Population Health Research Brief Series

COVID-19 Testing Rates are Lower in States with More Black and Poor Residents

April 1, 2020

Shannon M. Monnat and Kent Jason G. Cheng
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COVID-19 testing is essential to help reduce spread, strategically deliver treatment resources, and devise appropriate policy responses. There is already evidence that U.S. states with more confirmed infections (which can only be determined with testing) are more likely than their peer states with fewer confirmed cases to enact physical distancing protocols, thereby dramatically reducing travel and other mechanisms for virus spread. Resource constraints and different reactions by state governors have resulted in widespread testing variation across states.

Truly Promoting Diversity on College Campuses Means Supporting Persons in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders

March 31, 2020

Austin McNeill Brown
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Given high rates of alcohol use and the heavy drinking culture on most college campuses, students living in long-term recovery from substance use disorder are often an invisible population on college campuses nationwide. They are also an institutionally under-served population.

COVID-19 is a Major Risk to New York State’s Older Veterans

March 26, 2020

Mariah Brennan Nanni and Mary Helander
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The older adult veteran population is at high risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 mirror the population density of older veterans in New York State. Communities with large veterans populations, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, and NYC, have seen rapid increases confirmed cases of coronavirus.

New York State’s Older Adults in Assisted Living Facilities Need All of Us to Help Them Avoid the Coronavirus

March 25, 2020

Mary E. Helander and Claire Pendergrast
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There are 50,308 beds in licensed assisted living facilities¹ and 114,988 certified nursing home beds (with 90% average occupancy) in New York State.² Yet, assisted living facilities receive disproportionately less media coverage and policy attention than nursing homes with respect to coronavirus risks and consequences for older adults. Recent deaths in a Florida assisted living facility demonstrate that we need to be paying much more attention to coronavirus risks in these facilities.³

COVID-19 Cases are Clustered in Large Urban Hubs, but Rural Areas Surrounding those Hubs are Also Increasingly Affected

March 25, 2020

Yue Sun
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Figure-1.-Confirmed-Total-COVID-19-Cases-cases-per-100000-pop.-by-County

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 are not evenly distributed across the U.S. Thus far, confirmed cases are mainly clustered in the Mid-Atlantic region, Florida, along the West Coast, and in large central cities throughout the middle of the U.S.

Why Coronavirus Could Hit Rural Areas Harder

March 24, 2020

Shannon Monnat
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As rates of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and death continue to rise, it is important to consider how rural areas may be differentially affected. On the one hand, rural parts of the U.S. may be comparatively better off than urban places due to lower population density in rural areas. Lower population density reduces opportunities for virus spread. On the other hand, there are several features of rural populations and places that increase their risk of coronavirus-related mortality and other long-term health impacts.

Staying Safe and Healthy During Coronavirus Response: A Guide for Older Adults

March 23, 2020

Claire Pendergrast and Mary Helander
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Older adults are at greater risk for several reasons. Our immune function, or our bodies’ ability to fight off new infections like coronavirus, declines with age. In addition, people with chronic diseases have lower immune function, making it harder to ward off infections. Older adults are more likely to have chronic diseases than younger age groups. However, not all older adults experience the same level of risk from coronavirus. Those with more chronic conditions or those in the oldest age groups (in their 80s and 90s) are at greatest risk.²

Unhealthier States have Lower COVID-19 Testing Rates

March 23, 2020

Kent Jason G. Cheng
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Compared to many of our more developed peer countries, the U.S. has been slow to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There has also been significant variation in coronavirus response between U.S. states, including differential levels of testing.

Mobilization of the Substance Use Disorder Recovery Community in the time of Coronavirus

March 20, 2020

Austin McNeill Brown
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Recovery from substance use disorders (SUD) is mostly a relational process defined by improving interdependent relationships, prosocial growth, and quality of life improvements.[1,2] Recovery-affirmative social support – social groups that affirm one’s recovery identity – as well as supportive recovery institutions all play a central role in the recovery journey.[3] Continue Reading

As Schools Close due to the Coronavirus, Mental Health Care for Children Must be Protected

March 19, 2020

Xiaoyan Zhang
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Thirty-nine U.S. states have ordered school closures to help reduce the spread of the rapidly evolving infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 and to protect the vulnerable populations most at risk, including older adults and those with a underling health conditions.