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New York City (NYC) was the epicenter of the early US COVID-19 pandemic. From March to May 2020, overburdened healthcare centers precipitated an emergent need for non-traditional facilities to meet patient care demands. Given travel restrictions and NYC's underutilized tourist infrastructure, hotels were available to support emergency response needs. This article describes the process by which NYC's non-medical COVID-19 hotel programs were selected, mobilized, and operated, including lessons learned. NYC agencies and organizations collaborated, creating an interagency initiative that activated hotels to provide safe isolation and quarantine spaces for those diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19, aiming to reduce community spread, increase capacity for NYC's strained healthcare system, and mitigate interagency redundancy. Interagency groups addressed hotel challenges, including infection prevention and control; behavioral health, intellectual, and developmental disorders; social determinants of health; and coordination, operations, and planning. NYC's COVID-19 hotel program successfully supported overburdened hospitals by providing alternate locations for non-inpatient COVID-19 individuals. Community engagement required a methodical approach, balancing quality assurance with efficient access. An interagency coordinating body developed and shared clinical criteria for hotel admissions, infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures, and discharge plans, enhancing the program's ability to scale and address complex needs. Lessons learned from this program can be applied for smoother implementation of similar programs in the future.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the global experience of anxiety and depression owing to social isolation and government-mandated quarantine for transmission reduction. To date, literature surrounding the mental health effects of COVID-19 for the U.S. population is limited. Methods: This is a retrospective study from a large metropolitan Detroit health system. Patient encounters between December 23, 2018 and June 22, 2021, with March 23, 2020 being the start of Michigan state-wide lockdown, were used to define pre- and post-COVID-19 encounters, respectively. The data were divided into Detroit and non-Detroit on the basis of patient ZIP code. All patients aged ≥13 years with a visit with a family medicine provider were included. Outcome variables included Patient Health Questionnaires-2 and -9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 scores; diagnoses of depression, anxiety, adjustment, and grief disorders; antidepressant prescriptions; and behavioral health referrals. Logistic regression was used to determine the incidence of composite mood disorder, depression, and anxiety. Results: A total of 20,970 individuals were included in this study: 10,613 in the Detroit subgroup and 10,357 in the non-Detroit subgroup. A total of 88.2% of the Detroit population were Black, and 70% were female. Logistic regression shows that the incidence of composite mood disorder decreased with increasing age (OR=0.787, 0.608, 0.422, and 0.392; p<0.001). Male sex is a protective factor (OR=0.646, p<0.001). Federal insurance is the only factor presenting a statistically significant increased risk (OR=1.395, p<0.001). There was no statistical difference between residing in urban and suburban areas in the incidence of composite mood disorder (OR=0.996, p=0.953). Conclusions: This research demonstrates that residing in an urban setting did not increase the risk of developing a mental health disorder during the COVID-19 period.

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INTRODUCTION: Recruiting rural-practicing clinicians is a high priority. In this study, we explored burnout and contributing work conditions among rural, urban, and family practice physicians and advanced practice clinicians (APCs) in an Upper Midwestern health care system. METHODS: The Mini Z burnout reduction measure was administered by anonymous electronic survey in March 2022. We conducted bivariate analyses of study variables, then assessed relationships of study variables to burnout with multivariate binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 1118 clinicians (63% response rate), 589 physicians and 496 APCs were included in this study (n = 1085). Most were female (56%), physicians (54%), and White (86%), while 21% were in family practice, 46% reported burnout, and 349 practiced rurally. Rural and urban clinician burnout rates were comparable (45% vs 47%). Part-time work protected against burnout for family practice and rural clinicians, but not urban clinicians. In multivariate models for rural clinicians, stress (OR: 8.53, 95% CI: 4.09 to 17.78, P < .001), lack of workload control (OR: 3.06, 95% CI: 1.47-6.36, P = .003), busy/chaotic environments (OR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.29-4.99, P = .007), and intent to leave (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.06-4.45, P = .033) increased burnout odds. In family practice clinicians, stress (OR: 13.43 95% CI: 4.90-36.79, P < .001) also significantly increased burnout odds. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout was comparable between rural and urban physicians and APCs. Part-time work was associated with decreased burnout in rural and family practice clinicians. Addressing burnout drivers (stress, workload control, chaos) may improve rural work environments, reduce turnover, and aid rural clinician recruitment. Addressing stress may be particularly impactful in family practice.

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OBJECTIVE: To explore the housing trajectory, personal recovery, functional level, and quality of life of clients at discharge and 1 year after completing Projet Réaffiliation Itinérance Santé Mentale (PRISM), a shelter-based mental health and rehabilitation program intended to provide individuals experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness with transition housing and to reconnect them with mental health and social services. METHOD: Housing status, psychiatric follow-up trajectory, personal recovery (Canadian Personal Recovery Outcome Measure), functional level (Multnomah Community Ability Scale), and quality of life (Lehman Quality of Life Interview) were assessed at program entry, at program discharge and 1 year later. RESULTS: Of the 50 clients who participated in the study from May 31, 2018, to December 31, 2019, 43 completed the program. Of these, 76.7% were discharged to housing modalities and 78% were engaged with psychiatric follow-up at the program's end. Housing stability, defined as residing at the same permanent address since discharge, was achieved for 62.5% of participants at 1-year follow-up. Functional level and quality of life scores improved significantly both at discharge and at 1-year follow-up from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Admission to PRISM helped clients secure long-term stable housing and appropriate psychiatric follow-up. Stable housing was maintained for most clients at 1-year follow-up, and they benefited from sustained functional and quality of life outcomes in long-term follow-up.

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Introduction A large proportion of the United States' underinsured population relies on free health clinics for their health care needs. With only a few free health clinics nationwide hosting specialty clinics, a small subset of which are dermatology clinics, there is a dearth of information in the literature on which dermatological pathologies and treatment modalities are most common in this setting. The purpose of this study was to establish the most common dermatological conditions and treatments in the free health care setting as well as understand which facets of care need improvement. Methods A total of 57 patients with dermatological findings were identified at an urban student-run free health clinic in the southern United States in the past two years (2019-2021). Information reviewed for each patient included general demographics, chief complaint, medical/surgical history, treatments/procedures required for each visit, treatments/procedures available for each visit, referrals, and follow-up rate. Qualitative analysis was performed.  Results The median age of the patients that presented with dermatological findings was 40 while the most common ethnicities were white (26.2%), Hispanic/Latino (28.6%), and black (28.6%). The most common chief complaints were rashes and cysts with a majority (63.2%) of these patients presenting to this particular clinic for the first time. Seven patients (12.3%) were unable to receive treatment due to expense, procedure unavailability, or an unknown reason. The most common treatment prescribed included a topical steroid. A majority (71.9%) of the patients were unable to follow up as scheduled. A majority of patients (81.2%) that were able to follow up were adherent to their prescribed medication. Conclusion Although dermatological conditions are plentiful in the free health care setting, the literature currently contains no information regarding this topic. This may be due to low patient follow-up rates and inadequately charted outcomes on often outdated electronic health records. In order to best care for dermatology patients in this setting, it is necessary to understand the barriers to care and available treatment options.

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OBJECTIVES: Chronic conditions represent an important source of major health issues among Indigenous People. The same applies to those, who live off-reserve and in urban areas. However, very few healthcare services are considered culturally safe, resulting in some avoidance of the public healthcare system. Our goal was to review the literature on culturally safe practices available to urban Indigenous People who suffer from chronic diseases. DESIGN: We conducted a scoping review to determine what culturally safe healthcare services are currently offered for the management of chronic conditions in urban Indigenous populations, to contribute to a tailored, holistic and safe space in mainstream healthcare systems. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Peer-reviewed original research articles had to be published by 27 October 2020, in English or French. INFORMATION SOURCE: In October 2020, we searched five academic databases (EBSCO, PsycArticles, SocINDEX, MEDLINE and PsycINFO) and also reviewed grey literature and the websites of organisations or governments. The data were extracted and collected in an EXCEL spreadsheet. Two reviewers independently screened 326 titles and abstracts, followed by an independent evaluation of 48 full text articles. A total of 19 studies were included in this scoping review, as well as 5 websites/documents from the grey literature. RESULTS: In total, 19 studies were included in our analysis. We found that Elders, family and the assistance of an interpreter are crucial elements to include to make urban Indigenous feel safe when they seek healthcare services. With this scoping review, we report interventions that are successful in terms of healthcare delivery for this population. Our findings provide insight on what services should be in place in mainstream healthcare settings to create a culturally safe experience for urban Indigenous People. CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, there appears to be a growing awareness of the need to provide culturally safe health services. This scoping review identified multiple strategies to promote cultural safety in this context, as well as barriers and facilitators to their implementation. These elements, which have been extensively documented in the literature, should be included in the chronic diseases management interventions to be developed by urban and primary care settings.

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Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Brazil. Objective To provide population-based data on prevalence and factors associated with CVD risk factors. Methods Individuals aged ≥20 years from two editions of the cross-sectional Health Survey of São Paulo focusing on Nutrition (ISA-Nutrition), performed in Sao Paulo city in 2008 (n=590) and 2015 (n=610), were evaluated for: obesity, central obesity, waist/height ratio, high blood pressure (HBP), dyslipidemia, diabetes, and number of CVD risk factors ≥3. Prevalence was estimated according to complex survey procedures. Factors associated with cardiovascular risk factors were assessed using logistic regression, with statistical significance of p<0.05. Results Obesity and older age were associated with higher odds of all cardiovascular risk factors investigated, except for dyslipidemia. HBP was positively associated with being Black/Brown and negatively associated with being physicaly active in leisure time. Women were more likely to have increased adiposity indicators and three or more cardiovascular risk factors than men. Those with higher education had lower chances of having diabetes, HBP and dyslipidemia, and those with higher income had higher chances of having three or more risk factors. Former smokers had higher odds of diabetes, obesity, and high waist/height ratio, and smokers had higher odds of high non-HDL cholesterol levels. From 2008 to 2015, there was an increase (p<0.001) in the prevalence of diabetes (6.9% to 17.3%), HBP (31.9% to 41.8%), dyslipidemia (51.3% to 67.6%), and number of CVD risk factors ≥3 (18.9% to 34.1%). Conclusion This study shows increasing prevalence of CVD risk factors in adult population in Sao Paulo and may support the definition of target groups and priority actions on CVD prevention and treatment.

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AIM: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on cervical cancer screening. METHOD: The Japanese Society of Gynecologic Oncology launched COVID-19 Task Force surveyed the municipalities in urban areas of Japan. Questionnaires were sent to 20 ordinance-designated cities and 23 wards of Tokyo metropolitan area in Japan via telephone and mail in January 2021. An additional survey was conducted in March and April 2021, counted the monthly checkups in 2020 and, as a control data, the number of monthly checkups in 2019. "The State of Emergency" between April 7 and May 25, 2020, included 13 prefectures. The data collected in this research involved the number of screenings only. The chi-square test was performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The number of cancer screenings from March to August, with May being the month with the lowest number of screenings, was less than 50% of that in the previous year. In particular, the drop in the number of cancer screenings in the "Prefectures operating under special safety precautions" was remarkable and significantly lower than that in other Prefectures. However, after August, the number recovered to the usual level, despite the second wave of the pandemic occurring nationwide. The initial "the State of Emergency" caused a significant decrease in the number of people receiving population-based screenings, but the recovery has been remarkable, and the total number is expected to be the same as in previous years. CONCLUSION: The initial "the State of Emergency" caused a significant decrease in the number of people receiving population-based screenings.

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BACKGROUND: Germany already has a high degree of urbanisation, and the share of urban population is expected to increase further. Thus, it is important to explore urban primary care from a scientific point of view. METHOD: In this article, the author suggests a framework for urban primary care. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Three core characteristics of urban areas are a high population density, a high population heterogeneity (including socioeconomic heterogeneity) and a fragmentation of health care and social care. These characteristics influence the health of urban dwelling population. Thus, these characteristics form the future challenges for urban primary care.

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Background: To date, evidence on whether sexualized drug use (SDU) and chemsex occur less frequently in rural compared to urban areas in Britain has been conflicting. This study aimed to better measure and understand whether attending urban versus rural sexual health clinics in the United Kingdom was associated with a difference in men who have sex with men's (MSM) experience of SDU or their access to SDU support. Methods: Men from 29 sexual health services across England and Scotland were recruited by self-completing a waiting room survey. Results: A total of 2655 men (864 MSM) took part. There was no statistically significant difference in recent SDU or chemsex identified in MSM attending rural compared to urban clinics. Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate/Gamma-Butyrolactone (GHB/GBL) was the most commonly reported chemsex drug used in a sexual setting, with equal prevalence of use in urban and rural MSM attendees. Distance travelled for SDU was not significantly different for rural compared to urban MSM. Rural MSM reported a higher rate of unmet need for SDU specific services, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Within this sample of MSM, there were no significant differences in sexualized drug use behaviours between those attending rural compared to urban sexual health settings.

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BACKGROUND: Family physician (FP) is one of the best strategies to reform health system and promote population health. Due to the different context, culture, and population, implementing this reform within cities would be more challenging than in rural areas. This study aimed to assess the challenges and strengths of Urban FP Program in Fars Province of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a qualitative study using framework analysis for collecting and interpreting data. The participants included health policy-makers, top managers, and involved health staff selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Participating in the program or working as a physician in urban areas were among inclusion criteria. Three focus groups with experts as well as the content analysis of national documents were also performed. The research tool was a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed word by word. The framework of triangle for data analysis and the content was analyzed using MAXQDA 2010 software. RESULTS: The participants' mean age was 44.9 ± 6.4 years, with a mean work experience of 13.2 ± 7.4 years. The transcripts revealed six themes and 17 subthemes. The emerging themes included three challenges and three solutions as following: social problems, financial problems, and structural problems as well as resistance reduction, executive meetings, and surveillance. CONCLUSION: Resolving staff shortage, decreasing the public resistance, and eliminating unnecessary referrals were among the strategies used by Fars, during FP implementation. To be successful in implementing this program, the required perquisites such as infrastructures and culture growth must be undertaken. The current study suggests the establishment of the electronic health record to improve the pace and quality of service provision as well as reducing violations.

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BACKGROUND: The patient-centered medical home model intends to improve patient experience and primary care quality. Within an urban safety net setting in Northern California, United States, these desired outcomes are complicated by both the diversity of the patient community and the care continuity implications of a residency program. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to understand the patient experience beyond standardized satisfaction measures. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study, interviewing 19 patients from the clinic (English-, Spanish-, or Mien-speaking patients). RESULTS: Some themes, such as the desire to feel confident in their doctor, emerged across language groups, pointing to institutional challenges. Other themes, such as distrust in care being provided, were tied distinctly to speaking a language different from one's provider. Still other themes, such as a sense of powerlessness, were related to cultural differences and to speaking a language (Mien) not spoken by staff. CONCLUSIONS: Findings illuminate the need to understand cultural behaviors and interactional styles in a diverse patient population to create a high-quality medical home.

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To guide targeted cessation and prevention programming, this study assessed smoking prevalence and described sociodemographic, health, and healthcare use characteristics of adult smokers in public housing. Self-reported data were analyzed from a random sample of 1664 residents aged 35 and older in ten New York City public housing developments in East/Central Harlem. Smoking prevalence was 20.8%. Weighted log-binomial models identified to be having Medicaid, not having a personal doctor, and using health clinics for routine care were positively associated with smoking. Smokers without a personal doctor were less likely to receive provider quit advice. While most smokers in these public housing developments had health insurance, a personal doctor, and received provider cessation advice in the last year (72.4%), persistently high smoking rates suggest that such cessation advice may be insufficient. Efforts to eliminate differences in tobacco use should consider place-based smoking cessation interventions that extend cessation support beyond clinical settings.

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INTRODUCTION: To evaluate access to urological care and potential work force shortages it is essential to understand geographic variation in physician supply and practice patterns among urologists. We sought to quantify differences between urban and nonurban urologists in the United States and evaluate these trends with time. METHODS: We obtained procedural case logs from the ABU (American Board of Urology) for 9,390 urologists undergoing ABU initial certification or recertification during 2003 through 2015. We performed summary statistics to characterize the practice patterns and case mix of nonurban urologists (practice setting less than 100,000 population) and urban urologists (practice setting greater than 100,000 population). RESULTS: Of 8,180 urologists (87.1%) with practice setting information 6,907 (84.4%) practiced in an urban setting vs 1,273 (15.6%) in a nonurban setting. The proportion of nonurban urologists decreased from 2003 to 2015 (19.4% to 14.2%, p = 0.06). A higher proportion of urban urologists were female (9.5% vs 6.8%, p = 0.007). Nonurban urologists were more likely to be general urologists (88.0% vs 71.8%, p <0.001) and be in practice longer (mean ± SD 11.0 ± 8.4 vs 9.2 ± 8.3 years, p <0.001). Nonurban urologists were more likely to be solo practitioners (21.8% vs 9.5%, p <0.001) and less likely to perform major urological cases with a median of 5 (IQR 1-12) vs 9 cases (IQR 3-19) annually (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Imbalance in the geographic distribution of urologists appears to be growing. With an aging nonurban urological work force that is performing fewer major operations Americans residing in nonurban areas may face barriers in access to care.

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INTRODUCTION: Bypassing refers to a person's decision to seek care at a healthcare facility that is not the nearest one of its type to the person's home. METHODS: This study examined inpatient care facility bypassing in urban Bo, Sierra Leone using data from 1,980 women with children 15 years of age and younger who were interviewed in 2010-2011. The locations of residential structures and hospitals were identified using a geographic information system (GIS), and the road distances from participating households to the nearest and preferred inpatient care facilities were measured. RESULTS: Nine inpatient care facilities serve Bo residents, but more than 70% of the participating women reported that the city's main public hospital (Bo Government Hospital), located in the city center, was their preferred inpatient care provider. Participants resided within a median distance of 0.9 km (Interquartile range (IQR): 0.6, 1.8) from their closest inpatient facility, but they would travel a median distance of 2.4 km (IQR: 1.0, 3.3) to reach their preferred providers. About 87% of the women would bypass their nearest inpatient care facility to access care at a preferred provider. Bypassing rates were similar for various demographic and socioeconomic groups, but higher for women living farther from the city center. CONCLUSION: Although Bo has a diverse healthcare marketplace, access to affordable advanced care options is limited. Most women in Bo would choose to bypass facilities nearer to their homes to seek the low-cost and comprehensive care offered by Bo Government Hospital.

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OBJECTIVE: Assessing health literacy during the clinical encounter is difficult. Many established instruments are lengthy and not practical for use in a busy practice setting. Our objective was to compare the performance of 3 health literacy screening questions against the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (S-TOFHLA) in an urban, ethnically diverse primary care practice-based research network. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients in clinics in the Detroit area were recruited to complete a questionnaire that included the S-TOFHLA and 3 items similar to the Chew screening questions. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves compared the test characteristics of the screening questions to the S-TOFHLA. RESULTS: The participation rate was 92% (N = 599). Most participants were women (65%) and African American (51%); 51.8% had a household annual income of <$20,000. Almost all (96.7%) had an adequate score on the S-TOFHLA. The screening question with the largest AUROC (0.83; 95% CI, 0.70-0.95) was "How often do you have someone help you read instructions, pamphlets or other written materials from your doctor or pharmacy?"; the AUROC for all 3 questions was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.85-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: Self-administration of the 3 screening questions demonstrated high performance compared with the 36-item S-TOFHLA interview instrument. These screening questions should help providers identify patients who may need extra support to follow health prescriptions.

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O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a percepçãodos idosos quanto aos serviços prestados, motivos deingresso e permanência e nível de atividade física (AF)dos participantes das Academias da Saúde em diferentesregiões de Florianópolis-SC. Participaram deste estudo38 idosos, com idade média de 68,7±0,9 anos, de11 academias das regiões Continente, Centro e Lestede Florianópolis-SC. Os instrumentos aplicados foram:ficha diagnóstica para as características sociodemográficas,percepção sobre os serviços prestados e motivosde ingresso e permanência, Questionário Internacionalde Atividade Física (IPAQ) para verificar o nível de AFno domínio transporte e lazer. Os dados quantitativosforam tratados por meio de estatística descritiva e inferencial(teste Qui-Quadrado e Kruskal-Wallis). Admitiu--se nível de significância de 5%. Os dados qualitativosforam tratados pela análise de conteúdo temática. Observou-se diferença significativa nos níveis de AF, nosdomínios transporte (p=0,02) e lazer (p=0,02) nas diferentesregiões, constatando-se os idosos da região Centrocomo os mais ativos nos dois domínios. Melhorar emanter a saúde foram, respectivamente, os motivos deingresso e permanência mais citados. Esses motivos foramsemelhantes entre as regiões. Em relação aos serviçosprestados, 50,0% dos idosos estavam insatisfeitosenquanto 97,4% estavam satisfeitos com a infraestrutura,tendo como sugestão a implantação de cobertura manutenção e aumento no número de aparelhos.Conclui-se que existem diferenças regionais quantoao nível de AF dos idosos e que a saúde é a principalmotivação para que frequentem essas academias. Osserviços prestados ainda demandam melhorias como asupervisão de profissionais de Educação Física.

The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptionand the services provided, reasons for entry andstay and level of physical activity (PA) among elderlyparticipants of the Academies of Health in differentregions of Florianopolis-SC. The study included 38 oldpeople (68,7±0,9 years), of 11 Academies of Health(Continent, Central and East). The instruments appliedwere: diagnostic to check sociodemographic characteristicsand perceptions about the services provided andreasons for entry and stay; International Physical ActivityQuestionnaire (IPAQ), to check the level of PA in the transportation and sports and leisure. Quantitativedata were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics(Chi-Square and Kruskal-Wallis), with significancelevel of 5%. Qualitative data were treated by the thematiccontent analysis. As a result, we found statisticallysignificant differences in PA levels in the transport domain(p=0,02) and leisure (p=0,02) between old peopleparticipants of the academies in different regions andthe most active in the Central two domains. Improveand maintain health were, respectively, the reasons ofentry and residence most cited. These reasons were similaramong regions. For the services rendered, 50,0%of the old people were dissatisfied while 97,4% weresatisfied with the infrastructure, with the suggestion forimproving the implementation of coverage, maintenanceand increase in the number of devices. We concludethat there?re regional differences in the level of PA andthat health is the main motivation for attending theseacademies. The services still require improvementssuch as supervision of physical education professionals.

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Diabetes is a disease of concern due to its increasing frequency and high cost of care. This cross sectional study evaluated the types of care provided to diabetes patients in primary care for management of the condition. Between December 2010 and March 2011, 54 general practitioners [GPs] in health centres in Khouribga province were asked to complete a pretested questionnaire on their care of diabetes patients. For type 2 diabetes, 46% of the GPs would prescribe diet and lifestyle treatment alone. The practice setting influenced how treatment was managed for type1 diabetes patients: 88.5% of rural doctors prescribed premixed insulin versus 58.3% of urban GPs [P = 0.02]. Insulin analogues were prescribed by 20.8% of urban GPs as against 3.8% of rural GPs [P = 0.09]. There are several shortcomings in the quality of care for diabetes patients. Training GPs could be a solution, especially with the lack of specialists in our country

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