Habitat for Humanity Omaha: Homeownership Program: Quantitative and Qualitative Report

This report includes quantitative results, qualitative results, an overall summary, and recommendations. The Quantitative Introduction includes an demographic analysis of 2018 Quarter 3 applicants to the Homeownership Program. The Quantitative Data pages include an explanation of quantitative methodology, data collection, and analysis procedures. Additionally, a comparison of applicant demographic and outcome data, an overall summary, and research limitations are provided. The Qualitative Data pages include information on the data collection process, coding procedures, and primary themes identified. A concept map of qualitative themes and categories, an overall summary, and research limitations are also provided. The Summary provides an overall summary of the main findings from both the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The Recommendations page provides specific recommendations, informed by data, for Habitat for Humanity. References used and the focus group questions are included at the end of the report

Mind the Gap: Communities Grow Sustainable Food Access

Presenters provide a community toolkit with strategies for identifying stakeholders and forming a network; developing a partnership with a store; and key building demand activities

The Opioid Crisis: Exploring the Effects on First Responders and Healthcare Professionals

In 2017, the National Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency (The White House, 2018). Although Nebraska ranks among the states with the lowest number of drug overdose deaths, rising opioid use creates safety concerns for first responders and healthcare professionals, and leads to strained resources in many jurisdictions. We hope to increase our audience’s knowledge on the opioid crisis, how it effects first responders and healthcare professionals, and pertinent policies and initiatives in Nebraska. Our audience will leave this presentation better equipped to initiate discussions with friends, family, and community members about the opioid crisis and to take an active role in preventing opioid fatalities in their community. We conducted a statewide needs assessment which included a literature review of promising practices, both within Nebraska and beyond. We reviewed national and state statistics on opioid use, the availability of naloxone in Nebraska and surrounding states, and the effect of the opioid crisis on healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters. Findings from this review indicated first responders’ shared frustration at their inability to impact opioid use in their communities. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Drug Overdose Prevention Program contracted with STEPs (Support and Training for the Evaluation of Programs) to complete this statewide needs assessment. The Drug Overdose Prevention Program will use the needs assessment to develop crisis response plans to reduce opioid-related fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Nebraska. The White House. (2018) The Opioid Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/opioids

Impact of Hotel/Motel Trainings on Realizing, Recognizing, and Responding to Human Trafficking

The Coalition on Human Trafficking (CHT) is focused on bringing trafficking awareness and prevention to the Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, communities, as well as building coalitions regionally, nationally, and internationally. Because hotels and motels are a trafficking hotspot, CHT launched their “Realize, Recognize, and Respond” campaign in 2016 to train hotel-motel staff within a 50-mile radius of Omaha. The Coalition on Human Trafficking (CHT) partnered with Support and Training for the Evaluation of Programs (STEPs) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to conduct an assessment of CHT’s Hotel/Motel Training Program between April 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019. The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the impact of the Hotel/Motel Training Program on hotel and motel staff’s awareness, attitudes, and perceived knowledge about sex trafficking as well as their confidence to report potential sex trafficking cases. The following report includes the results of a pre/post training assessment tool as well as manager perceptions of the training through qualitative focus groups and interviews

2018 Evaluation Report for Omaha Girls Rock – A Youth Empowerment Organization

The STEPs evaluation team partnered with Omaha Girls Rock to complete an outcome evaluation of Omaha Girls Rock camps held in the summer of 2018. To accomplish the evaluation, STEPs used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The results and program recommendations are outlined below

Drug Use Behaviors: A Review of National and State Trends in the Literature

PurposeThis report informs a needs assessment to gauge drug-use behaviors, treatment needs, and prevention efforts through the lens of treatment providers across Nebraska. MethodologyAfter determining the scope of the literature review in collaboration with DHHS, researchers gathered relevant information from a variety of sources. The primary areas of interest include: • National and Nebraska statistics.• Prevention.• Initiation to drug use.• Treatment. Data Sources UsedThis literature review includes a combination of scholarly articles, federal and state agency documents, and key stakeholder publications. Local news sources were also reviewed to capture current information relevant to Nebraska

Nuclear expression of PG-21, SRC-1, and pCREB in regions of the lumbosacral spinal cord involved in pelvic innervation in young adult and aged rats

In rats, ageing results in dysfunctional patterns of micturition and diminished sexual reflexes that may reflect degenerative changes within spinal circuitry. In both sexes the dorsal lateral nucleus and the spinal nucleus of the bulbospongiosus, which lie in the L5-S1 spinal segments, contain motor neurons that innervate perineal muscles, and the external anal and urethral sphincters. Neurons in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus of these segments provide autonomic control of the bladder, cervix and penis and other lower urinary tract structures. Interneurons in the dorsal gray commissure and dorsal horn have also been implicated in lower urinary tract function. This study investigates the cellular localisation of PG-21 androgen receptors, steroid receptor co-activator one (SRC-1) and the phosphorylated form of c-AMP response element binding protein (pCREB) within these spinal nuclei. These are components of signalling pathways that mediate cellular responses to steroid hormones and neurotrophins. Nuclear expression of PG-21 androgen receptors, SRC-1 and pCREB in young and aged rats was quantified using immunohistochemistry. There was a reduction in the number of spinal neurons expressing these molecules in the aged males while in aged females, SRC-1 and pCREB expression was largely unchanged. This suggests that the observed age-related changes may be linked to declining testosterone levels. Acute testosterone therapy restored expression of PG-21 androgen receptor in aged and orchidectomised male rats, however levels of re-expression varied within different nuclei suggesting a more prolonged period of hormone replacement may be required for full restoratio

Drug Overdose Prevention 2021: Revisiting Healthcare and First Responders’ Needs

In 2019, STEPs conducted quantitative surveys and focus groups with healthcare and EMS/fire first responders. Due to the amount of data collected and the tight timeline of the overall project, analyses of both the quantitative and qualitative data were minimal. Data and findings from the healthcare and EMS/fire first responders were analyzed and reported separately in the initial report. The research team hoped that an in-depth analysis would provide greater insight into this data. The following report is a secondary analysis of the 2019 data

Drug Overdose Prevention: Needs of Healthcare Professionals and First Responders

Purpose and BackgroundThe Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) partnered with Support and Training for the Evaluation of Programs (STEPs) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Grace Abbott School of Social Work, to complete a statewide needs assessment between October 2018 and April 2019. The purpose of this needs assessment was to gauge the capacity of statewide systems in Nebraska to respond to surges or clusters of intentional, unintentional, and unknown drug overdoses, especially in high-burden areas and with a focus on opioids. The hope of the results from this needs assessment is to inform DHHS on the development of incident management for crisis response. The needs assessment included a literature review, quantitative surveys, and qualitative focus groups and interviews. The results of the literature review can be found in the Drug Overdose Prevention Needs Assessment: Promising Practices report submitted by STEPs to DHHS in December of 2018. Please contact DHHS to request access to this report. Participants by RegionSTEPs collected qualitative and quantitative data in each of the six health regions across the state. 247 EMTs and firefighters, and 133 health care professionals responded to quantitative surveys; STEPs conducted 33 focus groups and interviews with healthcare professionals, EMTs and firefighters, and law enforcement. Below is a representation of the percentage of overall responses from each health region with bluetext indicating the percentage of focus group and interview participants and goldtext indicating the percentage of quantitative survey responses. (For example, 21% of all focus groups and interviews were conducted in Region 1, and 8% of all survey responses were from Region 1.

Drug Overdose Prevention: Promising Practices

This report on best practices informs a needs assessment on the capacity of Nebraska systems to respond to surges or clusters of intentional, unintentional, and unknown drug overdoses, especially in high burden areas and with a focus on opioids