Improving WIC Retention in Vermont: Beneficiary attitudes toward co-location in medical homes

Introduction: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a national program aimed at improving the nutrition and health of pregnant women and children. Those eligible for Vermont WIC include anyone pregnant or with children under 5 that has an income below 185% of federal poverty level or is enrolled in Vermont Medicaid. WIC has been shown to improve birth outcomes1, breast feeding rates2, infant growth and development, and consumption of important nutrients. Those enrolled in WIC report high levels of satisfaction Despite the benefits of WIC, retention rates of eligible families remain low. Studies have shown that mandatory bi-annual recertification appointments pose logistical problems. Rescheduling missed appointments and long waiting times at the WIC offices were also barriers. Other states have found that integration of WIC recertification appointments with the family’s primary care medical visits may improve retention. A limited scale co-localization of WIC and the medical home in Vermont showed some promise.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1213/thumbnail.jp

NURS 230: The Effectiveness of Space Devices

We decided to conduct research in an effort to answer our question, “Are spacer devices the most effective treatment option for patients with asthma?”. We recognized that there has been debate about whether or not the standard prescribed metered-dose inhalers effectively administer medication to a patient\u27s lungs due to the need for hand-breath coordination. Therefore, we wanted to discover if attaching spacer devices onto inhalers would deliver medication more thoroughly by eliminating this need as well as the overall effectiveness of this device when compared to other treatment options. We reviewed recent and relevant literature pertaining to this question to determine if spacer devices eliminated the need for hand-breath coordination and we researched other possible benefits of these devices as well as patients’ overall preferences. Additionally, we accounted for the proper way to handle a spacer device to ensure proper medication administration. Lastly, we researched the cost effectiveness of spacer devices in hospital settings by comparing hospital admission and readmission rates of asthma patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) and their chosen treatment plan. Our research concluded that the spacer device delivers medication in the most effective way when compared to other inhalation medication methods such as the standard metered dose inhaler, the dry powder inhaler, and the nebulizer machine. The spacer allows for the medication to slowly fill the spacer device which allows more time for complete inhalation. This enables the medication to be inhaled directly into the lungs, as opposed to sitting in the oral cavity and causing adverse reactions such as thrush

Pulp, Vol. 3 No. 1

This is the third issue of Pulphttps://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/pulp/1002/thumbnail.jp

"Sometimes I'm Lesbian": Young Women's High School Coming Out Experiences in the Post-Gay Era

This study explores young women's experiences "coming out" in high school. I find that across race and class backgrounds, young women in high school are increasingly coming to articulate their sexuality as fluid rather than with more conventional stable identity categories such as "lesbian." Based on 79 ethnographic interviews with women who came to see themselves as non-heterosexual in high school, I find 46 (58%) identify themselves as fluid/pansexual/queer or without a label, 7 (9%) identify as bisexual, 15 (19%) identify as lesbian but also somewhat fluid, and 11 (14%) identify as strictly lesbian. I find the use of "fluid" (and related synonyms) as a label is more than a shift in language; women who come to see themselves as fluid have markedly different experiences coming out in high school than do women who identify as lesbian. Young women in high school who identify as fluid and those who identify as lesbian have a similar process in coming to recognize their romantic and sexual attractions, and yet those who identify as lesbian are far more likely to feel stigmatized from their peers because of their sexual orientation

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Observations of loading-unloading process at Saturn distant magnetotail

peer reviewe

Addressing racial and ethnic disparities in premature exits from permanent supportive housing among residents with substance use disorders.

BACKGROUND: Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is an evidence-based practice for reducing homelessness that subsidizes permanent, independent housing and provides case management-including linkages to health services. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common contributing factors towards premature, unwanted (negative) PSH exits; little is known about racial/ethnic differences in negative PSH exits among residents with SUDs. Within the nations largest PSH program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we examined relationships among SUDs and negative PSH exits (for up to five years post-PSH move-in) across racial/ethnic subgroups. METHODS: We used VA administrative data to identify a cohort of homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs) (n = 2,712) who were housed through VA Greater Los Angeles PSH program from 2016-2019. We analyzed negative PSH exits by HEVs with and without SUDs across racial/ethnic subgroups (i.e., African American/Black, Non-Hispanic White, Hispanic/Latino, and Other/Mixed [Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and mixed race/ethnicity]) in controlled models and accounting for competing risk of death. RESULTS: In competing risk models, HEVs with at least one SUD had 1.3 times the hazard of negative PSH exits compared to those without SUDs (95% CI: 1.00, 1.61). When stratifying by race/ethnicity, Other/Mixed race residents with at least one SUD had 6.4 times the hazard of negative PSH exits compared to their peers without SUDs (95% CI: 1.61-25.50). Hispanic/Latino residents with at least one SUD had 1.9 times the hazard compared to those without SUDs; however, this association was not statistically significant (95% CI: 0.85-4.37). African American/Black residents with at least one SUD had 1.2 times the hazard compared to those without SUDs (95% CI: 0.85-1.64), indicating no evidence of an association with negative PSH exits. Non-Hispanic White residents with at least one SUD had 1.1 times the hazard compared to those without SUDs (95% CI: 0.75-1.66), similarly indicating no evidence to suggest an association with negative PSH exits. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest relationships between SUDs and negative PSH exits differ between racial/ethnic groups and suggest there may be value in culturally specific tailoring and implementation of SUD services for these subgroups