Holes at the Bottom of the Boat: Disrupting Performative Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts in Libraries in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article seeks to understand the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the effectiveness of library-based equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. In the early days of the pandemic, libraries closed their doors and pivoted to digital services and programs, resources often inaccessible to BIPOC and low-income users. Since reopening, libraries have found that the lack of diversity in their ranks and information curation is compromising their ability to actualize the equity, diversity, and inclusion goals—objectives that are critical to closing the socioeconomic gaps that the pandemic has only widened. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Library Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Adapting Community Educational Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparing the Feasibility and Efficacy of a Lung Cancer Screening Educational Intervention by Mode of Delivery.

Few eligible patients receive lung cancer screening. We developed the Lung AIR (awareness, information, and resources) intervention to increase community education regarding lung cancer screening. The intervention was designed as an in-person group intervention; however, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adapting the mode of delivery. In this study we examined intervention feasibility and efficacy overall and by mode of delivery (in-person group vs. one-on-one phone) to understand the impact of adapting community outreach and engagement strategies. Feasibility was examined through participant demographics. Efficacy was measured through pre/post knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about lung cancer screening, and intention to complete screening. We reached N = 292 participants. Forty percent had a household income below $35,000, 58% had a high school degree or less, 40% were Hispanic, 57% were Black, and 84% reported current or past smoking. One-on-one phone sessions reached participants who were older, had lower incomes, more current smoking, smoked for more years, more cigarettes per day, lower pre-intervention lung cancer screening knowledge, and higher pre-intervention fear and worry. Overall pre/post test scores show significant increases in knowledge, salience, and coherence, and reduced fear and worry. Participants in the one-on-one phone sessions had significantly higher increases in salience and coherence and intention to complete screening compared to participants in the in-person group sessions. The Lung AIR intervention is a feasible and effective community-based educational intervention for lung cancer screening. Findings point to differences in reach and efficacy of the community-based intervention by mode of delivery.

Connecting children with birth defects to health and social service programs: A collaboration between the Texas Birth Defects Registry and agency social workers.

BACKGROUND: Timely referral to services for children born with birth defects can improve health outcomes. Birth defects surveillance registries may be a valuable data source for connecting children to health and social service programs. METHODS: Population-based, state-wide data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR) at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) were used to connect children 9-18 months old, born with select birth defects with DSHS social workers. The social workers reviewed developmental milestones and referred children and their families to various health and social service programs. We tabulated the proportions of children meeting milestones and referral characteristics by referral program type and type of birth defect. RESULTS: Social workers reached 67% (909/1,362) of identified families. Over half of children (54%, 488/909) were not meeting the developmental milestones for their age. Social workers provided over 3,000 program referrals, including referring 21% (194/909) of children to Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and 28% (257/909) to case management. CONCLUSION: Our results illustrate a method of leveraging a birth defects surveillance system for referral services. Given the large number of referrals made, our findings suggest that birth defects registries can be a valuable source of data for referring children to programs.

Pandemic Through the Lens of Black Barbershops: COVID-19's Impact and Barbers' Potential Role as Public Health Extenders.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops and their potential role as public health extenders. A 30-item survey was distributed to predominantly Black barbershop owners and barbers across 40 different states/territories in the US between June and October 2020. The survey addressed the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops, and barbers' interest in engaging in health outreach programs. The majority reported that stay-at-home orders had significant to severe impact on their business; few were prepared for the financial impact and less than half thought they qualified for government assistance. The majority were already providing health education and outreach to the Black community and showed interest in continuing to provide such services, like information on COVID-19. Barbers in Black-serving barbershops, a well-documented effective place for public health outreach to the Black community, show promise as public health extenders in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Promoting Science Literacy and Awareness across the Globe: the Role of Scientists as Science Ambassadors

Science literacy has many personal and societal benefits that allows for better informed decision-making. Although the importance of science literacy is recognized globally, there are many challenges associated with its promotion. Scientists are more frequently engaging with nonscientific audiences through public outreach activities and with increasing support from institutions and professional societies. This is especially true regarding microbiologists and other related professionals since the start of the global 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic heightened the need to convey novel and rapidly evolving scientific information to lay audiences. The means by which professionals engage with these audiences affect the efficacy of the relay of scientific information. One method of engagement is the "ambassador approach," which aims to establish dialogue among different groups of people and scientists. In this perspective article, we discuss this approach, highlighting activities for the promotion of science literacy organized by the American Society for Microbiology Ambassador Program and similar programs of other scientific societies. We discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing an ambassador approach, propose potential improvements that could be made to existing programs promoting science literacy, and ultimately advocate for increased implementation of science ambassador programs.

Can Universities Help "Build Back Better” in Education? The Socially Embedded University Responds to the Covid-19 Pandemic

The high impact disruptions in the external environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the socially embedded character of many universities around the world. University collaborations with schools during the pandemic suggest that they are institutions open to their external environment, capable of learning from and with their environment, and capable of influencing their external environment, helping to address significant social challenges. Drawing on a non-probabilistic survey administered to a convenience sample of 101 universities in 21 countries, I examine how they built partnerships with schools to sustain educational opportunity during the pandemic. The results are informative of the evolving nature of higher education and its mission. They illustrate the responsiveness of universities to societal needs. The findings show that universities are socially connected to their surrounding context, and that they see themselves as engines of social innovation at a time of great unexpected need. The study found the majority of universities to be engaged with schools supporting education during the pandemic. They see such engagement as part of their mission and strategy, even though they perceive it as challenging. Most of such engagements do not have a formalized "theory of action,” but are evolving as the crisis created by the pandemic itself evolved. While such engagement during the pandemic builds on pre-existing engagements with schools, the response during the pandemic provided an opportunity to integrate different efforts across various units. The majority of the universities in the study had a school of education, and about half have a program of pre-service teacher education and few of the collaborations established during the pandemic were new, most were based on pre-existing collaborations. In two thirds of the cases the collaborations with schools during the pandemic were initiated by University leaders. Most of the collaborations consist of developing alternative delivery channels and supporting teachers in developing new skills to teach remotely. Copyright © 2021 Reimers.

University–Community Outreach as an Enabler for Integral Human Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article examines how university–community outreach was an enabler for integral human development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative information about the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Community Outreach Program (COP) is described and analyzed. In particular, the Kabagis Aeta Projects succeeded in its initial implementation, moving from distribution of goods to capability building. It has improved family living conditions and instilled positive work values among the Aetas of Castillejos, Zambales, Philippines. The interventions served as enablers of integral human development in personal, economic, social, ecological, and spiritual life. Beyond physical, structural interventions and resources, values formation was integrated to achieve integral human development. Structures furnished through the COP—the study center, livelihood workshop, and training center—provide venues for trainings and continuous learning for the Aetas. Possible clients or markets can also be explored to absorb the products and outputs of their newly learned skills. © 2023 by the University of Georgia.

ICU without borders.

Critical illness is a continuum, but patient care is often fragmented. Value-based critical care focuses on the overall health of the patient, not on an episode of care. The "ICU without borders" model incorporates a concept where members of the critical care team are involved in the management of patients from the onset of critical illness until recovery and beyond. In this paper, we summarise the potential benefits and challenges to patients, families, staff and the wider healthcare system and list some essential requirements, including a tight governance framework, advanced technologies, investment and trust. We also argue that "ICU without borders" should be viewed as a bi-directional model, allowing extended visiting hours, giving patients and families direct access to experienced critical care staff and offering mutual aid when needed.

Characterization of the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Patients With Chronic Diseases in a Large University-based Family Medicine Clinical Practice.

PURPOSE: To characterize COVID-19 vaccine uptake in patients with chronic conditions at the large university-based Family Medicine practice serving a population with low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. METHODS: A rolling panel of patients attributed to the practice was submitted monthly to the Chesapeake Regional Health Information Exchange (CRISP) to monitor patients' vaccination status. Chronic conditions were identified using the CMS Chronic Disease Warehouse. An outreach strategy deploying Care Managers was developed and implemented. Associations between vaccination status and patients' characteristics were examined using a multivariable Cox's proportional hazard regression modeling. RESULTS: Among 8469 empaneled adult (18+) patients, 6404 (75.6%) received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020 to March 2022. Patients were relatively young (83.4% <65 years old), predominantly female (72.3%), and non-Hispanic Black (83.0%). Among chronic conditions, hypertension had the highest prevalence (35.7%), followed by diabetes (17.0%). Associations between vaccine status and the presence of chronic conditions varied by age and race. Older patients (45+ years old) with diabetes and/or hypertension showed a statistically significant delay in receiving COVID-19 vaccine, while young Black adults (18-44 years old) with diabetes complicated by hypertension were more likely to be vaccinated compared to patients of the same age and race with no chronic conditions (Hazard ratio 1.45; 95% CI 1.19,1.77; P = .0003). CONCLUSIONS: The practice-specific COVID-19 vaccine CRISP dashboard helped to identify and address delays in receiving COVID-19 vaccine in the most vulnerable, underserved populations. Reasons for age and race-specific delays in patients with diabetes and hypertension should be explored further.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Latino Immigrants

This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latino immigrants age sixty and older from Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Based on 178 interviews with immigrants in Florida and Massachusetts, this study identifies the financial and health hardships they endured, the kinds of government and nonprofit aid they accessed, the factors keeping many from accessing aid, and the coping strategies they adopted. Respondents faced unemployment, hunger, and loss of income. Unauthorized immigrants and people in mixed-status families were deliberately excluded from federal aid. Many other immigrants who qualified were reluctant or refused it. Immigrants without legal status and those who had more recently arrived were the most severely affected. Individuals and families responded to these challenges by doubling up, going without food and medicine, and working while sick. Greater outreach and more humane public policies could have prevented much of this suffering.

A smart outreach activity for education in acoustics and speech science

Outreach activities in education were originally intended to be conducted more or less in-person. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a shift to many online activities since 2020. One such activity in which I was involved was a lecture series on speech science in Japan. In an online lecture, I asked participants to prepare a set of materials for an online workshop. For example, they prepared a cut straw and a piece of plastic sheet for making a reed-type sound source. They also prepared a pipe and a sliding part with a roll of cardboard. By combining these materials, we were able to construct a handmade vocal-tract model, even in the online setting. Another outreach activity we are trying is an online workshop where each participant controls pieces of equipment in a laboratory remotely. Even if we cannot move our physical vocal-tract model system to a specific venue, we can remotely connect the laboratory to each participant via a communication tool. If he/she sends a set of commands to the system, it will move accordingly and finally produce sounds. This remote system enables us to conduct more outreach activities in a "smart” fashion. © ICA 2022.All rights reserved

Enhanced Recovery After Cleft Lip Repair: Protocol Development and Implementation in Outreach Settings.

INTRODUCTION: Clefts of the lip are of the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies. The development and implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol among patients undergoing cleft lip repair may decrease postoperative complications, accelerate recovery, and result in earlier postoperative discharge. METHODS: A modified ERAS program was developed and applied through Global Smile Foundation outreach craniofacial programs. The main components of this protocol include: (1) preoperative patient education, (2) nutrition screening, (3) smoking cessation when applicable, (4) use of topical anesthetic adjuncts, (5) facial nerve blocks, (6) postoperative analgesia, (7) preferential use of short-acting narcotics, (8) antibiotic administration, (9) use of elbow restraints, (10) early postoperative oral feeding and hydration, and (11) discharge planning. RESULTS: Between April 2019 and March 2020, GSF operated on 126 patients with cleft lip from different age groups and 58.8% of them were less than 1 year of age. Three patients (2.4%) had delayed wound healing and one (0.8%) had postoperative bleeding. There were no cases of mortality, length of hospital stay did not exceed 1 postoperative day, and patients were able to tolerate fluids intake at discharge. CONCLUSION: The implementation of an ERAS protocol among patients undergoing cleft lip repair has shown to be highly effective in minimizing postoperative discomfort while reducing opioids use, decreasing the length of stay in hospital, and leading to early oral feeding resumption. The ERAS principles described carry increased relevance in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis and can be safely applied in resource-constrained settings.

A model of continuity of care for not residents through medical-nursing teleconsultation in a Hub & Spoke network

Introduction. The Seasonal Continuity of Care (CAS) is a service of the Bergamo Health Protection Agency that provides medical and healthcare services, gua-ranteeing outpatient or home care to Italian and foreign tourists and seasonal workers during the months of July and August. The Covid-19 pandemic and the shortage of doctors made it impossible to provide the service in 2021 as in previous summer seasons. Aims. To activate a CAS service with the involvement of nurses. Methods. A "Hub -Spoke" network model was activated;nurses in the Spoke sites, with the patient in attendance, through teleconsul-tation by video call, made remote contact with a doctor in the Hub. Results. In the 3 Spoke CASs, from 2 to 22 August 2021, 274 services (of which 14.3% were telecon-sultations between the nurse at the Spoke CAS site and the doctor at the Hub site) and 162 repeat prescription re-quests were made. Teleconsultation was mainly performed for patients with acute pathology (71.8%), mainly for arth-ralgia and fever. In the majority of cases, it was sufficient to answer to the needs of the patient (87.2%);a small num-ber of cases were referred to a doctor's appointment (10.3%) or to Emergency Department (2.6%). Conclusions. Nurse triage reduced the time of medical visits, allowing more patients to be taken care of. The need for digital in-frastructure, training and integration with district servi-ces emerged.

Bulletin Report – GIS Days 2022 The culmination of 3 years of virtual, collaborative, GIS Days

GIS Day was a small, local offering dependent on individual institutions, until the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a wealth of online events. After 3 years of successive development, 2022 saw this event span multiple days and reach beyond Western University to institutions across Canada. The planning process, events, and outcome are here described as inspiration for future events by interested parties, and to acknowledge the work of those involved while simultaneously promoting the current work in GIS being undertaken and potential future directions for event organizers. © 2023 Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives. All rights reserved.

Outreach to farmworkers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Outreach is an important element of social care. It is an informal but planned form of on-site service delivery to vulnerable populations. Outreach affects some target populations, such as migrant farmworkers, immensely. Outreach staff demonstrate a unique capacity to navigate remote and hard to -to-reach areas, making contact with farmworkers who would otherwise not receive essential services. This ethnographic study describes how organizations make first contact with farmworkers in normal times, and the changes to outreach observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.Outreach workers connect, interact, and provide services to farmworkers in unique settings and situations. The general components of farmworker outreach are planning, engaging, improvising, and initiating services. During the pandemic, the changes observed were a sense of urgency to serve farmworkers, and adaptations in the modality of outreach to include a focus on health, collaboration with health clinicians, and the use of social media to contact farmworkers.Outreach matters to farmworkers and other groups that are secluded, isolated, and vulnerable to abuse. In crisis times, such as the pandemic, outreach is even more vital. Hence, outreach, including the skills required t o conduct outreach, should form part of social work curriculum. Different models and outreach components should be evaluated to assess whether organizations providing outreach services to target populations deliver results beyond immediate benefits and contribute to structural change and advocacy on behalf of them. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Social Work is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Assessing risk among frail older adults in Ontario, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods evaluation of a telephone outreach program

We developed a pandemic telephone outreach protocol to identify risk for social isolation, health destabilization, medication issues, inadequate services and supports, and caregiver stress among older adults at high risk of destabilization. Screening, conducted between April 1, 2020, and May 8, 2020, was targeted to those who had previously been screened as frail or who were identified as vulnerable by their family physician. This study describes the implementation and results of this risk screening protocol and describes patient, caregiver, and health professional perceptions of this outreach initiative. Mixed methods included satisfaction surveys and interviews completed by patients/caregivers (N = 300 and N = 26, respectively) and health professionals (N = 18 and N = 9, respectively). A medical record audit collected information on patient characteristics and screening outcomes. A total of 335 patients were screened in the early weeks of the pandemic, of whom 23% were identified with at least one risk factor, most commonly related to the potential for health destabilization and medication risk. Follow-up referrals were made most frequently to physicians, a pharmacist, and a social worker. The outreach calls were very well received by patients and caregivers who described feeling cared for and valued at a time when they were socially isolated and lonely. The outreach calls provided access to trusted COVID-19 information and reassurance that health care was still available. The majority of health professionals (>86%) were "very" or "extremely" satisfied with the ease of completing the screening via telephone and value for time spent;for 79% the protocol was "very" or "extremely" feasible to implement. Health professional interviews revealed that patients were unaware they could access care during the pandemic lockdown but were reassured that care was available, potential crises were averted, and they supported future implementation. Risk screening provides a significant opportunity to provide information, support, and mitigate potential risks and is an important and feasible component of pandemic planning in primary care.

Evaluating Academic Answers Generated Using ChatGPT

The integration of technology in education has become ever more prioritized since the COVID-19 pandemic. Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is an artificial intelligence technology that generates conversational interactions to user prompts. The trained model can answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. The functionality of ChatGPT in answering chemistry assessment questions requires investigation to ascertain its potential impact on learning and assessment. Two chemistry-focused modules in year 1 and year 2 of a pharmaceutical science program are used to study and evaluate ChatGPT-generated responses in relation to the end-of-year exam assessments. For questions that focused on knowledge and understanding with "describe” and "discuss” verbs, the ChatGPT generated responses. For questions that focused on application of knowledge and interpretation with nontext information, the ChatGPT technology reached a limitation. A further analysis of the quality of responses is reported in this study. ChatGPT is not considered a high-risk technology tool in relation to cheating. Similar to the COVID-19 disruption, ChatGPT is expected to provide a catalyst for educational discussions on academic integrity and assessment design. © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Outcomes of a mobile medical unit for low-threshold buprenorphine access targeting opioid overdose hot spots in Chicago.

INTRODUCTION: Opioid overdoses in Chicago are unevenly distributed, affecting medically underserved neighborhoods most acutely. Innovations in reaching patients perceived to be hard-to-reach (e.g., unstably housed, marginalized), especially in these underserved neighborhoods, are urgently needed to combat the overdose crisis. This study characterizes the pilot year of a mobile medical unit partnership between a large urban academic center and a community-based harm reduction organization in Chicago. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients who were seen on a mobile medical unit focused on providing low-threshold buprenorphine and primary care in areas with high opioid overdose rates on Chicago's West Side. Treatment episodes were accrued between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022 in the first year of operation. The main outcomes were number of patients seen, demographic characteristics of patients, and reason(s) for visit over time. RESULTS: The study saw 587 unique patients on the mobile medical unit between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Approximately 64.6 % were African American, and more than half lacked active insurance or could not confirm insurance status at the time of visit. The most common reason for initial visit was COVID-19 vaccination (42.4 %), and the most common reason for follow-up visit was buprenorphine treatment (51.0 %). Eleven patients initially presented for other health concerns and later returned to initiate buprenorphine. CONCLUSIONS: The mobile medical unit successfully reached nearly 600 patients in traditionally medically underserved Chicago neighborhoods with the highest overdose rates. The mobile unit's integrated approach met a variety of health needs, including buprenorphine initiation, with a unique opportunity for postoverdose initiation. Several patients initiated buprenorphine after presenting for different health concerns, showing the potential of an integrated approach to build on past mobile outreach programs and reach people with opioid use disorder who are not yet ready to initiate treatment.

Telephonic Outreach to Engage Patients with Substance Use Disorder Post-Hospitalization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the initial COVID-19 surge, one public hospital in NYC updated their post-discharge outreach approach for patients with substance use disorder, as part of the CATCH (Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals) program. Beginning April 1, 2020, three peers and two addiction counselors attempted telephonic outreach to patients who received a CATCH consultation during hospitalization from program launch (October 7, 2019) through March 31, 2020 (n = 329). Outreach calls could include counseling, in-depth peer support, and referrals to substance use services (SUS)-a significant expansion of the services offered via outreach pre-pandemic. CATCH staff successfully reached 29.5% of patients and provided 77.6% of them with supportive counseling and referrals. Thirty percent of unsuccessful calls were due to inactive numbers, and only 8% of patients without housing were reached. Telephonic outreach established a low-barrier connection between patients and SUS that may be valuable during any period, including non-COVID times. Future interventions that address social determinants such as housing and cell phone access concomitantly with substance use should be considered by addiction consultation services to potentially reduce acute care utilization and improve health outcomes.

Barriers and Facilitators of COVID-19 Vaccination Outreach Program in Rural India: A Qualitative Study.

Background Primary health centres are in charge of effectively implementing the COVID-19 vaccination program in rural areas. So, the study was planned to seek insight into the challenges faced by health personnel in the effective implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program. Methodology The study was conducted in a rural area of Akola district which lies in the western parts of Maharashtra State and belongs to the Vidarbha region and is said to be one of the progressive districts in the region. A qualitative study was planned to understand the barriers and facilitators of the COVID-19 vaccine implementation program at rural and tribal areas. The study participants were medical officers from rural and tribal areas who actively planned and implemented COVID-19 vaccination at the primary health centre. A total of 30 medical officers were interviewed. Interview questions were focussed on the planning of COVID-19 vaccination in their area. Other questions were the problem faced during the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program and how it has been tackled. Results The factors identified were grouped into three groups: Health system factors, Human resource factors and Community level factors. Health system factors like shortage of vaccines and syringes, tablet paracetamol, online digital method of vaccination registration, overcrowding at the initial stage, and inadequate infrastructure were barriers to vaccination. Fear about vaccine adverse events, even in healthcare workers (HCWs), and overburdened healthcare workers were also factors affecting vaccination. At the community level, high resistance initially and misconception about the vaccine, and also the fear about post-vaccination side effects have an impact on the COVID-19 vaccination program in rural and tribal areas. Conclusion The successful vaccination rate among the population needs community leadership and a community-centred approach when conducting outreach and strengthening primary health care in terms of infrastructure, manpower, and capacity building of healthcare staff.