Purpose: Opioid misuse is increasingly recognized as a relevant problem among patients with cancer. However, the applicability of these concerns for patients with metastatic disease is complicated by shorter prognoses and greater symptom burden. This study aimed to investigate whether nonmedical opioid use (NMOU) was identified as contributing to opioid-related healthcare encounters among patients with metastatic cancer receiving long-term prescribing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarin is a medium-sized county in California's San Francisco Bay Area. Despite its historically higher-than-average life expectancy and socioeconomic level, known economic and health disparities by race, ethnicity, and geography became more visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We calculated life expectancy, measured years of potential life lost (YPLLs), and described premature mortality for the five years of 2017-2021 by race, ethnicity, census tract, and resource level (as measured by Healthy Places Index [HPI]) to provide data on inequities to guide community-centered action to reduce premature mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Understanding and addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy is crucial to informing vaccination outreach strategies and achieving high vaccination coverage. Marin County, California, United States, has a history of vaccine hesitancy regarding childhood vaccinations required for school entry.
Objectives: We aimed to describe and address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Marin County to inform outreach and messaging.
Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been used to monitor trends in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prevalence in the community. A major challenge in establishing wastewater surveillance programs, especially in remote areas, is the need for a well-equipped laboratory for sample analysis. Currently, no options exist for rapid, sensitive, mobile, and easy-to-use wastewater tests for SARS-CoV-2.
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