Developing the Welfare-to-Work Participation and Employability Appraisal Screening: A Retrospective Study

CalWORKs recipients, unless exempt, are required to participate in welfare-to-work (WTW) program activities as a condition of receiving cash aid. A number of clients, however, may have issues that impede successful engagement in WTW program activities, such as substance abuse, mental health concerns, or domestic violence issues. The Riverside County (California) Department of Mental Health (RCDMH) and the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) sought to develop a structured case management system to help ensure early identification of WTW customers with barriers to employment and, if necessary, to help facilitate quicker engagement in services to address those barriers and move customers into successful employment. A key component of the structured case management system is an actuarial appraisal screening to help identify those customers most in need of support to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency. This report describes the study conducted by Childrenas Research Center (CRC) to develop an appraisal screening that classifies customers by the likelihood of subsequent WTW program participation and employment. Employment counselors can complete the screening assessment soon after WTW assignment to help identify which customers are in greatest need of additional support and engagement to increase the likelihood of successful program participation

Structuring Decisions in Adult Protective Services

A new NCCD Focus article, "Structuring Decisions in Adult Protective Services," describes the value of structured decision frameworks in the growing field of adult protective services (APS). The article highlights findings on risk factors for future adult maltreatment from research literature as well as NCCD's efforts to develop an actuarial-based risk assessment for APS in partnership with the New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services under a grant from the National Institute of Justice

Environmental Health: Food Safety

Presented for World Environmental Health Day, September 26, 2016 in Greenville, North Carolina

In Adult Patients Aged 18 and Over, What Is the Effect of Telemedicine, As Compared to Traditional Office Visits, On Missed Appointment Rates

During the COVID-19 pandemic public health officials sought out different options to limit the spread of the disease and continue providing the much-needed care that patients deserved. Telemedicine became one of the leading initiatives to assist in caring for patients while limiting potential exposures. Prior to the pandemic telemedicine was primarily utilized in the psychology and neurology settings. The lost of life during the pandemic was unimaginable additionally, many healthcare entities begin to suffer from lack of protective supplies. Due to the unknown and newly implemented stay at home mandates made throughout the country many people became fearful of COVID-19 which led to an inundation of no-shows and missed appointments in the primary care setting. As the pandemic continues missed appointments seem to parallel its trend. The benefits of telemedicine implementation in relation to reducing missed appointments has yet to be thoroughly examined. This project aims to explore the impact of telemedicine implementation in a primary care clinic in Pensacola, Florida. The goal of the project is to measure patient satisfaction and evaluate the affect of telemedicine on missed appointments.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/scholarsday2023_spring-posters/1000/thumbnail.jp

How do oral NSAIDs compare to other oral analgesics right after an acute musculoskeletal injury?

Q: How do oral NSAIDs compare to other oral analgesics right after an acute musculoskeletal injury? A: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) are at least as effective as other oral analgesics (opioids, acetaminophen) in relieving pain in the first few days after an acute musculoskeletal injury. Evidence also indicates that using NSAIDs results in fewer adverse events than using narcotics (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic review of randomized controlled trials [RCTs], as well as individual RCTs).Authors: Corey Lyon, DO; Susan Piggott, MD, MPH; Shannon Langner, MD University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency, Denver; Kristen DeSanto, MSLS, MS, RD University of Colorado Health Sciences Library, Denver

Research in Special Education: Implications for Practice

Identifying How to Better Support Parents of Children with Autism by Sarah Rushworth Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is collection of neurological disorders affecting communication, social, and behavioral development (Nealy, 2012). More and more children are being diagnosed as having ASD each year in America. Today, 1 in every 110 children in the United States has autism (Nealy, 2012). The families of these children with autism must learn how to cope with the challenges that come along with the disorder. These challenges include lacking social and communication skills, which can lead to difficult behaviors. Raising a child with autism is associated with increased family stress and depression. This impacts family functioning and can lead to families being isolated from friends and family, as well as leave families with a feeling of stress and helplessness; parents need more support with how to cope with having a family member with autism in order to help improve these families overall quality of life (Russa, 2015). The purpose of this research was to examine how parents of children with autism could be better supported, using interview data. Families of children with autism need to have a variety of supports in place and overall feel as though they are not receiving enough (Nealy, 2012). The intention of this study is to obtain more knowledge of what parents of children with autism need in order to feel better supported, more confident, and less stressed. The Use of Project Based Learning to Empower Latino Students by Shannon Ward Today, the high school graduation rate for Latino males is 50% (Huerta, 2015). Additionally, Latino males often compose a disproportionate amount of suspensions, and the Latino population makes up a disproportionate amount of the students in special education. There has been much research done on the history of the Latino experience in the American school system, and how it has affected their current performance (Conchas, 2015), cultural factors that have impeded Latino student performance, as well as ways in which school counselors, and more developed college access programs can help mitigate this issue (Huerta, 2015). However, there has been little or no research done as to what teachers, in the classroom, can do to support Latino students to help them feel more part of the school community and graduate from high school. Therefore, the goal for this research is to identify learning strategies that can be successful in empowering Latino students in their education. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) aim to provide young men and women with the skills necessary to be successful in their future college and career endeavors. The incorporation of Project Based Learning (PBL) is one method educators use to achieve this purpose. PBL may be very beneficial to the Latino community as its focus on group work will ensure that they interact with their peers, and become more involved in their own learning. Currently, there is significant research on PBL project ideas, group dynamics, and cooperative learning strategies. However, there is very limited empirical research on the effect PBL has on the education of struggling learners. Therefore, the goal of this study is to determine how to use PBL to empower students of the Latino community. Behavior Interventions for the Classroom by Anna Veelman Behavior challenges and Urban Education are two terms that unfortunately go hand and hand. Students from urban communities are more likely to experience trauma due to violence, death, neglect, and abuse. Children may respond to these traumatic experiences in the form of behaviors in the classroom. Students with trauma or behavior disorders are likely exhibit severe behaviors such as violence, disruption, self-harm, and defiance with in the classroom (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). Students who exhibit these types of behaviors may be put on a behavior plan or be referred for an Individualized Education Program for Emotional Disturbance or miss academics due to being sent out of the classroom. With a high amount of these students being boys of color, this increases the over-representation of this demographic within special education but also aids in the continuation of systems like the school to prison pipeline and achievement gap (Wilson, 2014). This project will be looking deeper into trauma-based behaviors and strategies for teachers to use within the classroom to best support students who exhibit these severe behaviors. The Role of Trauma in Special Education and Early Interventions for Educators by Kristen Wimpee Children\u27s brains develop within the context of their earliest environments and experiences. Their neural and social development can be affected as consequences of complex trauma, disorganized attachment, maltreatment, and abuse. During early childhood, children\u27s nervous systems are in their most vulnerable period of maturation and organizational development. Early life traumas and stresses can lead to structural and physiological differences, which can have long-term consequences on emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social development. These students often have trouble interacting with others, communicating, playing, and learning. Research shows that students with trauma have difficulty with self-regulation and self-soothing; they tend to struggle with aggressive tendencies, attention, disassociation, and physical and motor delays (Bath, 2008). Children with adverse childhood experiences, including complex trauma, are more likely to be suspended, expelled, and have lower academic achievement. They are at a higher risk of failing, dropping out, and are usually assigned to special education. This puts students with early trauma histories at greater risk of behavioral challenges, suspension, expulsion, low academic achievement, drop out, and difficulty in peer relationships. Many of these children are assigned to special education. Early interventions and creating trauma- sensitive classrooms through multi-modal methods can significantly impact brain development for students who have experienced complex trauma by helping students to self-soothe and self-regulate. Therefore, this presentation will report on the complex link between trauma, diagnosed behavioral disabilities, and behavioral difficulties in the classroom that affect student learning. Trauma-informed teaching methods can help build strong relationships with trauma-affected children, who often have disrupted attachments. These methods can help students develop a resiliency mindset and develop the skills and motivation to successfully engage with the world around them

Narrative medicine as a means of training medical students toward residency competencies

Objective: This study sought to explore the perceived influence of narrative medicine training on clinical skill development of fourth-year medical students, focusing on competencies mandated by ACGME and the RCPSC in areas of communication, collaboration, and professionalism. Methods: Using grounded-theory, three methods of data collection were used to query twelve medical students participating in a one-month narrative medicine elective regarding the process of training and the influence on clinical skills. Iterative thematic analysis and data triangulation occurred. Results: Response rate was 91% (survey), 50% (focus group) and 25% (follow-up). Five major findings emerged. Students perceive that they: develop and improve specific communication skills; enhance their capacity to collaborate, empathize, and be patient-centered; develop personally and professionally through reflection. They report that the pedagogical approach used in narrative training is critical to its dividends but misunderstood and perceived as counter-culture. Conclusion/Practice implications: Participating medical students reported that they perceived narrative medicine to be an important, effective, but counter-culture means of enhancing communication, collaboration, and professional development. The authors contend that these skills are integral to medical practice, consistent with core competencies mandated by the ACGME/RCPSC, and difficult to teach. Future research must explore sequelae of training on actual clinical performance. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd

Effects of Selective Deletion of Tyrosine Hydroxylase from Kisspeptin Cells on Puberty and Reproduction in Male and Female Mice.

The neuropeptide kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, regulates reproduction by stimulating GnRH secretion. Kiss1-syntheizing neurons reside primarily in the hypothalamic anteroventral periventricular (AVPV/PeN) and arcuate (ARC) nuclei. AVPV/PeN Kiss1 neurons are sexually dimorphic, with females expressing more Kiss1 than males, and participate in estradiol (E2)-induced positive feedback control of GnRH secretion. In mice, most AVPV/PeN Kiss1 cells coexpress tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis (in this case, dopamine). Dopamine treatment can inhibit GnRH neurons, but the function of dopamine signaling arising specifically from AVPV/PeN Kiss1 cells is unknown. We generated a novel TH flox mouse and used Cre-Lox technology to selectively ablate TH specifically from Kiss1 cells. We then examined the effects of selective TH knock-out on puberty and reproduction in both sexes. In control mice, 90% of AVPV/PeN Kiss1 neurons coexpressed TH, whereas in mice lacking TH exclusively in Kiss1 cells (termed Kiss THKOs), TH was successfully absent from virtually all Kiss1 cells. Despite this absence of TH, both female and male Kiss THKOs displayed normal body weights, puberty onset, and basal gonadotropin levels in adulthood, although testosterone (T) was significantly elevated in adult male Kiss THKOs. The E2-induced LH surge was unaffected in Kiss THKO females, and neuronal activation status of kisspeptin and GnRH cells was also normal. Supporting this, fertility and fecundity were normal in Kiss THKOs of both sexes. Thus, despite high colocalization of TH and Kiss1 in the AVPV/PeN, dopamine produced in these cells is not required for puberty or reproduction, and its function remains unknown

SPEC Kit 361: Outreach and Engagement

ARL SPEC KitLibrary outreach is experiencing a renaissance. Librarians have been reaching out to their communities and developing programming for decades, but libraries are increasingly being asked to demonstrate their value to the communities that they serve. In response, outreach positions are becoming more commonplace and communities of practice are emerging around measuring the impact of library outreach activities. This SPEC Kit was born out of the authors’ struggles and successes in providing academic library outreach services at their local institutions. The survey questions were designed to gather information from ARL institutions to create a picture of library outreach that spans across institutions; a professional baseline. Questions of organizational priorities, vision, goals, resource allocation, staffing models, and assessment come together to paint the picture of how libraries are approaching outreach programs. The survey was sent to the 125 ARL member institutions in July 2018, with 57 (46%) responding by the August 6 deadline. The data gathered suggests that systematic outreach programs are still very much in their infancy and highly dependent on local organizational culture. This SPEC Kit highlights the areas where libraries share approaches to outreach programs while also shining a spotlight on issues that warrant continued research and attention by outreach librarians and library administrators