The Children’s Fund of Connecticut (CFC) awarded a $57,500 grant to the UConn School of Social Work to evaluate the impact of the Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services (EMPS) program on emergency department utilization (ED) among youth with behavioral health concerns. The research team, led by Michael Fendrich, PhD (Associate Dean for Research), will use administrative data from EMPS and Medicaid claims to compare EMPS clients to a matched comparison group on ED utilization. Brenda Kurz, PhD is the co-investigator. They will also conduct focus groups with EMPS providers to supplement the quantitative findings and to further inform system and practice changes.The project will identify risk factors influencing subsequent ED use among those who receive EMPS services. http://www.chdi.org/files/3414/7516/0492/EMPS_grant_News_Release_9-29-16.pdf 

 

Brenda Kurz, PhD
Associate Professor

 

Doctoral student, Crystal Hayes, will conduct a pilot study using focus groups to better understand the birthing experiences of incarcerated women in Massachusetts. The study will identify the most important issues for the Prison Birth Project’s anti-shackling advocacy campaign in Massachusetts and the impact the organization has on the actual birthing experiences of women and girls of color.

Incarceration rates in the United States have soared by 500% in the past 40 years, with women as the fastest group of newly incarcerated people (The Sentencing Project, 2015). The United States is excessively incarcerating women, with less than 5% of the world’s female population, yet 33% of the world’s incarcerated women (Correctional Association of New York, 2015). However, the vast majority of those women are disproportionately poor, working-class women of color, under 50 years old, and at the peak of their reproductive years (Guerino, Harrison, & Sabol, 2011; The Sentencing Project, 2015). Moreover, nearly 25% of incarcerated women are pregnant or have recently given birth at the time of arrest (Correctional Association of New York, 2015). This substantial increase of incarcerated women is an urgent issue with major implications for prison reform policies regarding women’s reproductive healthcare needs.

In 2015, the University of Connecticut became a partner institution in the White House Collaborative to Advance Equity through Research on Women and Girls of Color. UConn has committed to broadening knowledge in these areas through supporting research on women and girls of color. Crystal’s project, Are All Mothers Created Equal: Race, Birth Behind Bars, & The Anti-Shackling Movement in Massachusetts, will address the research deficit.  She is receiving $2000 for the 2016-2017 academic year from UConn through the White House Collaborative program.

 

 

The research of Drs. Linda Frisman and Hsiu-Ju Lin, and eight other colleagues, is the focus of an Atlantic Monthly article, The Gun Law Saving Lives in Connecticut.

In 1999, Connecticut became the first state to pass a law authorizing police to temporarily remove guns from individuals when there is probable cause they pose a significant risk of harm to others or self.

The research is based on the article, “Implementation and Effectiveness of Connecticut’s Risk-Based Gun Removal Law: Does It Prevent Suicides?” forthcoming in Law and Contemporary Problems. The research study examined the characteristics, implementation, and outcomes of gun removals conducted in Connecticut during the period 1999-2013. This article will inform other states that are considering the adoption of similar gun-seizure laws.

Andrea Duarte, LCSW, MPH, Behavioral Health Program Manager for the DMHAS Prevention & Health Promotion Unit, was instrumental in providing the suicide data that was used for comparison. Andrea is also a frequent field instructor for School of Social Work master’s students.