Learning Library

Our Learning Library is intended as a virtual resource center where professionals can go for a broad range of information relating to interoperability, information-sharing and the six domains in which NIC primarily works: human services, education, public health, public safety, health information technology and emergency services. We have vetted and aggregated numerous studies, guidance documents and other materials, which can be sorted in a variety of ways for easy access and use – and we will add resources continually over time. The Learning Library is available to all professionals interested in the subject matter.

To make the Learning Library as robust and beneficial as possible, we welcome recommendations of relevant content that users encounter elsewhere, that they have produced themselves or that they are already utilizing. Please fill out and submit the form below to provide your suggestions and comments, or send an email to info@stewardsofchange.org.

02-06-2019 Brief

Identifying the Next Drug Epidemic by Testing Municipal Wastewater (In Focus Brief)

“Opioid misuse continues to rise across the United States. One reason for the ongoing epidemic is the difficulty in obtaining real-time information on an ever-changing landscape of drug supply and demand….To address the breadth and complexity of substance abuse, a more comprehensive monitoring strategy is necessary— one that goes beyond siloed approaches focused on individual drugs or interventions. Municipal wastewater testing is an innovative approach that can augment existing data by providing more rapid, cost-effective, and unbiased measures of drug use.”

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02-06-2019 Report

Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What’s Working in the United States, An introduction for public heath, law enforcement, local organizations, and others striving to serve their community

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention presents this document to assist people from various sectors in understanding and navigating strategies to prevent opioid overdose within their communities. Successful evidence-based practices, that have been used in U.S states and municipalities, serve as examples of how strategies can be put into practice. The combinations of evidence, expertise and community dialogue are needed for effective prevention strategies across the U.S.

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02-06-2019 Brief

What Makes an Early Childhood Medicaid Partnership Work? Insights from Three Cross-Sector Collaborations

As part of the Medicaid Early Childhood Innovation Lab, led by the Center for Health Care strategies (CHCS), CHCS assisted 6 pilot sites as part of a national initiative to support young children and their families- through interventions in physical health, mental health and social determinants of health. The goal of this Medicaid-driven strategy is to improve future population health by supporting early childhood interventions and addressing whole family units through breaking down siloes and working together.

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02-06-2019 Brief

Get the Facts: Odds of Dying

“For the first time on record, your odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose are greater than dying in a motor vehicle crash.” As of 2017, opioid overdose is in 5th place for causes of death in United States after: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and suicide.

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01-15-2019 White Paper

Social Determinants of Health 101 for Health Care: Five Plus Five

The National Academy of Medicine released a discussion paper that talks about the lessons learned and proposed actions we should be pursuing regarding the Social Determinants of Health. “With the failure of our current health care system to deliver better health and well-being at an affordable cost, exploring opportunities in the other determinants of health seems wise, if not imperative.” It is necessary to discuss the determinants of wellness, rather than health through strengthening multisectoral parternships who focus on strenghts of individuals and communities.

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12-19-2018 Report

Work, Skills, Community: Restoring opportunity for the working class

A bipartisan working group came together to propose policy that will be a start in the renewal of the U.S’ social contract to “revive the promise of equal opportunity and upward mobility for all Americans”. The report introduces: who makes up the working class, what their problem are and what are possible solutions. The solutions proposed in this report are budget-neutral, in an effort to make them achievable.

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12-19-2018 Report

Working Up: A Convergence Dialogue for Action to Increase Economic Mobility

Economic mobility is falling, while inequality is increasing. A diverse group of representatives came together to discuss the realities of economic mobilty and poverty reduction. This report presents the results from this dialogue and collaborative problem solving – a set of principles, a framework of actions, and specific proposals for renewing economic mobility through work.

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12-19-2018 Report

Improving the lives of young children through data: Lessons learned from three early care and education data integration projects

In an effort to inform policies that influence the lives of children and families, three states -Minnesota, Mississippi, Rhode Island- are highligthed in their work to integrate education, health and/or social service data. This information can be used to shape services and to identify gaps within them, in order to make services more effective and efficient.

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