Homelessness and Public Health in Los Angeles

Los Angeles faces a housing crisis of unprecedented scale. After years of underinvestment, in 2016/2017 LA County voters approved Measures H and HHH, which provided an infusion of resources for homeless services, permanent housing, and integrated outreach through the LA County Homeless Initiative (HI). An estimated 58,936 individuals in LA County remain homeless as of January 2019, 75% of them unsheltered and living on streets, in tents, or encampments. Our best estimates suggest that the homeless population has grown since 2017.HI takes a Housing First approach to homelessness, with the largest amount of total funds allocated to housing solutions. However, rehousing is often subject to delays in construction and case management. These delays, combined with persistent market forces driving new homelessness, have left the county well short of its targets. While no forecasts were issued, the initial gap analysis for HI had assumed a 34% reduction in the total homeless count from 2016 to 2019. The count has in fact increased by 26% over that period, meaning 28,000 more homeless clients than anticipated on any night. Whereas cities with comparable homeless crises such as New York have focused on increasing the availability of emergency shelters and safe havens in addition to permanent housing, LA County’s relatively low investment in transitional options has resulted in persistent levels of unsheltered homelessness.Research has shown that homelessness has severe health consequences. Homeless individuals have a high risk of mortality, with a recent LA County Medical Examiner report finding an average age of death of 48 for women and 51 for men. Homeless individuals have much higher risks of mental illness, substance abuse, infectious disease, chronic illness, violence, and reproductive health risks than the general population. Much less is known about the health burdens associated with being unsheltered, but most evidence points to substantially greater health risks given the more intense exposures to violence, weather, pollution, poor sanitation, and behavioral risk. Research is just beginning to quantify the burdens of living on the streets.Our analysis of the LA County homelessness response drew on expert interviews, data analysis, and document review. Beyond the growing numerical gap between HI’s targets and actual trends, we identified five critical service gaps that require immediate attention: Taking a person-centered approach that recognizes both the diversity of client needs and the limitations of existing resources, yet honors the principle that everyone deserves housing; Improving access to emergency shelters by reducing legal and political barriers to construction and adopting “low barrier shelters” that facilitate entry; Delivering comprehensive street medicine and other services to unsheltered homeless populations using evidence-based models that support the path to housing and recovery Adopting more extensive outreach models that engage citizens, empower homeless clients and leverage mobile technology so that case workers can focus on clients most in need; Strengthening data collection and research methods to understand the consequences of unsheltered homelessness, pilot new service models, and evaluate rehousing efforts

The ASE Research Model: A Lightning Talk

This PowerPoint describes the Analyze, Search, Evaluate (ASE) model for building a research strategy. This pedagogical model was field tested by Dr. Melissa Gross and Dr. Don Latham in a large, IMLS funded study of Florida college students who were targeted for remedial instruction regarding research skills and information literacy. Using this method at the Portland State University Library in research classes for freshman and international students, I have found the ASE research model to be an engaging way to organize an hour library class so that students learn an efficient and easy way to construct their research strategies

Facets: Drivers of Discovery

This presentation covers how facets can drive user discovery in Primo whether students have library instruction or not. At the Portland State University Library, the new Primo UI was launched August 2016. The design team decided which facets to turn on, their order, and which ones should be open or closed. The pedagogical perspective addressed the student user who does not receive formal library instruction face to face or online. This presentation covers the decision-making process, statistical analysis, and how enhancements informed subsequent changes to the facets

International Students and the ASE Research Process: A Language Acquisition Approach to Research

The ASE research model, Analyze, Search, Evaluate, developed by Don Latham and Melissa Gross with IMLS funding for teaching community college students remedial information literacy and research skills works remarkably well with international students studying English. The ASE research model can be incorporated into LibGuides and used to structure library classroom instruction especially in regards to vocabulary building within the disciplines. In this presentation, I will demonstrate how this process works toward discovering new language. The Intensive English Language Program (IELP) at Portland State University is the oldest English immersion program for higher education in the Pacific Northwest. As the library liaison to this program, I have successfully applied the ASE research model to serve undergraduate and graduate students in this program

Facets: Drivers of Discovery

This presentation covers how facets can drive user discovery in Primo whether students have library instruction or not. At the Portland State University Library, the new Primo UI was launched August 2016. The design team decided which facets to turn on, their order, and which ones should be open or closed. The pedagogical perspective addressed the student user who does not receive formal library instruction face to face or online. This presentation covers the decision-making process, statistical analysis, and how enhancements informed subsequent changes to the facets

ACRL Instruction Section Website: Primo Bonus Site of the Month

Interview by Amanda Clossen about the site, Analyze Your Research Strategy Tutorial Project description: Part of a suite of five tutorials developed to provide online research support for freshman just learning academic research skills, as well as sophomore and junior transfer students who might need remedial instruction about the research process and academic library services. This 25-minute tutorial helps students identify a paper topic that is not too narrow or too broad, select evidence that will answer their research question, and brainstorm keywords to find pertinent resources

How the Dark Horse Came in: Portland State University Library Acquires Dark Horse Comics Archive

The article reports on the acquisition made by the Portland State University (PSU) on the archives of Dark Horse Comics Inc. The acquisition is done after PSU alumnus and founder of Dark Horse Comics Mark Richardson donated multiple copies of the past issues of their publication and succeeding copies of the publication. The donation is also for the purpose of preserving the publication in the university library. The donated publication is also expected to be used by researchers as a destination resource in popular culture, gender studies, and sequential art. Donating copies to the library, Richardson also expects to create an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals as well as a sense of ownership for Dark Horse creators

Promoting Policy and Environmental Change in Faith-Based Organizations: Organizational Level Findings From a Mini Grants Program

Background: High rates of heart disease, cancer, and stroke exist in rural South Georgia, where Emory’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network provided mini-grants and technical assistance to six faith-based organizations to implement policy and environmental changes to promote healthy eating (HE), physical activity (PA), and tobacco use prevention (TUP). Drawing from a Social Ecological Framework, we hypothesized that church members would perceive an increase in messages, programs, and the availability of facilities to support HE, PA, and TUP over a 1-year period. Methods: Members (N=258) completed self-administered questionnaires that assessed perceptions of the existing church health promotion environment relative to HE, PA, and TUP policies, as well as their eating behavior and intention to use PA facilities at church at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Results:Members at three of the six churches perceived increases in delivery of HE messages via sermons, church bulletins, and food labels, and increased availability of programs that support HE (p Conclusions: Community mini-grants may be a viable mechanism for promoting environmental change supporting HE, PA, and TUP policies in church environments

Toro Times: Raising Our Voices!

During the Spring 2019 semester, Dr. Noah Asher Golden\u27s Teaching of Writing K-12 students partnered with the Journalism class at Yorba Academy for the Arts. Through collaboration over a four-month period, Chapman\u27s future teachers and Yorba\u27s junior high journalists engaged a deep writing process to write a series of features, editorials, and news articles related to a number of global issues. Thank you to Principal Preciado-Martin, former principal Tracy Knibb, Mrs. Andrea Lopez, Mrs. Kori Shelton, and the Lloyd E. and Elisabeth H. Klein Family Foundation for supporting this project.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/yorba-chapman/1004/thumbnail.jp

Long-acting injectable Cabotegravir + Rilpivirine for HIV maintenance therapy: Week 48 pooled analysis of phase 3 ATLAS and FLAIR trials

BACKGROUND: Long-acting (LA) injectable regimens are a potential therapeutic option in people living with HIV-1. SETTING: ATLAS (NCT02951052) and FLAIR (NCT02938520) were 2 randomized, open-label, multicenter, multinational phase 3 studies. METHODS: Adult participants with virologic suppression (plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL) were randomized (1:1) to continue with their current antiretroviral regimen (CAR) or switch to the long-acting (LA) regimen of cabotegravir (CAB) and rilpivirine (RPV). In the LA arm, participants initially received oral CAB + RPV once-daily for 4 weeks to assess individual safety and tolerability, before starting monthly injectable therapy. The primary endpoint of this combined analysis was antiviral efficacy at week 48 (FDA Snapshot algorithm: noninferiority margin of 4% for HIV-1 RNA ≥50 copies/mL). Safety, tolerability, and confirmed virologic failure (2 consecutive plasma HIV-1 RNA ≥200 copies/mL) were secondary endpoints. RESULTS: The pooled intention-to-treat exposed population included 591 participants in each arm [28% women (sex at birth), 19% aged ≥50 years]. Noninferiority criteria at week 48 were met for the primary (HIV-1 RNA ≥50 copies/mL) and key secondary (HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL) efficacy endpoints. Seven individuals in each arm (1.2%) developed confirmed virologic failure; 6/7 (LA) and 3/7 (CAR) had resistance-associated mutations. Most LA recipients (83%) experienced injection site reactions, which decreased in incidence over time. Injection site reactions led to the withdrawal of 6 (1%) participants. The serious adverse event rate was 4% in each arm. CONCLUSION: This combined analysis demonstrates monthly injections of CAB + RPV LA were noninferior to daily oral CAR for maintaining HIV-1 suppression