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Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations, White Paper/Brief
Community fridges were popularized in the US during the Covid-19 pandemic: community fridge database Freedge showed 12 US fridges in March 2020, and 160 by February 2021. These fridges are open 24/7 and anyone can access them, freely taking or leaving fresh food. Fridges are tailored to the needs of the neighborhood, and operate either more informally among community members, or with 501(c)(3) status and donation partnerships with local grocery stores or organizations. The fridges have been anecdotally successful in increasing food access while complying with Covid safety protocols.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
In an effort to help build the evidence base around social determinants of health (SDOH), the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) engaged RAND in a project to evaluate the current evidence from programs and policies targeting SDOH and identify research questions, data sources, and data gaps. RAND used a multi-methods approach that included an environmental scan of the published and gray literature of SDOH interventions; key informant interviews with subject matter experts; and a convening of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies and operating divisions to review the results of the environmental scan and offer insights on findings.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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White Paper/Brief
This brief describes work to partner health departments with community organizing groups, focusing on a collaboration between Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and two community organizations. These partnerships allow health departments to actively address power imbalances that may decrease community trust in health departments. The Santa Barbara Public Health Department developed an analysis of power and worked directly with grassroots organizers. To build trust, the health department undertook many actions, including sharing organizational charts, explaining decisions, facilitating personal sharing and trust exercises, spending time together, discussing structural racism, and more. During COVID-19, these partners shared information targeted towards those with various languages and literacy levels.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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White Paper/Brief
This resource discusses public transportation as a strategy to reduce healthy inequity. This policy brief details how public transportation options can improve health and health equity by reducing traffic crashes and air pollution, increasing physical activity, and improving access to medical care, healthy food, vital services, employment, and social connection. The brief explains how public transportation is funded, a few interventions that align transportation and public health goals, as well as guidance for future work.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
White Paper/Brief
This article describes strategies to address social determinants of health (SDoH) and recommendations to reduce disparities based on the health justice framework. The health justice framework offers three principles: structural, supportive, and empowering. First, legal and policy responses must address the structural determinants of health. Second, interventions mandating healthy behaviors must be accompanied by material support and legal protections to enable compliance while minimizing harm. Third, historically marginalized communities must be engaged and empowered as leaders in the development and implementation of interventions and the attainment of health justice. The article applies this framework to the following SDoH: discrimination, poverty, health care, housing, and employment.
Best Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes when implemented in multiple real-life settings, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities.
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Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
This article summarizes the factors that place incarcerated people at high risk for COVID-19 infection and the effective strategies to reduce transmission and complications due to COVID-19, informed by other infectious disease outbreaks. The authors highlight the role of interagency collaboration, health communication, screening for contagious diseases, restriction, isolation and quarantine, contact tracing, immunisation programmes, epidemiological surveillance, and prison-specific guidelines in managing any outbreaks.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
This article summarizes considerations for COVID-19 prevention among migrant workers in meat processing plants. They review evidence on vaccinations, air filtration, masking, and other approaches.
Best Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes when implemented in multiple real-life settings, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities.
RELEASE DATE:
White Paper/Brief
The authors analyzed the impact of eviction and utility shut-off moratoria on COVID-19 infections and deaths at the county level across the United States, controlling for potential confounding factors. The authors found that these systems-level policy interventions significantly decreased infection and death rates.
Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
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White Paper/Brief
This article details how the Rhode Island Department of Health built its community-level COVID-19 response from existing capacities and networks through its Health Equity Zone Initiative. The initiative is a place-based, community-level model that brings a range of community members together to address pressing health issues and build capacity for systemic changes surrounding the social determinants of health. The state has used federal pandemic relief funds to expand the Health Equity Zone Initiative by providing resources to community partners, social service agencies, and grassroots organizations to be engaged in the pandemic response. The initiative’s partners provided critical community-based services including COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, quarantine and isolation supports, distribution of masks and other personal protective equipment, and direct outreach and education by community health workers and community outreach specialists.
Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
RELEASE DATE:
White Paper/Brief
This article describes how the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Health Equity Response Team, which is made up of more than 100 community partners, helps implement recommendations from the task force. The team meets every two weeks to address health inequities associated with COVID-19. Over the past 18 months the team has led initiatives to serve vulnerable populations. Initiatives such as faith-based vaccine sites, immigrant testing access, mobile community testing options, and agricultural worker testing bolstered the department’s response to COVID-19. The team facilitated community partnerships that drove personal protection equipment distribution, investigation of improved paid sick family/medical leave options, and the digital clemency process in the corrections field. The team also spawned the department’s efforts around improved race and ethnicity data enrichment, assessment, and reporting improvements.