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Background Poor nutrition remains a significant public health concern that is often managed within primary care settings. Meanwhile, to our knowledge, there have been few studies that evaluate the intent of primary care providers to offer nutrition services, nor what type of exchanges they engage in to ensure those programs can be implemented. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 primary care providers and support staff. Grounded theory analysis was utilized to identify themes and to develop a theoretical model of primary care nutrition program implementation. Results Three themes were identified. Patients approached primary care organizations with complex health beliefs, health severity, and barriers to care (theme 1). Providers and support staff responded by providing services that fit into existing organizational constraints, especially constraints related to workflow/time with patient, space and billing (theme 2). Providers see community as a major cue to action among patients but are unsure of the role of primary care (theme 3). Conclusions Provider respondents found that implementing nutrition programs in primary care settings is difficult and that effective interventions for nutrition within health settings are limited without community-based partnerships and programming. Additional research is needed to measure existing community ties and how such ties could improve patient nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injury is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Injury prevention (IP) initiatives are often created in isolation from the communities most affected. We hypothesized that the use of a comprehensive approach to injury prevention through community partnerships will result in a measurable reduction in pediatric injuries. The IP program at our free-standing level 1 pediatric trauma center developed partnerships within eight targeted high-risk communities. IP coordinators and community partners implemented programs driven by community-specific injury data and community input. Programs focused on home, bike, playground, pedestrian, and child passenger safety. Program components included in–home education with free safety equipment and installation; free bike helmet fittings and distribution; community playground builds; and car seat classes with education, free car seat distribution and installation. Using trauma registry data, we compared injuries rates in targeted communities with non-intervention communities county-wide over an eight-year period. Between 2012 and 2019, nearly 4000 families received home safety equipment and education through community partnerships. Approximately 2000 bike helmets, 900 car/booster seats, in addition to safety messages and education were provided across the intervention communities. Over this 8-year time period, the injury rates significantly decreased by 28.4%, across the eight targeted high-risk communities, compared to a 10.9% reduction in non-intervention communities across the county. Effective injury prevention can be achieved through partnerships, working in solidarity with community members to address actual areas of concern to them. Sharing data, seeking ongoing community input, continuously reviewing learnings, and implementing identified changes are crucial to the success of such partnerships. Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This national study included a quantitative inquiry regarding the impact of COVID-19 on service-learning from 207 participants representing community partner organizations (n = 145) and higher education institutions (n = 62). Community partners reported a decreased number of students engaged in service-learning after the outbreak of COVID-19. Response patterns emerged between community partners and higher education participant groups. The perceived helpfulness of servicelearning for student success and fostering relationships differed statistically among the partner types--higher education participants rated these higher than community partners. Reasons for participating varied among partner types, and community partners identified volunteer procurement among the most helpful support higher education offers beyond service-learning. Changing policies, wearing masks, and virtual communication were cited as main adaptations to COVID-19 but prioritized differently among partners. This study uncovered the emerging and varied perspectives of higher education and community partners regarding service-learning at this significant time in history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater surveillance offers a rapid evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. We describe how a community group, the Yarmouth Wastewater Testing Team (YWTT), in Yarmouth, Maine, (population 8,990) utilized an asset-based community design framework to organize and manage a program to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. From September 22, 2020 through June 8, 2021, the YWTT disseminated weekly reports of the wastewater results and reported COVID-19 cases within the Yarmouth postal code. After high and increasing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, the YWTT issued two community advisories to encourage extra care to reduce exposure. Correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations and COVID-19 cases were stronger the week after sampling, and the average of the COVID-19 cases during the week of sampling and the following week, indicating that surveillance provided advance notice of cases. A 10% increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations was associated with a 13.29% increase in the average number of weekly reported cases of COVID-19 during the week of sampling and the following week (R2 = 0.42; p < 0.001). Adjusting for viral recovery (December 21, 2020 through June 8, 2021), improved R2 from 0.60 to 0.68. Wastewater surveillance was an effective tool for the YWTT to quickly respond to viral transmission. HIGHLIGHTS Community organizations can successfully design wastewater surveillance programs.; Weekly wastewater surveillance correlates to weekly reported COVID-19 cases.; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations are best correlated to cases the same week and the following week.; Adjusting for viral recovery increased the fit of linear regression by 8%.; Community-based initiatives can effectively respond to an increased viral transmission.;

Hybrid environments and remote work are shifting how employees in more sedentary positions work during the day and how employers can offer opportunities for employees to be physically active. Additionally, organizations with a higher proportion of employees working from home reported their physical work environment to be less likely to support physical activity by providing amenities such as onsite fitness centers, walking trails, and standing desks.[20] A person's employment industry determines how and when they work. Keywords: physical activity; exercise; workplace wellness; workplace physical activity; remote work; technology; activity tracking; exercise is medicine; community partnerships EN physical activity exercise workplace wellness workplace physical activity remote work technology activity tracking exercise is medicine community partnerships 723 730 8 06/06/23 20230601 NES 230601 Introduction How and where we do our work is changing in the United States across industry, government, and non-profit sectors. These employees may get more of their physical activity at work (ie, occupational physical activity) vs in leisure time, so workplace health promotion programs should prioritize the safety of their physical activity and adjust for other health and well-being priorities like work-life balance. [Extracted from the article]

Research participation is an important component of advancing whole health and eliminating health disparities, especially in communities facing environmental justice (EJ) issues. Though federally mandated, recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities can be a daunting task and recruitment of children an even greater challenge. A range of typical recruitment strategies (printed materials, word of mouth, broadcast etc.) for those of ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds have exhibited only limited to modest success, depending on the community being served and the type of engagement. To date, there has been only limited assessment of the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) theatre as a culturally relevant recruitment strategy. The ENRRICH Railyard Study used CBPR theatre to engage an underserved EJ community, and to assess the health impact of residential proximity to a major freight railyard. The railyard community is comprised of primarily low-income Hispanic families. To promote participation, a CBPR theatre play - a partnership between a communitybased organisation (CBO) and a university institution - was produced, from design to production, at two elementary schools. Following the play, parental consents and surveys were sent home. The response was immediate and one of the largest to date - 74 percent of children participated in the study. The CBPR theatre, university and CBO partnership provided an opportunity to engage underserved minority children and their parents, thus encouraging participation and facilitating education on respiratory health and the environment. This article includes experiences and lessons learned from using CBPR theatre to encourage study participation, critical for promoting sustainable change in an EJ community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elements of charrette planning were employed to develop and examine the relationship between transnationalism, culture and health. Objective: This paper describes the partnership, the first two stages of the planning charrette and lessons learned. Methods: During charrette planning phase 1 we collected data through social network interviews (n = 58), cultural conversations (n = 88), and photovoice (n = 9). In the second phase we performed five charrette planning meetings. Data were synthesized by the planning team. Lessons Learned: The issue centered focus facilitated trust among partners. The holistic, iterative process to planning and interpreting preliminary data provided a deeper understanding of the issues under investigation. Community partners at the table held us accountable to the communities we were studying and infused an undercurrent of social justice in our work. Conclusions: There are advantages in employing a community engaged transdisciplinary team-based approach to the study of transnationalism, culture and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achieving early and sustained viral suppression (VS) following diagnosis of HIV infection is critical to improving outcomes for persons with HIV (PWH). The Deep South of the United States (US) is a region that is disproportionately impacted by the domestic HIV epidemic. Time to VS, defined as time from diagnosis to initial VS, is substantially longer in the South than other regions of the US. We describe the development and implementation of a distributed data network between an academic institution and state health departments to investigate variation in time to VS in the Deep South. Methods: Representatives of state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the academic partner met to establish core objectives and procedures at the beginning of the project. Importantly, this project used the CDC-developed Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) through a distributed data network model that maintained the confidentiality and integrity of the data. Software programs to build datasets and calculate time to VS were written by the academic partner and shared with each public health partner. To develop spatial elements of the eHARS data, health departments geocoded residential addresses of each newly diagnosed individual in eHARS between 2012–2019, supported by the academic partner. Health departments conducted all analyses within their own systems. Aggregate results were combined across states using meta-analysis techniques. Additionally, we created a synthetic eHARS data set for code development and testing. Results: The collaborative structure and distributed data network have allowed us to refine the study questions and analytic plans to conduct investigations into variation in time to VS for both research and public health practice. Additionally, a synthetic eHARS data set has been created and is publicly available for researchers and public health practitioners. Conclusions: These efforts have leveraged the practice expertise and surveillance data within state health departments and the analytic and methodologic expertise of the academic partner. This study could serve as an illustrative example of effective collaboration between academic institutions and public health agencies and provides resources to facilitate future use of the US HIV surveillance system for research and public health practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a problem common in newborns exposed to substances in-utero, is an emerging health concern. In traditional models of care, infants with NAS are routinely separated from their mothers and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with long, expensive length of stay (LOS). Research shows a rooming-in approach (keeping mothers and infants together in hospital) with referral support is a safe and effective model of care in managing NAS. The model's key components are facilitating 24-h care by mothers on post-partum or pediatric units with support for breastfeeding, transition home, and access to Opioid Dependency Programs (ODP). This study will implement the rooming-in approach at eight hospitals across one Canadian Province; support practice and culture shift; identify and test the essential elements for effective implementation; and assess the implementation's impact/outcomes. Methods: A stepped wedge cluster randomized trial will be used to evaluate the implementation of an evidence-based rooming-in approach in the postpartum period for infants born to mothers who report opioid use during pregnancy. Baseline data will be collected and compared to post-implementation data. Six-month assessment of maternal and child health and an economic evaluation of cost savings will be conducted. Additionally, barriers and facilitators of the rooming-in model of care within the unique context of each site and across sites will be explored pre-, during, and post-implementation using theory-informed surveys, interviews, and focus groups with care teams and parents. A formative evaluation will examine the complex contextual factors and conditions that influence readiness and sustainability and inform the design of tailored interventions to facilitate capacity building for effective implementation. Discussion: The primary expected outcome is reduced NICU LOS. Secondary expected outcomes include decreased rates of pharmacological management of NAS and child apprehension, increased maternal ODP participation, and improved 6-month outcomes for mothers and infants. Moreover, the NASCENT program will generate the detailed, multi-site evidence needed to accelerate the uptake, scale, and spread of this evidence-based intervention throughout Alberta, leading to more appropriate and effective care and use of healthcare resources. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0522662. Registered February 4th, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urban and rural areas have different types of built environments and community infrastructure, which lead to different types of successful community-based physical activity initiatives. Temporary Play Streets are a supported way to increase physical activity and perceptions of the built environment as a space for active lifestyles. Purpose: Within the field of public health, public libraries constitute an underutilized community partner. To begin to understand the capacity of rural librarians to support rural Play Streets, a cross-sectional questionnaire was developed for distribution to rural librarians. Methods: The sampling frame targeted members of the membership-based U.S. Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). Among respondents, 65% reported offering outdoor physical activity programs in the past, and 61% reported continuing to offer versions of this programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Librarians work with a broad range of community partners on this programming, and already own much of the equipment necessary for a successful Play Streets initiative. Conclusions: The results of this study corroborate claims from previous research, which shows that in small and rural communities, public libraries have the capacity to play a role in promoting physical activity through involvement in community partnerships. Additional work is needed to understand, evaluate, and support this opportunity to weave rural librarians into community-based physical activity promotion efforts more fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe the planning and implementation of a survivor-informed medical home for child trafficking survivors. Key partnerships necessary for establishing clinical infrastructure are highlighted. The trauma-informed clinical practices are described in detail. An overview of next steps for evaluation of this clinical program is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineers are crucial to solving the world's most pressing challenges, but they cannot do it alone. Creating new and more just systems that support people and planet requires that engineers learn to engage with diverse stakeholders as equal partners. This article shares how the Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) initiative at the Georgia Institute of Technology has been introducing new approaches to problem-solving into engineering and technology-focused education to better prepare students to address the sustainability challenges of our moment, in collaboration with community partners, especially those from historically marginalized communities of color. To do this, SLS focuses on de-centering academic expertise and positioning community partners as experts, innovators, and co-educators. The activities and impacts described here, including course-based collaborations with community partners and co-curricular social innovation programs, have implications for other higher education institutions that recognize the importance of partnering with communities to prepare students to use their education to effect change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP) is a network of organizations that serve residents of East Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ETHP is a newly formed integrated model of care in which hospital, primary care, community providers and patients/ families work together to improve population health. We describe and evaluate the evolution of this emerging integrated care system as it responded to a global health crisis. Description: This paper begins by describing ETHP’s pandemic response mapping out over two years of data. To evaluate the response, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 decision makers, clinicians, staff, and volunteers who were part of the response. The interviews were thematically analyzed, and emergent themes mapped onto the nine pillars of integrated care. Discussion: The ETHP pandemic response evolved rapidly. Early siloed responses gave way to collaborative efforts and equity emerged as a central priority. New alliances formed, resources were shared, leaders emerged, and community members stepped forward to contribute. Interviewees identified positives as well as many opportunities for improvement post-pandemic. Conclusion: The pandemic was a catalyst for change in East Toronto that accelerated existing initiatives to achieve integrated care. The East Toronto experience may serve as a useful guide for other emerging integrated care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Implementation science has grown rapidly as a discipline over the past two decades. An examination of how publication patterns and other scholarly activities of implementation scientists are weighted in the tenure and promotion process is needed given the unique and applied focus of the field. Methods We surveyed implementation scientists (mostly from the USA) to understand their perspectives on the following matters: (1) factors weighted in tenure and promotion for implementation scientists, (2) how important these factors are for success as an implementation scientist, (3) how impact is defined for implementation scientists, (4) top journals in implementation science, and (5) how these journals are perceived with regard to their prestige. We calculated univariate descriptive statistics for all quantitative data, and we used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare the participants’ ratings of various factors. We analyzed open-ended qualitative responses using content analysis. Results One hundred thirty-two implementation scientists completed the survey (response rate = 28.9%). Four factors were rated as more important for tenure and promotion decisions: number of publications, quality of publication outlets, success in obtaining external funding, and record of excellence in teaching. Six factors were rated as more important for overall success as an implementation scientist: presentations at professional meetings, involvement in professional service, impact of the implementation scientist’s scholarship on the local community and/or state, impact of the implementation scientist’s scholarship on the research community, the number and quality of the implementation scientist’s community partnerships, and the implementation scientist’s ability to disseminate their work to non-research audiences. Participants most frequently defined and described impact as changing practice and/or policy. This expert cohort identified Implementation Science as the top journal in the field. Conclusions Overall, there was a significant mismatch between the factors experts identified as being important to academic success (e.g., tenure and promotion) and the factors needed to be a successful implementation scientist. Findings have important implications for capacity building, although they are largely reflective of the promotion and tenure process in the USA.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced P–12 schools to temporarily transition to online learning, it exacerbated the already deep-seated educational inequities in communities across the United States. Employing a grounded theory approach, this paper explores how educators and community stakeholders created a free full-time volunteer-led K–2 learning pod for historically underserved students. The authors discuss the opportunities and challenges experienced in the pod’s implementation, as well as lessons for these types of university-community partnerships. The findings of the study reveal the potential of equity-focused collaborations that accept risk, occupy uncomfortable liminal spaces, and leverage informal networks and relationships to build trusting and authentic community partnerships. The paper concludes with a call to reimagine the parameters of university-community engagement in times of crisis.

Research participation is an important component of advancing whole health and eliminating health disparities, especially in communities facing environmental justice (EJ) issues. Though federally mandated, recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities can be a daunting task and recruitment of children an even greater challenge. A range of typical recruitment strategies (printed materials, word of mouth, broadcast etc.) for those of ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds have exhibited only limited to modest success, depending on the community being served and the type of engagement. To date, there has been only limited assessment of the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) theatre as a culturally relevant recruitment strategy. The ENRRICH Railyard Study used CBPR theatre to engage an underserved EJ community, and to assess the health impact of residential proximity to a major freight railyard. The railyard community is comprised of primarily low-income Hispanic families. To promote participation, a CBPR theatre play – a partnership between a community- based organisation (CBO) and a university institution – was produced, from design to production, at two elementary schools. Following the play, parental consents and surveys were sent home. The response was immediate and one of the largest to date – 74 percent of children participated in the study. The CBPR theatre, university and CBO partnership provided an opportunity to engage under- served minority children and their parents, thus encouraging participation and facilitating education on respiratory health and the environment. This article includes experiences and lessons learned from using CBPR theatre to encourage study participation, critical for promoting sustainable change in an EJ community.

Wastewater surveillance offers a rapid evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. We describe how a community group, the Yarmouth Wastewater Testing Team (YWTT), in Yarmouth, Maine, (population 8,990) utilized an asset-based community design framework to organize and manage a program to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. From September 22, 2020 through June 8, 2021, the YWTT disseminated weekly reports of the wastewater results and reported COVID-19 cases within the Yarmouth postal code. After high and increasing SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, the YWTT issued two community advisories to encourage extra care to reduce exposure. Correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations and COVID-19 cases were stronger the week after sampling, and the average of the COVID-19 cases during the week of sampling and the following week, indicating that surveillance provided advance notice of cases. A 10% increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations was associated with a 13.29% increase in the average number of weekly reported cases of COVID-19 during the week of sampling and the following week (R2 = 0.42; p < 0.001). Adjusting for viral recovery (December 21, 2020 through June 8, 2021), improved R2 from 0.60 to 0.68. Wastewater surveillance was an effective tool for the YWTT to quickly respond to viral transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the value of community-based learning for the preparation of EdD graduates as practitioner researchers. To provide insights about the conditions that facilitated or constrained the development of inquiry abilities, the study applied a qualitative research approach examining the perceptions of 14 doctoral students who completed four community-based 'group consultancy' projects as part of their preparation in a U.S. professional education practice programme. Practice theory, in particular the concept of practice architectures, was applied as a frame to examine how learners engaged with and drew upon the conditions embedded in the projects' sites. The analysis identified five themes that showed how students perceived the value of community-based learning: (1) building confidence in solving problems of practice; (2) learning new academic practices; (3) awareness of equity issues; (4) building relationships; and (5) constraints for learning. This research yields implications about the use of the consultancy model as a way to increase the value EdD programmes add to the local communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need for services that support a successful transition to postsecondary education and employment for young adults with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, traumatic brain injury). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this expository article is to describe the Cognitive Skills Enhancement Program (CSEP), a comprehensive clinical program designed for young adults with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities transitioning to postsecondary education. METHODS: CSEP was developed through a community-academic partnership between a university and a state vocational rehabilitation program. Young adult participants complete programming that addresses four primary clinical targets: (1) emotion regulation, (2) social skills, (3) work readiness, and (4) community participation with the overall goal to increase awareness and promote successful employment outcomes while they transition to post-secondary education. RESULTS: To date, CSEP has supported 18 years of sustained programming and clinical services to 621 young adults with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities. CONCLUSION: This partnership model allows for flexible responses to participant needs, implementation barriers, and advances in evidence-based practices. CSEP meets the needs of diverse stakeholders (e.g. state vocational rehabilitation, post-secondary training facilities, participants, universities) while providing high-quality and sustainable programming. Future directions include examining the clinical efficacy of current CSEP programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 vaccines offer hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we document key lessons learned as we continue to confront COVID-19 variants and work to adapt our vaccine outreach strategies to best serve our community. In the fall of 2020, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with the Office of Government and Community Affairs for Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, established the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Community Education and Outreach Initiative in partnership with faith and community leaders, local and state government representatives, and community-based organizations. Working with community and government partnerships established before COVID-19 enabled our team to quickly build infrastructure focused on COVID-19 vaccine education and equity. These partnerships resulted in the development and implementation of web-based educational content, major culturally adapted media campaigns (reaching more than 200,000 individuals), community and faith education outreach, youth-focused initiatives, and equity-focused mobile vaccine clinics. The community mobile vaccine clinics vaccinated over 3,000 people in the first 3 months. Of these, 90% identified as persons of color who have been disproportionately impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Academic–government–community partnerships are vital to ensure health equity. Community partnerships, education events, and open dialogues were conducted between the community and medical faculty. Using nontraditional multicultural media venues enabled us to reach many community members and facilitated informed decisionmaking. Additionally, an equitable COVID-19 vaccine policy requires attention to vaccine access as well as access to sound educational information. Our initiative has been thoughtful about using various types of vaccination sites, mobile vaccine units, and flexible hours of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are promising interventions to reconstruct the safety net? What are paths forward for complementary services? For policymaker and practitioner perspectives on these questions, we turned to experts in the Municipal Court in the City of Birmingham, Alabama: Andra D. Sparks, presiding judge; Mankinta Holloway, court administrator; and Melanie Colston, court administrator and clerk of court. Siloed services loom large as a chief impediment to complementary safety net services. The Birmingham Municipal Court has worked to dismantle traditional silos by developing processes and systems that reach across organizational boundaries. This includes collaborating with local mental health and education providers to prevent individuals from facing criminal prosecution and to facilitate effective treatments to prevent recurring court appearances. Reconstructing the social safety net will depend, in part, on incorporating partners like court systems that operate outside conventional safety net systems. The conversation, led by Susan Moffitt, occurred on November 14, 2022, and has been edited for length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on family and community partnerships in schools is an important aspect to culturally responsive education, yet it is often an overlooked area. Educators must consider new models to engage community and family members to become partners in schools. This study presents finding from a mini-ethnographic case study and explores various stakeholders working as a collective to engage in culturally responsive work. In the model, group members interacted to develop curriculum proposals, professional development for teachers and community, as well as proposals for new courses. The opportunities and challenges school districts face when engaging community members in the policy and practice of schools are also discussed in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

US Public libraries are ideal contexts to support early learning and family engagement. However, they are still not fully connected with the early childhood systems within their communities, limiting their potential impact to prepare children and families for the transition to formal schooling. Further, COVID-19 has exacerbated existing barriers to library access, particularly for historically marginalized populations. To address this gap, we contend that public library-university partnerships are one way public libraries can improve their impact and expand their reach. Public libraries and developmental researchers share similar goals and possess complementary expertise that makes a partnership approach to collaboration mutually beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field education forms one of the fundamental pillars of social work training. The construction of this practicum around partnerships with place-based, not-for-profit organisations, though vitally important, remains challenging for contemporary social work. Historically, field education has been designed around students' observation of clinical practice and interaction with clients within a supervised and structured environment. While this model empowers students to meaningfully interact with the clients, a sole reliance on this approach limits their understanding of the multi-faceted nature of factors that shape clients' experiences of disadvantage. Pedagogical partnerships with community organisations and integrating research in field education practicum, will enable students to become critically aware of context-specific needs and socio-political structures within which social injustices occur. In this reflective article, framed within the lens of pedagogical partnerships, the authors maintain that place-based community partnerships, and work integrated learning within which students develop creative and innovative skills, is prioritised. Consequently, aspects of equity and social justice will be promoted. The authors reflect on the observations and lessons learned from engaging postgraduate social work students in a research-based (in form of an evaluation) field education practicum with a community organisation in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People experiencing incarceration are often invisible to the public due to the restricted settings in which they reside and receive services. Limited access to criminal justice settings leaves policymakers and healthcare professionals with sparse information to understand the unique needs of this population. The unmet needs of justice-involved individuals are more likely observed by professionals who provide services in correctional settings. We provide three distinct examples of projects conducted within correctional settings and how they formed pathways to interdisciplinary research and community partnerships to address the unique health and social needs of incarcerated individuals. Our partnerships in a variety of correctional settings led to exploratory research of women and men's prepregnancy health needs, participatory workplace health interventions, and process evaluation of reentry programming. The limitations and challenges to research in correctional settings are considered along with the clinical and policy implications of these projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the opportunities and challenges within academic labor of operating an off-campus space using the STEAM Factory as a case study. The STEAM Factory supports research collaborations across all disciplines and engages in community outreach that shares research outcomes and seeks to understand impact in a local context. Third-space labor makes the STEAM Factory model possible and drives collaboration, especially with community partners. The STEAM Factory has a membership made up of faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and staff supported by a program director, a faculty director, and a member-elected board of directors. As an organization, STEAM has been a detailed archiver of its own history, providing a public report annually. To better understand the perspective of STEAM Factory members, and the nature of mentorship and workplace collaborations, the membership was surveyed on three different occasions: January 2018, January 2020, and January 2021. Surveys were followed up with structured interviews that addressed the rationale for collaboration among faculty. During the interviews, we found that for those conducting community research, the space and staff support has been integral not only to their ability to engage in community research but also their enthusiasm for community engagement. Through a discussion of the organizational history of the STEAM Factory, in combination with insights from membership feedback, this paper recognizes the role of third space labor, workers whose labor blends academic and support roles, in support of third places, places to gather that are not-home and not-work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the characteristics of a donor-funded internship program for undergraduate students interested in reproductive rights, health, and justice at Tulane University's Newcomb Institute. It describes the results of a preliminary study of this program's outcomes and makes recommendations for program improvements. This article will also argue that this program, despite its unique challenges, provides a model for other colleges and universities that are interested in developing equitable community partnerships and cultivating a social justice mindset in students. This study indicates that the program has been successful at developing young leaders in a social justice movement, serving underrepresented student groups, building trust with community partners, and creating opportunities for multiple collaborations with those partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our collaboration to strengthen applied practice in public health training between two public universities in New Mexico has offered us insight into the types of institutional, administrative, and programmatic support beneficial for navigating work with limited resources and varying geographic considerations. We share some lessons from this burgeoning partnership between University of New Mexico’s (UNM) College of Population Health and New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Department of Public Health Sciences which began in 2022. The main areas of learning focus on exchanging resources to extend relationships with fieldwork sites and site supervisors, engage and support students in their planning and implementation of their fieldwork, and identify institutional resources to maintain and grow programmatic quality. Implications from this work include efforts to reinforce the public health workforce pipeline, especially to ensure the participation and success of students from underrepresented backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People experiencing incarceration are often invisible to the public due to the restricted settings in which they reside and receive services. Limited access to criminal justice settings leaves policymakers and healthcare professionals with sparse information to understand the unique needs of this population. The unmet needs of justice-involved individuals are more likely observed by professionals who provide services in correctional settings. We provide three distinct examples of projects conducted within correctional settings and how they formed pathways to interdisciplinary research and community partnerships to address the unique health and social needs of incarcerated individuals. Our partnerships in a variety of correctional settings led to exploratory research of women and men’s prepregnancy health needs, participatory workplace health interventions, and process evaluation of reentry programming. The limitations and challenges to research in correctional settings are considered along with the clinical and policy implications of these projects.

This is a work-in-progress report of Miami Studies, a curricular, research, and collections-focused initiative housed at the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab (WPHL) at Florida International University (FIU). Miami Studies represents a unique approach to Latina/o/x studies in the Greater Miami region and at one of the largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) in the country. The rationale, framework, and historical context for a Miami Studies school of urbanism is described in detail. This is followed by an explanation of the WPHL’s digitally focused initiatives: the digitization of a now-defunct newspaper titled Miami Life and the Mellon Foundation-funded Community Data Curation post-custodial project. Also referenced is the Díaz Ayala Collection of Cuban and Latin American Popular Music, housed at FIU Libraries.

This commentary examines the roles that communities and public policies play in the definition and processes of recovery for adults with mental illness. Policy, clinical, and consumer definitions of recovery are reviewed, which highlight the importance of communities and policies for recovery. This commentary then presents a framework for the relationships between community-level factors, policies, and downstream mental health outcomes, focusing on macroeconomic, housing, and health care policies; adverse exposures such as crime victimization; and neighborhood characteristics such as social capital. Initiatives that address community contexts to improve mental health outcomes are currently under way. Common characteristics of such initiatives and select examples are discussed. This commentary concludes with a discussion of providers', consumers', and other stakeholders' roles in shaping policy reform and community change to facilitate recovery.

As part of federal and local efforts to increase access to high quality, clinical preventive services (CPS) in underserved populations, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) partnered with six local health system and community organization partners to promote the use of team care for CPS delivery. Although these partners were at different stages of organizational capacity, post-program review suggests that each organization advanced team care in their clinical or community environments, potentially affecting >250,000 client visits per year. Despite existing infrastructure and DPH's funding support of CPS integration, partner efforts faced several challenges. They included lack of sustainable funding for prevention services; limited access to community resources that support disease prevention; and difficulties in changing health-care provider behavior. Although team care can serve as a catalyst or vehicle for delivering CPS, downstream sustainability of this model of practice requires further state and national policy changes that prioritize prevention. Public health is well positioned to facilitate these policy discussions and to assist health system and community organizations in strengthening CPS integration.

Community psychology has long valued reflexive praxis as a critical part advancing our research and action. In this Virtual Special Issue (VSI), we, a group of community psychologists and gender‐based violence (GBV) researchers at many different points in our careers, reflected on GBV publications that have appeared in AJCP. We examine the ways in which community psychology broadly and articles in AJCP more specifically have conceptualized GBV as a sociocultural issue, how GBV intersects with other oppressions and forms of violence, the tension when systems that aspire to support survivors are inequitable and focused on ameliorative change, and the importance of interventions being locally informed and locally driven. By highlighting selected GBV‐focused articles published in AJCP, this VSI discusses (a) understanding and transforming culture via robust research and local partnerships, (b) targeting effective interventions for survivors, (c) invoking systems and targeting change in institutional environments, and (d) making connections between local efforts and broader social movements. To continue to move forward, we conclude we must reflect, embrace methodological plurality, partner, and push for structural change. Reflective questions regarding research and action are offered, to address gender‐based violence. Highlights: Community psychology conceptualizes gender‐based violence (GBV) as a sociocultural issue, targeting contextual factors.GBV intersects with other oppressions and forms of violence.Systems that aspire to support survivors are often inequitable and focused on ameliorative change.Interventions should be locally informed and locally driven.Reflective questions regarding research and action are offered, to address gender‐based violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of multiple forms of data from a high-need K–8 charter school led to the hypothesis that increasing disciplinary disruptions and poor student academic achievement were the results of endemic student trauma. The principal, the lead school counselor, and an advisory council created a plan to explore and address behavioral and social/emotional issues, and wrote grants to sustain programming changes. The school achieved success in multiple areas, including: improving its comprehensive school counseling program using the ASCA National Model framework; benchmarking its practice with the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies; reducing noncounseling duties for school counselors and providing 80% direct and indirect services to students; reducing the school counselor-to-student ratio; restructuring student discipline policies through the implementation of school-wide trauma-informed care practices; and utilizing social/emotional learning and trauma-informed lessons in the classroom. This case study outlines how one school created multidisciplinary internal and community-based teams to support trauma-informed practices for students, teachers, staff, and families, while emphasizing school counselor–principal leadership to build social capital. The discussion includes a review of progress toward systemic change goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increased call for research on promising prevention programs already embedded in communities ("homegrown interventions"). Unfortunately, there is limited guidance to help researchers prepare these types of interventions for rigorous evaluation. To address this need, this article presents our team's process for revising a promising community-based sexual violence prevention intervention for rigorous research. Our extensive and iterative process of reviewing and revising the intervention was guided by evaluability assessment (EA) approaches, implementation science, and a close collaboration with our community partners. Our EA process allowed us to specify the intervention's core components and develop a "research ready" standardized curriculum with implementation fidelity assessments. We offer four lessons learned from our process: (1) even with existing materials and an extensive history of community-based delivery, community-developed programs are not necessarily research-ready; (2) close collaboration and a trusting relationship between researchers and community partners throughout the revision process ensures the integrity of core program components are maintained and implementation in diverse community settings is feasible; (3) observations of program implementation are a crucial part of the revision process; and (4) it is important to budget adequate time and resources for such revisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The innovative Population Health Internship (PHI) addresses the evolving need for baccalaureate‐prepared nurses to achieve population health competency. A comprehensive evaluation of the inaugural year of the PHI was conducted using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health and the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) curricular evaluation model. Students and community agency partners—both key stakeholders—contributed to the evaluation. Methods and results: Quantitative data were used to address functional and outcome areas of the PHI for purposes of PHI logistics, student learning gains, and program impact and sustainability. Qualitative data were used to provide insights into challenges in instituting curricular change, complexity in student–agency communications, importance of student preparedness/attitude, issues of role confusion, misperceptions about the population health nursing role, student learning, and impacts on partner agencies and their populations. Implications: Educational implications include the importance of assessing both learning gains and student buy‐in, the need for a long‐term evaluation approach to accommodate for challenges related to radical curriculum change, and the importance of strong stakeholder support to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships and a positive learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As recent suicide statistics reveal, suicide can affect people of all demographics and regions. At an international level, suicide is one of the leading causes of death. Although it is unclear as to why suicide rates are increasing across the globe, proposed reasons include economic instability, the opioid crisis, and a lack of meaning. Therefore, it becomes critical to both educate and provide interventions to people contemplating suicide to help prevent an increase in suicides. The 7-Step Integrative Healing Model and telephone lifelines can serve as useful interventions as well as educational tools on emotional management and psychological care. In this paper, we present a case study of the establishment of a suicide prevention lifeline in Armenia, with emphasis on lessons learned from grassroots partnerships between MeaningfulWorld and the local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If conservation depends on people, then community partnerships are the lynchpin to conservation success. The contribution of local knowledge, intellectual capital and volunteer labour not only saves project managers invaluable time and money, it fosters ownership and longevity into conservation initiatives well beyond their projected timeframe. Island communities are socially and culturally diverse and driven by a range of motivations. Hence, if we are to deliver conservation programs at scale, we need to better understand and embed these drivers into program design. We present four contemporary case studies on major populated islands in Australia where community collaborations are building the collective impact needed to underpin conservation success. They contain key learnings about community involvement, to help guide managers with future island planning and avoid some pitfalls. Conservation depends on people and community partnerships not only save time and money, but they also foster ownership and longevity of conservation initiatives well beyond their project timeframe. To engage island communities successfully in conservation efforts, we need to understand their motivations and embed these into program design. We present four case studies on major populated islands in Australia where community collaboration is building the collective impact needed for conservation success. They contain key learnings to help guide managers in future island planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details the findings from Project LOCAL (Library Outreach as a Community Anchor in Learning),a mixed-methods study that explored how public libraries contribute to educational equity by going into community locations to reach and serve families and children in underserved communities who cannot come into the library due to a variety of barriers. The data revealed four main aspects to this outreach work: program types, locations, goals, and partnerships. Public libraries offer a variety of program types – literacy programs, summer meal programs, STEAM programs – in various locations, like schools, shelters, housing developments, barbershops, and others. These programs and services are developed with an array of goals in mind, broadly categorized as related to access, advocacy, and impact, to serve a variety of underserved communities. Furthermore, libraries are forming complex, fruitful partnerships with different community organizations to build trust, relationships, and goodwill in these communities. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of human development provides a lens for situating these four aspects within the various environmental systems in families' lives and reveals how, through outreach work, librarians are moving from outer, less visible systems to more central ones that reinforce their relevance and importance in the lives of families in underserved communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]