Treasure Valley Transportation Habits & the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic 2022

This report seeks to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected travel behaviors and perceptions in Idaho\u27s Treasure Valley, with findings based off of a geographically and demographically representative sample of 600 Treasure Valley adults with a margin of error of +/- 4%. This study finds that a majority of residents say the COVID-19 pandemic has not substantially affected the frequency of their travel, nor impacted their access to transportation. A quarter of residents report sometimes using alternative means of transportation like walking, biking, or public transportation, while more than half remain open to using these alternative means in the future

West Central Mountains Regional Creative District 2021

The Idaho Commission on the Arts (ICA) commissioned Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) to gain a better understanding of the role and impact of the creative community in Idaho’s West Central Mountains (WCM)—covering Valley County, Cascade, Donnelly, McCall, and the Meadows Valley—and provide context for the establishment of a creative district pilot in the region. IPI hosted two focus groups with local stakeholders and conducted a survey of individuals affiliated with the creative community. This feedback provided qualitative insight into the experience of creatives such as artists, makers, and retailers, as well as the perceptions of arts supporters, educators, and administrators. Findings indicate: The local creative community is largely perceived as strong or at least moderately strong, while few believe it is weak. There is overwhelming optimism regarding creatives’ opportunity for economic growth and prosperity. Artists, makers, and retailers want to be more connected with other WCM creatives. Respondents are divided on knowing where to find information about creatives. Based on focus group and survey data, the WCM creative community’s strengths include its community, value and impact, and optimism; weaknesses are lack of awareness and access; opportunities involve creating an online tool, expanding resources, and strengthening connections; and the creative community is threatened by growth and erosion of local character. The implementation of creative districts in other states, particularly in Colorado and California, offer roadmaps for the establishment of a WCM district, including potential best practices, benefits, local partnerships, resources, and state-level assistance

Idaho SHIBA Program Effectiveness Evaluation 2023

Each state and four territories operate State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) to provide free Medicare counseling to eligible beneficiaries, as well as a variety of other services that vary by state. SHIPs rely largely on certified Medicare counselors that either volunteer directly with SHIPs or are affiliated with a wide array of community partner organizations. In most states, volunteers and program activities are managed by small teams of dedicated staff. Idaho’s SHIP is the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) Program. The Idaho Department of Insurance (DOI) partnered with Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the SHIBA program. This report analyzes four aspects of Idaho’s SHIBA program: program operations, certified Medicare counselor and volunteer management, marketing and outreach, and community partnerships. Data was collected through a variety of methods including surveys with Medicare counselors and past SHIBA beneficiaries and interviews with SHIP staff in other states, Idaho SHIBA staff, and community partner organizations. SHIPs across the country were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with the loss of significant numbers of volunteers and community partners. At a time when SHIP staff are struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the main takeaway from this research is that SHIPs are supported by a network of staff and volunteers who are committed to providing services that are needed by Medicare eligible Americans. This workforce of staff and volunteers is working to rebuild SHIPs into programs equipped to meet the needs of a growing Medicare eligible population. The goal of this research is to provide Idaho’s SHIBA program and SHIPs across the country with quantitative and qualitative information to help determine how to most effectively offer services, implement certified Medicare counselor and volunteer management, conduct marketing and outreach, and build strong relationships with community partners. Incorporating the best practices listed at the end of each section of this report may lead to enhancing the overall effectiveness of the SHIBA program, more volunteers and community partners, and an increase in annual beneficiary contact forms (BCFs). Key Takeaways: SHIPs are supported by dedicated staff and volunteers who are integral to the success of the program. Providing a greater variety of volunteer opportunities could help Idaho’s SHIBA program increase the accessibility of volunteering for more folks. Word of mouth outreach and referrals from other organizations are the primary way both beneficiaries and volunteers find out about SHIBA. Both are necessary to increase brand recognition and rebuild previous community partnerships. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant declines in certified Medicare counselors, volunteers, and community partners for Idaho’s SHIBA program and most states interviewed for this report. Increasing the annual number of BCFs relies on recruiting more certified Medicare counselors and building more formal community partnerships. It would be beneficial to continue providing both in-person and phone counseling options that are currently available, while developing a plan to expand virtual counseling options to meet the demand of new retirees and increase resources in languages other than English

NSF COMPLEAT: Year 2 Evaluation

The objective of the COMPLEAT project is to improve prospective elementary teacher (PSET) engagement through an innovative, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based approach that addresses the pressing need for integration of multiple disciplines in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The project seeks to improve learning experiences for PSETs in acquiring mathematics (math) skills by exploring the rules of math in other STEM disciplines and solidifying knowledge and skills in teaching contexts as sustainable practices. The project aims to meet these objectives through the Applying, Connecting, Experiencing (ACE) instruction model, integrating Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL) into PSET courses, and using Integrated Math-Enhanced (IME) STEM inquiry activities. The COMPLEAT project is being implemented at Augusta University (Augusta) in Georgia, Boise State University (Boise State) in Idaho, Kapiolani Community College (KCC) in Hawaii, and University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) in Texas

COVID-19 Idaho Data Guide

What to consider when observing differences in COVID-19 case reporting: Cases Rates Time Day

Payment Systems, Market Factors and Long-Term Care Hospitals.

Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) have recently emerged as an important alternative to traditional settings for post-acute care (PAC), including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals (IRFs). LTCHs are accredited acute care hospitals and primarily serve long-staying patients with complex medical conditions. LTCHs have historically played a fairly minor role in the health care system, but in recent years have grown quickly in number, in Medicare outlays and in importance. LTCHs are generally the most expensive PAC setting and payment rates for clinically similar patients have been as high as 12 times the rates received by other PAC providers. But, whether LTCH treatment practices differ substantially from other, less well paid providers, is not well understood. To promote equitable reimbursement, regulation and coverage under the Medicare program, policymakers must understand how LTCH patients, treatment practices, and outcomes of care compare to other PAC providers. This dissertation takes a close look at LTCHs and their role in PAC markets. First, LTCHs' role in PAC markets is quantitatively assessed by identifying similarity in structural characteristics, patient caseloads, and inputs to patient care among LTCHs, SNFs, and IRFs; this analysis also identifies local market characteristics associated with LTCHs' regional variation. This analysis reveals that LTCHs are more similar to other PAC providers than previously thought. Substitution of treatment appears to occur primarily among LTCHs, and hospital-based SNFs and IRFs. Second, the policy effect of prospective payment on LTCH practices is estimated. Because hospitals must qualify as LTCHs for Medicare payment, LTCHs face competing incentives to control costs and maintain their eligibility to LTCH payment rates. This analysis finds that the response to prospective payment varies across LTCHs. Finally, how well LTCHs, SNFs, and IRFs substitute for each other in providing care to prolonged mechanically ventilated patients is tested. Comparison of patient health and cost outcomes suggests that LTCHs produce better patient outcomes among some, but not all patients.Ph.D.Health Services Organization & PolicyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61579/1/ecshelto_1.pd

Motor Vehicle Service Delivery: Analysis of Idaho\u27s Model and Policy Alternatives

This report analyzes Idaho’s DMV service delivery model, compares it to DMV arrangements in other states, and considers potential policy alternatives by conducting surveys of front-line agents in Idaho and DMV administrators in other states, as well as interviews of officials in counties and other states. The report discusses the benefits and challenges of Idaho’s arrangement and other service delivery models. The state’s current arrangement enables local access, flexibility, and autonomy, but it also leads to a lack of standardization, blurred responsibilities between state and county decision makers, funding challenges, and unnecessary layers in delivering DMV services. Each service delivery model features tradeoffs: more centralized arrangements typically enable more standardization and economies of scale but come with fewer points of access, while less centralized ones grant more local access but create inconsistencies in service delivery. Private partners can expand DMV access and ease of use but can also widen inequities and require oversight from the state agency. Finally, policy options are identified for Idaho’s framework that relate to communication, revenue, planning, and access

MHCII-mediated dialog between group 2 innate lymphoid cells and CD4+ T cells potentiates type 2 immunity and promotes parasitic helminth expulsion

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) release interleukin-13 (IL-13) during protective immunity to helminth infection and detrimentally during allergy and asthma. Using two mouse models to deplete ILC2s in vivo, we demonstrate that T helper 2 (Th2) cell responses are impaired in the absence of ILC2s. We show that MHCII-expressing ILC2s interact with antigen-specific T cells to instigate a dialog in which IL-2 production from T cells promotes ILC2 proliferation and IL-13 production. Deletion of MHCII renders IL-13-expressing ILC2s incapable of efficiently inducing Nippostrongylus brasiliensis expulsion. Thus, during transition to adaptive T cell-mediated immunity, the ILC2 and T cell crosstalk contributes to their mutual maintenance, expansion and cytokine production. This interaction appears to augment dendritic-cell-induced T cell activation and identifies a previously unappreciated pathway in the regulation of type-2 immunity

Public toilets have reduced enteric pathogen hazards in San Francisco

Uncontained fecal wastes in cities may present exposure risks to the public. We collected discarded feces from public spaces in San Francisco, CA for analysis by RT-qPCR for a range of enteric pathogens. Out of 59 samples, we found 12 (20%) were of human origin and 47 (80%) were non-human; 30 of 59 stools were positive for ≥1 of the 35 pathogens assessed, including pathogenic E. coli, Shigella, norovirus, Cryptosporidium, and Trichuris. Using quantitative enteric pathogen estimates and data on observed fecal waste from a public reporting system, we modeled pathogens removed from the environment attributable to a recently implemented program of public toilet construction. We estimated that each new public toilet reduced the annual number of enteric pathogens released into the immediate environment (within 500 m walking distance), including 6.3 x 1012 enteropathogenic E. coli (95% CI: 4.0 x 1012–7.9 x 1012), 3.2 x 1011 enteroaggregative E. coli (95% CI: 1.3 x 1011–6.3 x 1011), and 3.2 x 108 Shigella (6.3 x 107–2.5 x 109). Improving access to public sanitation can reduce enteric pathogen hazards in cities. Interventions must also consider the hygienic disposal of animal waste to reduce microbial hazards with zoonotic infection potential

Unexpected origins of the enhanced pairing affinity of 2′-fluoro-modified RNA

Various chemical modifications are currently being evaluated for improving the efficacy of short interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes as antisense agents for gene silencing in vivo. Among the 2′-ribose modifications assessed to date, 2′deoxy-2′-fluoro-RNA (2′-F-RNA) has unique properties for RNA interference (RNAi) applications. Thus, 2′-F-modified nucleotides are well tolerated in the guide (antisense) and passenger (sense) siRNA strands and the corresponding duplexes lack immunostimulatory effects, enhance nuclease resistance and display improved efficacy in vitro and in vivo compared with unmodified siRNAs. To identify potential origins of the distinct behaviors of RNA and 2′-F-RNA we carried out thermodynamic and X-ray crystallographic analyses of fully and partially 2′-F-modified RNAs. Surprisingly, we found that the increased pairing affinity of 2′-F-RNA relative to RNA is not, as commonly assumed, the result of a favorable entropic contribution (‘conformational preorganization’), but instead primarily based on enthalpy. Crystal structures at high resolution and osmotic stress demonstrate that the 2′-F-RNA duplex is less hydrated than the RNA duplex. The enthalpy-driven, higher stability of the former hints at the possibility that the 2′-substituent, in addition to its important function in sculpting RNA conformation, plays an underappreciated role in modulating Watson–Crick base pairing strength and potentially π–π stacking interactions