Closed mental health institution in Alabama | Photo courtesy of Getty Images Mental health has been a growing concern in our state of Alabama over the past decade. However, despite its growing prevalence, mental health has been pushed aside due to funding issues that came…
Local Initiatives to Reduce Food Insecurity in Birmingham Communities
By Kimberly Tsoukalas | LHC Program Coordinator Photo Courtesy of Getty Images | 2020 2021 marked the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: Religion, speech, want, and fear. While religion and speech are constitutionally protected, many families in the Birmingham metropolitan area…
Policy Review: Medicaid Expansion’s Impact on Mental Health
November 15, 2021 – Anushree Gade, LHC Student Assistant Photo Courtesy of Getty Images Background Medicaid and Medicare are often used together, but the qualifications and operations for each are vastly different. Medicare is regulated by the federal government and is age-dependent (for people that…
Policy Watch: Parental Consent for COVID-19 Vaccinations
By Kimberly Tsoukalas, Lister Hill Center Program Coordinator Photo Courtesy of Getty Images Background In 1975, Alabama Code § 22‐8‐4 went into affect, giving medical autonomy to minors. The law reads: When minor may give consent generally. Any minor who is 14 years of age…
Incorporating Mindfulness in Schools
October 28, 2021 – Anushree Gade, LHC Student Assistant Mindful describes mindfulness as the “ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing and feeling”. We can practice mindfulness through meditation. However, mindfulness is not just limited to meditation…
Policy Review: Should the current prison healthcare co-pay system be overturned?
By Kimberly Tsoukalas, LHC Program Coordinator Photo Courtesy of Getty Images Written in 2013, Administration Regulation Number (ARN) 703 dictates the current co-pay system that allows inmates in the Alabama Department of Correction (ADoC) facilities to seek medical care. Constitutionally, inmates have a right to…
Policy Watch: Alabama Prison Sentencing Reform – How does long-term incarceration impact health outcomes?
October 4, 2021, by Kimberly Tsoukalas | LHC Program Coordinator Background Alabama’s Department of Corrections operates the prison system for one of the highest rates of incarceration per capita in the United States, with 938 per 100,000 residents residing in jails, prisons, or other correctional…
Policy Watch: Alabama Prison Expansion and the Subsequent Impact on Public Health
October 4, 2021, by Kimberly Tsoukalas, LHC Program Coordinator Photo courtesy of Getty Images Background The state of Alabama operates the most crowded prison system in the United States, with some facilities operating at 272% capacity. The state also ranks last nationally in the amount…
Student Mental Health at UAB
October 12, 2021 by Anushree Gade, LHC Student Assistant Mental health is often defined as “emotional, psychological, and social well-being” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020). It was not until recent times that there was more awareness of mental health. Furthermore, there is…
Policy Surveillance and Public Health
September 21, 2021 by Anushree Gade, LHC Student Assistant & Summer 2021 MPH Intern Click here for a PDF version of this literature review Introduction Photo Courtesy of Getty ImagesThe field of public health aims to enhance and protect the health of individuals and the…
Reflections on SB 10
As a part of a weeklong course for Health Equity Scholars in April 2021, students in the UAB School of Medicine researched current health issues around the world. The Lister Hill Center for Health Policy will be share these evaluations from different students over the…
An Introduction to Redistricting and its Effects on Healthcare
August 13, 2021 by Kimberly Tsoukalas, LHC Program Coordinator Following the 2020 census, the national and state legislatures are set to redefine the boundaries for congressional elections and representative districts. These districts determine the geographical areas for state and national elected officials including Representatives, State…
A New Surge (Outbreak) in COVID-19 in Alabama
August 4, 2021 by Suzanne Judd, LHC Director I think I speak for all of us when I say that we had all hoped to be on the path to freedom from COVID-19 by now. Surely, Americans everywhere would like to move on in…
COVID and Prisons
This piece was originally written in August 2020 by Jake Lindahl, 2020-21 Health Policy Ambassador Schools across the country are struggling to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With small, poorly ventilated classrooms, high student/faculty ratios, and already overstretched budgets, the pressure is on localities…
Herd Immunity in Alabama
April 30, 2021 by Suzanne Judd, LHC Director Herd immunity occurs when the level of immunity in a population is high enough to prevent the spread of an infectious disease. In other words, when the number of people who are immune to a disease…