Balancing public health and civil liberties in times of pandemic
AbstractThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic constitutes not only a danger for public health, but may also threaten civil liberties. Looking at the examples of recent events in Poland and Hungary, the authors argue that governments may misuse pandemic for their political advantage, thus endangering public health. Political decisions taken to stem the spread of pandemics should be limited and strictly proportionate to the situation. (Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - January 18, 2021 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Why protect civil liberties during a pandemic?
AbstractDuring a public health emergency, a government must balance public welfare, equity, individual rights, and democratic processes and norms. These goods may conflict. Although science has a role in informing wise policy, no empirical evidence or algorithm can determine how to balance competing goods under conditions of uncertainty. Especially in a crisis , it is crucial to have a broad and free conversation about public policy. Many countries are moving in the opposite direction. Sixty-one percent of governments have imposed at least some problematic restrictions on individual rights or democratic processes d...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - January 18, 2021 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Spatial access to health care: a case study on community health centers in Asmat District, Papua, Indonesia
AbstractIn recent decades, access to primary health care has become a crucial issue for health policy planners and researchers. One of the fundamental problems is inequitable access to health care due to imbalanced resource distributions between health care providers and population location. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the spatial access to Community Health Centers (CHC) in the Asmat district, one of the most isolated regions in Papua, Indonesia. We conducted the study using a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to quantify accessibility value to primary health care of each village in the district o...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - January 12, 2021 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Timeliness of childhood vaccinations in the Philippines
AbstractTimeliness of vaccinations is rarely part of monitoring in a routine immunization program. We reviewed infant immunization and conducted caregiver interviews in three regions in the Philippines from January to October 2016. We randomly selected thirty public health centers, one for each region. We defined timeliness of the receipt of antigen as within 4 weeks after the recommended age at vaccination. We assessed a total of 986 infants for timeliness of vaccination. The median age of receipt of vaccine was at 2.7 weeks (BCG), 10.1 weeks (Penta 1), and 21.7 weeks (Penta 3) compared to the recommended 0, 6, and 1...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - January 4, 2021 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Why are influenza vaccination coverage rates still too low among health care workers in a tertiary care children ’s hospital in Turkey?
AbstractAnnual influenza vaccination offers the best means to control and prevent influenza-associated illnesses. Vaccination of health care workers (HCWs) is crucial for reducing influenza-related morbidity and mortality, and health authorities recommend universal vaccination of this population. We evaluate the rates of influenza vaccination among HCWs and factors influencing uptake among health care professional groups in a children ’s hospital in Ankara, Turkey. We surveyed 108 HCWs using a self-administered questionnaire. Influenza vaccination coverage rates (VCR) among HCWs for at least one dose in their lifetimes w...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - December 10, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Preventing maternal mortality in the United States: lessons from California and policy recommendations
AbstractMaternal mortality remains a large concern in the United States (US), although other Western countries are making progress. In this scoping review, we identify four problems that may contribute to the maternal mortality burden in the US: inadequately investing in women ’s health, poor quality of care, increasing disparities, and poor data collection and monitoring of maternal health issues. Because maternal mortality is decreasing in California, we identify strategies implemented there that could improve maternal health outcomes nationwide: funding programs to a ddress social determinants of maternal health; supp...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - December 2, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
COVID-19, host response treatment, and the need for political leadership
AbstractHealth officials and scientists have warned that we face the threat of a potentially devastating influenza pandemic. Instead, we are now in the midst of a global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. National and international pandemic preparedness plans have focused on developing vaccines and antiviral treatments. Another way to confront the COVID-19 pandemic (and future pandemics) might be to treat patients with inexpensive and widely available generic drugs that target the host response to infection, not the virus itself. The feasibility of this idea was tested during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. This e...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - December 2, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Tuberculosis management in India during COVID-19 crisis
AbstractDuring the early months of the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, critical services in India for tuberculosis (TB) have been disrupted. India has one of the highest burdens of TB and requires continuity of critical TB care. Here, we highlight important points and approaches that can be used to guide navigation of the combined COVID-19 and TB crisis in India. (Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - November 24, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
The impact of public assistance on child mental health in Japan: results from A-CHILD study
This study aims to elucidate the impact of public assistance on child mental health. We used cross-sectional data on 6920 first graders from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study. We found children living in relative poverty had more behavioral problems, low resilience, and were likely to refuse to go to school. After propensity-score matching among low-income households, the likelihood of children refusing to go to school was larger in the families receiving assistance as compared to non-recipients (OR 4.00, 95% CI 0.85 –18.84) although there were no significant differences between recipien...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - October 28, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Leprosy in Nepal: a re-emerging threat
AbstractNepal has long been known as a leprosy endemic country. However, in 2010, the application of World Health Organization guidelines in Nepal led to the misleading determination that leprosy had been ‘eliminated’ there. This misnomer has contributed to the current situation in which leprosy is on the increase. A national active case finding program is urgently required. (Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - October 22, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
COVID-19 screening center models in South Korea
AbstractIn a recent report, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) introduced South Korea ’s measures to manage COVID-19 as role model for the world. Screening centers serve as frontiers for preventing community transmission of infectious diseases. COVID-19 screening centers in Korea operate 24 h a day, always open for individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. South Korea concentr ated COVID-19 screening centers around cities with high population density. Advanced screening centers (models C, D, and E) proved more effective and efficient in the prevention of COVID-19 than the traditional screening centers (models A ...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - October 21, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
The impact of COVID-19 in the healthcare workforce in Peru
(Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - October 6, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Application of state law in the public health emergency response to COVID-19: an example from Delaware in the United States
We describe the ways that Delaware responded through the interplay of public health, law, and government action, contrasting the state to others. We disc uss how evolution of this state’s public heath legal response to the pandemic can inform future disease outbreak policies. (Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - September 27, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Misalignment between coronavirus financial aid and public health policies: negative incentives for outpatient clinics in the United States
AbstractThe United States Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) led to creation of the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as an expansion of reimbursements for telemedicine. CARES Act drafters over emphasized maintaining employment and overlooked negative downstream effects the policies had on outpatient clinics. The misalignment between this financial aid package and public health policy is most apparent in the pressure administrators face to maintain clinic operations, without a transition plan to adopt telemedicine and associated best practices. If this continues, the result will be suboptimal...
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - September 24, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
The Federation ’s Pages
(Source: Journal of Public Health Policy)
Source: Journal of Public Health Policy - September 16, 2020 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
