Pastoral Counseling: African American Attitudes toward Mental Healthcare

The perspectives of African Americans at the Highway to Heaven Ministry were evaluated using diverse theological concepts in this study. The findings of this study help in deciphering reasons why African Americans primarily choose traditional versus pastoral counseling. The results of the survey were based on the responses of 100 people, all of whom were members of the Highway to Heaven Ministry. Sixty-five women and 35 men, ranging in age from 18 to 88, were enrolled in the study. The data was collected using a well-prepared questionnaire to discover the participants\u27 most heartfelt views regarding pastoral counseling and what motivates them to make their own decisions. The study\u27s conclusion is that ideas like cultural diversity, diversity of thought, and diversity of opinion are important. Concepts like cultural background, age, education, level of religiosity, and church affiliation were among the components that formed the participant’s foundational beliefs. The research helped participants reformulate their minds with better constructs that improve the conscious experiences of their world. This study was a method of researching social life based on the notion that the meaning of human activity is embedded in the action itself. The methods proposed in this study defined the issue at hand. These new ways of looking at things are not meant to intellectualize reasonable answers; They can be applied to real-life settings at the Highway to Heaven Ministry because they are structures that exist in the actual world, assisting people in reshaping the actions and behaviors that have an impact

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a university outbreak setting and implications for public health planning

AbstractWhole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has occurred at an unprecedented scale, and can be exploited for characterising outbreak risks at the fine-scale needed to inform control strategies. One setting at continued risk of COVID-19 outbreaks are higher education institutions, associated with student movements at the start of term, close living conditions within residential halls, and high social contact rates. Here we analysed SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences in combination with epidemiological data to investigate a large cluster of student cases associated with University of Glasgow accommodation in autumn 2020, Scotland. We identified 519 student cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with this large cluster through contact tracing data, with 30% sequencing coverage for further analysis. We estimated at least 11 independent introductions of SARS-CoV-2 into the student population, with four comprising the majority of detected cases and consistent with separate outbreaks. These four outbreaks were curtailed within a week following implementation of control measures. The impact of student infections on the local community was short-term despite an underlying increase in community infections. Our study highlights the need for context-specific information in the formation of public health policy for higher educational settings.</jats:p