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NHLP Releases Survey Showing Impact of the End of Eviction Moratorium

by | Dec 7, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

COVID EvictionsRising eviction cases, more illegal evictions and lockouts, and judges ignoring or inconsistently applying federal and state law are some of the problems a new survey identifies since the end of the federal eviction moratorium.

The survey, from the National Housing Law Project (NHLP), shows that courts and landlords continue to evict tenants despite receiving rental assistance funds and legal protections for tenants.

The findings show that 66 percent of respondents—consisting of legal aid and civil rights attorneys in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico—reported increasing eviction cases, and 40 percent reported rising cases of landlords lying in court to evict tenants. Approximately 86 percent of respondents reported landlords collecting rental assistance but proceeding with evictions or simply refusing to apply for funds.

NHLP lays out several recommendations, including:

  • Reform landlord–tenant law to provide basic due process to tenants.
  • Expand tenant access to justice by enacting right to counsel laws.
  • Fix rental assistance programs by requiring lease renewals, non-eviction pledges, and stays on cases until funds are disbursed.
  • Create eviction diversion programs focused on housing stability for tenants.
  • Invest in federal and other affordable housing through the Build Back Better Act.

For more information, visit https://www.nhlp.org/covid/survey.

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Study Finds Widespread Support for Tackling Health Disparities by Addressing Social Determinants of Health

by | Nov 23, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

Econometrica Kristie2A recent study coauthored by Econometrica’s Health Director, Dr. Kristie McNealy, found that there is widespread support among researchers for efforts that attempt to reduce health disparities by using a multilevel approach to address the social conditions that help drive those disparities.

In particular, the study focused on what is currently known about multilevel diabetes prevention and treatment interventions for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) and First Nations people in the United States and Canada. Diabetes is a significant issue among AI/AN and First Nations people, who have a higher prevalence of diabetes than any other racial or ethnic group, as well as higher rates of comorbidities and complications such as hypertension and cerebrovascular disease.

Such health disparities are often connected to “social determinants of health,” or the conditions of the environment where a person or group lives—such as access to housing or healthcare—that affect their health, functioning, and quality of life. For example, AI/AN and First Nations people experience a range of significant inequities, including lower graduation rates, higher poverty rates, and decreased access to healthcare, that undermine their health and contribute to higher rates of diseases like diabetes.

Multilevel interventions aim to prevent and/or treat chronic diseases related to social determinants of health by mobilizing support at many levels, from the individual to the policy level. The study’s authors identified 10 multilevel diabetes prevention and/or treatment interventions specifically aimed at AI/AN and First Nations people:

  • All 10 interventions focused on diabetes prevention.
  • Eight interventions were specifically focused on youth.
  • Multilevel design elements were largely individual-, school-, and community-based.
  • Three interventions also included environmental- or policy-level components.

Beyond these 10 interventions, the review found that there is little literature about multi-level diabetes prevention/treatment programs for AI/AN and First Nations people. However, the authors did find widespread support among experts for reducing health disparities by addressing the social factors that contribute to those disparities. “Researchers and interventionists should consider multi-level approaches with well-designed, appropriately funded evaluation strategies for diabetes prevention and treatment interventions,” the authors conclude.

To learn more, you can read the full article here.

ECONOMETRICA BLOG
CMS Releases Job Aids for PAC Providers

CMS Releases Job Aids for PAC Providers

by | Nov 11, 2021 | Press Release

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new job aids for post-acute care (PAC) providers to aid in the assessment and coding of GG0130. Self-Care Items. T

Econometrica developed these aids under contract with CMS to “provide clinically relevant information to assist providers in understanding specific guidelines and clinical considerations that should be applied to coding GG0130. Self-Care items,” according to a CMS release.

“These job aids are a product of our collaboration with PAC providers to ensure they have resources that are useful and readily available while assessing patients,” said Kristie McNealy, Director of Health for Econometrica.

The training materials apply to four PAC settings: Home Health Agencies, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Long-Term Care Hospitals, and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

JobAids

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National Groups Call on HUD to Do More to Prevent Evictions

by | Nov 9, 2021 | Econometrica Blog

Nearly 50 affordable housing, tenants’ rights, and civil rights organizations recently called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to do more to stop the national eviction crisis.

This latest call from the groups comes as HUD’s Interim Final Rule, Extension of Time and Required Disclosures for Nonpayment of Rent, goes into affect. The rule aims to increase access to federal emergency rental assistance but does not provide the resources HUD tenants need to receive the funds.

View the groups’ letter here.

ECONOMETRICA BLOG
CDC Foundation Launches Digital Media Course Developed by Econometrica

CDC Foundation Launches Digital Media Course Developed by Econometrica

by | Oct 21, 2021 | Press Release

Social media has become a major source of news for much of the world. To increase the amount of reliable information on social media, Econometrica has supported the CDC Foundation in launching a course to teach public health professionals how to create and promote social media messages that make an impact.

The course, Evidence-Based Strategies for Digital Media Messaging, is part of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System’s (GTSS) Academy. Many of the social media examples and practice scenarios in the course are specific to global tobacco information; however, the information in the course is applicable to any public health professional looking to better leverage social media.

The highlight of the course is the Digital Media Workshop: Developing a Social Media Post module, which is a practical, step-by-step, hands-on tutorial that takes the learner through the full process of creating an effective social media message, including free resources to use such as software, data, and images.

Econometrica’s instructional designers, led by Creative Lead Ephraim Ross, worked closely with tobacco prevention and digital media subject matter experts to develop the eight-module course. In addition, Econometrica’s team designed and built visually engaging and interactive content to enhance learners’ understanding, including animated video tutorials, custom-designed images, infographics, and GIF animations.

Econometrica also provided expert learning design solutions and technical development on various aspects of the project, such as incorporating social polls throughout the course to give asynchronous learners a sense of community.

In addition, our team recommended and developed creative solutions for gathering data and feedback directly from the course, including developing a final course evaluation survey, writing custom code for an auto-generated personalized completion certificate for learners, and incorporating Google Analytics tracking.

The course, which is free and open to the public, includes a bonus module, Guide for New Social Media Users, which helps organizations open and manage their professional social media accounts, including creating company social media policies, brand strategy, and content calendars.

The course is completely self-paced and can be completed in approximately 90 minutes. It contains the following modules:

  1. Data Dissemination Strategies
  2. Infographics: Using Data for Visual Storytelling
  3. Introduction to Social Media
  4. Evidence-Based Strategies for Social Media
  5. Digital Media Workshop
  6. Evaluating the Reach of Your Social Media Message
  7. Guide for New Social Media Users
  8. Digital Media Messaging Toolkit and Course Summary

CDCFoundationMediaSite

Funding for the course was provided to the CDC Foundation by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.

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