Training Teen Mothers as Motivational Interviewers: A Feasibility Study

When teen mothers do not graduate from high school, they and their children risk a lifetime of negative outcomes. They face major economic and health difficulties, often repeated across generations.  To address this growing national concern that particularly impacts Hispanic teen mothers, we began by training young nonprofessional peer mentors in motivational interviewing (MI) to provide one-to-one support for teen mothers.  To our knowledge, young non-clinicians have never before been formally evaluated for MI competency.  Our preliminary investigation tested whether teen mothers who had succeeded in graduating could use MI effectively in conversations with their peers who had not yet completed high school.  The six peer mentors were able to attain basic competency in MI. Some of their demonstrated skills went beyond competency to MI proficiency as measured by the MITI coding system.  They also expressed their enthusiasm for the experience.  They fully participated in the study protocols and also maintained the spirit of MI throughout the study. These findings are being used to design a training strategy for the peer mentors that can be used in schools and clinics throughout New Mexico. The question we asked was:  “Can these young mothers, who have succeeded in graduating from high school, competently use MI to support other teen moms to continue their education?”  The answer in this feasibility study was “yes”

Creating a Statewide Absence Policy for Expecting and Parenting Students: A Case Study of Community-Based Policy Work

Community-based coalitions can be a powerful force for social change. This article describes how a group of organizations and individuals combined their knowledge and strengths to succeed in crafting an educational policy that was signed into state law. The Young Parent Working Group is a multidisciplinary coalition that advocates for the educational attainment of expecting and parenting students. This case-study highlights the progression of the initial policy development, the evolution of the group, successful interpersonal processes, legislation, messaging, lobbying for bi-partisan support, and finally the transition to policy implementation and next steps

2020-04-06 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM case updates. Several NM policy and legislative actions. Federal vs. state conflict over medical supply lines. Healthcare workers sleep in cars to prevent family exposure. Same-day in-house testing at Cedars-Sinai. Debate over hydroxychloroquine Tx. Death rate differences: Germany and Italy. African innovations. Testing recommended with mild symptoms. CDC guidelines for law enforcement PPE. New WHO first responder training and CDC sign language resources. COVID-19 droplets can travel up to 27 feet. Transmission from the asymptomatic. Humidifiers help. Drug and vaccine progress

2020-06-15/16 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: NM case updates. Tribal outreach campaign. Santa Fe firefighters support first responders. US Highlights: COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in Texas. US retail sales up in May. Projected COVID-19 deaths in US. International Highlights: COVID-19 prevention and control in Africa. COVID-19 response and challenge in Africa. Epidemiology Highlights: Herd immunity in Europe. Social distance measures effects. Modeling infections in India. Fecal analysis. Wastewater-based Epidemiology Consortium. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Public health approach to lockdown debate. All of Us Program adds new COVID-19 initiatives. Practice Guidelines: Guidelines are reviewed on urology care. IBD endoscopy. Convalescent plasma use. Testing: Patient predictors of risk for positive COVID-19 test are reported and an online risk calculator is now available. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Steroid dexamethasone reduces 28-day mortality by 1/3. Research links ‘inflamm-aging’ and cytokine storm in elderly. Cancer drug may reduce severe COVID-19. 48 new trials registered. Other Science: Postpone surgery. Proteins predict outcomes. Neurologic manifestations. Thromboembolic risk. Zoonotic transmission. Liver failure. Cardiac complications

2020-06-24/25 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Governor update. NM schools reopening. Parents split on allowing kids play sports. Santa Fe streets closure. Paid leave for ABQ businesses. 207 cases and 5 deaths. International Highlights: 9% HCW positive in Italy. Australian lessons. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Plan for return to normalcy. Mask cleaning. Epidemiology Highlights: US years of life lost high. Fever and cough most prevalent symptoms. Hypertension and diabetes most prevalent comorbidities. Hypertension, diabetes and respiratory disease most prevalent in fatal cases. Practice Guidelines: Brazilian guidelines on thromboembolic complications in COVID-19. Novel design of door handle to touch with a forearm. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Potential dexamethasone shortage. Arbidol potentially effective. Pixatimod promising. In-silico repurposing. 51 new COVID-19 trials. Other Science: Transmission prior to symptoms. Solar inactivation of coronaviruses. Risk factors for severity. Laboratory tests associated with outcomes

2020-06-03/04 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Navajo Nation to end weekend curfew. NM case count. Navajo Nation case updates. Food distribution by PepsiCo. APS to get funding. US Highlights: 5 vaccine candidates. Arizona’s increased cases. Some states postpone primaries. Pork plant infections. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Impact on global supply chains. Residency selection process disrupted. Facemask filtration efficiency. Resources for underserved countries. Epidemiology Highlights: Morbidity and mortality in Africa. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Need for social distancing. Psychological support guide. Return to work guidelines. Practice Guidelines: Anesthesia recommendations for ECT. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation outcomes. Testing: Roche Elecsys IL-6 test is authorized by FDA to identify severe inflammatory response. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: HCQ RCT does not show disease prevention. Lancet HCQ study retraction. Adjunctive convalescent plasma did not show clinical improvement. Mixed remdesivir results. Virtual drug screening. Heparin improved survival. Moderna phase 3. Skin science for vaccine development. ECMO therapy. 48 new clinical trials. Other Science: Androgens and poor male outcomes. Trust in science enhances prevention compliance. High VTE prevalence in critically ill

2020-06-29/30 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: NM cases update. ABQ nursing home hit hard. UNM student family housing closure. White Sands National Park reopening. 52% of federal COVID-19 relief money for tribal communities. Bill signed to help NM taxpayers. US Highlights: Polarization of political elite response on Twitter. International Highlights: China’s military to use Ad5-nCoV vaccine in trials. Economics, Workforce, Supply Chain, PPE: Decontaminate N95 respirators using a microwave. Epidemiology Highlights: Mask-wearing prevents transmission. Face-masks associated with Italy’s declining epidemic. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Social distancing reassessed? Lessons learned from previous pandemics. Digital tools against COVID-19. Investigating cultural and psychological factors to reduce spread. Practice Guidelines: Preserving couple relationships during COVID-19. Testing: No difference in viral load between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. A new fast point-of-care virus detection test. Few patient serum samples have virus RNA (at low viral load) and these are not associated with infectious disease. Symptoms and temperature reports are informative to screen health care workers. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: 37 new trials registered June 29-30. Other Science: Multisystem pediatric inflammatory syndrome. Hazardous postoperative outcomes. Childhood immunization in Africa. Citizen science and protein folding

2020-06-22/23 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: Balloon Fiesta postponed. Robot to sanitize ABQ International Sunport. NMSU plan for fall 2020. NM public schools reopening plan. Fewer hospitalizations for COVID-19. NM case update. US Highlights: Visa restrictions. International Highlights: Second wave in South Korea. Epidemiology: Lockdown can suppress COVID-19. Case fatality rate associated with incidence. Predictors of ICU care and ventilators. Anxiety and depression from COVID-19. Asymptomatic patients as source of infection. Heterogeneous populations affect herd immunity. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: New FDA guidance on clinical trials conduct. Practice Guidelines: The guidelines are provided on COVID-19 diagnostics (Infectious Diseases Society of America), respiratory support for COVID-19 patients and optimizing mental care delivery during COVID-19 pandemic. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Antithrombotic therapy systematic review. Drug repurposing. 58 new trials. Other Science: Safety of antihypertensives (ACEs and ARBs). Low testosterone linked to escalation of care. Neurological findings and hypercoagulability

2020-04-17/18 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: Daily NM Recap. Stimulus checks. Whitehouse reopening guidelines. Increased suicide calls. Commentary on COVID and African Americans. NYC ventilation rate. 300K African deaths predicted. Thai horse virus outbreak. Europe eases lockdown. UK vaccine research. Chinese death undercount. Biosafety breaches. General wearing of masks. PPE for emergency physician. FDA approves safer swabs. Mental health lockdown impact. Intermittent social distancing. Undetected US cases. NYC hospitalization characteristics. Adapting veterinary surveillance. Infectious disease” hospital. NIH vaccine and treatment partnership. Repurposing anesthetic machines as ventilators. Guidance for psychiatrists. Elective surgery risk stratification. Hemodialysis facility. Pathologist on IgG/M tests. Abnormal coagulation and ECMO. Paramedic guidance. Dialysis and transplants. Critically ill management. GI guidance. Otorhinolaryngology head & neck surgery. Emergency nursing management. Lung surgery. Metabolic & bariatric surgery. Convalescent plasma therapy effectiveness. Potential antivirals. UK testing. Spike proteins for potential vaccine. Cytokines suggest IL-6 antagonist treatments. Mental health messaging. $483 million for mRNA-1273 vaccine trial. WHO unsure about antibody protection. Complications for IBD. Hospitalizations characterized. Social distancing and personality. Digital COVID-19 literature database available

2020-05-22 DAILY UNM GLOBAL HEALTH COVID-19 BRIEFING

Executive Summary: NM Highlights: 12 positive cases at NMSU. Short-term rentals restrictions. Dine-in reopening. US Highlights: Models to forecast COVID-19 deaths. Places of worship reopening. Contact tracing at University of Alabama. International Highlights: More deaths among poor. Mortality data in Italy. High death toll in Brazil. Global vaccines fall behind. Italy cases drop. Vaccines to go through India. Epidemiology Highlights: Children not pandemic drivers. Healthcare Policy Recommendations: Burnout of HCWs. NYC surgeons’ response. Foggy glasses tips. Practice Guidelines: Recommendations are provided on surgical strategies during COVID-19, management of hypertension, anesthesia practice, avoiding drug-induced cardiovascular impairments, arrhythmia management, elective surgery reboot, nutritional management, stroke care, neurointerventional surgery, blood management. Testing: Unregulated tests identified. Interpreting test results. Drugs, Vaccines, Therapies, Clinical Trials: Vaccine trials results. Vaccine moves to trials. Monoclonal antibody identified. Hydroxychloroquine no benefit. Adjuvant corticosteroid therapy. Old drugs may benefit. Vaccines inducing antibodies. Other Science: Mortality and CKD/liver disease. Transmission in pregnancy. Pathophysiology insights. Readmission characteristics. Sodium and severity. Simulated sunlight disinfects