Local status and power in area-based health improvement partnerships

This is the authors' PDF version of an article published in Health© 2014. The definitive version is available at http://hea.sagepub.comArea-based initiatives (ABIs) have formed an important part of public policy towards more socio-economically deprived areas in many countries. Co-ordinating service provision within and across sectors has been a common feature of these initiatives. Despite sustained policy interest in ABIs, little empirical work has explored relations between ABI providers and partnership development within this context remains under-theorised. This paper addresses both of these gaps by exploring partnerships as a social and developmental process, drawing on concepts from figurational sociology to explain how provider relations develop within an ABI. Qualitative methods were used to explore, prospectively, the development of an ABI targeted at a town in the north west of England. A central finding was that, although effective delivery of ABIs is premised on a high level of coordination between service providers, the pattern of interdependencies between providers limits the frequency and effectiveness of cooperation. In particular, the interdependency of ABI providers with others in their organisation (what is termed here ‘organisational pull’) constrained the ways in which they worked with providers outside of their own organisations. ‘Local’ status, which could be earned over time, enabled some providers to exert greater control over the way in which provider relations developed during the course of the initiative. These findings demonstrate how historically constituted social networks, within which all providers are embedded, shape partnership development. The theoretical insight developed here suggests a need for more realistic expectations among policy makers about how and to what extent provider partnerships can be managed. Keywords: partnership, collaboration, community services, area-based initiatives, organisational pull, figurational sociologyNational Health Service (NHS

Technical Assistance: Coach and Data Facilitator Support Among Texas Colleges

The goal of this research brief is to provide an assessment of the relationship among Achieving the Dream colleges, coaches and data facilitators. This brief places emphasis on the coach and data facilitator relationship to the college and how it affects the work being done related to Achieving the Dream initiative

Achieving the Dream and Four-Year Institutions: Perspectives from Three Houston Colleges

This report examines the experiences of three Houston area four-year universities that are participating in Achieving the Dream, a national initiative designed to use data-driven decision making to promote student success, especially among low-income students and students of color. Each of these universities is a minority-serving institution, two are Historically Black Colleges or Universities and one is a Hispanic Serving Institution

Review of the quarter's economic trends [July 1976]

The initial recovery phase of the leading economies in the second half of 1975 occurred at a fairly leisurely pace compared to past experience of the upturn. However, the first quarter of 1976 has seen industrial production expanding rapidly in most countries, with an expected rise of 10% over the same period last year. This increases momentum in the world economy has led to revision of official forecasts of many important indicators. The volume of world trade is now expected to rise by 10% this year. Total output, which fell by 1 ½% last year, should increase by 5% this year. Inflation in most countries is now in single figures on an annual rate basis. Profit levels have improved considerably: so far there is little evidence of a recovery in investment in plant and machinery

The Scottish economy [July 1976]

It seems that the level of economic activity in Scotland has passed its nadir, and that a slow recovery is under way. Among the forces stimulating recovery are overseas exports, stockbuilding, and the acceleration of manufacturing production in the rest of the UK. As the recovery gains force one can expect the underlying upward trend in unemployment to level off. Two factors will constrain any reduction in unemployment, however. Firstly, there is the problem, obvious from the July unemployment figures, of the absorption of school leavers into the workforce. There is now a strong case for an extension of the job creation programme to continue to act as a 'buffer' between full-time education and full-time employment. Secondly, further cuts in public expenditure, especially if they occur in housing or construction will to some extent counterbalance any reduction in unemployment through expansion in the private sector

General review [April 1976]

There are now unmistakable signs of a sustained recovery in world trade and production. Both the imports and the exports of the leading industrialised countries in February were substantially above their level of twelve months previously. It may reasonably be expected that world trade as a whole will expand by about 7% in real terms this year Different countries are emerging from the recession at different rates: amongst the first to emerge clearly from the recession has been the United States. In the UK, the fall in total output which began in the fourth quarter of 1974 appears to have ended. Each of the three measures of GDP increased in the fourth quarter of 1975, the output measure by a little over 1/2%. During 1975 real living standards fell by around 4%, despite an increased share of wages and salaries in total money income during the year

The association of criminal justice supervision setting with overdose mortality: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background and aimsDespite the high prevalence of substance use among people in the US criminal justice system, little is known about the incidence of overdose mortality by use patterns, drug convictions and supervision setting. We examined the associations between these characteristics and overdose mortality.DesignRetrospective cohort study.Setting and participantsIndividuals sentenced to prison, jail, probation or jail plus probation for a felony conviction in Michigan, USA from 2003 to 2006.MeasurementsUsing the National Death Index, we assessed overdose mortality to December 2012. We calculated overdose mortality rates by pre-sentence opioid use, drug convictions and supervision setting. Multivariable analyses were conducted using competing risks regression with time-varying covariates.FindingsAmong 140 266 individuals followed over a mean of 7.84 years [standard deviation (SD) = 1.52], 14.9% of the 1131 deaths were due to overdose (102.8 per 100 000 person-years). Over the follow-up, more than half of overdose deaths occurred in the community (57.7%), nearly a third (28.8%) on probation and 12.8% on parole. The adjusted risk of overdose death was lower on probation [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.60, 0.85] than in the community without probation or parole (HR = 1.00) but not significantly different on parole (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.87, 1.47). Pre-sentence daily opioid use (HR = 3.54, 95% CI = 3.24, 3.87) was associated with an increased risk. Drug possession (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.93, 1.31) and delivery convictions (HR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.77, 1.09) were not significantly associated with overdose mortality.ConclusionsBased on the absolute or relative risk, parole, probation and community settings are appropriate settings for enhanced overdose prevention interventions. Ensuring that individuals with pre-sentence opioid use have access to harm reduction and drug treatment services may help to prevent overdose among people involved with the criminal justice system

Management Techniques for the Control of Sahara Mustard (Brassica Tournefortii) in the Mojave Desert

In the southwestern United States, Brassica tournefortii(Sahara mustard) is a highly invasive plant that colonizes roadsides, beaches, sand dunes, and open desert threatening native annuals. Sahara mustard is believed to contribute to fuel loads in the Mojave Desert in areas where Schismussp. and Bromussp. occur. Sahara mustard may act as ladder fuel, thereby facilitating the spread of fire throughout the landscape. Manpower limitations and insufficient funding limits the abilities of managers to effectively control Sahara mustard. We tested seed germinability in Sahara mustard after fruiting plants were treated with either 2%, 5%, or 12% triclopyr. Sahara mustard seed pods were labeled based on three developmental stages prior to treatment. Application of herbicide decreased germination from control seeds; however, effectiveness did not differ across concentrations of triclopyr (2, 5, and 12%). We also tested seed germinability in Sahara mustard after fruiting plants were separated from their resources and allowed to dry in the field. Seed pods were labeled by developmental stage before treatment. The three treatments consisted of: 1) pulling plants with roots intact; 2) pulling the plant and breaking the roots and leaf rosette from the inflorescence; 3) pulling off individual fruits. All treatments resulted in a decrease in germination from control seeds

Effect of temperature on RC elements strengthened with CFRP

The strengthening of RC elements with CFRP is a technique that has been acquiring more and more potential. The bond between the CFRP reinforcement and the concrete support is usually made with epoxy adhesives. However, it is here that the integrity of the system can be affected, namely by exposure to high temperatures. In order to study the effect of an increase of air temperature on the behaviour of the epoxy adhesive, CFRP strengthened RC and reference RC specimens were tested. After cyclical thermal exposures, with temperatures rising between 20ºC and 80ºC, specimens were subjected either to compressive shear tests or bending tests. The results demonstrated that epoxy adhesive exhibits poor behaviour when subjected to increased temperatures, causing important bond deterioration. The improvement achieved with the CFRP reinforcement tends to disappear with an increase of the environment temperature. So, the thermal resistance of this strengthened system can not be considered very high. However, the inclusion of insulating materials can be a good solution to protect the strengthened RC elements. Among tested materials, the foamed polyurethane showed the best behaviour