School Attendance Following Receipt of Care From a School-Based Health Center.

PURPOSE: School-based health centers (SBHCs) may mitigate barriers to health care access and improve students' academic outcomes, but few studies test this hypothesis. We examined whether school attendance improved after students received care at an SBHC. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 17 SBHCs affiliated with a single large urban school district and demographic and attendance data from SBHC users (N = 14,030) and nonusers (N = 230,046) from August 2015-February 2020. We examined the percent of full school days present each month for three years before and after students' first SBHC visit and a proxy visit date for SBHC nonusers. Propensity weighted linear regression models tested whether visiting an SBHC was associated with a change in the attendance trajectory compared to a matched sample of SBHC nonusers. RESULTS: Among SBHC users, attendance trajectories declined more steeply prior to their first SBHC visit than after the first visit (preslope -0.71%, postslope -0.05%), whereas SBHC nonusers had a similar attendance trajectory over the entire period (preslope -0.18%, postslope -0.17%), with difference-in-difference 0.65. Changes in trajectories were more pronounced for students with a mental health encounter. Prior to the first SBHC mental health visit, SBHC users displayed a marked decline in monthly attendance (preslope -1.02%). After the first mental health visit, attendance increased (postslope 1.44%), with difference-in-difference 2.33. DISCUSSION: SBHC utilization was associated with improved school attendance over time, particularly for students with a mental health diagnosis. Investing in SBHCs may reduce school absenteeism and support student health.

School-Based Health Center Utilization During COVID-19 Pandemic-Related School Closures.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding utilization of school-based health centers (SBHCs) during prolonged school closures, such as those that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to compare SBHC utilization before and after pandemic-related school closures across a network of SBHCs affiliated with a large Southern Californian urban school district. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of encounter data extracted from electronic health records from 12 SBHCs that remained open despite school closures, including patient demographics and diagnostic and billing codes. We used the Clinical Classifications Software Refined to group encounters for common primary care conditions. Utilization before and during pandemic-related school closures was compared using logistic regression with cluster-robust standard errors to account for clustering within clinics, after adjusting for month of encounter. RESULTS: During the pandemic, study SBHCs conducted 52,530 encounters and maintained ∼4040 encounters/month. The frequency of encounters for annual preventative health exams increased for school-aged patients but decreased for other age groups while the frequency of encounters for mental health problems increased for all age groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Despite pandemic-related school closures, SBHCs appeared play a critical role in providing primary care to vulnerable communities. CONCLUSIONS: SBHCs may hold value beyond their co-location with academic instruction.

Mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at a large public university.

In Fall 2020, universities saw extensive transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among their populations, threatening health of the university and surrounding communities, and viability of in-person instruction. Here we report a case study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where a multimodal "SHIELD: Target, Test, and Tell" program, with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, was employed to keep classrooms and laboratories open. The program included epidemiological modeling and surveillance, fast/frequent testing using a novel low-cost and scalable saliva-based RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 that bypasses RNA extraction, called covidSHIELD, and digital tools for communication and compliance. In Fall 2020, we performed >1,000,000 covidSHIELD tests, positivity rates remained low, we had zero COVID-19-related hospitalizations or deaths amongst our university community, and mortality in the surrounding Champaign County was reduced more than 4-fold relative to expected. This case study shows that fast/frequent testing and other interventions mitigated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at a large public university.

Estado nutricional de pacientes críticos en un hospital universitario de España / Nutritional state of critically-ill patients in Spain university hospital

Introducción: debido a las circunstancias especiales de los pacientes críticos, resulta complicado determinar el aporte energético. Objetivo: determinar la prevalencia del estado nutricional de los pacientes críticos ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Hospital Universitario de Burgos (España), y si se les aportó el 60 por ciento de los requerimientos energéticos al cuarto día de ingreso. Métodos: estudio observacional, descriptivo y de prevalencia. Fueron incluidos 47 pacientes, a los que se realizó una evaluación nutricional al ingreso, mediante antropometría, escalas nutricionales validadas y calculando el aporte energético que precisaban. Resultados: el porcentaje de desnutrición al ingreso, según el Índice de Masa Corporal era de un 6,38 por ciento (1,3; 17,5), siendo superior en el sexo masculino. Con la Valoración Global Subjetiva, se obtuvo un resultado de 31,91 por ciento (19,1; 47,1) de sospecha de malnutrición, y un 8,51 por ciento (2,4; 20,4) de malnutrición. El porcentaje de riesgo de desnutrición con la Mini Nutritional Assessment, fue de 36,17 por ciento (22,7; 51,5), y de desnutrición de un 17,02 por ciento (7,6; 30,8). Según la ecuación de Ireton-Jones, a un 77 por ciento de los pacientes se les administró, al menos, el 60 por ciento de los requerimientos energéticos al cuarto día, mientras que con la de Harris-Benedict se obtuvo un 70 por ciento. Conclusiones: la elevada prevalencia de desnutrición y de riesgo de desnutrición en el paciente crítico, evidencia la importancia que supone realizar una valoración nutricional integral para adecuar los requerimientos individualmente. Resulta apropiado suplementar la nutrición enteral con la parenteral si no alcanzan los requerimientos energéticos necesarios(AU)

Introduction: Due to the special circumstances of critically-ill patients, the energy input is difficult to determine. Objective: To determine the prevalence of nutritional status of critically-ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the University Hospital in Burgos, Spain, and whether 60 percent of the energy requirements were given on the fourth day of admission. Methods: Observational, descriptive and prevalence study. We included 47 patients, who underwent nutritional assessment at admission, using anthropometry, validated nutritional scales and calculating the energy input they needed. Results: The percentage of malnutrition at admission according to body mass index was 6.38 percent (1.3, 17.5), being higher in males. With subjective global assessment, we obtained a result of 31.91 percent (19.1, 47.1) of suspected malnutrition and 8.51 percent (2.4; 20.4) of malnutrition. The percentage of risk for malnutrition with the mini-nutritional assessment was 36.17 percent (22.7, 51.5), and malnutrition was 17.02 percent (7.6, 30.8). According to the Ireton-Jones equation, 77 percent of the patients were given at least 60 percent of energy requirements on the fourth day, while the Harris-Benedict rate was 70 percent. Conclusions: The high prevalence of undernutrition and risk for malnutrition in critically-ill patients shows the importance of performing an integral nutritional assessment to adapt individual requirements. Supplementing enteral nutrition with the parenteral one is appropriate if they do not meet necessary energy requirements(AU)