Public Health – �鶹��Ƶ

Community-Led Organizations Combating Food Apartheid in Communities of Southeast San Diego

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:56:17 +0000

The San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition has partnered with the Sage Project at San Diego State University to evaluate three grassroots, community-based organizations addressing food and nutrition inequity in the neighborhoods of Southeast San Diego. Each organization was interested in evaluating objectives relevant to their specific programming, though common themes regarding accessibility, community awareness, acceptability, and affordability did emerge amongst all three. Additionally, the organizations were interested in gathering community perspectives to best inform improvements that could potentially be implemented within their programs in the future. This extensive report discusses the organizations’ current programming while evaluating their unique objectives and provides recommendations to aid each organization in their missions to serve their communities and help achieve their shared vision for equitable, food justice in Southeast San Diego. Data regarding community perceptions of the organizations’ programs and educational efforts, individual dietary habits, perceived barriers to access and better health outcomes, cost effectiveness, and suggestions for improvement were all collected from residents through the use of surveys and in-person interviews. A large majority of residents indicated the lack of access, limited produce options, lack of awareness of current programs, and expensive prices of food as main contributors to their poor health outcomes and limited frequency of consuming fruits and vegetables. Community-led organizations such as those discussed in this report are often the cornerstone for advocacy and positive change in communities that have endured historical injustices as a result of oppressive systems. By gathering feedback from community members and highlighting residents’ needs, said organizations are able to create comprehensive, informed interventions that are both effective and sustainable. Based on the current data collected, this report offers multiple, practical recommendations tailored to each organization’s individual objectives to create local, sustainable food systems which directly increase community access to high-quality, affordable foods and thereby improve health outcomes for all residents.

Decreasing substance use among LGBTQ youth in Milton by creating community safe spaces

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:12:21 +0000

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) youth face a number of health disparities, including increased mental health conditions and suicidal ideation and attempts (Russel & Fish, 2016), as well as behavioral risks such as substance use (Talley et al., 2014). The LGBTQ community makes up 4% of the total population of Wisconsin (Williams Institute, 2016). In the City of Milton, these health disparities are particularly prevalent due to the marginalization of LGBTQ youth in this community. Environmental factors such as easily accessible alcohol at events, liquor stores, and households as well as the drinking culture in Milton also facilitate youth alcohol use.

Previous work has focused on the risk factors that contribute to this health disparity. This proposal will emphasize the protective factors of identifying supportive adults and creating safe spaces as effective methods to address this disproportionate burden of substance use. Specifically, this proposal will focus on three evidence-based interventions for reducing substance use among LGBTQ youth in Milton: 1) designation of safe spaces for LGBTQ youth
in communities, 2) an increase in community events focused on youth inclusivity, and 3) an initiative to identify and educate supportive adults in community settings.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Designing public health solutions to connect refugees to viable employment

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:45:40 +0000

The Wausau area is currently home to approximately 180 refugees settled during the last two years. The increasing influx of refugees face significant barriers to successful integration into the community. The ECDC Multicultural Center (ECDC) has identified some of the top barriers as inaccessible transportation, language barriers, and inability to secure employment with income able to support their families. The focus of our project is to propose interventions aimed at addressing these barriers based on interventions that have been successfully implemented in comparable communities,
identify barriers to employment from the perspectives of both refugees and employers, and design interventions to connect refugees to viable employment.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Improving micro-mobility in the City of Marinette

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:34:36 +0000

According to surveys from “The City of Marinette Outdoor Recreation Plan” created by Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission over half of surveyed residents of Marinette have expressed interest in improving the micro-mobility climate around the city. Micro-mobility for this project is defined as any form of transportation that could be used as an alternative to high carbon emission forms of transportation and will benefit individual health outcomes through an increase in physical activity. Examples of this might include biking, e-biking, walking, scootering, e-scootering, roller blading, skateboarding, etcetera. Concerns and desires from the city and its residents included safety issues, a lack of infrastructure or degraded infrastructure, and the community’s interest in improving the useability, functionality, and overall culture surrounding micro-mobility implementation. We understand that the city is taking a variety of routes to address community concerns in regard to infrastructure and community mindsets. However to fully ensure that community members utilize the resources being developed and implemented a multifaceted approach must be used to ensure all needs are met. This is why a three-prong approach has been developed to ensure our proposal is both equitable and accessible for high engagement and retention. Our work aims to address this by combining small scale infrastructure and safety improvement proposals in conjunction with community and organizational awareness and utilization initiatives to improve the overall climate surrounding micro-mobility in Marinette and to provide a foundation for future growth opportunities. Products will include small toolkits that address each of these three areas of interest. These toolkits will include surveys, infographics, and literature on the benefits and interest in micro-mobility programs.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Implementing a railroad quiet zone to improve community health in Marinette

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:32:54 +0000

Multiple studies have shown a relationship between railway noise and various health impacts, such as increased diastolic blood pressure, poor sleep quality, and increased incidence of certain childhood cancers.1 2 The City of Marinette, Wisconsin, located in Marinette County, has multiple railways in their city and train whistles that sound between 96-110 dBs have been reported as a cause for noise pollution that impacts daily lives, disrupting people’s health and quality of life. According to the 2023 Wisconsin County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, the county of Marinette is ranked amongst the worst in preventable health outcomes in comparison to the rest of the state, leaving residents more vulnerable to the adverse effects of railway noise.4 Due to these factors, establishing a Quiet Zone (QZ) in Marinette is an attractive solution to improve health and quality of life for residents.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Improving housing options for the next generation of Marinette residents

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:22:51 +0000

Between 2010 and 2021, the city of Marinette, Wisconsin realized a 2% increase in the proportion of the population in the workforce (US Census Bureau, 2019). Of the 10,701 people who work in Marinette, about 75 percent (8,063 people) commute into the city from other areas such as Menominee and Peshtigo (Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission, 2021). Unfortunately, the current housing situation in Marinette is not equipped to support this growth
and is evident in the fact that many employees reside outside of the city in other areas. With workers residing outside of Marinette, they experience longer commute times that are associated with a decrease in health and life satisfaction while increasing stress levels. Additionally, residing in the community in which one lives improves the quality of life by allowing more time for friends, family, and leisure activities as well as improving community connectedness. Marinette leaders aim to explore ways to make their city more attractive so commuters choose to reside locally. Improving the housing options in the area was identified as an area of exploration given that Marinette’s current housing is outdated, expensive, and scarce. The Mayor’s office is leading a variety of efforts toward increasing the variety of housing options and needs support gathering data to learn just how large the need is for improved housing availability. To address this, our proposal identifies three evidence-based approaches aimed at improving the housing situation for the employees of Marinette: 1) Create a survey for employees of Marinette Marine and the top 10 employers about their attitudes toward and needs for Marinette housing; 2) Collect data on 1: barriers to accessing housing in Marinette, 2: aspects of Marinette that attract residents, and 3) Create an infographic describing health benefits of employees living in the community targeted to employers.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Mapping and reviewing St. Croix County Jail health care policies for inmates

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:18:08 +0000

This project reviewed St. Croix County Jail policies related to access to health care, emergency health scare, medical screening, mental health services, and suicide prevention and intervention and offered recommendations to improve the health and wellbeing of those housed in the facility. UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu [...]

Reviewing Carceral Health Care Obligations in Wisconsin

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:16:29 +0000

In the landmark case, Estelle v Gamble (1976), the right of health care for inmates was established (Rosenfeld, 2016). In this case, Gamble, the inmate, was injured while working for the prison. He was not given adequate treatment which then led to further complications. This case argued that the lack of
health care for Gamble was cruel and unusual punishment. Part of this argument was that the prison knew of Gamble’s condition and had “deliberate indifference” towards it. It is this deliberate indifference that was an offense to the eighth amendment, and what solidified the right of health care
for inmates. It is important to note that the prisons are held to the standards of adequate health care for severe conditions. This leaves a lot to the discretion of each correctional facility.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Creating a sober living facility for women involved in the justice system in St. Croix County

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 21:00:03 +0000

National data has shown that sober living facilities can aid in promoting recovery for women with co-occurring domestic violence and substance-use disorders using tangible resource attainment (e.g., food, clothing, shelter) and emotional support (Edwards et al., 2017). A community assessment conducted by the Community Justice Collaborating Council (CJCC) of St. Croix County has identified a need for a sober living facility for justice-involved women in
this county. Our group’s aim is to identify and communicate best practices in creating a sober living facility to support the CJCC’s implementation of this project in an evidence-based fashion. Best practices discussed include location selection for housing, integration of social services within housing, and optimal length of stay to support sustained recovery.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Improving wraparound substance use treatment for St. Croix County treatment court participants

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 20:44:02 +0000

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major public health concern in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. Last year, there were 419 emergency room visits related to chronic alcohol use (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2022a), and 22 visits related to opioid overdose (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2022b). According to St. Croix County’s treatment court coordinator, at any given time, 20–25 residents of St. Croix County are participating in the treatment court program, an alternative justice pathway that aims to connect justice-involved individuals with substance use treatment. Access to clinically appropriate treatment services is a predictor of successful completion of a treatment court program, but in St. Croix County, residential treatment access remains a problem. St. Croix County partners with three residential treatment facilities in nearby counties, but individuals often must wait for a bed at one of these facilities or travel several hours to Eastern Wisconsin for residential treatment. This proposal recommends three interventions to improve timely access to effective wraparound treatment for St. Croix County treatment court participants.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu