Population Health Research Brief Series
Launched in February 2019, our Population Health Research Brief Series describes findings from recent population health research conducted by our Center affiliates and presents our experts’ perspectives on pressing population health issues affecting us locally, regionally, and nationally. The series specifically focuses on social, spatial, and structural determinants of physical, mental, and behavioral health. Sign up for the Population Health Research Brief Series here.
Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging
The Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA) facilitates innovative research on the multilevel and multidimensional exposures shaping and being shaped by health and aging trends among different rural populations and regions in the United States. The network is funded by the National Institute on Aging (R24-AG065159).
INRPHA has five key priority areas:
- Identify trends and disparities in middle-age and older adult health and well-being across different types of rural areas and among different vulnerable populations within rural areas and identify mechanisms driving these trends and disparities.
- Identify the implications (e.g., social, economic, political, and infrastructural) of population health and aging trends in rural areas.
- Identify relationships between economic livelihood strategies, economic well-being, and health among middle- and older-age adults in rural America.
- Identify the contributions of physical and/or social isolation on physical, mental, and cognitive health and healthy aging in different rural areas.
- Identify where and how exposures to environmental change and/or climate hazards have affected rural middle-age and older populations
More information can be found here: https://sites.psu.edu/inrpha/.
Mother Cabrini Grant: Implementing and Evaluating the Efficacy of a New Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Plan of Safe Care
The project aims to increase health provider education surrounding the successful development of Plans of Safe Care (POSC) for mothers with addiction and babies who were exposed to opioids prior to birth. The project has two components: 1) Develop and provide educational workshops that will target healthcare providers most likely to work with mothers in need of developing a plan of safe care, including clinicians, therapists/counselors, social workers, community health works, and addiction treatment specialists. The workshops will educate these individuals on the legal mandates of POSC, how to appropriately and thoroughly develop a plan, and guide them toward referrals sources, and 2) collect hospital level data related to the implementation of POSC and analyze the fidelity with which they are being completed. This will allow partner agencies and hospitals across Onondaga County and New York State to develop policies and practices that best meet the needs of women, babies, and their families. Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion is the Principal Investigator. Alexandra Punch, the Associate Director of the Lerner Center, is a Co-Investigator on this project.
Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant: New York Opioid Court Treatment Enhancement Project
The New York Opioid Court Treatment Enhancement Project – will enhance and evaluate substance abuse treatment and recovery support service systems treating individuals with opioid use disorders (OUDs) participating in geographically diverse Opioid Courts in the State of New York. The aim is to expand treatment and recovery supportive services to individuals with OUDs in Opioid Courts the moment they enter the criminal justice system. Opioid Courts operate in a pre-adjudication model at a unique opportunity for intervention. This is the point of initial detention and first court appearance prior to plea or entry into a therapeutic court. The project seeks to provide a full continuum of specialized services to Opioid Court participants and to evaluate best practices for serving this population. We will develop and implement a comprehensive plan to reduce the risk of overdose death and to provide enhanced treatment and recovery service engagement in the pretrial OUD population. This includes cognitive behavioral treatments and recovery supportive services and supporting the immediate transition to community-based services once released from custody. This project includes partnerships with the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS) New York State Unified Court System (UCS) and the Center for Court Innovation. The Lerner Center and Maxwell X-Lab will serve as the research partners for this project to enhance and to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and recovery supportive services designed specifically for Opioid Court participants.
National Well-being Survey
Over the past several months, our team has been identifying community needs surrounding well-being. In the preliminary stages, we conducted an expansive literature review on social determinants of health. Now, we are developing a comprehensive survey based on validated measures to assess individual’s perceptions of his or her overall well-being. We will use the results of the survey to inform the creation of a new Healthy Monday initiative.