Facilitators of Group Interventions Play a Vital Role in Reducing Drinking Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

Skilled facilitators of an alcohol intervention based on motivational interviewing are key to promoting safer drinking behaviors among young adults experiencing homelessness, a new study suggests. The study is the first to examine the effects of the group process on emerging adults’ drinking outcomes using several different measures of group dynamics. Some young adults experiencing homelessness can access services at drop-in centers, but interventions must be brief and feasible in resource-stretched environments. Previous studies of AWARE, an intervention based on motivational interviewing in a four-session group format, found reductions in drinking in this vulnerable population. It is not well understood, however, which aspects of the group experience—process, structure, and clinician behavior—contribute to these outcomes. Research points to the importance of change talk (e.g., “I’m quitting for the summer”), cohesion (group bonding), climate (group engagement and mutual support), and

ACP Recommends Ways to Better Meet the Health Care and Social Needs of Unhoused Populations

Policy action is needed to better meet the unique health challenges of persons experiencing homelessness and housing instability, says the American College of Physicians (ACP) in a new policy paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The paper underscores the need to address the underlying drivers of homelessness and makes recommendations about better meeting the health care needs of unhoused populations.

Study finds LA County pilot program to aid gravely disabled residents could improve housing, hospitalization rates

A UCLA Health-led evaluation of Los Angeles County’s pilot program aimed at bolstering aid to gravely disabled homeless residents found the initiative could offer a promising framework to improve housing and health outcomes for this vulnerable population while also relieving overburdened psychiatric hospitals.

AI can alert urban planners and policymakers to cities’ decay

As urbanization advances around the globe, the quality of the urban physical environment will become increasingly critical to human well-being and to sustainable development initiatives. However, measuring and tracking the quality of an urban environment, its evolution and its spatial disparities is difficult due to the amount of on-the-ground data needed to capture these patterns. To address this issue, Yong Suk Lee, assistant professor of technology, economy and global affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, and Andrea Vallebueno from Stanford University used machine learning to develop a scalable method to measure urban decay.

Homelessness, hospitals and mental health: Study shows impacts and costs

A new study that harnesses a new form of data on hospital patients’ housing status reveals vast differences in diagnoses between patients with and without housing issues who are admitted to hospitals. This includes a sharp divide in care for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Sociodemographic characteristics, inequities associated with access to in-person, remote elementary schooling during pandemic in New York State

What The Study Did: Among the few New York state public school districts providing full-time in-person elementary school instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, most districts served predominately white students, rural/suburban students and children who were not disadvantaged (children who were…

Symptoms of depression, anxiety among women experiencing homelessness/unstable housing during pandemic

What The Study Did: About half the women experiencing homelessness and unstable housing who were surveyed experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety or both during the pandemic and, in addition to unmet subsistence needs and social isolation, these symptoms were…

Sea-level rise may worsen existing Bay Area inequities

Rather than waiting for certainty in sea-level rise projections, policymakers can plan now for future coastal flooding by addressing existing inequities among the most vulnerable communities in flood zones, according to Stanford research. Using a methodology that incorporates socioeconomic data…

UHN announces first-in-Canada Social Medicine Modular Housing in Parkdale, in partnership with the City and United Way Greater Toronto

University Health Network (UHN) and the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, in partnership with the City of Toronto and United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT), are creating what is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, Social Medicine Supportive Housing site in Parkdale, Toronto.

UCLA/VA Center for Excellence for Veteran Resilience and Recovery in Homelessness and Behavioral Health to Sponsor May 27 Academic/Public Conference

Dr. Kenneth Wells, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, will collaborate with colleagues at UCLA and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to lead this week’s “Veteran Resilience and Recovery” conference at UCLA, created to focus on the veteran community, including addressing homelessness and behavioral health.

Blockchain as ‘TechQuity’: How tech solutions have the power to help the homeless

AUSTIN, Texas — For people experiencing homelessness, missing proof of identity can be a major barrier to receiving critical services, from housing to food assistance to health care. Physical documents such as driver’s licenses are highly susceptible to loss, theft…

Living for today: Exposure to disaster may cause impatience in children

Study finds that children who experienced housing loss in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake are more inclined to opt for short-term gratification Tokyo – Living through a tragic event might make us more inclined to live for the moment,…

Financial strain predicts future risk of homelessness and partly explains the effect of mental illness

Financial strains like debt or unemployment are significant risk factors for becoming homeless, and even help to explain increased risk of homelessness associated with severe mental illness, reports a study in a supplement to the April issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Implementation of recuperation unit, hospitalization rates among people experiencing homelessness with COVID-19

What The Study Did: Boston experienced a COVID-19 surge that disproportionately affected persons experiencing homelessness and a large safety-net hospital implemented a novel COVID-19 recuperation unit for these patients that provided isolation, quarantine and treatment for substance use. Researchers aimed…

Assessment of hotel-based COVID-19 isolation, quarantine strategy for people experiencing homelessness

What The Study Did: This study suggests that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a hotel- based isolation and quarantine strategy that delivers integrated medical and behavioral health support to people experiencing homelessness can be done safely outside the hospital setting. Authors:…

January 2021 highlights from AJPH

Highlights from January 2021 issue of AJPH. Better use of HIV prevention funds could substantially cut new infections; Study explores link between natural disasters, onset of headaches, digestive and back problems; Backpack medicine a promising way to reach people who are homeless during COVID-19; Successful contact tracing programs require a sustainable workforce

Study suggests increased risk of restraint use in black patients in the emergency setting

DES PLAINES, IL — A study published in the most recent issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), journal showed an increased risk of restraint use in Black patients compared with white patients in the emergency setting. The risk was not…

Six uOttawa COVID-19 mental health projects receive $1 million CIHR funding

Six University of Ottawa-affiliated projects focusing on COVID-19’s impact on mental health have won important funding grants totaling over $1 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Government of Canada’s Knowledge Synthesis Grant: COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding…