Assessing Changes in COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Intentions among the Brigada Digital Latino Social Media Audience: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: U.S. Latinos experienced disproportionate COVID-19 impacts in terms of morbidity and mortality. Vaccination against COVID-19 is an important strategy for mitigating health impacts, and yet, vaccine uptake was slower among U.S. Latino adults compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant barrier within Latino communities, and exposure to misinformation has been associated with negative attitudes toward vaccination. While some COVID-19 mitigation efforts have included community-based outreach, few studies have explored the impact of community-based digital messaging in Spanish to counter COVID-19 misinformation, build trust, and promote vaccination. Methods: To address this gap, we conducted a one-year repeated cross-sectional study to assess changes in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, intentions, and perceived norms, as well as barriers to accessing reliable information and levels of trust in COVID-19 information sources among Latino adults exposed to Brigada Digital de Salud social media content. This culturally-tailored content disseminated on Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms was amplified by community health workers and partners, and focused on COVID-19 risk and prevention, vaccine safety and efficacy, and correcting related misinformation. Results: Statistically significant increases in COVID-19 vaccination, intentions to vaccinate children, and vaccination subjective norms were observed from May 2022 (wave 1) to April 2023 (wave 2). Among perceived difficulties accessing information, respondents indicated the most difficulty in judging the reliability of COVID-19 information in the media; however, a statistically significant decrease in perceived difficulty was observed between waves. With regard to trust in COVID-19 information sources, levels of trust were highest for healthcare providers in both waves. From wave 1 to wave 2, there were statistically significant increases in trust in the FDA to ensure COVID-19 vaccine safety and trust in the federal government to ensure child COVID-19 vaccine safety. Conclusions: Social media messaging by trusted community-based sources shows promise as a strategy for combating health misinformation and ameliorating information access gaps for language minority populations. This digital approach represents an important tool for deploying critical information to underserved populations in public health emergency and crisis contexts, and for supporting changes in attitudes, trust, and behaviors to improve health outcomes.

Developing Patient-Refined Messaging for Follow-Up Colonoscopy After Abnormal Fecal Testing in Hispanic Communities: Key Learnings from Virtual Boot Camp Translation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death in the US. Screening by fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a strategy to lower CRC rates. Unfortunately, only half of patients with an abnormal FIT result complete the follow-up colonoscopy, an essential component of screening. We used virtual Boot Camp Translation (BCT), to elicit input from partners to develop messaging/materials to motivate patients to complete a follow-up colonoscopy. Participants were Hispanic, ages 50 to 75 years, and Spanish-speaking. All materials were developed in English and Spanish. The first meeting included expert presentations that addressed colorectal health. The two follow-up sessions obtained feedback on messaging/materials developed based on themes from the first meeting. Ten participants attended the first meeting and eight attended the follow-up sessions. The two key barriers to follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal FIT noted by participants were (a) lack of colonoscopy awareness and (b) fear of the colonoscopy procedure. We learned that participants valued simple messaging to increase knowledge and alleviate concerns, patient-friendly outreach materials, and increased access to health information. Using virtual BCT, we included participant feedback to design culturally relevant health messages to promote follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal fecal testing among Hispanic patients served by community clinics.

Implementation and effectiveness of a COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing program at a large, urban midwestern university.

BACKGROUND: The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program was critical to the university's COVID-19 incident response during the 2020-2021 academic year. We are a team of epidemiologists and student contact tracers who perform COVID-19 contact tracing among campus members. Literature is sparse on models for mobilizing non-clinical students as contact tracers; therefore, we aim to disseminate strategies that are adaptable by other institutions. METHODS: We described essential aspects of our program including surveillance testing, staffing and training models, interdepartmental partnerships, and workflows. Additionally, we analyzed the epidemiology of COVID-19 at UIC and measures of contact tracing effectiveness. RESULTS: The program was responsible for promptly quarantining 120 cases prior to converting and potentially infecting others, thereby preventing at least 132 downstream exposures and 22 COVID-19 infections from occurring. DISCUSSION: Features central to program success included routine data translation and dissemination and utilizing students as indigenous campus contact tracers. Major operational challenges included high staff turnover and adjusting to rapidly evolving public health guidance. CONCLUSIONS: Institutes of higher education provide fertile ground for effective contact tracing, particularly when comprehensive networks of partners facilitate compliance with institution-specific public health requirements.

HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Program (ACIOP): A Landmark NIH Conference and an Enduring NLM Role in Meeting the Affected Community's Need for Information Access.

In June 1993, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) joined with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to host a conference at a pivotal time in the HIV/AIDS epidemic to understand better the information needs of five major constituency groups: clinical researchers; clinical providers; news media and the public; patients; and the affected community. NLM's director, Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D., and staff sought to identify new program possibilities benefitting from the input of current and potential users of the Library's information services. Conference recommendations led to a key NLM policy change providing cost-free access to all AIDS data, and the establishment of the HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Program (ACIOP), which enabled new partnerships with local community-based organizations serving the affected community. Uniquely funded and long running, more than 300 ACIOP projects have been supported to-date. These projects have improved awareness and use of national HIV/AIDS information resources; enhanced information seeking skills; developed locally generated information resources; and enhanced the capacity of community-based organizations to use new information and computer technologies providing access to essential information resources and services.

A Programmatic Evaluation of School Preparedness for Latinx Children and Families: A Partnership Program.

Introduction: Latinx children are the fastest-growing ethnic minority of children under the age of 5 years in a tri-county area in the Southeastern United States (US Census, 2018). There are limited culturally and linguistically appropriate school preparedness initiatives in this geographic region. Methods: A cultural and linguistic appropriate program was developed in coordination with the state's largest Latinx advocacy organization and two patient-centered pediatric medical homes (PCPMHs) after securing extramural grant funding for an evidenced-based home visitation program using skilled community health workers (CHWs) aimed at Latinx children at the age of 0-5 years and their caregivers. The program includes developmental screenings using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3), CHW role modeling of developmentally appropriate play, early literacy, connection to resources, oral health, nutrition, and physical activity. Results: Of the 103 unique children represented in this programmatic evaluation that received an initial and follow-up ASQ®-3 developmental screening, paired t-tests indicate statistically significant improvement in mean scores from the first to second ASQ®-3 in all five major developmental domains with the largest gains represented in the communication and fine motor skill domains. Conclusion: This evaluation suggests that low-frequency home visits from skilled CHWs can have a beneficial effect on development in early childhood. PPCMHs can serve as a hub for these community-based programs.

Implementing a Service Project During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This brief report describes our experiences and the holiday service project that was safely conducted at the height of the COVID-19 resurgence in Michigan. As COVID-19 resurgence emerged in the United States and Europe, many establishments were forced to decrease their services and or cease functioning altogether. While other organizations faltered, our chapter found the means to continue to work during the pandemic.

HIV/AIDS community information outreach program (ACIOP): A landmark NIH conference and an enduring NLM role in meeting the affected community's need for information access.

In June 1993, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) joined with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to host a conference at a pivotal time in the HIV/AIDS epidemic to understand better the information needs of five major constituency groups: clinical researchers; clinical providers; news media and the public; patients; and the affected community. NLM's director, Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D., and staff sought to identify new program possibilities benefitting from the input of current and potential users of the Library's information services. Conference recommendations led to a key NLM policy change providing cost-free access to all AIDS data, and the establishment of the HIV/AIDS community information outreach program (ACIOP), which enabled new partnerships with local community-based organizations serving the affected community. Uniquely funded and long running, more than 300 ACIOP projects have been supported to-date. These projects have improved awareness and use of national HIV/AIDS information resources; enhanced information seeking skills; developed locally generated information resources; and enhanced the capacity of community-based organizations to use new information and computer technologies providing access to essential information resources and services.

'It's like getting an Uber for sex': social networking apps as spaces of risk and opportunity in the Philippines among men who have sex with men.

The HIV epidemic in the Philippines has been expanding rapidly, with most newly diagnosed cases occurring among 'men who have sex with men' (MSM). New social contexts of HIV are evident in the evolving phenomenon of more MSM seeking partners online via social networking applications ('apps'). This study examines findings from a virtual ethnography of app use among MSM, focus group discussions with community-based healthcare workers, and key informant interviews with healthcare workers, policymakers and researchers in Metro Manila. We argue that participants viewed the expanding epidemic and apps as intimately linked, regarding the apps as 'risky spaces' for 'risky behaviour'. However, such narratives neglected the agentive capabilities of the apps and how they have transformed sexual practice, creating new ways of being as sexual subjects, while perpetuating old imaginaries among healthcare workers of 'hard-to-reach' populations. Such narratives of 'risk' have led to new interventions by healthcare workers on the apps, viewing these technologies as opportunities to reach more MSM for health promotion. However, the interventions have created new complexities by reconfiguring boundaries with target populations. By conducting community-based outreach through encouraging behaviour change in one-to-one interactions with app users, the potential impact of these interventions is limited.

HIV/AIDS Outreach: Curriculum Development and Skills Training to Health and Information Professionals.

With funding from the National Library of Medicine HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Program (ACIOP), librarians at the University of Florida Health Sciences Libraries partnered with university and community groups to facilitate collaboration, develop new information resources, develop information-seeking skills, and raise general awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS risks, prevention, and treatment. This article describes the skills development elements of the project, including development and implementation of an HIV/AIDS information resource curriculum for health care providers, social services professionals, and public librarians within the project's partner organizations.

Community Health Centre-Based Outreach Clinic for undergraduate dental education: Experience in Helsinki over 8 years.

INTRODUCTION: The University Dental Clinic of the City of Helsinki (UDC) developed a Community Health Centre-Based Outreach Clinic, with emphasis on paediatric dentistry. This study aimed to summarise the experiences and explore the student perspectives of the health centre-based outreach teaching clinic. METHODS: The study data were from the years 2010 to 2016. The dental procedures carried out by the third- to fifth-year dental students were based on electronic health record of patients. The students' self-perceived benefits and free-text comments on the outreach training were collected as part of a yearly questionnaire survey. RESULTS: A vast majority of the paediatric dental procedures that are required for competencies of dental students were performed in the outreach clinic. The most common procedures were fillings with local anaesthesia followed by preventive procedures. The majority of the students were very motivated to participate in the outreach training and reported that it was a useful educational approach to broaden their understanding of oral diseases and clinical experience. CONCLUSION: The outreach clinic gives dental students a chance to gain valuable clinical experience through the number and diversity of the dental procedures they carry out. They gain confidence and get an opportunity to get acquainted with the primary healthcare system and social determinants of oral diseases. Outreach appears to provide complementary clinical experiences that fulfil learning outcomes. Learning objectives should be taken into account when planning the outreach programme in order to offer meaningful and motivating education.

Empowering Patients and Community Online: Evaluation of the AIDS Community Information Outreach Program.

The AIDS Community Information Outreach Program (ACIOP) was created in 1994 to assist the affected community in utilizing electronic HIV/AIDS information resources. Nearly 300 competitive awards have been made to mostly community-based organizations. A formal evaluation was undertaken to determine the performance and impact of the ACIOP. A mixed methods design combined quantitative abstractions and summarization of 47 awardee final reports from 44 organizations, and qualitative telephone interviews with 17 individuals representing 20 projects. Findings revealed that project objectives were mostly met; high-risk populations were reached; low resource organizations were funded; community partnerships were significant; projects built on existing efforts; information resources and training were tailored to local needs; and most projects overcame barriers experienced. Needed modifications centered on: 1) enhancing evaluation capacity at the individual project level and 2) revising project reporting requirements to increase the amount of information available to assess the ACIOP; both have been implemented.