Browsing by Author "Comey, Danika"

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10 Steps to Implementing Health in All Policies in Rural Communities
(Western Transportation Institute, 2024-08) Comey, Danika; Madsen, Matthew
This toolkit serves as a guiding document for frontier, rural, and micro-urban communities to implement a Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework in rural America. Too often, rural America is overlooked when it comes to public health and policy work. This tool will guide public health practitioners, community planners, elected officials, healthcare providers, and those who are interested in improving community and public health by analyzing and improving local policy in rural communities. Barriers to accessing healthcare services are well documented in rural communities. Rural populations often face greater challenges accessing healthcare services compared to their urban peers such as long distances to primary care, lower insurance coverage rates, higher health needs, and higher rates of poverty [1–4]. Incorporating a HiAP framework in rural areas is an effective way to decrease health inequities and disparities between urban and rural communities.
“Because We Are Afraid”: voices of the undocumented in a new immigrant destination in the United States
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-04) Metcalf, Madeline; Comey, Danika; Hines, Deborah; Chavez-Reyes, Genesis; Moyce, Sally
The purpose of this study is to explore immigrants’ perceptions of their daily lives in a state with anti-immigrant policies in the United States. Using snowball sampling, researchers recruited a sample of 30 Latino immigrants in southwest Montana. The research team conducted semi-structured interviews in Spanish and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. We identified four themes: difficulty accessing healthcare, frustration over the inability to obtain driver’s licenses, challenges related to employment, and desire to make a life in Montana. Fear permeated all topics. Lack of documentation presents complex economic, health, and social challenges that prevent immigrants from fully integrating into their communities. These are exacerbated in states that employ anti-immigrant policies. As Western states continue to experience growth in immigrant populations, it is critical to develop policies to support integration and equitable access to health and social services.
Using the social ecological model to identify challenges facing Latino immigrants
(Wiley, 2023-05) Moyce, Sally; Comey, Danika; Anderson, Jacey; Creitz, Adam; Hines, Deborah; Metcalf, Madeline
Background. New Latino immigrant populations face challenges and barriers when arriving in new immigrant destinations. Objective. To better understand the challenges faced by Latino immigrants in a new immigrant destination by using the Social Ecological Model. Design. This study solicited the perceptions of key informants and Latino immigrant participants through qualitative data collection methods to understand how to address and decrease barriers to healthcare services and community resources. Sample. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with two groups of respondents: 13 key informants and 30 Latino immigrants. Measurements. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and categorized based on the Social Ecological Model. Results. Themes identified at the individual and interpersonal levels of the Social Ecological Model include fear of deportation and stress. Themes at the community level include cultural differences, discrimination, and a lack of exposure of the majority community to Latino immigrants. At the system level, researchers identified language barriers, the cost of healthcare, and housing. At the policy level, researchers identified legal status and occupational exploitation as challenges for this community. Conclusion. Understanding the challenges faced by Latino immigrants requires multi-level interventions to address barriers that prevent new immigrants from accessing community resources.