scholarly journals Learning from health information challenges in the Central African Republic: where documenting health and humanitarian needs requires fresh approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kuehne ◽  
Leslie Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Central African Republic ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health Indicator ◽  
Health Statistics ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Conflict Settings ◽  
Indicator Data ◽  
Frequent Measurement

AbstractThe Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries. Maybe there is no nation on the planet where the official health statistics are so poor. Evidence presented in this Conflict and Health themed collection to document humanitarian needs in CAR, suggests that UN statistics dramatically under-estimate the birth and death rates in conflict settings. To be current and valid, health indicator data in violent settings require more frequent measurement, more triangulation and granular exploration, and creative approaches based on few assumptions. In a world increasingly dependent on model driven data—data often inaccurate in conflict settings—we hope that this collection will allow those service providers and researchers operating in CAR to share their work and help us better learn how to learn. We particularly invite research from professionals working in CAR that documents humanitarian needs and presents indicators of population health where official estimates might not articulate the true extent of the health crisis.

The Theology of Emergency: Welfare Reform, US Foreign Aid and the Faith-Based Initiative

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Emergency Relief ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Social Authority ◽  
Sub Saharan

This article addresses the rise of faith-based emergency relief by examining the US President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR), a public health intervention focused on the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that the theological turn in humanitarian aid serves to amplify ongoing dynamics in the domestic politics of sub-Saharan African states, where social services have assumed the form of chronic emergency relief and religious organizations have come to play an increasingly prominent role in the provision of such services. In the context of an ongoing public health crisis, PEPFAR has institutionalized the social authority of the Pentecostal and charismatic churches, leading to a semantic confluence between the postcolonial politics of emergency and the Pentecostal/Pauline theology of kairos or event. Far from being confined to the space of foreign aid, however, the faith-based turn in humanitarianism is in keeping with ongoing reforms in domestic social policy in the United States. While on the one hand the sustained welfare programmes of the New Deal and Great Society have been dismantled in favour of a system of emergency relief, on the other hand the federal government has intensified its moral, pedagogical and punitive interventions into the lives of the poor. The wilful transfer of welfare services to overtly religious service providers has played a decisive role in this process. The article concludes with a critical appraisal of the links between African and North American Pentecostal-evangelical churches and questions the revolutionary mission ascribed to Pauline political theology in recent political theory.

Venezuela health crisis increases pressure on Maduro

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Inadequate Response ◽  
Health Minister ◽  
Health Statistics ◽  
Leadership Change ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Assistance

Significance The dismissal of Caporale, a gynaecologist by profession, followed a damning report on the scale of the health crisis in Venezuela, which was released on May 9 and provides data relating to 2016. Amid much data secrecy, the first official release of health statistics since July 2015 is welcome, but the appointment of the 16th health minister in 18 years -- and the eighth since Maduro took office in 2013 -- is an inadequate response. Impacts Ongoing anti-government protests will be sustained, with this latest release further aggravating popular grievance. Pressure for leadership change from within the PSUV will be stepped up. External assistance will be needed to tackle the health crisis.

scholarly journals Homelessness during COVID-19: Challenges, Responses, and Lessons Learned from Homeless Service Providers in Tippecanoe County, Indiana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia M. Rodriguez ◽  
Alexa M. Lahey ◽  
Justin J. MacNeill ◽  
Rebecca G. Martinez ◽  
Nina E. Teo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Community Based Organizations

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare some of the United States’ most devastating health and social inequities faced by people experiencing homelessness. Homeless populations experience disproportionate rates of underlying health conditions, stigma and marginalization that often disenfranchise them from health and social services, and living conditions that potentiate the risk of COVID-19 transmission and adverse outcomes. Methods: Guided by the socio-ecological model, this community-based participatory research study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis on people experiencing homelessness in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and the ways in which homeless service providers prepared for, experienced, and responded to the pandemic. Eighteen (18) semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of 15 community-based organizations, including shelters and other homeless service providers.Results: Qualitative content analysis revealed multilevel challenges and responses to COVID-19 impact mitigation in this community, including the implementation of diverse safety measures, policies and novel service delivery innovations.Conclusions: Community-based organizations, including homeless shelters, are uniquely qualified to inform pandemic response and disaster risk mitigation in order to respond appropriately to the specific needs of people experiencing homelessness. Many of the emergency measures put in place by homeless service providers in Tippecanoe County, Indiana created opportunities for innovative solutions to longstanding challenges faced by homeless populations that can inform better service delivery moving forward, long after the COVID-19 pandemic. The lessons learned and shared by homeless service providers on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic have important implications to improve future disaster response for homeless and other vulnerable populations.

Early warning signs of a mental health tsunami: Initial data insights from digital services providers during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Inkster ◽  
Ross O’Brien ◽  
Kate Niederhoffer ◽  
Niranja Bidargaddi ◽  
Roger S. McIntyre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital Services

BACKGROUND The immediate impact of COVID-19 on mortality and morbidity has demonstrated the need for accurate and real time data monitoring and communication. Displacements to healthcare systems and economies may have created the perfect storm for an impending and enduring mental health crisis. OBJECTIVE This project documents observations from multiple digital platforms during the COVID-19 crisis, especially digital mental health services. METHODS We used email and social media campaigns to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health service providers (N=44), financial services providers (N=5) and other relevant digital data source providers (N=3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative insights. RESULTS This study demonstrates the complexity of mental health concerns as witnessed by digital providers. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen. The nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, notably with an increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability of working with data insights from diverse digital services providers. We hope that these insights might help to form an epistemological foundation to stimulate future research. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from a wide variety of sources in order to monitor mental health needs.

Policy Note: Policy Responses to Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation Services During COVID-19: Snapshots from the Environment for Development (EfD) Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 2071002
Author(s):  
Ebele Amaechina ◽  
Anthony Amoah ◽  
Franklin Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Salome Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Edward Bbaale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Economic Shocks ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Access To Water

This policy note provides a snapshot of water and sanitation measures implemented by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 14 countries in the Global South: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam. We find that many countries have taken action to stop utility disconnections due to non-payment. With the exception of Ghana and Vietnam, few countries are instituting new water subsidy programs, and are instead choosing to defer customers’ bills for future payment, presumably when the pandemic recedes and households will be able to pay their bills. It is easier for the utilities’ COVID-relief policies to target customers with piped connections who regularly receive bills. However, the situation for unconnected households appears more dire. Some countries (e.g., Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda) are attempting to provide unconnected households temporary access to water, but these households remain the most vulnerable. This health crisis has accentuated the importance of strong governance structures and resilient water service providers for dealing with external health, environmental and economic shocks.

scholarly journals Collecting standardised urban health indicator data at an individual level for adults living in urban areas: methodology from EURO-URHIS 2

2016 ◽  
pp. ckv220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pope ◽  
Elisa Puzzolo ◽  
Christopher Birt ◽  
Joyeeta Guha ◽  
James Higgerson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Indicator ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Indicator Data

scholarly journals Homelessness during COVID-19: challenges, responses, and lessons learned from homeless service providers in Tippecanoe County, Indiana

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia M. Rodriguez ◽  
Alexa M. Lahey ◽  
Justin J. MacNeill ◽  
Rebecca G. Martinez ◽  
Nina E. Teo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Community Based Organizations

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare some of the United States’ most devastating health and social inequities faced by people experiencing homelessness. Homeless populations experience disproportionate rates of underlying health conditions, stigma and marginalization that often disenfranchise them from health and social services, and living conditions that potentiate the risk of COVID-19 transmission and adverse outcomes. Methods Guided by the socio-ecological model, this community-based participatory research study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis on people experiencing homelessness in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and the ways in which homeless service providers prepared for, experienced, and responded to the pandemic. Eighteen (18) semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of 15 community-based organizations, including shelters and other homeless service providers. Results Qualitative content analysis revealed myriad challenges at the individual and interpersonal levels faced by people experiencing homelessness as a result of the pandemic, and multilevel responses for COVID-19 impact mitigation in this community. Many of the emergency measures put in place by homeless service providers in Tippecanoe County, Indiana created opportunities for innovative solutions to longstanding challenges faced by homeless populations that are informing better service delivery moving forward, even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions Community-based organizations, including homeless shelters, are uniquely qualified to inform pandemic response and disaster risk mitigation in order to respond appropriately to the specific needs of people experiencing homelessness. The lessons learned and shared by homeless service providers on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic have important implications to improve future disaster response for homeless and other vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals Community Service Provider's Stories: COVID-19 Impacts and Vulnerable Canadians

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Nimo Bokore ◽  
Jillian Premachuk
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Life Challenges ◽  
Significant Life

In 2020 a global health pandemic began causing significant life challenges for most populations around the world. For vulnerable groups in Canada, like newcomers and refugees, the COVID19 global health crisis amplified pre-existing inequalities and barriers. Given the previous understandings of racial inequality in Canada, we began an online discussion with a group of social service providers to explore how newcomers and refugees are impacted by the social lockdowns, physical distance, and the closures of many services. As a result, we collected informative stories that tell how the pandemic disproportionately and distinctly impact newcomers and refugees, resulting in new challenges finding employment, access to educational services for their families, and maintaining an adequate social and spiritual connection. We also found out how community service provision drastically changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in additional challenges and barriers for marginalized communities.

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