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Bekemeier B, Heitkemper E, Backonja U, Whitman G, Schultz M, Jiang Y, Baquero B, Turner AM. Rural Public Health Data Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case for Building Better Systems Ahead of a Public Health Crisis. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2023; 29:496-502. [PMID: 36867496 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Rural public health personnel serve communities that have been particularly susceptible to COVID-19 and yet faced the pandemic with far less well-resourced capacity than their urban counterparts. A critical aspect of addressing local health inequities is access to high-quality population data and the capacity to effectively use data to support decision making. However, much of the data required to investigate inequities are not readily available to rural local health departments and the tools and training to analyze data are often lacking. PROGRAM The purpose of our effort was to explore rural data challenges related to COVID-19 and provide recommendations for improving rural data access and capacity ahead of future crises. IMPLEMENTATION We gathered qualitative data in 2 phases, more than 8 months apart, from rural public health practice personnel. Initial data were gathered in October-November 2020 regarding rural public health data needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and then to later identify whether the same findings held true in July 2021 or whether access to and capacity to use data to address the pandemic and related inequities improved as the pandemic progressed. EVALUATION In our 4-state exploration focused on access and use of data among rural public health systems to promote health equity in the Northwest United States, we found tremendous and ongoing unmet data needs, challenges with communicating data, and a lack of capacity to meet this public health crisis. DISCUSSION Recommendations for addressing these challenges include increasing dedicated resources specifically to rural public health systems, improving data access and infrastructure, and providing dedicated data-related workforce development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty Bekemeier
- Schools of Nursing (Drs Bekemeier and Backonja and Mr Whitman), Public Health (Drs Bekemeier, Baquero, and Turner), and Medicine (Drs Backonja and Turner), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; School of Nursing, University of Texas, Austin (Dr Heitkemper); University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin (Ms Schultz); School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington (Dr Backonja); and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Ms Jiang)
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Bishai DM, Resnick B, Lamba S, Cardona C, Leider JP, McCullough JM, Gemmill A. Being Accountable for Capability-Getting Public Health Reform Right This Time. Am J Public Health 2022; 112:1374-1378. [PMID: 35952330 PMCID: PMC9480453 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2022.306975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David M Bishai
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - Beth Resnick
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - Sneha Lamba
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - Carolina Cardona
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - Jonathon P Leider
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - J Mac McCullough
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
| | - Alison Gemmill
- David M. Bishai, Beth Resnick, Sneha Lamba, Carolina Cardona, and Alison Gemmill are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Jonathon P. Leider is with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. At the time of writing, J. Mac McCullough was with Arizona State University, Phoenix
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Emerson A, Allison M, Kelly PJ, Ramaswamy M. Barriers and facilitators of implementing a collaborative HPV vaccine program in an incarcerated population: A case study. Vaccine 2020; 38:2566-2571. [PMID: 32046888 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.01.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Men and women in county jails make up a population that is difficult to reach with traditional preventive health interventions. Collaborations between local health departments and county jails represent an opportunity to enhance public health by reaching a vulnerable population with services like vaccinations. The objective of this study was to coordinate planning and implementation of a collaborative program between a local health department (HD) and a county jail to offer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to adolescents (ages 10-17) and young adults (ages 18-26) in the jail and to identify facilitators and barriers to inform future program development. METHODS A county-municipal jail and a local HD in Kansas participated. A case study method was employed based on data collected from a focus group, telephone interviews, and site observations, September 2016 to December 2017. Data were coded using codes roughly drawn from the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR). Codes were then consolidated into themes related to barriers and facilitators. RESULTS No adults were vaccinated; two juveniles were vaccinated. Barriers to a collaborative program to offer HPV vaccine to young adults arose in two areas: constrained resources and divergent organizational cultures and priorities. Barriers to offering HPV vaccinations to juveniles in the jail included parental consent and the unpredictable, often brief duration of juvenile detentions. A shared commitment to offering HPV vaccination services by leaders and staff in the two agencies was a key facilitator. CONCLUSION Finding ways to leverage leadership and staff buy-in and address specific barriers of constrained resources and divergent culture and priorities merits close attention, since partnerships between jails and local HD have potential to increase HPV vaccination rates in an overlooked population and advance public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Emerson
- University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Nursing and Health Studies, 2464 Charlotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA.
| | - Molly Allison
- University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
| | - Patricia J Kelly
- University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Nursing and Health Studies, 2464 Charlotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA.
| | - Megha Ramaswamy
- University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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