Asthma policy in Illinois: A survey of school nursing and staff knowledge and implementation patterns.

Objective: Our goal is to examine gaps in self-carry, asthma emergency protocol, and stock inhaler policy knowledge in Illinois schools.

Design: A 30-item REDCap cross-sectional survey developed by a team of stakeholders was disseminated. Questions assessed policy knowledge, awareness, and practices regarding asthma emergency protocols, self-carry, and stock inhalers.

Leveraging secondary data for evaluation: Planning the expansion of the Illinois asthma partnership to reduce pediatric asthma related emergency department visits.

Government partnerships with community-based and healthcare organizations have historically increased the impact of public health programs. In order to strengthen and expand the Illinois Asthma Partnership (IAP), external evaluators determined the degree to which local rates of Pediatric Asthma Related Emergency Department (PARED) visits aligned with local hospital Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA), asthma prioritization, and IAP engagement. The majority of counties with high PARED rates also had high levels of concentrated disadvantage.

A National Review of State Laws for Stock Epinephrine in Schools.

Background: Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction with significant risk for children with allergies. Access to potentially life-saving medication is critical for these children. This review aims to describe state laws and policies guiding stock epinephrine in schools for allergic or anaphylactic events and detail recommendations for best practices.

Prevalence of Frequent Mental Distress Among Illinois Adults With Chronic Conditions: Estimates From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011 to 2017.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine frequent mental distress (FMD) by demographics, chronic conditions, and health risk factors among Illinois adults.

Design: Descriptive analyses included χ and pairwise tests to examine how FMD status differed by selected characteristics and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to examine the association between FMD and chronic conditions and risk factors.

Setting: Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011 to 2017 (n = 37 312).

Evidence-Based Interventions for High Blood Pressure and Glycemic Control Among Illinois Health Systems.

Introduction: Evidence-based interventions (referral, team-based care, self-management, and self-monitoring) for chronic disease management are well documented and widely used by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). However, how these interventions are implemented varies substantially.

Methods: The Illinois Health Information Systems Survey was deployed to 49 FQHCs.

Use of market research data by state chronic disease programs, Illinois, 2012-2014.

Market research data complement traditional epidemiologic data by allowing users to examine health behavior and patterns by census block or census tract. Market research data can identify products and behaviors that align or do not align with public health program goals. Illinois is a recipient of an award from the Directors of Health Promotion and Education to use industry market research data collected by The Nielsen Company for public health purposes.

Adoption of sodium reduction strategies in small and rural hospitals, Illinois, 2012.

Sodium reduction strategies on a population-based level are promoted as a public health intervention. Small and rural hospitals in Illinois were funded to adopt sodium reduction strategies as an intervention, have their hospital cafeteria and vending machines assessed via an environmental scan, and participate in an evaluation. Intervention strategies to identify and to label lower-sodium foods were implemented most, and pricing strategies were implemented least among funded hospitals.

Influenza surveillance using electronic health records in the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

Objective: Increasing use of electronic health records (EHRs) provides new opportunities for public health surveillance. During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic, we developed a new EHR-based influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance system designed to be resource sparing, rapidly scalable, and flexible. 4 weeks after the first pandemic case, ILI data from Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities were being analyzed.