State Workers Research Articles

International Use of the AMA Guides® to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment

Abstract Since its inception more than six decades ago, the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, (AMA Guides), has become internationally accepted as a global benchmark and is used in the United States, Canada, certain European countries, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa, as well as by the United Nations. When the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, adopted the terminology and conceptual framework of disablement developed by the World Health Organization, this paradigm shift let to an increase in the worldwide influence and use of the AMA Guides. In the United States, the AMA Guides is used primarily in state and federal workers’ compensation systems and sometimes in automobile casualty and personal injury arenas. Most workers’ compensation jurisdictions across Canada use the AMA Guides formally by statute or regulation, or they accept its use informally as a standard tool to rate impairment. In Australia, the AMA Guides is used in both federal and individual state or territory compensation schemes for personal injuries that arise from work, as well as motor vehicle accidents (a table presents uses of the AMA Guides in Australian jurisdictions). New Zealand uses the AMA Guides, Fourth Edition, and the ACC User Handbook to the AMA “Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment,” Fourth Edition. The AMA Guides is used in Hong Kong to evaluate all types of damages for personal injury claims and also is referenced in Southern Africa, Europe, and countries in the Middle East.

Do Pensions Matter for Recruiting State and Local Workers?

Many state and local governments have responded to financial challenges facing their pension systems by cutting benefits or by shifting costs to employees. Will these changes make it harder for state and local governments to recruit highly skilled workers? This study explores this question by linking individual-level data from the Current Population Survey on worker transitions between the private and public sectors to measures of state and local pension generosity from the Public Plans Database. The results suggest that state and local employers with relatively generous pensions are better able to recruit high-wage workers from the private sector, but that this advantage is lost as workers are asked to contribute more from current paychecks to prefund those benefits. The findings help inform an ongoing debate over the role that state and local pensions play in shaping the public workforce.

Heat related illness among workers in Washington State: A descriptive study using workers' compensation claims, 2006-2017.

Heat related illness (HRI) places a significant burden on the health and safety of working populations and its impacts will likely increase with climate change. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographic and occupational characteristics of Washington workers who suffered from HRI from 2006 to 2017 using workers' compensation claims data. We used Washington workers' compensation data linked to weather station data to identify cases of work-related HRI. We utilized Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes, International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes, and medical review to identify accepted and rejected Washington State (WA) workers' compensation claims for HRI from 2006 to 2017. We estimated rates of HRI by industry and evaluated patterns by ambient temperature. We detected 918 confirmed Washington workers' compensation HRI claims from 2006 to 2017, 654 were accepted and 264 were rejected. Public Administration had the highest third quarter rate (131.3 per 100 000 full time employees [FTE]), followed by Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (102.6 per 100 000 FTE). The median maximum daytime temperature was below the Washington heat rule threshold for 45% of the accepted HRI claims. Latinos were estimated to be overrepresented in HRI cases. The WA heat rule threshold may not be adequately protecting workers and racial disparities are present in occupational HRI. Employers should take additional precautions to prevent HRI depending on the intensity of heat exposure. States without heat rules and with large industry sectors disproportionately affected by HRI should consider regulations to protect outdoor workers in the face of more frequent and extreme heat waves.

Seventy-five years of cardiovascular rehabilitation in Mexico.

Patients suffering from cardiovascular disease require comprehensive medical attention that involves therapies and procedures necessary to reintegrate them optimally to their personal, family, work, and social life. Interventions aimed at achieving these goals are included in cardiac rehabilitation programs. These programs are designed to limit the harmful physiological and psychological effects of heart disease, reduce the risk of sudden death or reinfarction, control cardiovascular symptoms, stabilize or reverse the atherosclerosis process, and improve the psychosocial and vocational status of patients. These programs have existed in Mexico since the 1940s and have evolved over the years, adapting to the disease conditions present in our country, starting with therapies to treat patients with rheumatic heart disease until the application of physical exercise in patients with heart failure complexes congenital heart disease or pulmonary arterial hypertension. These activities are of a transdisciplinary nature and involve the integration of cardiologists, physiotherapists, psychologists, and nutritionists among others. At present, these programs have spread throughout the Mexican Republic thank rehabilitation cardiologists graduating from the main health institutions in the country such as health institutes, Mexican Social Security Institute, and Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers. In this document, the origins of rehabilitation from the pre-Hispanic era to the present will be discussed, highlighting the contributions in teaching and research of the physicians who have practiced in this area in the aforementioned institutions.

Pennsylvania launches statewide mental health initiative

Leaders from various state agencies joined Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Jan. 2 to launch a new statewide mental health initiative called “Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters,” WENY News reported. The goal is to improve mental health care for residents. The initiative has four components: strengthening mental health care access, combating mental health stigma, increasing support and resources for children and young adults, and preparing state agencies and workers to help and reach out. Mental health advocates say it's important all parties involved work as a cohesive unit. “I want every Pennsylvanian to feel comfortable reaching out to someone if they're struggling,” says Wolf. “I want every Pennsylvanian to feel comfortable reaching out if they know someone else is struggling. I want to end the silence, because I want to end the stigma.” The Pennsylvania Insurance Department will make sure health insurance coverage provides access to affordable mental health care, the Departments of Labor & Industry and State will work to address the lack of mental health workers in Pennsylvania and the Department of Education will work to increase the number of social workers inside schools across the state. Wolf is getting to work on this mental health initiative right away. He held the first roundtable discussion on Jan. 3.

Abuja is not for the poor: Street vending and the politics of public space

The article examines how street vendors in Abuja, Nigeria are experiencing and responding to the attempts to restrict their access to public space. Modernist planning and the increasing trend in the privatization of public space is limiting the amount and types of public spaces available to street vendors. Drawing largely on primary research, the article reports that street vendors are responding by adopting a range of spatial, relational and temporal tactics. Specifically, it cites the Ready-to-Run tactic, relocating to relatively more secure sites, informal relations and networks and operating at certain times of the day. Access to the street and mobility are key factors that shape the types of tactics adopted. Vendors prioritize proximity to the street in order to maximize access to potential customers. The highly mobile vendors are more likely to adopt spatial and temporal tactics, while the less mobile tend to rely on informal relations and networks. Furthermore, in the absence of formal organizing, individual agency is more prevalent. Where collective agency exists, it is often a response to an immediate challenge. Gender and age influence the experiences of vendors and the tactics adopted. The Abuja case is a notable example of the link between modernist planning, particularly the master plan approach and socio-spatial exclusion. As a city built from scratch, the plan laid the foundation for socio-spatial exclusion by planning the poor out of the city. The plan remains at the centre of contemporary urban politics, notably the relations between the state and informal workers.

РОЛЬ ДУХОВНИХ ЦІННОСТЕЙ У ПРОФЕСІЙНІЙ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ МЕДИЧНОГО ПРАЦІВНИКА

The article presents a philosophical analysis of the role of spiritual values in the professional activity of a medical worker. It is noted that in the modern conditions of civilizational development there are new challenges that actualize the problem of the value dimension of human activity. This is primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), which spread almost worldwide during the year. As a result of the intense spread of coronavirus disease around the globe, medical workers today find themselves in extremely difficult or even extreme working conditions. In addition, in some countries this category of workers does not have adequate financial and social guarantees. As a result, there is a problem of value measurement of professional activity of medical workers. The essence of this problem is the contradictory relationship between the state (government), society and medical workers, where the effectiveness of the latter is considered on the basis of its compliance with moral, legal and other social requirements, without taking into account the needs, interests and desires of health workers. It is stated that the formation of a professional medical worker should necessarily be aimed at the development of a spiritually rich, value-oriented personality, which is conscientious, strong-willed, responsible, competent, persistent, purposeful; uses trust, duty, self-improvement, rational use of its own essential forces, living space, constantly improves the forms and types of activities, cultivates a careful attitude to all forms of life.

Review of USА legislation in the field of environmental and legal regulation of shale gas production: experience for Ukraine

Ensuring energy security has always been one of Ukraine's main problems. Now the level of shale gas production in Ukraine allows to cover only half of the country's needs in this type of fuel. According to the Energy Strategy of Ukraine until 2035, one of the priorities of development in the fuel and energy sector is to increase the level of gas production to 30–35 billion m3 of gas per year, including at the expense of non-traditional hydrocarbons, among which shale gas can be allocated. However, it should be noted that Ukraine's modern mining industry does not provide an adequate level of environmental protection. This problem becomes even more acute in the context of the possible production of shale gas, which requires state-of-the-art production technologies and a flexible regulatory system. Today, the United States is the most developed country in shale gas production. It is the United States that has the largest experience of shale gas production among all countries of the world, and its legislation has been shaped by the realities of shale gas production since the 1980s. The article analyzed U.S. legislation in terms of environmental and legal regulation of shale gas production. Consideration has been given to U.S. legislation that regulates the protection of water, air, soil from pollution, as well as waste management legislation and the disclosure of confidential information related to shale gas extraction necessary to protect the environment, as well as human life and health. The US legislative structure is analyzed and it is revealed that federal legislation does not provide the proper level of environmental protection, which is why the environmental and legal regulation of shale gas production occurs mainly at the state level. The main problem of regulating shale gas production at the federal level is the so-called «Halibarton loophole», due to which operations using hydraulic fracturing are removed from the regulation of most federal environmental standards. There is no such norm in Ukrainian legislation, but the Law of Ukraine "On Agreements on Division of Products" is not regulated by the Law of Ukraine "On Oil and Gas," this makes it possible to fix in the agreement on division of products all nuances related to shale gas production. At the same time, this is a significant risk of the occurrence of a case in which the agreement, contrary to Ukrainian legislation, will neglect the interests of the environment. That is why Ukraine needs standards like NAAQS, which also apply to legal relations arising from the signing of a production sharing agreement, which would avoid disregard of Ukrainian legislation when signing a production sharing agreement. The article also addresses the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act and states that it requires an operator using hydraulic fracturing to provide information necessary for medical diagnosis, treatment or emergency response. In doing so, the operator, once such information has been disclosed to the State or health worker, may require a written declaration of the need for disclosure and a confidentiality agreement as soon as possible after it has been determined by the State or medical institution. It is proposed to develop a similar bill and introduce it into Ukrainian legislation.

Hepatitis C in the three main health institutions in Mexico: a 13-year mortality and hospitalization analysis.

ABSTRACTThere are no studies in Mexico comparing Hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology among Health Institutions. In this report, we described the deaths and hospitalizations due to HCV in the three main Health Institutions in Mexico: the Mexican Institute of Social Security, the Institute of Social Security for State Workers and the Ministry of Health, during the period 2004-2017. A secondary analysis was carried out across the country using hospital administrative death databases. Adult deaths and hospitalizations rates were calculated in reference to the total affiliated population and all-cause in-hospital mortality risk were also evaluated. There were 7,914 deaths and 9,002 hospitalizations due to HCV. Mortality and hospitalization rates of these three institutions together showed a continuous decrease over the analyzed time: the mortality rate dropped from 1.25 to 0.41 per 100,000 affiliates during 2004 and 2017, respectively (66.9% of change), and the hospitalization rate dropped from 2.19 to 0.39 per 100,000 affiliates (81.9% of change). All-cause in-hospital survival accounted for 89.6%. Older age groups and Ministry of Health hospitalizations were associated with higher all-cause in-hospital death rates. In conclusion, the mortality and hospitalizations rates found in this study reflect a decrease in the burden of HCV in Mexico.

Look Up, Look Out: Discrepant Stories from the Old Eighth Ward

ABSTRACT During the 2018–19 academic year, the author oversaw the research, writing, and production of the Look Up, Look Out project. This collaborative endeavor aims to help visitors and state workers understand the social history of the communities of the Old Eighth Ward, the neighborhood displaced by the Capitol Park expansion beginning in 1911. Telling this story presented the research team with several challenges, including competing narratives and the tension between history and memory, but resulted in a richer history of this important multicultural neighborhood in the heart of the commonwealth's capital.

The Impact of Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose Threshold Guidelines on Prescribed Dose in a Workers' Compensation Population.

Prescription opioid overdose has increased markedly and is of great concern among injured workers receiving workers' compensation insurance. Given the association between high daily dose of prescription opioids and negative health outcomes, state workers' compensation boards have disseminated Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (MEDD) guidelines to discourage high-dose opioid prescribing. To evaluate the impact of MEDD guidelines among workers' compensation claimants on prescribed opioid dose. Workers' compensation claims data, 2010-2013 from 2 guideline states and 3 control states were utilized. The study design was an interrupted time series with comparison states and average monthly MEDD was the primary outcome. Policy variables were specified to allow for both instantaneous and gradual effects and additional stratified analyses examined evaluated the policies separately for individuals with and without acute pain, cancer, and high-dose baseline use to determine whether policies were being targeted as intended. After adjusting for covariates, state fixed-effects, and time trends, policy implementation was associated with a 9.26 mg decrease in MEDD (95% confidence interval, -13.96 to -4.56). Decreases in MEDD also became more pronounced over time and were larger in groups targeted by the policies. Passage of workers' compensation MEDD guidelines was associated with decreases in prescribed opioid dose among injured workers. Disseminating MEDD guidelines to doctors who treat workers' compensation cases may address an important risk factor for opioid-related mortality, while still allowing for autonomy in practice. Further research is needed to determine whether MEDD policies influence prescribing behavior and patient outcomes in other populations.

Legal Reform and Struggles Against Precarity: The Case of State Workers' Early Retirement in Vietnam

This paper contributes to the literature on precarity in Asia by examining the way in which state law interacts with social, political, and ideological factors in shaping experiences of precarity. Different from studies of precarity that see law as a set of state regulations underpinning the precarious economic and political status of individual workers, this paper adopts a socially grounded view of law that incorporates workers' understandings of and engagements with state law in commonplace settings. It also adopts a view of precarity as a complex dynamic of social, legal, and political processes shaping and reproducing workers' experiences of insecurity and vulnerability at work, rather than a broad, identity-based category of non-standard and informal types of employment. Through an ethnographic study of former state workers' working experiences in Vietnam, this paper sheds light on different aspects of workers' collective and individual struggles against precarity and workplace injustice, and the role that law plays in these struggles. It argues that law contributes to reinforcing workers' precarious experiences, which are underpinned by the tension between their expectations grounded in the socialist era and the realities of workplace injustice and insecurity in a market economy.

High risk HPV infection prevalence and associated cofactors: a population-based study in female ISSSTE beneficiaries attending the HPV screening and early detection of cervical cancer program

BackgroundCervical cancer is the second cause leading of malignancy-related death among Mexican women. The present study determined the population-based prevalence of high risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and associated cofactors in female beneficiaries of the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) attending the Program for HPV Screening and Early Detection of Cervical Cancer and registered in the Women’s Cancer Detection System (SIDECAM).MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, cervical samples from 115,651 female users of the program for HPV screening and early detection of cervical cancer recruited in 23 ISSSTE care centers were analyzed for HR-HPV. Logistic regression analyses, adjusting for potential confounders, were performed to determine the association of HR-HPV infection with sexual health and behavior variables and with positivity to cervical premalignant lesions by cytology.ResultsThe overall prevalence of HR-HPV infection among female ISSSTE beneficiaries in the 2013–2015 period was 13%. A bivariate analysis of relevant variables for HR-HPV infection showed a statistically significant association for age, number of sexual partners, use of hormonal contraceptives and smoking. A statistical association was found between infection by HR-HPV with the use of hormonal contraceptives, number of sexual partners and smoking and association of HPV 16 and other non-16/18 HR-HPV infection with number of lifetime sexual partners and tobacco use adjusted for age, history of hormonal contraception, number of sexual partners and tobacco use with the exception of exposition variable itself. Similarly, an association was found between HR-HPV infection, regardless of the virus genotype, with positivity to cervical premalignant lesions adjusted for age, number of lifetime sexual partners, history of hormonal contraception and tobacco use.ConclusionsHR-HPV prevalence in female ISSSTE Women’s Cancer Program users is similar to the population-based prevalence previously reported in Mexican women without cervical alterations. The ISSSTE robust screening and early detection program, based on cytology studies and HPV co-testing, allows us to know the prevalence of HR-HPV infection among female users of the service.

Why does the adverse effect of inappropriate MRI for LBP vary by geographic location? An exploratory analysis

BackgroundEarly magnetic resonance imaging (eMRI) for nonspecific low back pain (LBP) not adherent to clinical guidelines is linked with prolonged work disability. Although the prevalence of eMRI for occupational LBP varies substantially among states, it is unknown whether the risk of prolonged disability associated with eMRI varies according to individual and area-level characteristics. The aim was to explore whether the known risk of increased length of disability (LOD) associated with eMRI scanning not adherent to guidelines for occupational LBP varies according to patient and area-level characteristics, and the potential reasons for any observed variations.MethodsA retrospective cohort of 59,360 LBP cases from 49 states, filed between 2002 and 2008, and examined LOD as the outcome. LBP cases with at least 1 day of work disability were identified by reviewing indemnity service records and medical bills using a comprehensive list of codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9) indicating LBP or nonspecific back pain, excluding medically complicated cases.ResultsWe found significant between-state variations in the negative impact of eMRI on LOD ranging from 3.4 days in Tennessee to 14.8 days in New Hampshire. Higher negative impact of eMRI on LOD was mainly associated with female gender, state workers’ compensation (WC) policy not limiting initial treating provider choice, higher state orthopedic surgeon density, and lower state MRI facility density.ConclusionState WC policies regulating selection of healthcare provider and structural factors affecting quality of medical care modify the impact of eMRI not adherent to guidelines. Targeted healthcare and work disability prevention interventions may improve work disability outcomes in patients with occupational LBP.

Interaksionisme Simbolik Aparatus Dan Pekerja Seks Di Bali

This article explores a form of symbolic interaction between the formal security apparatus of the State and sex workers in Bali. The study uses qualitative research methods with data collection methods for interviews and observations. Through this type of research traced the efforts of sex workers to communicate in order to negotiate their interests with the power represented by the local government security apparatus (apparatus). Sanders' (2001) and O'Neill's (2001) study shows sex workers are resistant to control. But in this capacity, sex workers have a communication style to negotiate activities with local state officials. Theory used symbolic interactionism from Blumer. In the field data obtained there are two types of meaning in symbolic interactions. Sex worker as a party spreading disease and violation of morality. Even this is used as building the meaning of the moral image of regional leaders. In this symbolic interaction meaning, sex workers with bureaucratic state apparatus are very dependent on social structures in society which depend on social status, involvement in sex trade organizations, and laws or policies related to the regulation of CSWs. Bali as a world tourism destination prioritizes the basic value of the development of cultural tourism and has never once declared it as sex tourism. It's just ironic that Bali is often used as a transit point for the existence of the trafficking industry before they depart overseas. Bali is used as the main transit of commercial sex workers in the women's trafficking network. Although in the interactionism the symbolic meaning of the repression of the state apparatus is still considered to manifest a patriarchal value system that provides more legal sanctions to service providers in this case sex workers, especially women, than their users, namely men.

Predatory purchasing practices in global apparel supply chains and the employment relations squeeze in the Indian garment export industry

AbstractWhile the literature has long acknowledged worker rights abuses in global apparel supply chains, less attention has been paid to the recent worsening of certain decent work deficits and its causes, which this article links to predatory purchasing practices arising from growing power asymmetries. These practices, illustrated here by the garment export industry in India, exert downward pressure on wages and incite non‐standard forms of employment and greater verbal and physical abuse as productivity demands rise. They can be addressed through pricing mechanisms that cover the cost of decent work, appropriate State regulation and worker involvement.

Místní lidové soudy jako fenomén doby v teorii a praxi

The article deals with the Local People’s Courts (LPC), which were the basic element of the judicial system of Czechoslovakia between 1961 and 1970. The aim of the article is to provide a basic probe into this institute both theoretically and practically. The LPC were a specific product of the early 1960s, when the theses on the victory of socialism and the transition to the higher stage of the social development of communism were proclaimed in Czechoslovakia. The LPC became significant signs of this development, as mixed bodies of state authorities and workers. After defining the historical and ideological reasons for the LPC, including a reference to their predecessors, the Comrades Courts, the article also deals with the legal regulation of these courts. Here is outlined the way they were set up, their composition, their jurisdiction and the procedure before them. After describing the legal framework of the LPC, there follows a list of the factual deficiencies of it such as uncertainty in a number of legal questions, the participation of a laic element only in decision-making and the inequality of the offenders in the LPC system. Part of the article captures the LPC periodical evaluation in the professional press as well as the authorities of the ruling Communist Party. The theoretical part is followed by the practical part, which is a probe into the life of one particular LPC (Shipyard, national company Mělník). This provides a comparison between theory and practice. Based on authentic archive materials, it provides insight into the decision-making practice and internal mechanisms of this court. The last part of the article is devoted to the abrogation of MLS and its reasons.

Make It So: Harnessing Technology to Provide Professional Development to Regional Museum Workers

Make It So: Harnessing Technology to Provide Professional Development to Regional Museum Workers

Solidarity in Three Acts: Narrating US black freedom movements in China, 1961–66

AbstractThe political campaigns and events that comprised the US civil rights movement, as well as the urban race riots that coloured the 1960s, garnered widespread public attention and press coverage within the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the years between the Sino-Soviet Split in 1961 and the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, China strove to substantiate its commitment to US black liberation in three key respects: consistent news reporting, sentimental receptions of visiting black activists, and local gatherings that publicized up-to-date information on US anti-racist struggles and featured ordinary citizens sharing notes of empathy. This multidimensional Chinese engagement of US black freedom struggles helped to cement both intra-national and international solidarities. The party state, its mouthpieces, and everyday students and workers echoed Mao Zedong's dictum that racial discrimination was a matter of class struggle. Embedded within their observations was a critical analysis of African American history and social movements in relationship to US capitalism. Their narrations of black resistance and Afro-Asian solidarity, while intimately bound up with nation-state interests, shed light on the intricate nexus of race, revolution, and international class struggle that defined the global Cold War.

Necesidad de políticas de salud pública en población adulta mayor: indicadores de envejecimiento en un Instituto de Seguridad Social en México

An integral diagnosis of population contemplates within its components the population demographic analysis that is indispensable in the formulation of public policies. Population policy has a clearly transversal nature, since all actions in the economic, social, political, cultural, geographical, and obviously, demographic fields, have direct or indirect repercussions on it. To determine the population dynamics and the global growth of the older adult population (OAP) of 60 years and more. Cross-sectional, retrospective study. The information was obtained from the statistical yearbooks of the institute of security and social services of state workers, Mexico (1999-2015). Several demographic ageing indicators were analyzed. There was a constant increase in percentage points in the proportion of OAP, index of ageing, demographic dependency ratio of old age, global index of dependence, index of dependence of old people, and index of the active population structure (6, 19.2, 15.5, 8.5, 8.2 and 31.2%, respectively). The indicator global index of dependence and masculinity showed a decrease (0.6 and 3.1%, respectively). Our data provide evidence that suggests modifying and generating public policies according to OAP.