarcerated person's wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with dysfunctional coping mechanisms, but not adaptive or functional coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest appropriate systemic responses by correctional administrations and public health practices can help mitigate dysfunctional coping mechanisms by family members during infectious disease outbreaks in correctional facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Testa
- Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. Cesar Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, TX, 78207, USA.
| | - Chantal Fahmy
- Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 W. Cesar Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, TX, 78207, USA
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18
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Griffith DM, Holliday CS, Enyia OK, Ellison JM, Jaeger EC. Using Syndemics and Intersectionality to Explain the Disproportionate COVID-19 Mortality Among Black Men. Public Health Rep 2021; 136:523-531. [PMID: 34161180 DOI: 10.1177/00333549211026799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Derek M Griffith
- Racial Justice Institute, Center for Men's Health Equity, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.,Health Systems Administration, School of Nursing & Health Studies, Washington, DC, USA.,5718 Center for Research on Men's Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Okechuku K Enyia
- 233231 Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jennifer M Ellison
- 5718 Center for Research on Men's Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Emily C Jaeger
- 5718 Center for Research on Men's Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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19
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Brandariz JA, Fernández-bessa C. Coronavirus and Immigration Detention in Europe: The Short Summer of Abolitionism? Social Sciences 2021; 10:226. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci10060226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In managing the coronavirus pandemic, national authorities worldwide have implemented significant re-bordering measures. This has even affected regions that had dismantled bordering practices decades ago, e.g., EU areas that lifted internal borders in 1993. In some national cases, these new arrangements had unexpected consequences in the field of immigration enforcement. A number of European jurisdictions released significant percentages of their immigration detention populations in spring 2020. The Spanish administration even decreed a moratorium on immigration detention and closed down all detention facilities from mid-spring to late summer 2020. The paper scrutinises these unprecedented changes by examining the variety of migration enforcement agendas adopted by European countries and the specific forces contributing to the prominent detention decline witnessed in the first months of the pandemic. Drawing on the Spanish case, the paper reflects on the potential impact of this promising precedent on the gradual consolidation of social and racial justice-based migration policies.
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20
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Ghram A, Bragazzi NL, Briki W, Jenab Y, Khaled M, Haddad M, Chamari K. COVID-19 Pandemic and Physical Exercise: Lessons Learnt for Confined Communities. Front Psychol 2021; 12:618585. [PMID: 34025498 PMCID: PMC8131539 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.618585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The novel pandemic called "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19), as a global public health emergency and global threat, has affected many countries in unpredictable ways and impacted on physical activity (PA) behaviors to various extents. Specific populations including refugees, asylum seekers, and prisoners, are vulnerable groups with multiple complex health needs and worse health outcomes with respect to the general population worldwide and at high risk of death from the "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus type 2" (SARS-CoV-2). Governments around the world have been implementing preventive healthcare policies, including physical and social distancing, isolation, and confinement, to mitigate against the burden imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak. This pandemic period is characterized by reduced or lack of movement. During this period of lockdown, PA can represent an immunotherapy and a preventative approach to avoid the harmful effects of inactivity due to the pandemic. Moreover, PA could be prescribed to improve the immune system of specific populations (refugees, asylum seekers, and prisoners), which particularly experience the condition of being confined. The present narrative review discusses the potential impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on these specific populations' health status and the importance of performing PA/exercise to reduce the deleterious effects of COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we aim to provide useful recommendations on PA/exercise for these specific populations to maintain their level of independence, physical, and mental health as well as their wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amine Ghram
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Walid Briki
- Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Yaser Jenab
- Department of Interventional Cardiology, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Khaled
- Independent Physician (Internal Medicine), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Monoem Haddad
- Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Karim Chamari
- Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Berk
- Rhode Island Department of Health, United States
- Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown, United States
| | - Josiah D. Rich
- The Center for Health and Justice Transformation at the Miriam, United States
- Medicine and Epidemiology Brown, United States
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22
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Marquez NM, Littman A, Rossi V, Everett M, Tyagi E, Johnson H, Dolovich S. Assessing the Mortality Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Florida State Prisons. medRxiv 2021:2021. [PMID: 33948600 DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.14.21255512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background The increased risk of COVID-19 infection among incarcerated individuals due to environmental hazards is well known and recent studies have highlighted the higher rates of infection and mortality prisoners in the United States face due to COVID-19. However, the impact of COVID-19 on all-cause mortality rates in incarcerated populations has not been studied. Methods Using data reported by the Florida Department of Corrections on prison populations and mortality events we conducted a retrospective cohort study of all individuals incarcerated in Florida state prisons between 2015 and 2020. We calculated excess deaths by estimating age-specific expected deaths from mortality trends in 2015 through 2019 and taking the difference between observed and expected deaths during the pandemic period. We calculated life table measures using standard demographic techniques and assessed significant yearly changes using bootstrapping. Findings The Florida Department of Corrections reported 510 total deaths from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 among the state prison population. This was 42% higher (rate ratio 1.42, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.89) than the expected number of deaths in light of mortality rates for previous years. Reported COVID-19 deaths in a month were positively correlated with estimated excess deaths (80.4%, p <.01). Using age-specific mortality estimates, we found that life expectancy at age 20 declined by 4 years (95% CI 2.06-6.57) between 2019 and 2020 for the Florida prison population. Interpretation The Florida prison population saw a significant increase in all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic period, leading to a decrease in life expectancy of more than four years. Life years lost by the Florida prison population were likely far greater than those lost by the general United States population, as reported by other studies. This difference in years lost highlights the need for increased interventions to protect vulnerable incarcerated populations during pandemics. Funding Vital Projects Fund, Arnold Ventures, US Centers for Disease Control, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
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23
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Walubita T, Beccia A, Boama-Nyarko E, Goulding M, Herbert C, Kloppenburg J, Mabry G, Masters G, McCullers A, Forrester S. Aging and COVID-19 in Minority Populations: a Perfect Storm. CURR EPIDEMIOL REP 2021; 8:63-71. [PMID: 33747713 PMCID: PMC7959878 DOI: 10.1007/s40471-021-00267-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW COVID-19 is a major concern for the health and wellbeing of individuals worldwide. As COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to increase in the USA, aging Black and Hispanic populations have emerged as especially at-risk for increased exposure to COVID-19 and susceptibility to severe health outcomes. The current review discusses the weathering hypothesis and the influence of social inequality on the identified health disparities. RECENT FINDINGS Aging minoritized populations have endured structural and social inequality over the lifecourse. Consequently, these populations experience weathering, a process that results in physiological dysregulation due to stress associated with persistent disadvantage. Through weathering and continued inequity, aging minoritized populations have an increased risk of exposure and poor health outcomes from COVID-19. SUMMARY Current literature and available data suggests that aging minoritized persons experience high rates of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. The current review hypothesizes and supports that observed disparities are the result of inequalities that especially affect Black and Hispanic populations over the lifecourse. Future efforts to address these disparities should emphasize research that supports governments in identifying at-risk groups, providing accessible COVID-19-related information to those groups, and implementing policy that addresses the structural and social inequities that perpetuate current COVID-19 disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tubanji Walubita
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Ariel Beccia
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Esther Boama-Nyarko
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Melissa Goulding
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Carly Herbert
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Jessica Kloppenburg
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Guadalupe Mabry
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Grace Masters
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Asli McCullers
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Sarah Forrester
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
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24
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Berk J, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Murphy M, Chan P, Rich J. MAb for symptomatic COVID-19 in correctional facilities: an important opportunity. Lancet 2021; 397:877-878. [PMID: 33617772 PMCID: PMC7906645 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00354-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Berk
- Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, RI, USA; Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, RI 02903, USA.
| | - Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein
- Department of Social Medicine and Center for Health Equity Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Matthew Murphy
- Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, RI 02903, USA
| | - Phil Chan
- Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, RI 02903, USA; Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Josiah Rich
- Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, RI 02903, USA; Center for Health and Justice Transformation, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the health of hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in U.S. jails and prisons. Due to dozens of large outbreaks in correctional facilities, tens of thousands of seriously ill incarcerated people are receiving medical care in the community hospital setting. Yet community clinicians often have little knowledge of the basic rights and ethical principles governing care of seriously ill incarcerated patients. Such patients are legally entitled to make their own medical decisions just like non-incarcerated patients, and retain rights to appoint surrogate decision makers and make advance care plans. Wardens, correctional officers, and prison health care professionals should not make medical decisions for incarcerated patients and should not be asked to do so. Dying incarcerated patients should be offered goodbye visits with their loved ones, and patients from federal prisons are legally entitled to them. Community health care professionals may need to advocate for this medically vulnerable hospitalized patient population to receive ethically appropriate, humane care when under their care in community hospitals. If ethical care is being obstructed, community health care professionals should contact the prison’s warden and medical director to explain their concerns and ask questions. If necessary, community clinicians should involve a hospital’s ethics committee, leadership, and legal counsel. Correctional medicine experts and legal advocates for incarcerated people can also help community clinicians safeguard the rights of incarcerated patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Rorvig
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, 8785University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brie Williams
- Division of Geriatrics, 8785University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Piñeros Báez VH. Covid-19 en prisión. Una aproximación a la tendencia epidemiológica en Colombia. Rev Salud Publica (Bogota) 2021. [DOI: 10.15446/rsap.v23n1.92474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Objetivo Realizar una aproximación a la tendencia epidemiológica de la COVID-19 en las prisiones colombianas.Materiales y Métodos Se emplearon datos demográficos de morbilidad y mortalidad registrados entre abril y octubre de 2020 correspondientes a la población detenida en las prisiones nacionales. Para analizar la situación de la COVID-19 se consultaron los reportes de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS). Mediante el uso de MS-Excel y R, se realizó un análisis descriptivo y se calcularon indicadores epidemiológicos.Resultados Los datos revelan una progresión de la pandemia con un incremento de casos positivos, reclusos hospitalizados en unidades de cuidado intensivo (UCI) y muertes relacionadas. Entre abril y octubre de 2020 se reportaron 16 804 casos positivos de COVID-19, con 80 reclusos en UCI y 136 muertes relacionadas. De estas muertes, el 94,9% se reportaron en hombres y el 5,1%, en mujeres. Respecto a su distribución por edad, el 63,2% de las muertes se presentaron en población entre 60 y más años.Conclusiones La tendencia de la COVID-19 en prisión presenta un comportamiento similar a la registrada en Colombia. Es decir, una fase interpandémica con un aumento progresivo de casos, hospitalizados en UCI y muertes, un pico significativo en agosto y un decrecimiento en septiembre. Sin embargo, en octubre la tendencia se revierte y se presenta un aumento en la confirmación de casos. Los indicadores epidemiológicos muestran una situación desfavorable respecto a la población general. En agosto, la incidencia de casos fue 3,9 veces mayor. Mientras que, en octubre, la incidencia fue 1,5 veces mayor.
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