Non-clinical Service Research Articles

Hierarchy, class, race and PPE in an American hospital in the early days of COVID-19: What the pandemic stress test can teach us about building equitable health systems

Because hospitals are spaces where life and death are routinely at stake, social hierarchies, pressures, and cultural norms are heightened. This was particularly true in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining the dynamics in that era can provide insight into the nature of race and hierarchy in hospital structures.In the large literature on the experiences of hospital staff in the COVID-19 era, class and racial dynamics in hospitals are often sidestepped. In addition, the experiences of service staff such as environmental service workers and food service workers are severely under-represented.Here, we explore hierarchy, class, race and risk in two hospitals in the city of Baltimore in the first months of the pandemic in 2020, through the lens of availability of PPE. We draw on a survey of 403 staff in two Baltimore hospitals, and semi-structured interviews with 57 of those staff. Respondents worked in a variety of roles, from administration to clinical to service staff.A large majority of non-clinical service staff identified as Black, in contrast to a small minority of clinical staff with advanced degrees. The experience of access to PPE in the early pandemic differed across cadres of workers. Everyone in the hospital had to ration PPE, but many service staff felt that they were not prioritized in the same ways as clinical staff. PPE availability took on powerful symbolic resonance as a demonstration of how different cadres of workers were valued.The COVID-19 pandemic threw social and class dynamics within the hospital into relief, shedding light on what so often ran below the surface. Thus, it could also potentially be an impetus to examine these fault lines, and to push hospital structures a bit more in the direction of justice.

Do Non-Clinical Services Help to Improve Functional Outcomes Among Young Adults With Mental Disorders? A Systematic Review.

Mental disorders during young adulthood can significantly impair functioning in daily activities. Non-clinical support services aim to improve functioning by helping people to build social and life skills, participate in education and employment and improve physical health. This study aims to examine and synthesise the evidence for non-clinical services on improving functional outcomes for young adults with mental disorders. A systematic search was undertaken to identify quantitative and qualitative studies reporting on a non-clinical service component (vocational support, peer support, youth development, lifestyle interventions, family and network support) and examining functional outcomes (e.g., outcomes focussed on work and education, life skills, relationships and healthy behaviours). Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. Identified studies focussed on vocational support services (n = 9), lifestyle interventions (n = 6) and family and network support services (n = 2). No studies on peer-support services or youth development services were found. More than half of the vocational support service studies reported increased employment rates among young adults (n = 6). Studies focussing on lifestyle interventions included a combination of physical activity, nutrition education, health coaching and motivation and behaviour change. However, the measures of functioning used across studies were too varied to determine whether lifestyle interventions may be useful in improving functional outcomes for young adults. Further research is needed to understand the impact of non-clinical services on functioning. This evidence will provide pragmatic guidance for service planners to invest in supports and interventions that make a meaningful difference to the lives of young adults living with mental disorders.

Association between menopause and occupational burnout in healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT The increased proportion of women in the workplace and the labor force aging have been demanding investigations of the link between menopause and occupational health issues, especially in healthcare settings. Evidence on the association between menopause and occupational burnout in healthcare settings is still inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between menopause and burnout among clinical and non-clinical workers in different occupational health environments. A multi-center, cross-sectional study, applying the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OBI) was conducted from September 2021 to March 2023 in University Medical Center (UMC) hospitals in Astana, Kazakhstan. The study involved 125 physicians and nurses and 82 non-clinical administrative and service staff. We found that 63.9% of respondents had disengagement and 61.7% had exhaustion. The affiliated clinical setting was associated with disengagement (p = 0.034), with the highest prevalence among employees in surgical departments (76.9%), while a higher prevalence of exhaustion was found in individuals with different work experience (p = 0.023) and among those who were dissatisfied with their work environment (74.3%). While burnout was identified in almost two-thirds of respondents, the self-reported menopause status of participants was not significantly related to either disengagement (p = 0.34) or exhaustion (p = 0.73), even though a higher prevalence of both was revealed among the postmenopausal group. We propose that healthcare management should understand the importance of burnout among postmenopausal healthcare workers and facilitate open communication and a supportive work environment.

We Rely on Relationships: Homeless Service Providers' Experiences in Coordinating Care Transitions During COVID-19.

Care coordination occurring across multiple sectors of care, such as when professionals in health or social service organizations collaborate to transition patients from hospitals to community-based settings like homeless shelters, happens regularly in practice. While health services research is full of studies on the experiences of case management and care coordination professionals within health care settings, few studies highlight the perspective of nonclinical homeless service providers (HSPs) in coordinating care transitions. This study explores the experience of nonclinical HSPs, employed in a large homeless service agency in New York, United States, responsible for coordinating care transitions of patients presenting to a homeless shelter after hospitalization, with attention to COVID-19 impact. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with providers at three hierarchical levels (frontline, managerial, and executive). The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The implementation science framework Normalization Process Theory was used to structure semi-deductive coding categories. The findings included three major themes that highlight promoting and inhibiting factors in care coordination, including a reliance on informal relationships, the impact of strong hierarchical structures, and a lack of collaborative cross-sector information exchange pathways. Altogether, findings offer insights from an infrequently studied professional group engaging in cross-sector care coordination for a high-risk population. Operational insights can inform future research to ensure that the implementation of interventions to improve cross-sector care coordination is evidence-based. This study of nonclinical HSPs facilitating care transitions demonstrates the importance of understanding this critical provider population. Opportunities for acute care case managers and administrators include the importance of relationships, reciprocal education on the differences in work settings, and the need for administrative structure to ensure complex clinical information is effectively translated.

Learning and achieving basic mental health competence in placement studies with the support of a tool: A qualitative study of student nurses’ experiences

BackgroundLearning basic mental health care competence is often challenging for the bachelor of science student nurses, and many lack basic mental health care competence to ensure safe and confident mental health care practice. Mental health assessment is an integrated part of this competence. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore and describe in depth how student nurses experience learning and achieving basic mental health competence while on mental health placement with the support of a learning tool. DesignAn explorative and descriptive qualitative design was conducted to gain insight on how student nurses experienced learning basic mental health competence when on placement. SettingA diversity of mental health placement settings in which student nurses were involved with patient care or welfare were approached; general psychiatric wards (n = 2), psychiatric ward for elderly people (n = 1), community mental health in-patient facilities (n = 2) and unconventional placements in the community (n = 9). Unconventional placements are a diversity of non-clinical service contexts. ParticipantsThe participants comprised student nurses in their 3rd and final year while on mental health placement. Potential participants received information from course coordinators, the online learning platform, and from teachers in plenary. Using purposive sampling, 14 student nurses were recruited. MethodsIndividual semi-structured interviews were conducted online and in person at two campuses of one university in Norway between August 2020 and December 2021. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed as described by Braun and Clarke. ResultsStudents expressed insecurity in a new clinical context. They engaged in new learning situations and realized the diversity of nursing practice. Unconventional placements were described as challenging contexts for learning basic mental health care competence. ConclusionsThis qualitative study provided insight into how student nurses experience learning mental health assessment, and gaining relational, communicative, and ethical competence while on placement. Students revealed their insecurities and challenges in learning in a new context. Awareness of clinical learning opportunities on placement when preparing student nurses to learn basic mental health competence may help improve their confidence.

Investigating changes in student mental health and help-seeking behaviour after the introduction of new well-being support services at a UK university.

Growing numbers of students now seek mental health support from their higher education providers. In response, a number of universities have invested in non-clinical well-being services, but there have been few evaluations of these. This research addresses a critical gap in the existing literature. This study examined the impact of introducing non-clinical well-being advisers on student mental health and help-seeking behaviour at a large UK university. Survey data collected pre-post service introduction in 2018 (n = 5562) and 2019 (n = 2637) measured prevalence of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7), and low mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale), alongside student support-seeking behaviour. Logistic regression models investigated changes in outcome measures. Administrative data (2014-2020) were used to investigate corresponding trends in antidepressant prescribing at the onsite health service, student counselling referrals and course withdrawal rates. Adjusted models suggested reductions in students' levels of anxiety (odds ratio 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.96) and low well-being (odds ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.75-0.94) in 2019, but not depression symptoms (odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI 0.93-1.17). Statistical evidence showed reduced student counselling referrals, with antidepressant prescribing and course withdrawal rates levelling off. Student perception of the availability and accessibility of university support improved. Our findings suggest a non-clinical well-being service model may improve student perception of support, influence overall levels of anxiety and low well-being, and reduce clinical need. The current study was only able to examine changes over the short term, and a longer follow-up is needed.

Staying safe, feeling welcome, being seen: How spatio-temporal configurations affect relations of care at an inclusive health and wellness centre.

People experiencing homelessness also experience poorer health and frequently attend acute care settings when primary health care would be better equipped to meet their needs. Existing scholarship identifies a complex mix of individual and structural-level factors affecting primary health care engagement driving this pattern of health services utilisation. We build on this existing knowledge, by bringing the spatio-temporal configurations of primary health care into focus. Specifically, we interrogate how space and time inflect situated practices and relations of care. This study took an ethnographic approach and was conducted 2021-2022 at an inclusive health and wellness centre ("the Centre") in Southeast Queensland, Australia. The data consists of 46 interviews with 48 people with lived experience of homelessness, including participants who use the services offered at the Centre (n = 26) and participants who do not (n = 19). We also interviewed 20 clinical and non-clinical service providers affiliated with the Centre and observed how service delivery took place. Interviews and observations were complemented by visual data, including participant-produced photography. All data were analysed employing a narrative framework. We present three interrelated themes demonstrating how space and time affect care, that is 'staying safe', 'feeling welcome' and 'being seen'. 'Staying safe' captures the perceptions and practices around safety, which sit in tension with making service users feel welcome. 'Feeling welcome' attends to the sense of being invited to use services free of judgment. 'Being seen' depicts capacities to see a health care provider as well as being understood in one's lived experience. Spatio-temporal configurations, such as attendance policies, consultation modalities and time allocated to care encounters afford differential opportunities to nurture reciprocal relations. We conclude that flexible service configurations can leverage a relational model of care. Service providers were consulted during the design stage of the project and had opportunities to inform data collection instruments. Two service providers contributed to the manuscript as co-authors. People with lived experience of homelessness who use the services at the inclusive health centre contributed as research participants and provided input into the dissemination of findings. The photography they produced has been featured in an in-person exhibition, to which some have contributed as consultants or curators. It is hoped that their insights into experiences of welcomeness, safety and being seen will inform flexible and relational primary health care design, delivery, and evaluation to better cater for people experiencing housing instability and poverty.

Sexual and reproductive health and infertility

Infertility and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) are significant challenges worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Teenagers living in urban slums that are quickly developing are frequently disregarded, despite the efforts of international organizations to enhance access to services and information for residents of these areas. It is common for women to blame for infertility, even when their spouse has clinical infertility; this contributes to a bias in the relevant body of research. In order to address these issues, policies on sexual and reproductive health need to be evidence-based, they need to take into account various points of view and they need to combat negative stereotypes and inequities. Comprehensive programs that prepare healthcare providers and non-clinical service providers are crucial. This review highlights the importance of addressing systemic issues, such as gender norms and economic disparities, in promoting sexual and reproductive health care to achieve desired reproductive outcomes.

Spiritual Diversity in Personal Recovery from Mental Health Challenges: A Qualitative Study from Chinese-Australian Service Users' Perspectives.

Spiritual diversity and the positive role of spirituality in personal recovery have received growing attention in mental health literature. However, the spiritual experiences and views of service users from cultural communities, particularly the Chinese community, are understudied in Australia. This research explores Chinese service users' spiritual identities and their views and perspectives on the roles of spirituality in their mental health recovery and attempts to provide inspiration for practitioners to engage with service users' spirituality in non-clinical mental health practice. A qualitative exploratory approach guided this study. Semi-structured interviews were employed with four Chinese participants with spiritual identities, who were recruited through the community Psychosocial Support Service in Victoria. The template analysis method supported the data analysis. The results indicate that spirituality has a positive impact on the mental health recovery of participants, primarily through coping, self-regulatory, and social support mechanisms. The findings also present that Chinese service users' understanding and approaches to spirituality are shaped by both original and Australian Cultures. These findings suggest that practitioners should provide a creative understanding and cultural awareness when discussing with service users their spiritual identities, perspectives, and spirituality in the wider context. The research fills a gap in the spiritual views and perspectives of service users accessing a non-clinical mental health service from the Chinese community.

Telehealth for Comprehensive Care to Quarantine Residents: A Novel Approach and Lessons Learned.

Proactive engagement and care with regular and timely information are required to manage the health and well-being of people in quarantine. At Australia's Howard Springs International Quarantine Facility, a telehealth model was rapidly established using trained non-clinical Customer Service Officers (CSO's) with the aim to provide comprehensive care to residents, maximize staff safety, and reduce clinical workforce capacity pressures. We describe this model, whereby CSO's provided residents with daily COVID-19 symptom and well-being screening, weekly psychological screening, and ongoing linkage to additional clinical and administrative services. In addition, CSO's went beyond these duties to deliver personalized care through delivery of care packages and attendance of the departure point to farewell residents. From October 2020 to May 2021, across 7105 residents, we estimated that CSO's prevented over 75 000 face-to-face resident visits, which reduced workforce requirements and preserved staff safety through minimizing potential COVID-19 transmission and time spent in personal protective equipment in the challenging ambient environment. We share key lessons learned which may inform future telehealth models and guide a positive experience for quarantine residents.

Shared Decision Making and Peer Support: New Directions for Research and Practice.

Shared Decision Making and Peer Support: New Directions for Research and Practice.

The Setting-Intervention Fit of Nine Evidence-Based Interventions for Substance Use Disorders Within HIV Service Organizations Across the United States: Results of a National Stakeholder-Engaged Real-Time Delphi Study.

Given substance use disorders (SUDs) among people with HIV are highly prevalent, integrating SUD services within HIV service settings is needed to help end the HIV epidemic. In this study, we assessed the setting-intervention fit (SIF) of 9 evidence-based SUD interventions: acamprosate, disulfiram, oral naltrexone, injectable naltrexone, oral buprenorphine, injectable buprenorphine, contingency management, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Clinical and nonclinical HIV service organizations (HSOs) in the United States. In May 2020, a stakeholder-engaged real-time Delphi was completed with 202 HSOs. HSO respondents rated the extent to which each SUD intervention was fundable, implementable, retainable, sustainable, scalable, and timely for their HSO, and these 6 items were summed into an SIF score (possible range of 0-18). Motivational interviewing had the highest average SIF score (11.42), with SIF scores above the midpoint (9.5) for clinical (11.51) and nonclinical HSOs (11.36). For nonclinical HSOs, none of the other interventions were above the midpoint. For clinical HSOs, the average SIF scores were above the midpoint for CBT (10.97) and oral buprenorphine (9.51). Multivariate regression analyses, which controlled for characteristics of the HSO respondent, revealed geographic region of the United States and whether the HSO currently offered any substance use services as 2 of the best predictors of SIF scores. Notwithstanding the need to improve the SIF for the other evidence-based SUD interventions, motivational interviewing, CBT, and oral buprenorphine are currently the evidence-based SUD interventions with greatest perceived fit for integration within HSOs in the United States.

“Life, Interrupted”: A Patient Experience Encompassing the Journey From Hospital to the Community, With Support From the Mental Health Intensive Support Team (MhIST)

AimsWe present outcomes of a newly developed Community Rehabilitation team (MhIST) using the context of Jen's personal story. Jen is a 31-year-old student and freelance journalist. This story encompasses her journey from inpatient rehabilitation services to the community, completed with support from MhIST.Methods“For nearly four years, I was sectioned under the Mental Health Act as an inpatient in hospital. As I had been denied my fundamental liberties for so long, the prospect of leaving hospital for good and enjoying total freedom was both exhilarating and terrifying. How would I fare in the community, living on my own? Would I be lonely? Would I relapse? Would I survive?”Upon leaving hospital, I immediately received intensive support from MhIST. They were the bridge between the gulf that was hospital and the community. Since leaving hospital, I have been relishing my freedom. I enjoy meeting up with my friends after so long apart. I have volunteered at The Storyhouse, a local arts venue. The Spider Project – a non-clinical community mental health service in Chester - has also provided me with fulfilling activities from yoga to creative writing. The MHIST team have not only kept me well but, most importantly, helped me thrive. Leaving hospital has been an adventure. It has been a joy to regain my independence and freedom. To live rather than to exist. Life is amazing. Long may it continue.”ResultsMhIST provides an intensive rehabilitation and recovery service, delivering bespoke packages of care to individuals. This is achieved using key working and a shared team approach, outcome focused goal-based interventions, weekly reflective/formulation meetings, and a focus on social rehabilitation. Patients referred to MhIST will have a high level of complexity plus severe, treatment refractory symptoms, with impaired social, interpersonal and occupational function and high support needs. They may have co-occurring mental health conditions including substance misuse or neurodevelopmental disorders.MhIST is a new service and has been active for around 6 months. The first 10 patients referred have been from acute wards (3), community mental health teams (1), and inpatient rehabilitation wards (6). 60% of patients are currently housed in independent accommodation.ConclusionJen's story narrates the experience she encountered during transition from inpatient rehabilitation services to the community. This was completed with support from MhIST, a new community rehabilitation service which provides an intensive rehabilitation and recovery service.

A comparative study of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the communication practices of end-of-life care workers

Previous research has identified that effective and high-quality communication between patients, families and professionals is a key contributing factor to end-of-life (EOL) care and recovery after bereavement. Increasingly, this communication work is being done by non-clinical staff in places such as homes and community settings. These additional care providers offer important pre- and post-bereavement support that can improve the quality of EOL care as well as promote healthy grieving for families, friends and communities. Despite this contribution, though, little is known about how these non-clinical workers use communication in their daily practices. This paper reports on the analysis of a set of nine in-depth interviews conducted in Hong Kong and in one region of Australia that examined in detail relational aspects of communication that shape interactions between non-clinical workers and service users. Data were collected during the COVID- 19 health crisis, when the workers experienced exceptional restrictions on communication. The findings of this study highlight the fundamental importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication to the relationships established between non-clinical worker and service users. Specifically, greater support for the development of communication skills in non-clinical EOL workers will promote improvements in the quality of EOL care.

Key service components for age-appropriate mental health service planning for young adults.

To identify and describe key service components that should be incorporated into age-appropriate integrated mental health care for young adults aged 18-24 years. Key service components were identified through a mixed-methods approach including targeted examinations of the literature and structured discussions with experts in youth mental health. Seven key components were identified as important for providing age-appropriate mental health care to young adults. Two were classified as clinical service components (structured psychological therapies; care coordination and liaison), three were classified as non-clinical service components (vocational support; youth development; peer support) and two as integrated non-clinical and clinical service components (lifestyle interventions and family and network support). Example service models for each of these key service components were identified and described. This is the first study to identify and describe key service components for age-appropriate mental health care for young adults. The findings provide mental health service planners with a framework of services that should be considered when planning and resourcing services for this age range.

The MATES Case Management Model: Presenting Problems and Referral Pathways for a Novel Peer-Led Approach to Addressing Suicide in the Construction Industry.

MATES in Construction (MATES) is a multimodal, peer-led, workplace suicide prevention and early intervention program developed to reduce the risk of suicide among construction industry workers through active facilitation of appropriate support. The MATES case management model provides an example of a nonclinical service for meeting the needs of individuals in the construction industry who, while at elevated risk of mental health problems and suicidality, are traditionally less likely to seek help. The aim of this research was to conduct an evaluation of the MATES case management database to quantify service demand, and to examine the demographic, occupational profile, presenting issues, referral pathways, and perceived benefit of case management among individuals who used this service. The research reports on routinely collected data from the Queensland MATES case management database, which contains records on 3759 individuals collected over the period 2010–2018, and findings from a small and opportunistic exit survey undertaken with 14 clients in 2019. Overall, findings suggest that the demand for case management through MATES has increased significantly and that clients felt that their needs and concerns were appropriately addressed. The most common presenting issues were relationship, work, and family problems, suicide, and mental health concerns. Findings confirm that causes of distress extend beyond the realm of mental disorder and span a range of psychosocial issues. Significantly, it offers an approach that may divert individuals in crisis away from presenting to over-run emergency departments, and towards services that are more equipped to meet their individual needs.

Service design in the healthcare space with a special focus on non-clinical service departments: A synthesis and future directions.

Although there has been a tremendous change in the way diseases are diagnosed and treated, the ways in which health care delivery has been managed has seen very little change.Several academic studies have arisen in the area of service design, but an amalgamation of this research, especially in the area of healthcare services is not available. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the published research on service design in healthcare and accordingly identify the gaps and scope of future research. After analyzing the articles and reviewing the Service design in healthcare literature, the following are our main contributions: (i) clarification of the service design concept and the developments that appears in the literature review of service design in the healthcare sector; (ii) classification of the service design tools and techniques that are most commonly used in the healthcare sector; (iii) demonstration of the service design as the preponderant construct that is used as a tool and technique to improve quality and efficiency in the healthcare service.The resultant systematic review reveals a change in the type of research carried out, the service design tools used and a shift towards service design from using the co-design tool to other methods. The paper highlights the gaps in the very limited amount of empirical work in the non-clinical healthcare space and accordingly a model is recommended.

The institutionalization of mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies in Indonesia

The paper probes how Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for emergencies (MHPSS) has been institutionalized in a disaster-prone country. Using Indonesia as a case study, the article lays down the various MHPSS-related institutions and systems (legal frameworks, policies, processes, and programs) that were constituted at different levels of governance in Indonesia as part of its disaster management structures. It examines how these institutions and systems were made to operate in the Central Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) disasters of 2018. Furthermore, factors that facilitated or hindered the effective functioning of the MHPSS system are discussed. The findings of this research are based on secondary data and primary data collected through interviews and focus group discussions with various national and local government and non-government stakeholders involved in disaster response, including field visits in the two provinces. The paper contends that the Indonesian Government has established necessary national disaster management institutions and structures with local counterparts, where MHPSS structures have been integrated. It also discusses crucial intervention programs delivered to survivors of the two provincial disasters, which the paper asserts conform to the integrated support systems prescribed by the IASC that include basic services and security, community and family support (family reunification, psychosocial support, and community rituals) focused non-specialized services (PFA, psychological intervention, and basic mental health care), and specialized services (referral services to clinical and non-clinical service providers). Lastly, the paper argues that a confluence of administrative, logistical, organizational, resource, supply, human resource, and contextual factors have either hindered or facilitated the functionality of the MHPSS systems in place, which explains the varying levels of efficiency of the MHPSS responses in the two provinces.

Improving Medical Tourism Services through Human Behaviour and Cultural Competence

Medical tourism is a type of service sector in which there is direct interaction between healthcare practitioners and patient-customers, leading to several challenges due to cultural and social background differences. We aimed to investigate the determinants of delivering a culturally-oriented service in medical tourism sector. Adopting an exploratory qualitative approach, interviews were conducted through a semi-structured procedure with authorities across various medical sectors in South Korea in winter 2017. Participants were all involved in and aware of the medical tourism sector, both academically and clinically. The interview transcripts were coded through a systematic thematic analysis. In order to focus on non-clinical service in medical tourism sector, and a system of cultural competence delivery, three main themes were identified: 1) The personal characteristics of doctors; 2) External supports to be provided by the associated organisations; and finally, 3) Skilfulness, which implies the culturally-oriented interaction with foreign patients. Several strategies are suggested to address the non-clinical challenges and conflicts in doctor-patient interaction in the sector of medical tourism. It is likely that providing a culturally-oriented service in this sector demands for a comprehensive planning, and several strategies for implementation in order to support and train a team of skilful doctors with non-clinical characteristics. These finding will likely have insights for those organisations searching to improve their performance in the medical tourism sector.

Understanding Community-based HIV/AIDS Service Organizations: An Invaluable Source of HPV-related Cancer Information for At-risk Populations

To describe non-clinical HIV service providers (NCHSPs) as surrogate seekers and health information mavens for people living with HIV (PLWH), men who have sex with men (MSM), and other vulnerable populations.In May/June 2016, we recruited 30 NCHSPs from three community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations. NCHSPs completed a 118-item self-administered, paper-and-pencil survey about HPV, cancer, and health communication. Data were analyzed using Stata/SE 14.1.Almost all (97%) NCHSPs were surrogate seekers and had looked for HIV/AIDS (97%), STD (97%), and cancer (93%) information. Most (60%) cancer information seekers had looked for information about HPV. The Internet (97%) and healthcare providers (97%) were health information sources almost all NCHSPs trusted. Nearly all NCHSPs (93%) were completely or very confident about their ability to find health information. The mean health information mavenism score (17.4 ± 2.1) was significantly higher than the scale’s high-score cutoff (15.0) (p < 0 .001).NCHSPs look for and share health information with the vulnerable populations (e.g., PLWH, MSM) they serve. More research is needed to understand what NCHSPs’ know and think about the health information they are sharing with vulnerable populations.