Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • How Senegal stretched its health care system to stop Covid-19

    Senegal limited COVID-19 cases in the pandemic’s first year using an existing infrastructure built from dealing with Ebola outbreaks. Coordinated emergency response teams quickly expanded testing capacity across the country and positive cases were required to quarantine in hotels or health centers, where Red Cross volunteers staffed the beds, rather than at home. Village health workers, who were trusted community members, educated people on how to respond to the virus, helped reduce the stigma of the virus, and urged people to follow the strict social distancing, masking, and quarantining rules.

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  • How vaccination became 'hip' in the '50s, thanks to teens

    In the 1950s, the National Institute for Infantile Paralysis launched a nationwide public health campaign to encourage teenagers to receive the polio vaccine. Tactics included interviewing and recruiting teenagers to be spokespeople to better frame messaging around vaccine hesitancy and make the act of getting the vaccine "cool."

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  • In Vermont, Isolating Inmates Kept Covid at Bay, but at a Price

    Vermont is the only state where no people incarcerated in prison died of COVID-19 in the first 12 months of the pandemic, and its infection rate is relatively low. The prisons took steps that other prison systems either didn't try or didn't do soon enough, including universal testing at least six times over the year; strict isolation of newly admitted prisoners for 14 days; occasional lockdowns of up to a month; early releases from prison; and keeping corrections officers housed separately from the community. The isolation measures hurt people's mental health, including one suicide and one attempt.

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  • 4 Clever Ways We're Getting More Shots into Arms

    In the race to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people, innovators in certain places have excelled at getting shots into arms, including in hard-to-reach or vaccine-reluctant populations. West Virginia broke from the herd using national pharmacy chains, working instead with local shops that had a head start in nursing homes. Alaska's Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, serving indigenous and remote villages, got creative in how it shipped vaccine to roadless outposts. And UK's private and public teams worked closely with immigrant faith communities to overcome vaccine resistance.

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  • Vaccination navigation: United Way's 2-1-1 has helped thousands get appointments

    A phone line is helping Cuyahoga County residents schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. By dialing 2-1-1 on a phone, residents will be connected to a trained navigator to help them register for a vaccination or answer other questions. Despite limited hours the vaccine registration is open, since it launched in late January 2021, the phone line has connected more than 52,000 calls to appointments.

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  • Cleveland Was Slow to Address Language and Culture Barriers to Reach Spanish-Speaking Residents During Pandemic

    Cleveland failed to provide Spanish translation services even though 11 percent of its residents identify as Hispanic. The oversight is a threat to public health, especially in the midst of a pandemic. The Spanish-speaking community did not have translated guidelines and health updates, putting them at an increased risk of danger despite directives from the CDC that recommend the employment of bilingual contact tracers and community health workers. Those resources are critical in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

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  • Australia made a plan to protect Indigenous elders from covid-19. It worked.

    Indigenous Australians have fared far better than tribal regions in other parts of the world during the coronavirus pandemic due to a collaborative and proactive health campaign between health experts and aboriginal leaders. According to an Australian epidemiologist specializing in public health, “This is a most amazing response to the pandemic from a community that is so marginalized. This is probably the best evidence we have that if you put Aboriginal people in charge, then you get better outcomes.”

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  • Can Social Scientists Help Control Epidemics?

    When the rise of Ebola in West Africa strict protocols when handling those who were dying or had died from the disease, public health officials began working with anthropologists and other social scientists to increase trust and influence people’s willingness to seek treatment. At the center of the success was the social scientist's recommendations for burial services which addressed concerns about first responders disrespecting the dead. Today, these social scientists are providing similar consult for the Covid-19 pandemic.

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  • Gambia's United Effort to Tackle COVID-19

    In an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus variants throughout the country, Gambia has launched a genome sequence initiative that to monitor active strains. For a country that has received very few doses of the vaccine, this effort is important for identifying potential outbreaks before they become unmanageable.

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  • With Demand For Community Health Workers Rising, So Does Need For Sustainable Funding

    Community health workers are a key part of Connecticut's public health response to COVID-19, particularly in marginalized communities. CHWs connect people to health care and other services, like rental assistance, help with contact tracing, and effectively increased vaccinations by taking the time to answer questions and dispel misinformation. Living in the communities they serve is a critical part of the model’s success and helps clients trust them more readily. The state now offers a CHW certification program, but the largely grant-funded model would be more sustainable with steady funding.

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