Interprofessional Suicide Prevention Education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding possible spikes in suicidal behavior in light of heightened risk factors such as social isolation and financial strain; thus, comprehensive suicide prevention training for emerging health service providers is increasingly vital. This article summarizes an interprofessional education (IPE) suicide prevention course delivered in-person in Spring 2020. Pilot data demonstrate that despite the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, this course had long-term impacts on trainee suicide prevention efficacy, IPE attitudes, and use of course content in practice. Discussion serves to address enhancements for interprofessional and suicide prevention education during and after the pandemic. Emphasis is placed on adaptable training strategies, considerations in the delivery format, guidelines for intensive virtual meetings with trainee teams, and future directions in IPE suicide prevention training research.

COVID-19 Exposure, Stress, and Mental Health Outcomes: Results From a Needs Assessment Among Low Income Adults in Central North Carolina.

This study focuses on identifying COVID-19 related exposure, stress, and mental health concerns in the larger Charlotte, North Carolina region, an area with many low-income and under resourced communities. A community-academic partnership conducted a regional COVID-19 needs assessment. Low-income adults (N = 156) completed an online-administered survey of demographic information, COVID-19 exposure, stress, coping-related factors, and mental health. Frequency data showed that common COVID-19 related stressors included job exposure, lost job/income, and increased home responsibilities. Frequency data further showed elevated screening risk rates for mental health concerns were observed for post-traumatic stress (83.3%), depression (52.2%), problematic drinking (50.0%), generalized anxiety (43.0%), and suicide (40.4%). Bivariate correlation and multivariate regression models identified robust mental health risk factors including COVID-19 related stress affecting close persons, fear/worry reaction to the pandemic, and use of venting as a coping strategy; protective factors included active coping and problem-focused coping beliefs. Findings are discussed with respect to informing regional public health efforts during the pandemic.

An Epidemiologic Analysis of Associations between County-Level Per Capita Income, Unemployment Rate, and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the United States.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine associations between per capita income, unemployment rates, and COVID-19 vaccination rates at the county-level across the United States (U.S.), as well as to identify the interaction effects between county-level per capita income, unemployment rates, and racial/ethnic composition on COVID-19 vaccination rates. All counties in the U.S. that reported COVID-19 vaccination rates from January 2021 to July 2021 were included in this longitudinal study (n = 2857). Pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) with fixed-effects were employed to longitudinally examine economic impacts on racial/ethnic disparities on county-level COVID-19 vaccination rates. County-level per capita income and county-level unemployment rates were both positively associated with county-level COVID-19 vaccination rates across the U.S. However, the associations were divergent in the context of race/ethnicity. Public health efforts to bolster COVID-19 vaccination rates are encouraged to consider economic factors that are associated with decreases in COVID-19 vaccination rates.