Publications by authors named "Mollie Gordon"

Objective: Given the vulnerability of and the importance of caring for the specific health care needs of the growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) population, the authors attempted to identify all educational interventions in psychiatric settings with quantitative outcomes targeting medical students, residents, and physicians in postgraduate settings. To gain insight from other disciplines that have published research in this area, a second objective was to review studies in teaching in those other disciplines. The authors sought to describe the methods of selected studies.

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There has been little attention given to roles played by human trafficking in health care organizations' supply chains. Hand sanitizers and gloves, for example, might be produced by forced labor, which tends to increase in prevalence during pandemics, mass violence, migration, or other global crises. This article considers the nature and scope of health care organizations' corporate and social responsibilities to procure products and personnel justly, offers recommendations to minimize possibilities that supplies are produced by forced labor, and advocates for a public health approach to limiting human trafficking in organizations' supply chains.

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The United States Supreme Court decision on the case of abolished federal protections of abortion, leaving abortion legislation at the discretion of individual states. Trafficked persons are a population especially vulnerable to the impacts of this ruling. Because there is no existing literature describing the effects of restrictive abortion legislation on this group, we described some of the potential consequences of restrictive abortion laws for sex and labor trafficked persons, based on real case examples.

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Increasingly large numbers of children and youth are migrating across international borders with many seeking employment in both formal and informal work sectors. These young people are at high risk of exploitation. Healthcare professionals need to be able to recognise vulnerable patients and advocate for their protection and safety, yet there is a paucity of literature that provides guidance on how to accomplish this.

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Reproductive control or reproductive coercion has negative health consequences but has not been systematically studied within the context of sex trafficking. Our goal is to identify the range of methods used by sex traffickers and buyers to control the reproductive choices of trafficked women and to provide specific examples of these methods. We searched PubMed, Embase, and PsycInfo using the terms "reproductive control" or "reproductive coercion" and "human trafficking" or "sex trafficking," including papers that contained original, specific examples of reproductive control occurring within the context of sex trafficking.

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The landmark Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 established a constitutional right to abortion. In June 2022, the Dobbs vs Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision brought an end to the established professional practice of abortion throughout the United States. Rights-based reductionism and zealotry threaten the professional practice of abortion.

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The term "obstetric violence" has been used in the legislative language of several countries to protect mothers from abuse during pregnancy. Subsequently, it has been expanded to include a spectrum of obstetric procedures, such as induction of labor, episiotomy, and cesarean delivery, and has surfaced in the peer-reviewed literature. The term "obstetric violence" can be seen as quite strong and emotionally charged, which may lead to misunderstandings or misconceptions.

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Human trafficking, which includes sex and labor trafficking, is a pressing issue that needs to be more adequately addressed. Health care professionals have a unique opportunity to assist people who are experiencing human trafficking. However, no consensus exists concerning the involvement of law enforcement through mandatory reporting of trafficked adults.

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Purpose: This study aims to provide trauma informed recommendations for screening and discusses responsibilities of the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) provider for responding and advocating for patients experiencing human trafficking.

Materials & Methods: Existing literature relating to human trafficking across rehabilitation settings was reviewed. In addition, two cases of human trafficking in the rehabilitation setting are presented, including a confirmed case of human trafficking in an adult and a suspected case of human trafficking in a child.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human trafficking is a critical public health issue, but research on its health effects and effective interventions is limited.
  • Two collaborative victim service models, the THRIVE Clinic in Miami and the PATH Collaborative in Houston, focus on trauma-informed healthcare for trafficking victims and have collectively served numerous patients.
  • Key lessons from these models emphasize the need for citywide assessments, patient navigators, interdisciplinary care, and community partnerships to support victims' recovery and reintegration, along with a call for further research on their health needs and effective care strategies.
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Objective: This annotated bibliography provides an overview of sentinel and influential literature about human trafficking for general mental health practitioners.

Methods: A modified participatory ranking methodology was used to create the list of articles.

Results: We identified 25 articles relevant to trafficking and mental health which covered the topics of epidemiology, treatment, identification, policy, and research methodology.

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Trauma-informed care (TIC) as practiced within anti-human trafficking work is still in its early stages, and there is a significant need for specific guidelines concerning how to apply TIC principles along various phases of behavioral health care. Thus, the goals of this article are to (1) provide an overview of the framework of TIC; (2) identify and summarize the literature that specifically highlights the clinical application of TIC principles; and (3) contribute to the existing literature by providing some examples of integrating TIC principles into patient-clinician interactions with trafficked patients. The authors' hope is that mental health providers will reference the provided script examples to help improve patient-provider interactions and to develop better rapport and trust between providers and trafficked persons.

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The new Texas abortion law requires the physician to determine whether a fetal heartbeat is present and prohibits abortion after a heartbeat has been documented. An exception is allowed when a "medical emergency necessitated the abortion." These and other provisions of the statute are to be enforced through "civil actions" brought by private citizens.

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Background: There is a significant prevalence of new onset neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), some severe and persistent, in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Objective: This study reports on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to treat NPS associated with COVID-19.

Methods: A review of the literature pertaining to the use of ECT in patients with COVID-19 and NPS was performed through PubMed, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE.

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Background: The case count for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the predominant measure used to track epidemiological dynamics and inform policy decision-making. Case counts, however, are influenced by testing rates and strategies, which have varied over time and space. A method to interpret COVID-19 case counts consistently in the context of other surveillance data is needed, especially for data-limited settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

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It is estimated that 40 million people worldwide have experienced human trafficking (UN, International Labour Organization & Walk-Free Foundation, 2019), with 313,000 trafficked persons in the state of Texas alone (Busch-Armendariz et al., 2016). These staggering numbers are indicative of human trafficking as a growing public health concern.

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Climate change is a threat to the public health with wide-reaching impacts that are becoming more studied and recognized. An aspect of climate change that has not yet gained adequate scholarly attention is its potential impact on human trafficking. We review the potential impact of climate change on risk factors to human trafficking including poverty, gender inequality, political instability, migration or forced displacement, and weather disasters.

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Foreign-born individuals immigrating to or residing in the United States are especially vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers. Being trafficked elevates the risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems; thus, victims will often come into contact with health professionals. Because there is a dearth of literature concerning the treatment of human trafficking victims, and especially foreign-born victims, we set out to describe the practical applications of a model that we use for the mental health treatment of victimization in this population.

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