Health Coalition Research Articles

Building Collective Power to Advance Maternal and Child Health Equity: Lessons from the New Orleans Maternal and Child Health Coalition.

The New Orleans Maternal Child Health Coalition convenes to support and amplify the work of New Orleans-based individuals and organizations working to reduce disparities and protect the health of birthing families in the New Orleans area. The objectives of this qualitative study were to identify successes, challenges, and areas of growth for the Coalition and develop broadly generalizable recommendations for similar groups seeking to mobilize and advance health equity in their own communities. Using purposive sampling, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants from within and outside of the Coalition. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data was analyzed using inductive and deductive coding approaches. We identified themes relating to the barriers and facilitators to the maintenance of the Coalition, as well as opportunities to advance the mission of the Coalition. Some themes included structural- and systemic-level barriers to achieving the mission, varying perspectives on the effectiveness of the Coalition, opportunities to enhance the operations of the Coalition's work, and opportunities to involve other individuals, particularly those with lived experience, and non-MCH related sectors in Coalition's work. As the maternal health crisis continues, coalitions like the New Orleans MCH Coalition provide a vehicle to amplify the mission-driven work of people and organizations. Recommendations put forth by the Coalition can also be utilized by coalitions in other jurisdictions.

Embracing Connection: A Review of First-Ever Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

Social isolation and loneliness are major public health concerns and are associated with morbidity and mortality. As this is an increasing issue in older adults, guidance for healthcare providers is a priority. The Canadian Coalition for Senior's Mental Health (CCSMH) has developed the first Canadian social isolation and loneliness guidelines to help providers recognize, assess, and manage social isolation and loneliness among older adults. We review and summarize these guidelines to support healthcare and social service providers to apply best practices and evidence-based care for older adults experiencing social isolation and loneliness.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Multi-level, Place-Based Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at a Minority-Serving Institution in Texas.

Multi-level, place-based interventions have proven effective at promoting a range of health behaviors, including tobacco control and discouraging the uptake of tobacco products. This paper describes the implementation and impact of a 3-year, multi-level tobacco prevention and control program at a community-college minority-serving institution (MSI) on the Texas Gulf Coast within the context of a broader multi-sector, cross-functional health coalition. The intervention studied included a tobacco-free policy, a large-scale communication campaign highlighting parts of the intervention and prevention and cessation resources. The intervention was bolstered by the support of a community-led Steering Committee and tobacco control experts. Results from the first 3years of implementation show that tobacco-free policies were largely supported by community members, awareness of the policy increased over time, and tobacco prevention and cessation resources were successfully embedded into campus norms. This multi-component approach shows how a community college was able to effectively reach students and staff on their campus to increase awareness of both the campus tobacco-free policy and the availability of tobacco prevention and cessation resources. Additionally, it also offers lessons for future tobacco prevention and control work in higher education.

Harnessing Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) for Building Resilient Communities: A Case Study of the NV Minority Health and Equity Coalition

Developing sustainable research and health equity partnerships is crucial for creating long-term solutions that address systemic disparities and improve community well-being. Coalition building, a fundamental strategy in this process, unites diverse stakeholders to collaborate on shared goals, amplifying collective impact. The importance of such an approach led to the development of the Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition (NMHEC). This study aims to achieve two primary objectives: first, to identify and integrate networked resources into the community coalition action theory (CCAT) framework to advance an understanding of community resilience; second, to share NMHEC strategies that incorporate community participation within each CCAT construct. The article outlines a generalizable process for establishing a robust health equity coalition through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach framed by CCAT and Community Resilience Theory (CR) principles. Documenting the narrative, facilitators, and barriers through an analysis of archival documents — including coalition recruitment materials, meeting minutes, and partnership and event evaluations — the study maps activities and resources to CCAT constructs. Findings highlight six foundational areas of NMHEC operations: 1) aligning fiscal agency with the coalition’s mission and vision; 2) implementing tiered membership to ensure participation equity; 3) co-developing operational norms to shape culture and interactions; 4) building capacity based on member feedback to assess available skills and resources; 5) sharing resources such as grant awards and staff time with coalition partners; and 6) seeking external advice from national experts to learn from other partnerships. This application of CCAT, CR, and CBPR illustrates effective strategies for fostering, maintaining, and sustaining partnerships to address health inequities.

286 Partnering and engaging in Indiana Communities through listening sessions and data sharing: successes of Connection IN Health

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Participants will be able to identify how partnering with state health departments for a CTSA initiative assists in meeting shared goals by building infrastructure and sharing resources and list key components of a successful county engagement process that can be replicated. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Connections IN Health is a collaborative project with the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Indiana Department of Health, Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and community partners. We address chronic disease in Indiana with coalition-based engagement at the grassroots level, and partnering to provide technical assistance, resources, connections and evidence-based strategies to address the health challenges. Our methods of county engagement include surveying the broad community, conducting listening sessions with key community stakeholders, compiling, analyzing and sharing data, collaborating with existing local coalitions, assessing community readiness and suggesting evidence-based practices to implement. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: As a result of county engagement, local coalitions have current, local data to drive their efforts in improving local health rankings and outcomes. Community partners in eight counties have selected and implemented evidence-based strategies to manage and/or prevent diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or stroke. Some examples include: starting a community garden with cooking classes in a food desert to provide fresh produce and nutrition/cooking knowledge, creating a mobile kitchen on hand for organizations to use to provide education and cooking skills, providing a passport for wellness at existing community events with food samples and health screenings and offering evidence-based educational programming such as Dining with Diabetes and Be Heart Smart. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Moving county health coalitions to evidence-based programming that has the greatest likelihood for success is a critical translational sciences challenge. Our rigorous and well defined approach yields significant improvement in local health coalition activities, sustaining their activities through long-term trusted relationships.

270 Four Pillars of Community Health and Research Engagement: The UT Southwestern CTSA Program’s Innovative Approach to Putting the Community Health Science Model into Practice

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Goals: Engage in collaborative approaches that target health disparities, especially among communities experiencing poverty or ethnic/racial minorities. Develop and sustain effective community-academic partnerships that foster trust through bidirectional communication and shared leadership leading to improved translational research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Community Health Science model was developed at UTSW over the past 20 years in efforts to integrate practices across 3 component areas – clinical practice, population health, and community organizations – into a single collaborative effort to improve health and reduce disparities. As part of the CTSA Program’s translational science efforts, we have extended this model to promote community engagement in research as an additional strategy needed to achieve health equity. Our Office of Community Health & Research Engagement operates 9 programs that each fit within one or more of 4 overarching conceptual pillars - Education/Resources, Collaboration/Partnership, Outreach/Service, Priorities/Perspectives - serving to bridge the community-academic divide and build strong, trusting relationships. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The implementation of our model has resulted in measurable outcomes. To date, we have hosted 23 HealthStreet community events resulting in 464 health screenings, 203 health needs assessments completed, and 123 individuals joining our Community Research Registry allowing for future contact to participate in research. Our Community Health Coalition, comprised of 32 organizations, provides a forum for co-learning between researchers and stakeholders. We have awarded 9 grants ($175,800) for community-engaged projects. Our Community Advisory Panel has participated in 8 sessions with research teams. A total of 13 projects utilized the Spanish Language Resource, for a total of 30,617 translated words. Finally, we have hosted 9 Community Engagement Grand Rounds lectures, which included a total of 559 attendees. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our model strengthens our capacity to build trust with communities and facilitate sustained community-academic partnerships. By prioritizing community engagement in research, we improve health equity by understanding community perspectives and increasing diversity in trials. We hope our model can be disseminated and scaled for greater impact.

Early COVID-19 School Policies’ Impact on Families and Youth Engagement in Virtual Learning and Telemental Health

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic quickly and significantly impacted students, schools, and communities. As part of a larger multisite study, the present investigation aimed to understand the effect of the pandemic-related switch to virtual schooling and virtual mental health services on youth. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the impacts of the pandemic on school administrators and staff, students, and families invested in supporting youth mental health. Focus groups were held in two disparate communities within the United States. Participants were members of two school mental health coalitions acting as key informants and included mental health program directors, school clinicians, parents of students, and community leaders. Data were analyzed using iterative rapid qualitative analysis. Salient themes include the role of family characteristics, communication, and infrastructure on use of virtual learning and virtual mental health services. Study findings indicate that fostering trust and increasing communication between school districts and families may ameliorate challenging policy transitions in future crises.

Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)-a protocol for a global cross-sectional survey of health and gender equity in rheumatology.

The primary aim of the CHANGE survey is to determine the current state of gender equity within rheumatology, and secondarily, to review the physician perspective on bullying, harassment and equipoise of opportunities within rheumatology. The CHANGE e-survey is a cross-sectional self-reported questionnaire adapted from EULAR's gender equity in academic rheumatology task force. The survey was launched in January 2023; it is available in six languages and distributed widely via rheumatology organizations and social media. Eligible participants include rheumatologist physicians and rheumatology health-care professionals. Survey responses will undergo descriptive analysis and inter-group comparison aiming to explore gender-based discrimination using logistic regression, with subgroup analyses for country/continent variations. This e-survey represents a comprehensive global initiative led by an international consortium, aimed at exploring and investigating the gender-related disparities and obstacles encountered by rheumatologists and rheumatology health-care professionals across diverse communities and health-care environments. By pursuing this initiative, we aim to take the broader rheumatology community a step closer to understanding the underlying origins of inequities and their determinants. Such insights are pivotal in identifying viable interventions and strategies to foster gender equity within the field. Ultimately, our collective objective is to ensure equitable access to opportunities for every individual, irrespective of gender, thereby promoting inclusivity and fairness across the entire spectrum of professional practice and career development.

MH advocates ask for legislative policy that treats unhoused Kansans with respect

Mental health advocates are once again brainstorming ways to approach the Kansas state legislature about the state's growing homeless problem, the nonprofit news organization, Kansas Reflector, reported on Sept. 26. Although urban areas have higher unhoused populations — about 1,798 people are homeless on any given night in Kansas City, according to a Kansas City advocacy group — more rural areas have seen rising numbers of homeless people over the past three years or so due to the COVID‐19 pandemic and rising inflation, among other conditions that have forced more residents into the streets. During a meeting last week, Amy Campbell, lobbyist and coordinator for the Kansas Mental Health Coalition, said city officials in smaller areas were looking for ways to appropriately handle the situation. “The fact is that even small towns are now starting to encounter the public nuisance issues associated with having people camp in their parks, or along the highways or roads, or in certain areas of their communities,” Campbell said. Coalition members want to prevent policy like last year's House Bill 2430 from coming up again. In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers suggested the measure, which would make it illegal to use state or local government property for unauthorized sleeping, camping or long‐term shelters. After widespread backlash from Kansans who had dealt with homelessness and other concerned citizens, the bill was tabled. However, Campbell said she expects some form of legislation to be raised again in the upcoming session. “There is no doubt that the pressure will continue for these issues to be addressed,” Campbell said.

Examining the Role and Strategies of Advocacy Coalitions in California's Statewide Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Debate (2001-2018).

California's failed attempts to enact a statewide sugary beverage tax presents an opportunity to advance understanding of advocacy coalition behavior. We investigate the participation of advocacy coalitions in California's statewide sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax policy debate. Document analysis of legislative bills and newspaper articles collected in 2019. California. A total of 11 SSB tax-related bills were introduced in California's legislature between 2001-2018 according to the state's legislative website. Data sources include legislative bill documents (n = 94) and newspaper articles (n = 138). Guided by the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), we identify advocacy coalitions involved in California's SSB tax debate and explore strategies and arguments used to advance each coalitions' position. Two coalitions (public health, food/beverage industry) were involved in California's statewide SSB tax policy debate. The public health coalition had higher member participation and referred to scientific research evidence while the industry coalition used preemption and financial resources as primary advocacy strategies. The public health coalition frequently presented messaging on the health consequences and financial benefits of SSB taxes. The industry coalition responded by focusing on the potential negative economic impact of a tax. Multiple attempts to enact a statewide SSB tax in California have failed. Our findings add insight into the challenges of enacting an SSB tax considering industry interference. Results can inform future efforts to pass evidence-based nutrition policies.

Aligning Community-Engaged Research Methods with Diverse Community Organizing Approaches

Community-Engaged Research (CER) often involves partnerships between academic or professional researchers and community organizers. Critical CER and organizing each aim to mobilize people and resources to produce actionable knowledge in order to build grassroots leadership and power that promote equity and justice for marginalized communities. This article argues that critical CER collaborations can benefit by carefully matching the choice of research methods with community partners’ organizing strategies to ensure that research aligns with and supports organizing goals. We aim to add to the CER literature a more specific rationale for why professional researchers should share control over the choice of research methods with community organizers, and more detailed guidance for how CER teams can select methods that best advance organizers’ goals. After summarizing the many ways in which collaborative research can support community organizing efforts, we argue that different CER methods align best with widely-used organizing approaches (including Alinskyite, Freirean, feminist, community building and resilience-based, and transformative approaches). We illustrate the discussion with examples of research conducted by and with organizations rooted in the environmental justice (EJ) movement, which prioritizes community organizing as a strategy and draws from multiple organizing traditions, including a case study of research techniques used by the Environmental Health Coalition, one of the oldest EJ groups in the U.S.

Comorbidities and neighborhood factors associated with prescription of sodium-glucose cotransporter protein-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists among medically underserved populations

BACKGROUND: Evidence from clinical trials shows that newer second-line diabetes medications-glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is)-have cardio-renal protective effects in addition to their glucose-lowering properties. Despite strong evidence of benefits, there is limited evidence regarding prescribing patterns for these medications, especially among populations at high risk for disparities. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of cardio-renal and obesity comorbidities and neighborhood factors with the prescribing of GLP-1RAs or SGLT2is in comparison with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) or sulfonylureas (SFUs) and for each of the newer second-line diabetes medications (GLP-1RA vs DPP-4i, SGLT2i vs DPP-4i, GLP-1RA vs SFU, and SGLT2i vs SFU) in medically underserved populations. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records from a health care delivery system that serves medically underserved populations in the Mid-South region of the United States. Metformin-treated adult patients with type 2 diabetes, and at least 1 prescription for GLP-1RA, SGLT2i, DPP-4i, or SFU class medications, were identified between April 2016 and August 2021. Neighborhood factors were assessed at the census tract level by geocoding and linking patient addresses to neighborhood-level risk factors. Using multilevel logistic regression models, we examined the associations of comorbidities and neighborhood factors with the prescription of newer second-line diabetes medications. RESULTS: 7,723 patients received newer second-line diabetes medications, with 16% prescribed GLP-1RAs, 11% prescribed SGLT2is, 28% prescribed DPP-4is, and 45% prescribed SFUs. Patients with cerebrovascular disease were significantly less likely to receive newer second-line diabetes medications (odds ratio [OR] = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.52-0.80). Patients with obesity were more likely to receive newer second-line diabetes medications (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.48-1.90). Living in neighborhoods with higher proportions of college graduates was associated with a higher likelihood of receiving newer second-line diabetes medications (quartile 3 vs 1: OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.06-1.59; and quartile 4 vs 1: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.13-1.88). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate substantial underprescribing and significant clinical and neighborhood variations in the use of newer second-line diabetes medications. We found lower use of newer second-line diabetes medications among patients with cerebrovascular disease and higher use in those with obesity. Our findings also suggest that newer second-line diabetes medications are first adopted by those in higher socioeconomic groups, thus increasing disparities in care. DISCLOSURES: Dr Surbhi reports grants or contracts from the Tennessee Department of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and PhRMA Foundation. Dr Bailey reports honoraria from the SouthEast Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, leadership or fiduciary role in the Coalition for Better Health and The Healthy City, Inc., and stock or stock options in Proctor and Gamble, Walmart, and Apple. Dr Kovesdy reports personal fees from Bayer, Abbott, AstraZeneca, Takeda, Tricida, Akebia, Cara Therapeutics, Vifor, Rockwell, CSL Behring, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GSK, outside the submitted work. The other authors report no conflicts of interest.

Creating a Women’s Health Coalition at a Student Run Free Clinic: A Model for Increasing Access to and Quality of Care

Introduction: At the beginning of 2021, the Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (IU SOC) conducted an internal audit of cervical cytology and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening, which showed low rates of preventive screenings and inconsistent follow-up, thereby demonstrating a need to increase reproductive healthcare access to underserved women in Indianapolis. 
 Methods: To increase access, multiple teams were created within the Women’s Health Coalition (WHC), ensuring robust education, follow-up, and other necessary coordination for patient care. Additionally, the WHC expanded to host a twice-monthly referral-based women’s health clinic that provided care for patients with various chief concerns and preventive care needs. Protocols for wet-mount microscopy and sexual assault were created based on national guidelines, and annual training were provided to all members of the WHC. Community partnerships were formed to expand resources, including ultrasounds, mammograms, and contraception services.
 Results: The IU SOC increased the prenatal and gynecological services offered over nine months through this initiative. Notably, a higher number of services were offered to patients who qualified for screenings in 2021 than in the prior four years combined, including cervical cytology (24.1% [Confidence Interval (CI) 18.6%, 29.7% vs. 4.2%] [CI 2.9%, 5.5%]), mammogram referrals (23.1% [CI 15.8%, 30.3%] vs. 2.3% [CI 1.0%, 3.6%]), and STI/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Hepatitis testing (54.6% [CI 50.2%, 59.0%] vs 8.1% [CI 6.8%, 9.3%]).
 Conclusion: Given the success of the WHC, our approach may serve as a student-run model for other patient populations.

Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program expansion evaluation—A qualitative study

AbstractResearch SummaryWe conducted a multisite qualitative evaluation of the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) expansion states that received federal funding in 2019 to measurably augment, adopt, and/or use ODMAP in their service areas. Across five states, 11 agencies including law enforcement agencies, county health departments, and local health coalitions were invited to participate in in‐depth interviews to assess their experiences with ODMAP implementation, including facilitators, barriers, and best practices. Guided by implementation science principles and the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model framework, we identified 12 key elements impacting progress toward ODMAP expansion, including the importance of leveraging interorganizational partnerships, competing environmental priorities, organizational perspectives on readiness for adoption, usability, and burden, organizational leadership support, and the presence of champions, dedicated implementation teams, and key adopter supports.Policy ImplicationsSince 2016, ODMAP has rapidly expanded in response to the opioid crisis. The system is currently used by a wide range of public safety and public health agencies including multiple state and county jurisdictions funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Overdose Data to Action program. Ongoing, critical, and innovative evaluation of this nascent surveillance system is required.

Recognizing Local Champions in Infection Prevention and Control.

Recognizing Local Champions in Infection Prevention and Control.

Innovations to Address Social Isolation for Elderly Canadians Aging at Home.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two interdisciplinary pan-Canadian research initiatives have illuminated the social isolation and loneliness of seniors who age at home. The National Institute on Ageing at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health are exemplars in how to treat healthcare innovations as opportunities to create a sustainable high-quality healthcare system. Knowledge translation and communication with the public are core to the values and strategy of both organizations. Clinician leaders at these organizations take a holistic approach to understanding and communicating the importance of social isolation and loneliness among seniors.

APA’s Government, Policy, and Advocacy Update (April 2023)

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government & LegalFull AccessAPA’s Government, Policy, and Advocacy Update (April 2023)Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:23 Mar 2023https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2023.04.4.16APA Expresses Support for SAMHSA Expanding Access To Outpatient Treatment ProgramsThe Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has proposed a rule to make permanent some regulatory flexibilities for opioid treatment programs to provide patients with extended take-home doses of methadone. APA provided comments on the rule, supporting several of its provisions while also offering recommendations.“Methadone is a particularly effective form of MOUD [medications for opioid use disorder],” APA’s letter stated. “Unfortunately, the regulations governing methadone access have created significant barriers to care for many of those who need and want treatment.” The flexibilities for prescribing methadone that SAMHSA has allowed during the COVID-19 public health emergency “served as a starting point for reimagining methadone access in this time of vital need,” the letter continued.Specifically, APA expressed support for SAMHSA’s efforts to change regulatory language to reduce stigma toward people who use drugs or have an opioid use disorder (OUD); SAMHSA’s collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration to facilitate mobile medication units and increase methadone treatment for underserved populations; and SAMHSA’s proposal to eliminate the requirement that patients must have a one-year history of OUD to qualify for methadone treatment.Further, APA questioned some provisions, including limiting methadone treatment to people with moderate to severe OUD and excluding those with mild OUD. In the letter, APA also suggested that SAMHSA provide guidance on methods to ensure quality counseling services through, or coordinated with, the opioid treatment program.APA’s Letter to SAMHSA in Response to SAMHSA’s Proposed Rule on Methadone Access APA, AMA Urge CMS to Finalize Prior Authorization ReformsIn a letter to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, M.P.P., the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the AMA, APA, and nearly 120 organizations representing physicians across the country expressed their strong support for proposed rules that would reform the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D.In particular, the organizations expressed support for provisions that improve the coverage criteria for medical necessity determinations and protect access to care. Other provisions that the organizations support would protect patients from care interruptions, treatment delays, and unanticipated medical costs.“Recent [AMA] survey data show that 93 percent of physicians report care delays or disruptions associated with [prior authorization],” the letter stated. “AMA data also show that 34 percent of physicians report that [prior authorization] has led to a serious adverse event (e.g., hospitalization, permanent impairment, or even death) for a patient in their care. … Moreover, the Office of Inspector General 2022 report found that 13 percent of [prior authorization] requests denied by Medicare Advantage plans met Medicare coverage rules.”APA, AMA’s Letter to CMS on Prior Authorization APA Responds to CMS’s Request for Information on Essential Health BenefitsCMS recently released a request for information on essential health benefits (EHB) established under the Affordable Care Act. In its response, APA highlighted barriers that patients face to accessing mental and substance use disorder (SUD) services, the importance of telehealth in improving access to these EHB services, and the potential for the Collaborative Care Model to address gaps in coverage.APA noted administrative barriers such as prior authorization, workforce issues, and lack of parity. “Patients often experience a delay in accessing care due to the persistent shortage of psychiatrists and coverage across the country,” APA’s letter, addressed to Brooks-LaSure, stated. “As demand for their services increase, psychiatrists continue to meet capacity limitations.”Further, APA signed a coalition letter urging CMS to consider children’s needs when addressing EHBs. The letter emphasized that children require services and care specifically suited to their unique developmental needs.“Amid the children’s mental health emergency, there is a strong need to reduce the current gaps in coverage related to pediatric mental health services,” the coalition’s letter stated. “EHB requirements can play an important role in addressing these coverage gaps by incorporating coverage of pediatric mental health services in the ‘pediatric services’ category.” ■APA’s Letter on Mental Health and SUD EHBsThe Coalition’s Letter on EHBs for Children ISSUES NewArchived

Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Health Data Governance Principles in Botswana: Web-Based Survey.

The use of information and communication technologies for health-eHealth-is described as having potential to improve the quality of health care service delivery. Consequently, there is an increased global trend towardadoption of eHealth interventions by health care systems worldwide. Despite the proliferation of eHealth solutions, many health care institutions especially in transitioning countries are struggling to attain effective data governance approaches.The Ministry of Health inBotswana is an exemplar institution continually seeking better approaches to strengthen health data governance (HDG) approaches following the adoption of eHealth solutions. Recognizing the need for a global HDG framework, the Transform Health coalition conceptualized HDG principles that are structured around 3 interconnected objectives: protecting people, promoting the value of health, and prioritizing equity. The aim of the study is to solicit and evaluate perceptions and attitudes of health sector workers in Botswana toward the HDG principles by Transform Health and derive any future guidance. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. A total of 23 participants from various health care organizations in Botswana completed a web-based survey and 10 participated in a follow-up remote round-table discussion. The aim of the round-table discussion was to gain further insight into participants' responses from the web-based survey. Participants were from the following health care cadres: nurses, doctors, information technology professionals, and health informaticians. Both validity and reliability testing were performed for the survey tool before sharing it with study participants. An analysis of participants' close-ended responses from the surveywas performed using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses from the questionnaireand theround-table discussion was achieved using the Delve software and the widely accepted principles of thematic analysis. Although some participants highlighted having measures in place similar to the HDG principles, there were some who either did not know or disagreed that their organizations already had in place mechanisms similar to the proposed HDG principles. Participants further expressed relevance and importance of the HDG principles in the context of Botswana.However, some modifications to the principles were also suggested. This study highlights the necessity of data governance in health care particularly toward meeting the requirements for Universal Health Coverage. The existence of other health data governance frameworks calls for a critical analysis to assess the most appropriate and applicable framework in the context of Botswana and similar transitioning countries. An organization-centered approach may be most appropriate, as well as strengthening of existing organizations' HDG practices with the Transform Health principles.

University-Community Collaborations: A Vehicle for Capacity Building and Mutual Learning within an Immigrant Mental Health Coalition

University-community collaborations represent a valuable opportunity for colleges and universities to leverage expertise, research, and skills to enhance the work of community organizations dedicated to social justice and equity for marginalized and oppressed groups. Successful university-community collaborations require mutually negotiated goals, significant investment of monetary and non-monetary resources and mutual benefits for all stakeholders. Yet, important gaps remain in the university-community collaborations literature and specifically around better understanding partner involvement, capacity building, and mutual learning. This case study describes how university assets can be mobilized to expand coalition resources. The process between the stakeholders of negotiating scopes of work, defining roles, accommodating challenges encountered and suggested best practices are discussed.

U.S. Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week finds a new home

2020 Mom, a national maternal mental health policy organization, announced today that it is transitioning its Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week Social Media Campaign and TheBlueDotProject.org — the corresponding website and social media platforms — to Postpartum Support International this month, a news release stated. 2020 Mom has been the host of TheBlueDotProject.org and the U.S. Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week Social Media Campaign since 2014, first in conjunction with nonprofit partners such as Postpartum Support International (PSI), through the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health. The campaign aims to raise awareness about maternal mental health disorders like postpartum depression and promote the blue dot symbol as the universal symbol of maternal mental health awareness. “We are thrilled to host The Blue Dot Project as part of Postpartum Support International. From conception, we were involved in establishing the blue dot as the symbol for promoting awareness and solidarity for perinatal mental health. This natural collaboration allows us to continue to increase awareness for perinatal mental health disorders, while also promoting hope through the use of the symbol,” said Wendy Davis, Ph.D., executive director of PSI.