HB 828: TANF Eligibility; Drug-Related Felonies

House Bill 828 (HB828) was proposed in 2016 to remove the ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for individuals with felony-related drug convictions who are otherwise eligible to receive benefits. The TANF program is designed to help low income families achieve self-sufficiency. States receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the purposes of the TANF program: 1) Provide assistance to needy families so children can be cared for in their own homes; 2) Reduce the dependency of parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; 3) Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; 4) Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Section 401). With nearly 700,000 people released from state and federal prison each year, access to TANF benefits is particularly critical for helping formerly incarcerated individuals transitioning back to their home communities. Significant disparities in convictions and incarceration coupled with variations in state population between Whites and Nonwhites translate into a disproportionate impact of the felony drug ban (The Sentencing Project, 2015). Virginia is one of 14 states with a full ban on TANF benefits for individuals with felony-related drug convictions. Adoption of HB828 proposes to eliminate this lifetime ban and provide an opportunity for low income families to meet their basic needs during the period in which they are in most need

Working Partnerships, Partnerships Working

Involvement in community partnerships at Virginia Commonwealth University has its roots in the institution\u27s history. The Medical College of Virginia, founded in1838, and the Richmond Professional Institute, founded in 1917, both sought to extend knowledge into the community to change peoples\u27 lives for the better. Today, the VCU campuses are even more entwined with the City of Richmond -- physically, and increasingly so as a partner in the economic and social challenges and opportunities facing the City

When and Why Do Men Obey During a Civil War? A Study of Organizations Competing for Control in Afghan Communities

During civil wars, organizations compete to control the behavior of populations, to determine the goals their societies will pursue and how they will be governed. But, very little is known about why they succeed or fail. This study tested hypothesized causes of organizations’ control across a set of Afghan communities where residents trained in participant observation described the actions of the Taliban, government, local informal leaders called Wakils, and residents. It described the extent to which residents obeyed the rules of each organization and why. No single factor consistently explains an organization’s level of control. Organizations with high levels of external resources do not always control communities’ behavior. Organizations that can extract resources from a population do not always control that population’s behavior. Organizations that win the agreement of populations do not always control them. And, effective organizations, that consistently execute tasks do not always win the battle for control. A process translates these factors into control over community behavior. An organization that can collect information about rule breaking and sanction violators can control a population. To do so, it must have enough resources and an effective enough organization that prospective violators are deterred. Some organizations, like Wakils, build consensus about the rules people should obey and how violators should be punished. Others, like the Taliban and Afghan government, impose rules upon communities. Consensus organizations are more efficient because most people obey the rules and residents will assist the organization if someone violates their rules. However, consensus organizations can only access resources from within their communities. Imposition organizations can control a community if they can generate resources greater than those of competitor organizations and they can motivate personnel to take risks by patrolling and sanctioning rule breaking in un-consenting communities

Birthing outside the system : the motivation behind the choice to freebirth or have a homebirth with risk factors in Australia

Background: Childbirth in Australia occurs predominantly in a biomedical context, with 97% of births occurring in hospital. A small percentage of women choose to birth outside the system – that is, to have a midwife attended homebirth with risk factors, or a freebirth, where the birth at home is intentionally unattended by any health professional. Method: This study used a Grounded Theory methodology. Data from 13 women choosing homebirth and 15 choosing freebirth were collected between 2010 and 2014 and analysed over this time. Results: The core category was ‘wanting the best and safest,’ which describes what motivated the women to birth outside the system. The basic social process, which explains the journey women took as they pursued the best and safest, was ‘finding a better way’. Women who gave birth outside the system in Australia had the countercultural belief that their knowledge about what was best and safest had greater authority than the socially accepted experts in maternity care. The women did not believe the rhetoric about the safety of hospitals and considered a biomedical approach towards birth to be the riskier birth option compared to giving birth outside the system. Previous birth experiences taught the women that hospital care was emotionally unsafe and that there was a possibility of further trauma if they returned to hospital. Giving birth outside the system presented the women with what they believed to be the opportunity to experience the best and safest circumstances for themselves and their babies. Conclusion: Shortfalls in the Australian maternity care system is the major contributing factor to women’s choice to give birth outside the system. Systematic improvements should prioritise humanising maternity care and the expansion of birth options which prioritise midwifery-led care for women of all risk

A preliminary assessment of the river herring stocks of lower Chesapeake Bay : a progress report to the herring industry

Утро : ежедневная политическая, общественная, литературная и экономическая газета. – Харьков, 1906–1916. – Ежедневная. Редактор А.А. Жмудский

Accessibility and Acceptability of Public Sexual Health Clinics for Adult Clients in New South Wales, Australia.

The objectives of this study were to examine the accessibility of public sexual health clinics (SHCs), identify the service preferences of clients and assess whether the services delivered by public SHCs were acceptable (suitable) to users’ expectations. Participants were adult clients attending public SHCs in 4 different geographical regions of New South Wales (NSW). A self completed anonymous questionnaire survey was employed in this study and the data was collected over a two week period per clinic. The overall participation rate was 89%. Three hundred and two clients participated of which 68.2% and 31.8% were males and females respectively. Geographical proximity to residence or work was the single most common reason cited to choose a particular clinic by all clients. The main source of information about public SHCs for young and middle aged clients was their personal contacts, whereas for older individuals it was health professional’s referral. Of the total sample, nearly 59% vs. 32% of clients used private and public transport to get to the clinic. About 80% of private transport users of the city and suburban clinics had indicated some difficulty with parking facilities. For more than two thirds of clients, the time taken to get to the clinic was less than 30 minutes. Overall, more clients preferred an appointment (56%) compared to a walk-in (32%) system. Nearly 65% of all clients preferred to attend the clinic during the weekdays and about 11% preferred weekends. Of those clients who had a preference for a time to attend a clinic, 83.3% attended clinic in their preferred time. Overall, more than one third (39%) of all clients preferred a same gender health care worker (HCW) whereas 13% of clients did not prefer a same gender HCW. Among clients who had a clear preference, more than 90% of all females and nearly 80% of overseas born males preferred a same gender HCW. More females (81%) than males (59%) were actually able to have a consultation with a HCW of their preferred gender. The majority (79%) of clients preferred to consult the same doctor in the follow up visits and only a few clients (5%) preferred a separate male and female waiting room. The vast majority (97%) of clients had no difficulty with language during consultation. About 93% of clients had rated the services delivered by public SHCs to be either excellent or good. The public SHCs were found to be accessible and acceptable to the clients who currently utilise them. Designated parking spaces for the city and suburban clinic users and providing an option for female and overseas born male clients to select a HCW of their preferred gender need to be considered. Further research is required to examine accessibility and acceptability aspects of public SHCs for the potential clients who either currently use other services or do not access any form of services

Accessibility and Acceptability of Public Sexual Health Clinics for Adult Clients in New South Wales, Australia.

The objectives of this study were to examine the accessibility of public sexual health clinics (SHCs), identify the service preferences of clients and assess whether the services delivered by public SHCs were acceptable (suitable) to users’ expectations. Participants were adult clients attending public SHCs in 4 different geographical regions of New South Wales (NSW). A self completed anonymous questionnaire survey was employed in this study and the data was collected over a two week period per clinic. The overall participation rate was 89%. Three hundred and two clients participated of which 68.2% and 31.8% were males and females respectively. Geographical proximity to residence or work was the single most common reason cited to choose a particular clinic by all clients. The main source of information about public SHCs for young and middle aged clients was their personal contacts, whereas for older individuals it was health professional’s referral. Of the total sample, nearly 59% vs. 32% of clients used private and public transport to get to the clinic. About 80% of private transport users of the city and suburban clinics had indicated some difficulty with parking facilities. For more than two thirds of clients, the time taken to get to the clinic was less than 30 minutes. Overall, more clients preferred an appointment (56%) compared to a walk-in (32%) system. Nearly 65% of all clients preferred to attend the clinic during the weekdays and about 11% preferred weekends. Of those clients who had a preference for a time to attend a clinic, 83.3% attended clinic in their preferred time. Overall, more than one third (39%) of all clients preferred a same gender health care worker (HCW) whereas 13% of clients did not prefer a same gender HCW. Among clients who had a clear preference, more than 90% of all females and nearly 80% of overseas born males preferred a same gender HCW. More females (81%) than males (59%) were actually able to have a consultation with a HCW of their preferred gender. The majority (79%) of clients preferred to consult the same doctor in the follow up visits and only a few clients (5%) preferred a separate male and female waiting room. The vast majority (97%) of clients had no difficulty with language during consultation. About 93% of clients had rated the services delivered by public SHCs to be either excellent or good. The public SHCs were found to be accessible and acceptable to the clients who currently utilise them. Designated parking spaces for the city and suburban clinic users and providing an option for female and overseas born male clients to select a HCW of their preferred gender need to be considered. Further research is required to examine accessibility and acceptability aspects of public SHCs for the potential clients who either currently use other services or do not access any form of services

Emergency department waiting room nurses in practice: an observational study

Aim. To identify the activities and behaviours of waiting room nurses in emergency department settings. Background. Emergency care has expanded into waiting rooms in some emergency departments. Often viewed as an adjunct to triage, the aim of waiting room nurses is to commence care early, reassess patients and improve communication between patients, families and staff. There is however a paucity of literature relating to waiting room nurses, especially in relation to their current activities and behaviours. Design and methods. Part of a larger exploratory sequential mixed methods designed study. This phase used a non-participant observer role to observe waiting room nurses in their natural setting undertaking normal care and responsibilities. One observer, using a tool and reflective journal collected data on participant interactions, processes and practices on eight waiting room nurses over 13 episodes of observation (total 65h:50m) in two emergency departments. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results. Participants were observed to anticipate and prioritise to deliver holistic, patient centred care in emergency department waiting rooms. Waiting room nurses had a varied and unpredictable workload, including facilitating the flow of patients from the waiting room. They contributed to patient safety in the waiting room, primarily by reassessing and detecting clinical deterioration. Conclusion. Further research into this role is required, including linking efficacy with experience of nurses, impact the role has on patient safety, and patient and family perceptions of the role

Education and Training for On-Line Searching: A Bibliography

This annotated bibliography is intended to be used by searchers, educators, library administrators, and other reference department staff who must plan or provide for the training and continuing education of on-line searchers. It was compiled for the MARS Committee on the Education and Training of Search Analysts