Public Health Projects from 2013

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The Sara Holbrook Community Center: A Needs Assessment

Elizabeth Abernathey, Meredith Bryden, Kristin Carr, W. Christian Crannell, Colin King, Andrew Nobe, Michelle VanHorne, Stephen Contompassis, and Jenny Kounta

Introduction. The Sara Holbrook Community Center (SHCC) offers an after school program for 36 elementary students from the diverse North End neighborhood of Burlington. In recent years, disrespectful behavior and bullying have become a growing problem in the program. Through administering a needs assessment to the staff at Sara Holbrook, we examined the strengths and challenges facing the program and devised potential recommendations to address staff-identified issues.
What Are the Barriers and Motivators to Exercise in 50-65 Year-Old Adults?

Raymond A. Addante, Patrick M. Benson, Liqun Chen, Jenna Ford, Jessica Louie, Kenneth S. Mensch, Dijana Poljak, Kathryn Schlosser, Pam Farnham, and Alexandra Jasinowski

Introduction. The benefit of exercise in adults has been well established. Research has demonstrated improved cardiovascular health, decreased bone fractures, and increased mental capacity. While the benefits of exercise has clearly been demonstrated, personal barriers to exercise are yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, in collaboration with the YMCA, this study aimed to clarify barriers to exercise in 50-65 year-old adults.
Addressing Health Needs of Burlington Probation and Parole Clients

Zoe F. Agoos, Alison W. Frizell, David Y. Harari, Michael Ma, Jigar M. Patel, Jordan E. Perlman, Michael Ursiny, Herb Sinkinson, and Jill K. Jemison

Introduction. Higher rates of recidivism have been observed in offenders with specific health risks. Criminal justice literature identifies probation/parole as an ideal time to im-plement health interventions to reduce recidivism, but significant barriers exist
Screening for Food Insecurity in Primary Care

Jenna Arruda, Logan Bartram, Bruno Cardoso, Andrew Jones, Amanda Peel, Darlene Peterson, Justin Van Backer, Sarah Weisman, and Marianne Burke

Introduction. Hunger Free VT (HFVT) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. HFVT developed an internet-based Continuing Medical Education (CME) course in order to bring awareness to the issue of food insecurity and enhance medical provider training. The CME course entitled Childhood Hunger in Vermont: The Hidden Impacts on Health, Development, and Wellbeing was started by 59 health care providers in VT but only completed by 4.
Assessing Attitudes Towards Tobacco Advertising in Winooski, VT

Kristopher Azevedo, Benjamin Brown, Eric Chang, Jessie Evangelista, Ian McDaniels, Olga Kusina, Anisha Patel, Kate Nugent, Burton Wilke, and Jan Carney

Introduction. Smoking rates are 15% in Vermont and higher in low-income populations. Winooski, Vermont is vulnerable to high tobacco use rates given that 23.6% of Winooski residents live below the poverty line. Tobacco advertising, which has been shown to have a direct, dose-dependent association with youth tobacco use, is highly prevalent in stores in Winooski.
Analysis of Learning Outcomes in LGBTQ+ Medical School Curriculum

S. Blaney, S. Gardner, J. Garuz, J. Hobson, J. Kelada, H. Munroe, J. Pan, J. Taylor, C. Nicholas, and M. Murray

Introduction. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth are at increased risk for negative health outcomes and experience increased barriers to health care.
Establishing A Continuum of Care to Improve Follow-Up Rates for Survivors of Sexual Assault

M. Bole, J. Ellis, W. Hine, J. Larson, D. Nettlow, J. Price, K. Root, K. Vastine, and J. Gallant

Introduction. In 2011 there were over 1000 reported sexual assaults in Vermont. Current recommendations suggest that survivors of sexual assault (survivors) receive follow- up care within two weeks after an initial Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam, but fewer than 15% receive documented follow-up. A published report has demonstrated increased follow-up to over 80% when appointments are scheduled prior to discharge from the emergency department (ED).
Promoting Screening of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Vermont: A proposal for ongoing continuing medical education (CME)

Bryan Brown, Jessica Faraci, Shrey Kanjiya, Elizabeth Landell, Marisa Liu, Emily Rosen, Eli Schned, William Pendlebury, Jeanne Hutchins, and Martha Richardson

In 2010, 11,382 Vermonters were diagnosed with dementia, many of whom had Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In 2025, an estimated 1 in 8 Vermonters aged 65 or older will have some form of dementia. Reported rates of overlooked dementia are between 35% and 90% or greater. Clinical presentations of dementia are often insidious and attributed to aging, making an accurate diagnosis difficult. Because of the challenges of dementia screening and diagnosis, primary care physicians (PCPs) are often unwilling to diagnose, discuss, and treat dementia due to AD.3 Although physicians are reluctant to screen for dementia, research in Vermont (VT) has shown a clear preference by patients and their families for earlier diagnosis. A timely diagnosis allows the patient and their family to plan for the future and start treatment earlier. Our research demonstrated PCPs may be misinformed about the usefulness and implications of dementia screening and diagnosis. In an effort to further educate physicians, we propose instituting a mandatory continuing medical education (CME) hour focused on screening for dementia. Our project surveyed 72 physicians to determine their attitudes towards screening, the assessment tools they use, and their attitudes towards a required CME hour.
Evaluating Barriers to Health in Homebound Individuals

B. Clements, T. Goldberg, D. Gorlen, E. Goveia, K. Hughes, D. Mealiea, N. Meredyth, R. Meehan, A. Anton, and J. Carney

Introduction. Homebound individuals in Vermont often have multiple comorbidities and can face significant food insecurity. In response to this problem, the Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf (CEFS) Homebound Delivery Program (HDP) delivers one week of food per month to 130 individuals in Chittenden County, Vermont.
Money Follows the Person: Transitioning Nursing Home Residents into the Community

Whitney Creed, Ryan Hendrix, Matthew MacKinnon, Marissa Mendez, Nancy Tran, Shane Verhoef, Hope Yu, Linda Martinez, Rio Demers, Jeanne Hutchins, and William Pendlebury

Introduction. Research has shown that admission to nursing homes (NH) is associated with decline in several measures of well-being; transitioning out of a NH into the community is a positive predictor for quality of life. Currently, the State of Vermont offers several housing options for Medicaid eligible NH residents; however, there are very few opportunities to fully integrate into the community
Heat vs. Health: Wood Smoke in Vermont

Michael Cunningham, Avanti Golikeri, Ethan Leveillee, Jennifer Makrides, Hank Ng, Janet Trang, Mark Wilkinson, Heidi Hales, Razelle Hoffman-Contois, and Jan Carney

Introduction. Given rising energy prices in recent years, wood burning stoves offer an attractive and affordable means of home heating. Unfortunately, wood smoke emissions have been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and, in some cases, premature death. Recent studies have also discovered known carcinogens in wood smoke emissions.
Pilot Study of the Effects of Tai Chi on Elderly Fall Risks

A. Dauten, K. Klingman, K. Min, E. Schloff, V. Shah, C. Sheahan, S. Vossoughi, P. Trabulsy, K. Hall, and D. DeLuca

Introduction. Falls in the elderly are a significant public health concern. Tai Chi has been shown to reduce falls in this population and increase muscle strength, balance, mood, confidence and sleep.
Smoke-Free Policy in Vermont Public Housing Authorities

C. Hackett, J. Hood, J. Lane, E. Laryea - Walker, T. Lemay, A. Paine, M. Squiers, R. Ryan, and D. Kaminsky

Introduction. Millions of adults and children living in public housing face exposure to second hand smoke from adjacent apartments. These tenants are less able to escape smoke exposure by moving, and Housing Authorities are beginning to implement smoke-free policies. We assessed the status of smoke-free policy in Vermont public housing, and explored the experience of tenants and managers in Burlington who recently implemented such a policy.
Is Blood Donation an Opportunity for Hypertension Awareness?

J. Hao, C. Kerrigan, L. Kreiger, J. McAvoy, C. Sikavi, D. Swift, L. Wickberg, C. Dembeck, C. Frenette, J. Carney, and M. Fung

Blood centers serve as a cornerstone of public health by providing potentially lifesaving blood products. Interactions with millions of potential donors provides these centers with a unique means of health education and screening opportunities.
Opiate Prescription Practices and VPMS Use: Impacts of the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System

J. Kilcj, N. Mulheron, K. Pelletier, A. Roberts, J. Simon, C. Wilson, A. Rubin, and M. Sanderson

Introduction. Our project assessed prescriber use of the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) and collected suggestions for its improvement, and for reducing opiate diversion.