COVID-19 Educational Inequities: Shining a Light on Disparities in a Graduate School of Social Work

In the wake of COVID-19, universities and schools of social work face unprecedented challenges and uncertainty in aligning their academic models with public heath protocols and best practices, while prioritizing the safety and well-being of their students. In order to best respond to these challenges and uncertainty, more research is needed to advance a greater understanding of (1) what challenges students face, (2) who is most at risk and impacted by these challenges, and (3) how universities can best support students. Through a survey administered during the spring 2020 semester at a large research university in the Midwest, we explored the attitudes, experiences, and needs of graduate students in social work, public health, and social policy programs. We observed notable disparities by race and ethnicity, international student status, first-generation student status, and gender. Additionally, our survey results suggest that protective factors, such as university and social supports, may inform how students navigate and cope with the challenges related to or exacerbated by the pandemic. In addition to advancing a better understanding of student experiences during COVID-19, our findings build on the previous research that highlights the distinct needs and disparate impacts of vulnerable student populations in higher education. Acknowledgements: An original survey instrument was created at Hebrew University and was modified and shared openly with other interested Universities

Note and Comment

The Execution of the Insured for Crime as a Defense to the Insurer, the Policy Being Silent as to This Contingency; The Power of a Corporation to Hold and Vote Stock of Another Corporation; Effect of an Agreement Not to Compromise Without consent of Attorney Upon Contract for Contingent Fees; The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and The Pennsylvania Railroad Compan

Facts Matter! Black Lives Matter! The Trauma of Racism

This report is a summary of select research on the blocked opportunities and oppressive burden that young men of color experience. The authors hope that these findings fuel action by our government leaders, policy makers, advocacy and provider organizations and communities. In addition, this report highlights select promising policy and programmatic interventions that could provide steps to address the serious inequities that appear to be fueling the accumulating number of young men of color whose lives are cut short by violence or diminished by lack of opportunities, resources and supports

Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality

Aims: Studies consistently identify substance treatment populations as more likely to die prematurely compared with age-matched general population, with mortality risk higher out-of-treatment than in-treatment. While opioid-using pharmacotherapy cohorts have been studied extensively, less evidence exists regarding effects of other treatment types, and clients in treatment for other drugs. This paper examines mortality during and following treatment across treatment modalities. Methods: A retrospective seven-year cohort was utilised to examine mortality during and in the two years following treatment among clients from Victoria, Australia, recorded on the Alcohol and Drug Information Service database by linking with National Death Index. 18,686 clients over a 12-month period were included. Crude (CMRs) and standardised mortality rates (SMRs) were analysed in terms of treatment modality, and time in or out of treatment. Results: Higher risk of premature death was associated with residential withdrawal as the last type of treatment engagement, while mortality following counselling was significantly lower than all other treatment types in the year post-treatment. Both CMRs and SMRs were significantly higher in-treatment than post-treatment. Conclusion: Better understanding of factors contributing to elevated mortality risk for clients engaged in, and following treatment, is needed to ensure that treatment systems provide optimal outcomes during and after treatment

All over the Map: A Systematic Literature Review and State Policy Scan of Medicaid Buy-In Programs for Working Individuals with Disabilities

While supports for people with disabilities have increased, significant healthcare and financial barriers persist. State-administered Medicaid Buy-In programs for working people with disabilities, distinct from broader buy-in discussions that have emerged as some states consider expanding access to health insurance, are intended to incentivize employment and protect against a loss of Long-Term Services and Supports. Loss of these services would be detrimental to a person’s ability to access daily living and workforce participation supporting services. This paper explores identified drivers of and barriers to participation, outcomes, and the current state of programs that are currently in place. Authors conducted a systematic literature search to identify evidence published in peer-review journals. Additionally, a policy scan using information from government sources for the 45 state-administered buy-in programs was completed. The results indicate that state Medicaid Buy-In programs vary dramatically in their construction and presentation, with eligibility and administration information or lack thereof having the potential to significantly affect a person’s decision making around benefit enrollment and employment. Findings are discussed in the context of additional recent state and federal policy efforts to improve outcomes around employment, income, and asset generation for people with disabilities

It Shouldn’t take a Pandemic to increase School Meal Access for Low-Income Students: A Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Analysis of School Meal Access during COVID-19

COVID-19 created an additional barrier for students who benefit from free school meals. While some schools attempted to provide alternative meal access points, many students lack adequate transportation. Thus, physical proximity to meal access points is particularly important during the pandemic. Taking into account both the “supply” and the “demand” for free meals, we employed a two-step floating catchment area analysis to analyze meal accessibility in St. Louis, MO. Overall, while meal access during the spring 2020 semester was substantially lower than the spring 2019 semester, meal access during the 2020 summer was substantially higher than the 2019 summer. Moreover, increased access was most prevalent in low-income areas and areas with a higher proportion of African Americans

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC).

Head and neck cancers, including those of the lip and oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, oropharynx, larynx and nasopharynx represent nearly 700,000 new cases and 380,000 deaths worldwide per annum, and account for over 10,000 annual deaths in the United States alone. Improvement in outcomes are needed for patients with recurrent and or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the first immunotherapeutic approvals - the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab - for the treatment of patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) that is refractory to platinum-based regimens. The European Commission followed in 2017 with approval of nivolumab for treatment of the same patient population, and shortly thereafter with approval of pembrolizumab monotherapy for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC in adults whose tumors express PD-L1 with a ≥ 50% tumor proportion score and have progressed on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy. Then in 2019, the FDA granted approval for PD-1 inhibition as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic or unresectable, recurrent HNSCC, approving pembrolizumab in combination with platinum and fluorouracil for all patients with HNSCC and pembrolizumab as a single agent for patients with HNSCC whose tumors express a PD-L1 combined positive score ≥ 1. These approvals marked the first new therapies for these patients since 2006, as well as the first immunotherapeutic approvals in this disease. In light of the introduction of these novel therapies for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer, The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) formed an expert committee tasked with generating consensus recommendations for emerging immunotherapies, including appropriate patient selection, therapy sequence, response monitoring, adverse event management, and biomarker testing. These consensus guidelines serve as a foundation to assist clinicians\u27 understanding of the role of immunotherapies in this disease setting, and to standardize utilization across the field for patient benefit. Due to country-specific variances in approvals, availability and regulations regarding the discussed agents, this panel focused solely on FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of patients in the U.S

Outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 linked with consumption of a fast-food product containing imported cucumbers, United Kingdom, August 2020.

In August 2020, an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 occurred in the United Kingdom. Whole genome sequencing revealed these cases formed a genetically distinct cluster. Hypotheses generated from case interviews were tested in analytical studies, and results informed environmental sampling and food chain analysis. A case-case study used non-outbreak 'comparison' STEC cases; a case-control study used a market research panel to recruit controls. A total of 36 cases were identified; all cases reported symptom onset between 3 and 16 August 2020. The majority of cases (83%) resided in the Midlands region of England or Wales. A high proportion of cases reported eating out, with one fast-food restaurant chain mentioned by 64% (n = 23) of cases. Both case-case (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 31.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6 - 624.9) and case-control (aOR 9.19, 95% CI 1.0 - 82.8) studies provided statistically significant results that consumption of a specific fast-food product was independently associated with infection. Consumption of a specific fast-food product was a likely cause of this outbreak. The only ingredient specific to the product was cucumbers. Supply of cucumbers was immediately halted, and no further cases have been identified