2012 Community Tree Management Plan, Alburnett, IA, June 24, 2013

This plan was developed to assist Alburnett with the management, budgeting and future planning of their urban forest. Across the state, forestry budgets continue to decrease with more and more of that money spent on tree removal. With the anticipated arrival of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive pest that kills native ash trees, it is time to prepare for the increased costs of tree removal and replacement planting. With proper planning and management of the current canopy in Alburnett, these costs can be extended over years and public safety issues from dead and dying ash trees mitigated. Trees are an important component of Alburnett’s infrastructure and one of the greatest assets to the community. The benefits of trees are immense. Trees provide the community with improved air quality, stormwater runoff interception, energy conservation, lower traffic speeds, increased property values, reduced crime, improved mental health and create a desirable place to live, to name just a few benefits. It is essential that these benefits be maintained for the people of Alburnett and future generations through good urban forestry management. Good urban forestry management involves setting goals and developing management strategies to achieve these goals. An essential part of developing management strategies is a comprehensive public tree inventory. The inventory supplies information that will be used for maintenance, removal schedules, tree planting and budgeting. Basing actions on this information will help meet Alburnett’s urban forestry goals.

2012 Community Tree Management Plan, Avoca, IA, May 2, 2013

This plan was developed to assist Avoca with the management, budgeting and future planning of their urban forest. Across the state, forestry budgets continue to decrease with more and more of that money spent on tree removal. With the anticipated arrival of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive pest that kills native ash trees, it is time to prepare for the increased costs of tree removal and replacement planting. With proper planning and management of the current canopy in Avoca, these costs can be extended over years and public safety issues from dead and dying ash trees mitigated. Trees are an important component of Avoca’s infrastructure and one of the greatest assets to the community. The benefits of trees are immense. Trees provide the community with improved air quality, stormwater runoff interception, energy conservation, lower traffic speeds, increased property values, reduced crime, improved mental health and create a desirable place to live, to name just a few benefits. It is essential that these benefits be maintained for the people of Avoca and future generations through good urban forestry management. Good urban forestry management involves setting goals and developing management strategies to achieve these goals. An essential part of developing management strategies is a comprehensive public tree inventory. The inventory supplies information that will be used for maintenance, removal schedules, tree planting and budgeting. Basing actions on this information will help meet Avoca’s urban forestry goals.

2012 Community Tree Management Plan, Belle Plaine, IA, June 24, 2013

This plan was developed to assist Belle Plaine with the management, budgeting and future planning of their urban forest. Across the state, forestry budgets continue to decrease with more and more of that money spent on tree removal. With the anticipated arrival of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive pest that kills native ash trees, it is time to prepare for the increased costs of tree removal and replacement planting. With proper planning and management of the current canopy in Belle Plaine, these costs can be extended over years and public safety issues from dead and dying ash trees mitigated. Trees are an important component of Belle Plaine’s infrastructure and one of the greatest assets to the community. The benefits of trees are immense. Trees provide the community with improved air quality, stormwater runoff interception, energy conservation, lower traffic speeds, increased property values, reduced crime, improved mental health and create a desirable place to live, to name just a few benefits. It is essential that these benefits be maintained for the people of Belle Plaine and future generations through good urban forestry management. Good urban forestry management involves setting goals and developing management strategies to achieve these goals. An essential part of developing management strategies is a comprehensive public tree inventory. The inventory supplies information that will be used for maintenance, removal schedules, tree planting and budgeting. Basing actions on this information will help meet Belle Plaine’s urban forestry goals.

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Targeted Case Management System (TCM) for the period March 31, 2014 through April 18, 2014

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Targeted Case Management System (TCM) for the period March 31, 2014 through April 18, 2014

Frequent users of the emergency department in a universal health coverage system : a randomized controlled trial of a case-management intervention

BACKGROUND: Frequent emergency department users represent a small number of patients but account for a large number of emergency department visits. They should be a focus because they are often vulnerable patients with many risk factors affecting their quality of life (QoL). Case management interventions have resulted in a significant decrease in emergency department visits, but association with QoL has not been assessed. One aim of our study was to examine to what extent an interdisciplinary case management intervention, compared to standard emergency care, improved frequent emergency department users' QoL. METHODS: Data are part of a randomized, controlled trial designed to improve frequent emergency department users' QoL and use of health-care resources at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. In total, 250 frequent emergency department users (≥5 attendances during the previous 12 months; ≥ 18 years of age) were interviewed between May 2012 and July 2013. Following an assessment focused on social characteristics; social, mental, and somatic determinants of health; risk behaviors; health care use; and QoL, participants were randomly assigned to the control or the intervention group (n=125 in each group). The final sample included 194 participants (20 deaths, 36 dropouts, n=96 in the intervention group, n=99 in the control group). Participants in the intervention group received a case management intervention by an interdisciplinary, mobile team in addition to standard emergency care. The case management intervention involved four nurses and a physician who provided counseling and assistance concerning social determinants of health, substance-use disorders, and access to the health-care system. The participants' QoL was evaluated by a study nurse using the WHOQOL-BREF five times during the study (at baseline, and at 2, 5.5, 9, and 12 months). Four of the six WHOQOL dimensions of QoL were retained here: physical health, psychological health, social relationship, and environment, with scores ranging from 0 (low QoL) to 100 (high QoL). A linear, mixed-effects model with participants as a random effect was run to analyze the change in QoL over time. The effects of time, participants' group, and the interaction between time and group were tested. These effects were controlled for sociodemographic characteristics and health-related variables (i.e., age, gender, education, citizenship, marital status, type of financial resources, proficiency in French, somatic and mental health problems, and behaviors at risk).

Impact of case management on frequent users quality of life : a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Frequent emergency department users represent a small number of patients but account for a large number of emergency department visits. They should be a focus because they are often vulnerable patients with many risk factors affecting their quality of life (QoL). Case management interventions have resulted in a significant decrease in emergency department visits, but association with QoL has not been assessed. One aim of our study was to examine to what extent an interdisciplinary case management intervention, compared to standard emergency care, improved frequent emergency department users' QoL. METHODS: Data are part of a randomized, controlled trial designed to improve frequent emergency department users' QoL and use of health-care resources at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. In total, 250 frequent emergency department users (≥5 attendances during the previous 12 months; ≥ 18 years of age) were interviewed between May 2012 and July 2013. Following an assessment focused on social characteristics; social, mental, and somatic determinants of health; risk behaviors; health care use; and QoL, participants were randomly assigned to the control or the intervention group (n=125 in each group). The final sample included 194 participants (20 deaths, 36 dropouts, n=96 in the intervention group, n=99 in the control group). Participants in the intervention group received a case management intervention by an interdisciplinary, mobile team in addition to standard emergency care. The case management intervention involved four nurses and a physician who provided counseling and assistance concerning social determinants of health, substance-use disorders, and access to the health-care system.

Case management for emergency department frequent users : a randomized controlled trial

Background: Emergency department frequent users (EDFUs) account for a disproportionally high number of emergency department (ED) visits, contributing to overcrowding and high health-care costs. At the Lausanne University Hospital, EDFUs account for only 4.4% of ED patients, but 12.1% of all ED visits. Our study tested the hypothesis that an interdisciplinary case management intervention red. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we allocated adult EDFUs (5 or more visits in the previous 12 months) who visited the ED of the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland between May 2012 and July 2013 either to an intervention (N=125) or a standard emergency care (N=125) group and monitored them for 12 months. Randomization was computer generated and concealed, and patients and research staff were blinded to the allocation. Participants in the intervention group, in addition to standard emergency care, received case management from an interdisciplinary team at baseline, and at 1, 3, and 5 months, in the hospital, in the ambulatory care setting, or at their homes. A generalized, linear, mixed-effects model for count data (Poisson distribution) was applied to compare participants' numbers of visits to the ED during the 12 months (Period 1, P1) preceding recruitment to the numbers of visits during the 12 months monitored (Period 2, P2).

Impact of case management on frequent users' quality of life : a randomized, controlled trial (FM 286)

Introduction: Frequent emergency department (ED) users are often vulnerable patients with many risk factors affecting their quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to examine to what extent a case management intervention improved frequent ED users' QoL. Methods: Data were part of a randomized, controlled trial designed to improve frequent ED users' QoL at the Lausanne University Hospital. A total of 194 frequent ED users (≥ 5 attendances during the previous 12 months; ≥ 18 years of age) were randomly assigned to the control or the intervention group. Participants in the intervention group received a case management intervention (i.e. counseling and assistance concerning social determinants of health, substance-use disorders, and access to the health-care system). QoL was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF at baseline and twelve months later. Four dimensions of QoL were retained: physical health, psychological health, social relationship, and environment, with scores ranging from 0 (low QoL) to 100 (high QoL).

Impact on costs of a case management intervention for emergency department frequent users

Background: In most of the emergency departments (ED) in developed countries, a subset of patients visits the ED frequently. Despite their small numbers, these patients are the source of a disproportionally high number of all ED visits, and use a significant proportion of healthcare resources. They place a heavy economic burden on hospital and healthcare system budgets overall. In order to improve the management of these patients, the University hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland implemented a case management intervention (CM) between May 2012 and July 2013. In this randomized controlled trial, 250 frequent ED users (visits>5 during previous 12 months) were allocated to either the CM group or the standard ED care (SC) group and followed up for 12 months. The first result of the CM was to reduce significantly the ED visits. The present study examined whether the CM intervention also reduced the costs generated by the ED frequent users not only from the hospital perspective, but also from the healthcare system perspective. Methods: Cost data were obtained from the hospital's analytical accounting system and from health insurances. Multivariate linear models including a fixed effect "group" and socio-demographic characteristics and health-related variables were run.

Social work in Palestine : part 2 : case management

Arabiankielinen

Climate-Adaptive Community Water Management for Food Security: Experiences from the UNDP Community Water Initiative

Facing the double menace of climate change threats and water crisis, poor communities have now encountered ever more severe challenges in ensuring agricultural productivity and food security. Communities hence have to manage these challenges by adopting a comprehensive approach that not only enhances water resource management, but also adapts agricultural activities to climate variability. Implemented by the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme, the Community Water Initiative (CWI) has adopted a distinctive approach to support demand-driven, innovative, low cost and community-based water resource management for food security. Experiences from CWI showed that a comprehensive, locally adapted approach that integrates water resources management, poverty reduction, climate adaptation and community empowerment provides a good model for sustainable development in poor rural areas.

Intensive case management for severe psychotic illness: is there a general benefit for patients with complex needs? A secondary analysis of the UK700 trial data

The UK700 trial failed to demonstrate an overall benefit of intensive case management (ICM) in patients with severe psychotic illness. This does not discount a benefit for particular subgroups, and evidence of a benefit of ICM for patients of borderline intelligence has been presented. The aim of this study is to investigate whether this effect is part of a general benefit for patients with severe psychosis complicated by additional needs. In the UK700 trial patients with severe psychosis were randomly allocated to ICM or standard case management. For each patient group with complex needs the effect of ICM is compared with that in the rest of the study cohort. Outcome measures are days spent in psychiatric hospital and the admission and discharge rates. ICM may be of benefit to patients with severe psychosis complicated by borderline intelligence or depression, but may cause patients using illicit drugs to spend more time in hospital. There was no convincing evidence of an effect of ICM in a further seven patient groups. ICM is not of general benefit to patients with severe psychosis complicated by additional needs. The benefit of ICM for patients with borderline intelligence is an isolated effect which should be interpreted cautiously until further data are available.

The effect of intensive case management on the relatives of patients with severe mental illness

Objective: Relatives play a vital role in caring for patients with severe mental illness but receive inadequate support from psychiatric services. Evidence suggests that although intensive case management is directed primarily at patients, relatives may benefit a's well. This study examined whether relatives of patients who were receiving intensive case management had more contact with mental health professionals than relatives of patients who were receiving standard case management. It also examined whether relatives of patients receiving intensive case management appraised caregiving less negatively and experienced less psychological distress than relatives of patients receiving standard case management. Methods: The sample was drawn from the pool of patients participating in the UK700 randomized controlled trial of intensive case management. Prospective data on contact between case managers and the relatives of 146 patients were collected over a two-year period. At a two-year follow-up assessment, relatives of 116 patients were. interviewed with the Experience of Caregiving Inventory and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Results: Considerably more relatives of patients receiving intensive case management had contact with a case manager during the study period than relatives of patients receiving standard case management (70 percent compared with 45 percent). However, relatives of patients receiving intensive case management did not-appraise caregiving less negatively or experience less psychological distress than relatives of patients who were receiving. standard case management. Conclusions: Reducing case managers' caseloads alone. will not guarantee adequate support for relatives.. Instead, providing more support will need to be an explicit aim, and staff will require specific additional training to achieve it.