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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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Other
This episode from the podcast 99 Percent Invisible reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the American public to a long-standing problem: the disjointed nature of the U.S. health system. Because state and local health departments largely operate independently and use their own data collection and analysis tools, health systems across the country lack standardized data definitions and systems. These inconsistencies made it nearly impossible to collect and analyze comprehensive, standardized data on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and vaccines administered amid the pandemic. Health experts featured on this episode believe that the pandemic made the need for an overhaul of America’s informatics system very apparent. When rebuilding this system, it’s important to focus on remedying existing inequalities in data collection and classification that in some cases render the health status of certain populations – think Native American communities and other communities of color – completely invisible in the data. By virtue of being small populations, it can be difficult for health departments to collect sufficient and/or statistically significant data on minority communities. Another issue discussed in this episode is the use of broad racial categories like “other,” “multiple races,” or even “Asian American,” which, if not disaggregated, obscures the health status of diverse populations who are grouped under the same category. Without comprehensive and inclusive health data, it’s difficult to identify disparities and implement policies and programming that promote social mobility and health equity.
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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Peer Review Study
This article examines the association between county-level Black/white residential segregation and COVID-19 vaccination rates. Findings emphasize the need for considering interaction effects and stratified analysis when modeling disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations. Doing so can better inform policies around effective vaccine distribution and outreach.
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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Case Study
The Oregon county with the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States began its response in the earliest days of the pandemic. The county’s Emergency Operations Center wanted to center equity in its response and did so by rapidly creating new positions on the team: an Equity Officer, an Equity Technical Advisor, and a Language Access Coordinator. It also established an Equity Team within the center. This allowed responses to quickly identify and respond to population needs, especially those in communities of color experiencing disproportionate impacts of disease spread and burden.
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 review of state data collection and reporting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic found inconsistencies and gaps in data collected by race and ethnicity. Improved standardization across the U.S.–which may come in the form of a federally-operated centralized database–would address some of the concerns in data representation of all Americans.
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 lists interventions to support state public health efforts to address rural disparities and racial discrimination. It emphasizes the importance of localized data on social determinants of health and improving systemic and structural underpinnings of racial disparities. Suggested interventions address data collection and workforce issues, including representativeness and paid family leave.
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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Peer Review Study
This study compares data from the NYC coronavirus data repository with 2018 American Community Survey 5-year census estimates to examine the distribution of testing sites across New York City by race in May 2020. During this time, the results found that testing sites for primarily Black and Latinx communities increased, but primarily White areas still had the highest number of testing sites. The study team created ZIP-code level maps showing testing site distribution using ArcGIS as a part of this study.
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.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
This article conducts a retrospective case-control study of electronic health records of individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and have a recent diagnosis of substance use disorder (SUD). The results show that those diagnosed with SUD, particularly African Americans and those with opioid use disorder (OUD), are more likely to contract COVID-19, as well as suffer worsening outcomes such as hospitalization and mortality due to COVID-19. This article shows that an increase in SUD screening could be a factor in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in this community.
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 article covers the efforts of Salud America!, a national Latino-focused organization that uses digital content creation to create stories, tools, and videos to increase people’s self- and collective-efficacy to engage in advocacy for healthy changes. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization applied its digital content curation model to address how the pandemic affected the U.S. Latino population. They released a series of website blog posts, peer-modeled stories, podcast episodes, tweet chats, action tools for school leaders, action campaigns for individuals, and localized data tools for advocates to educate the Latino community about COVID-19.
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.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
This study examines a cohort of patients testing for COVID-19 in a large healthcare setting spanning California, Oregon, and Washington between March 1 and December 31, 2020. to determine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of these patients. Results found that major healthcare disparities were evident, particularly among Hispanics. Hispanic individuals tested positive at a higher rate, required excess hospitalization and mechanical ventilation, and had higher odds of in-hospital mortality despite younger ages. Targeted, culturally responsive interventions and equitable vaccine development and distribution are needed to address the increased risk of poorer COVID-19 outcomes among minority populations.
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:
Peer Review Study
This study looked at vaccine hesitancy among a survey sample of 1,200 Black and White participants from December to June 2021. In the initial months of the study, vaccine hesitancy was comparable among Black and White participants, but Black participants became more willing to be vaccinated for protection by March 2021, whereas the White participant baseline for vaccine acceptance remained the same.