Local Drug Use Epidemiology: Lessons Learned and Implications for Broader Comparisons

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 447-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Buxton ◽  
Azar Mehrabadi ◽  
Emma Preston ◽  
Andrew Tu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Current Concerns ◽  
Major Drug

The Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (CCENDU) Vancouver-site committee is comprised of representatives from national/provincial/local health and enforcement agencies. It collects, collates and interprets recent local data relating to major drug use to produce regular reports exploring Vancouver data with provincial and national comparisons. Meetings of committee members allow identification of current concerns, inform the data and broaden the context for the members. The seventh Vancouver site report since 1996 was published in July 2007. Data trends are explored with input from committee members; changes in data collection and definitions are clarified. The committee strives to share the knowledge with health authorities, policy makers, agencies and the public.

The Public Health Police

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Adherence To Treatment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities

As the HIV epidemic wore on in the 2000s, public health authorities became enamored with the idea of “ending AIDS.” That is, if they could just get HIV-positive people to take their pills and stop infecting other people. Health departments began to track HIV-positive clients more closely, aiming to control their behavior and ensure their adherence to treatment regimens. This chapter explores how local health authorities ensure that HIV-positive clients behave in a manner officials deem responsible—and how they catch and punish those who do not. While the state maintains that the work of local health officials is done solely in the interests of promoting public health, their efforts to control HIV-positive clients reveal that they are also engaged in policing and law enforcement.

scholarly journals The Economic Case for Electric Vehicles in Public Sector Fleets: An Italian Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romeo Danielis ◽  
Mariangela Scorrano ◽  
Marco Giansoldati ◽  
Stefano Alessandrini
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
The Public ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
Current Price

The paper investigates whether it makes economic sense to use electric vehicles (EVs) in the public sector fleet. Thanks to the data collected in 2018 in 77 public sector entities in an Italian region, Friuli Venezia Giulia, we compare the total cost of ownership of a battery electric vehicle with that of a similar internal combustion engine one. We provide estimates for four scenarios (status quo, social cost internalization, price discounts and a combination of the last two) for three groups of public entities (local health authorities, municipalities and special purpose authorities) regarding passenger cars and mixed-use small light commercial vehicles. We find that, with the current price and cost structure, it makes economic sense to adopt EVs for a positive although relatively small percentage of the public sector fleet.

scholarly journals PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT USING VOLUNTEERED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (VGI): CASE OF UAE

2015 ◽  
Vol II-2/W2 ◽  
pp. 241-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Yagoub
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Volunteered Geographic Information ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Social Media Tools

The number of smart phones that are supported by location facility like Global Positioning System (GPS), Camera and connected to the internet has increased sharply in UAE during the last five years. This increase offers a chance to capitalize on using these devices as resources for data collection, therefore reducing cost. In many cases specific events may happen in areas or at time where there may be no governmental departments to collect such unrepeated events. The current research will showcase various studies that had been conducted on Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) debating various aspects such as accuracy, legal issues, and privacy. This research will also integrate Geographic Information System (GIS), VGI, social media tools, data mining, and mobile technology to design a conceptual framework for promoting public participation in UAE. The data gathered through survey will be helpful in correlating various aspects of VGI. Since there are diverse views about these aspects, policy makers are left undecided in many countries about how to deal with VGI. The assessment of the UAE case will contribute to the age-long debate by examining the willingness of the public to participate. The result will show the public perception to be as sensors for data collection. Additionally, the potential of citizen involvement in the risk and disaster management process by providing voluntary data collected for VGI applications will also be explored in the paper.

Self-governing schools, parental choice, and the need to protect the public interest

2017 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward B. Fiske ◽  
Helen F. Ladd
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
School Choice ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Parental Choice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Voucher Programs ◽  
The U.S

As policy makers call for the dramatic expansion of school choice and voucher programs across the U.S., it becomes all the more important for educators and advocates to consider lessons learned in countries – such as the Netherlands, New Zealand, and England – that have already gone down this path. Efforts to promote choice and school self-governance have shown clear benefits for individual students and families, but they have had troubling consequences for the broader public.

scholarly journals 20 years of Portuguese drug policy - developments, challenges and the quest for human rights

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ximene RÊGO ◽  
Maria João OLIVEIRA ◽  
Catarina LAMEIRA ◽  
Olga S. CRUZ
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
The Public ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Drug Use Patterns

AbstractPortugal decriminalized the public and private use, acquisition, and possession of all drugs in 2000; adopting an approach focused on public health rather than public-order priorities. Arguing that the Portuguese Drug Policy Model has not proven influential enough to emancipate drug use from the stigma that associates it either with crime or pathology, this article critically discusses the developments and current challenges the Portuguese drug policy confronts, namely the growing diversity of drug use patterns observed in Portugal as well as in Europe. To this end, international and national legal instruments concerning drugs and official local data were analysed. Despite encouraging results, conclusions indicate that these policies are marked by contradictions and ambiguities that have permeated its history since the very beginning, and modest ambitions, particularly regarding the implementation of harm reduction measures. Moreover, the polemical Supreme Court judgment that reestablished, in 2008, drug use as a crime when the quantities at play exceeded those required for an average individual’s use for 10 days, might have impacted the landscape of drug use penalization. The last decade saw an increase of punitiveness targeted at drug users, including criminal sentences of jail terms. We finish with some suggestions that could be employed in the practical application of drug policy.

scholarly journals Implementation of good pharmacy practice standards; a step forward in Libya’s pharmacies

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-380
Author(s):  
Shukri M. Alsharif ◽  
◽  
Saadoun O. Elmezughi ◽  
Fathi M. Sherif ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Hospital ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
National Regulation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities ◽  
Pharmaceutical Practice

The practice of pharmacy in health care societies continues to undergo evolutionary and even radical changes. It has changed to a personal health service charged with assuring pharmaceutic and therapeutic appropriateness of all its functions in the care of patients. The purpose of this study is to review and analysis the historical stages of development of the good pharmaceutical practice (GPP) requirements and to recommend a guideline for the implementation of GPP standards in Libya as a way to improve the pharmaceutical care and profession. The study designates that the development of the GPP standards should be committed at the public professional organizations levels as pharmaceutical syndicates and associations as the national regulation of pharmacy practices in various countries and the local health authorities. This requires basic skills of documentation, professional and communication with all relative professions and it, therefore, is important to establish standards for community, hospital and consultant pharmacists to promote the pharmaceutical mission.

scholarly journals Development of the PHAST model: generating standard public health services data and evidence for decision-making

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty Bekemeier ◽  
Seungeun Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Local Health Department ◽  
Dissemination And Implementation ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Local Data ◽  
State And Local

Abstract Objective Standardized data regarding the distribution, quality, reach, and variation in public health services provided at the community level and in wide use across states and communities do not exist. This leaves a major gap in our nation’s understanding of the value of prevention activities and, in particular, the contributions of our government public health agencies charged with assuring community health promotion and protection. Public health and community leaders, therefore, are eager for accessible and comparable data regarding preventive services that can inform policy decisions about where to invest resources. Methods We used literature review and a practice-based approach, employing an iterative process to identify factors that facilitate data provision among public health practitioners. Results This paper describes the model, systematically developed by our research team and with input from practice partners, that guides our process toward maximizing the uptake and integration of these standardized measures into state and local data collection systems. Discussion The model we developed, using a dissemination and implementation science framework, is intended to foster greater interest in and accountability for data collection around local health department services and to facilitate spatial exploration and statistical analysis of local health department service distribution, change, and performance. Conclusion Our model is the first of its kind to thoroughly develop a means to guide research and practice in realizing the National Academy of Medicine’s recommendation for developing systems to measure and track state and local public health system contributions to population health.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on California farmworkers: Better local data collection and reporting will improve strategic response

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-898
Author(s):  
Edward Kissam
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Health System ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
System Response ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Providing the public with relevant and reliable statistical information about the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations is a crucial weapon in effective public health system response. This article examines the reporting challenges confronted by local public health agencies based on a case study of farmworker communities of the San Joaquin Valley, Eastern Coachella Valley, and Salinas Valley. The analysis includes a quantitative estimate of the impact COVID-19 has on farmworker households and highlights how socioeconomic factors and housing conditions give rise to health disparities. The importance of local data collection and reporting as the foundation for a national epidemiological tracking system is emphasized. Current shortcomings stemming from flawed national guidance and local political pressures are noted. The discussion includes detailed recommendation for improved reporting including: more systematic tabulations of available data, an expanded set of indicators to monitor public health system response, promising approaches to improve representativeness of test-derived data on COVID-19 by making it easier to access testing and support services, coupled with messaging to broaden farmworkers’ and other socio-politically marginalized populations’ willingness to seek testing. Understanding the challenges faced and lessons learned in the San Joaquin Valley region have practical implications for a wide range of countries.

Assessment of Sustainability for Small Municipalities

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Schmid ◽  
Andrew McGuire ◽  
Erin Fulton ◽  
Mark Archibald
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
Energy Flows ◽  
Common Unit ◽  
Emergy Accounting

A method for assessing sustainability of local regions and small municipalities is presented. Such a tool is needed as decisions made at the local level can have significant effects on the sustainability of a region when applied to multiple small municipalities. Quantitative and objective measures for evaluating regional sustainability should provide guidance and direction for improvement, and should help direct public policy. The ecological footprint method distills a complex system into a single parameter — the land area required to support the region under study. While this method provides a metric that is easily understood by both the public and policy makers, it is difficult to apply on the scale of many local municipalities. The method gives an overall indication of a region’s sustainability, but it can be difficult to determine specific actions that will lead to improvement, and hence has limited value as a guide to policy. The emergy accounting method is scalable and can indicate specific areas needing improvement. All energy flows are transformed into a common unit, the solar emjoule, allowing equitable assessment of sustainability within a system comprised of a broad spectrum of human, natural, and industrial resources and processes. Obtaining data for a study of any scale can be challenging; however, it is particularly so for small regions in which data may not be readily available. Adjustments in data collection methods appropriate to small regions and municipalities are evaluated. The adjusted method was applied to the analysis of a small rural municipality in western Pennsylvania. The study boundaries were defined by the borough limits — an area encompassing 2.7 square miles and 8300 residents. This study primarily treats data collection for an emergy accounting analysis of a small region. Full results of the analysis will be presented in a follow-up paper.

scholarly journals Translating Legal Research on Mental and Behavioral Health during Emergencies for the Public Health Workforce

2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (6_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lainie Rutkow ◽  
Jon S. Vernick ◽  
Natalie L. Semon ◽  
Artensie Flowers ◽  
Nicole A. Errett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Survey Responses

Translation strategies are critical for sharing research with public health practitioners. To disseminate our analyses of legal issues that arise relative to mental and behavioral health during emergencies, we created 10 brief translational tools for members of the public health workforce. In consultation with an interdisciplinary project advisory group (PAG), we identified each tool's topic and format. PAG members reviewed draft and final versions of the tools. We then worked with local health departments throughout the country to distribute the tools along with a brief survey to determine practitioners' perceived utility of the tools. Through survey responses, we learned that practitioners believed the tools provided information that would be useful during the planning, response, and recovery phases of an emergency. This article describes the creation of the PAG, the development of the tools, and lessons learned for those seeking to translate legal and ethical research findings for practitioner audiences.

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