Browsing by Author "Caine, Virginia A."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Deficient Response to COVID-19 Makes the Case for Evolving the Public Health System
    (Elsevier, 2020-08-26) Dixon, Brian E.; Caine, Virginia A.; Halverson, Paul K.; Department of Health Policy and Management, IU School of Public Health
    Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected more than 14 million individuals and caused more than 600,000 deaths as of July 20, 2020, rapidly spreading across large cities as well as many rural areas. In parallel with rising cases and deaths globally, the situation in local communities fluctuates daily while knowledge about the disease and transmission evolves. Public health agencies play a critical role in managing disease epidemics. Agencies are on the front lines to conduct disease surveillance, facilitate resource distribution including personal protective equipment (PPE), establish alternative care sites, and provide diagnostic support through laboratory testing. The public health response to COVID-19 has been criticized for being too slow, lacking transparency, and insufficient. This essay examines reasons behind the sluggish response to COVID-19. The authors then argue for an evolved public health system following the crisis, which is better prepared for emergencies and equipped to support population health for the future.
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    Serving as Trusted Messengers about COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
    (Elsevier, 2021-02) McDougle, Leon; Hewlett, Dial; Hutchins, Sonja S.; Hood, Rodney G.; Butler, Lakesha M.; Lang, L. Kadijah; Brooks, Oliver T.; Caine, Virginia A.; Whitley-Williams, Patricia N.; Medicine, School of Medicine
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    Supporting Health Equity Through Data-Driven Decision-Making: A Local Health Department Response to COVID-19
    (American Public Health Association, 2021) Hansotte, Elinor; Bowman, Elizabeth; Gibson, P. Joseph; Dixon, Brian E.; Madden, Virgil R.; Caine, Virginia A.; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    COVID-19 highlights preexisting inequities that affect health outcomes and access to care for Black and Brown Americans. The Marion County Public Health Department in Indiana sought to address inequities in COVID-19 testing by using surveillance data to place community testing sites in areas with the highest incidence of disease. Testing site demographic data indicated that targeted testing reached populations with the highest disease burden, suggesting that local health departments can effectively use surveillance data as a tool to address inequities.