Publications by authors named "Catherine Rains"
Article Synopsis
- In November 2020, Missouri introduced a modified quarantine policy for K-12 students with low-risk exposures to COVID-19, allowing them to continue in-person learning while assessing the impacts of quarantine on students and families.
- A survey sent to parents of 586 students revealed that only 11% engaged in modified quarantine, with 46% of them avoiding non-school activities compared to 72% of those in standard home quarantine.
- Students in modified quarantine experienced less stress and fewer negative impacts on family life than those in standard quarantine, suggesting that the modified approach could effectively balance educational needs and COVID-19 prevention.
Modifications to student quarantine policies in K-12 schools implementing multiple COVID-19 prevention strategies restores in-person education without increasing SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk, January-March 2021.
PLoS One
October 2022
Objective: To determine whether modified K-12 student quarantine policies that allow some students to continue in-person education during their quarantine period increase schoolwide SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk following the increase in cases in winter 2020-2021.
Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 cases and close contacts among students and staff (n = 65,621) in 103 Missouri public schools. Participants were offered free, saliva-based RT-PCR testing.
Article Synopsis
- Classroom layout is crucial for maintaining physical distance in schools to prevent COVID-19 transmission during in-person learning.
- A study measured and analyzed 90 classrooms in Missouri, assessing distances between students, teachers, and potentially infectious individuals.
- Results showed that limited physical distancing (less than 6 feet) did not lead to increased COVID-19 transmission among students before the Delta variant surge, suggesting a way to optimize classroom capacity while safely supporting in-person education.
Safe summers: Adapting evidence-based injury prevention into a summer curriculum.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg
November 2017
Background: Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for those aged 0 years to 19 years. St. Louis Children's Hospital created Safety Land, a comprehensive injury prevention intervention which is provided during summer months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAre You Making an Impact? Evaluating the Population Health Impact of Community Benefit Programs.
J Public Health Manag Pract
November 2019
Context: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes a change to the IRS 990 Schedule H, requiring nonprofit hospitals to submit a community health needs assessment every 3 years. Such health care entities are challenged to evaluate the effectiveness of community benefit programs addressing the health needs identified.
Objective: In an effort to determine the population health impact of community benefit programs in 1 hospital outreach department, researchers and staff conducted an impact evaluation to develop priority areas and overarching goals along with program- and department-level objectives.
Background: Safety centers (SCs) are hospital-affiliated outlets that provide families with safety products and personalized education about preventing injuries. Roughly 40 SCs are in operation across the United States, but no single model for staffing, supplying, or sustaining them has emerged. The project aimed to determine the feasibility of a centralized database for SC evaluation as the first step toward growing this proven intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF