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The experiences of care of people with lived experience of homelessness are rarely embraced to change care delivery. We conducted qualitative group and one-on-one interviews utilizing experience group methodology with 27 people with lived experience of homelessness currently housed in one permanent housing community in central Texas. We analyzed data using an inductive thematic approach to identify shared obstacles and barriers to receiving health care. We then analyzed findings with the capability, comfort, and calm value framework to identify health outcomes that matter most to study participants. Poor access to care, discontinuities in care, distrust in providers, and confusing terminology were identified as the biggest barriers to health. The overwhelming majority of experiences reflected poor health outcomes of calm, the outcome of a health care experience that adds ease to one’s life rather than logistical and administrative chaos. We propose three practical approaches to achieve calm for this population as follows: systems-level embracement of compassionate care, integration of relationship-based care navigation into all levels of care, and building efficient transportation into care design. We conclude that designing health care that works in the lives of people with lived experience of homelessness is critical to address the gaps in care that fuel the health disparity these individuals face compared to people without this lived experience.

The experiences of care of people with lived experience of homelessness are rarely embraced to change care delivery. We conducted qualitative group and one-on-one interviews utilizing experience group methodology with 27 people with lived experience of homelessness currently housed in one permanent housing community in central Texas. We analyzed data using an inductive thematic approach to identify shared obstacles and barriers to receiving health care. We then analyzed findings with the capability, comfort, and calm value framework to identify health outcomes that matter most to study participants. Poor access to care, discontinuities in care, distrust in providers, and confusing terminology were identified as the biggest barriers to health. The overwhelming majority of experiences reflected poor health outcomes of

Advancing Health Equity Through Innovations and Technology This year’s summit was unique given the COVID-19 pandemic: a major global outbreak that has imposed severe restrictions in all aspects of our life. At the outset, we were faced with three mutually exclusive options. First option was to cancel the summit in its entirety: this was the easiest and most obvious choice once the COVID-19 pandemic forced a near total lockdown all over the country with unprecedented disruptions of normal daily activities as the disease announced its thunderous touchdown on United States (US) soil. It was also the most-logical response faced with uncertainty regarding summit logistics and expected poor attendance due to the raging pandemic. Second option was to conduct a digital summit restricted to local audiences at Baylor College of Medicine: this option entailed implementing a virtual summit with attendance restricted to participants from our institution only. It sounded like a reasonable choice but that would impede the presence of diversity of topics, perspectives, insights and experiential learning opportunities, which are what render the summit exciting and worth attending. And finally, the last option was to conduct a digital unrestricted summit open to all interested audiences throughout the US. The conduct of a virtual summit open to all participants from around the country was initially considered daunting given the likelihood of amplified technical problems associated with an array of internet access differentials around the country, which would require a strong Information Technology (IT) presence throughout the sessions. Nonetheless, the attractiveness of going national with a virtual summit, despite the pandemic and logistical challenges, slowly gained converts and became the dominant choice. The response and level of participation in this first virtual summit showed an unanticipated surge despite the increase in registration fees to cover IT costs. This year, we had attendees from all regions of the US as well as from the United Kingdom. The range of topics was quite diverse encompassing health disparities in relation to cancers, nutrition, musculo-skeletal disorders, amputation rates, vaccination uptakes and COVID-19 infections. Various solutions were passionately presented to address these disparities including novel health technologies, community engagement and partnerships, improvement in health literacy and alternative therapeutics. There were no hitches despite the complex breakout sessions, and above all, attendees were satisfied and offered outstanding evaluation scores. This was definitely a summit that metamorphosed from pessimism to a triumphant success! Copyright © 2020 Salihu et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.

Introduction: With advances in care, an increasing number of individuals with single-ventricle congenital heart disease (SVCHD) are surviving into adulthood. Partners of individuals with chronic illness have unique experiences and challenges. This pilot qualitative research study explores the lived experiences of partners of individuals with SVCHD. Methods: Partners of SVCHD patients ≥18 years were recruited and participated in Experience Group (EG) sessions and 1:1 interviews. EG sessions are lightly moderated groups that bring together individuals with similar experiences and place them as the experts to discuss lived experiences. Formal qualitative coding was performed to identify salient themes. Results: A total of 6 partners, 4 male, 4 married and all partners of someone of the opposite sex, participated. Themes identified included uncertainty of their partners future health and mortality, becoming a lay SVCHD specialist, balancing multiple roles, and providing positivity and optimism.(Table) Participants expressed a steep learning curve initially, which transforms into a strong understanding of the condition. Over time they took on the advocacy role as a repository of medical history and navigating the health system, which is often a role of parents of younger SVCHD patients. They struggled with taking on the role of primary medical caregiver of their partner while managing greater responsibility at home, and changes to their role as a spouse and a parent. Despite the uncertainties, participants described many facets of championing positivity and optimism for the future for their partner. Conclusions: In this first of its kind pilot study, partners of individuals with SVCHD expressed unique challenges and experiences in their lives. There is a tacit need to design strategies to help partners of SVCHD patients cope with those challenges. Further larger-scale research is required to better understand the experiences of this unique population.

Since the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country has come to be viewed as a focal point of ethno-sectarian violence and conflict. Given the United States’ involvement with the re- structuring of the Iraqi government after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and their engagement in the country even after the full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in December 2011, many policy makers, think tank analysts, journalists, human rights groups, and academic scholars weighed in on a broad dialogue over what should happen with Iraq’s political and societal future. This issue remains significant as Iraqi politicians attempt to hold a fledgling government together through the face of a continued insurgency in the country. Power sharing among the main religious factions and ethnicities in the country remains, for many, a major concern and consideration although the probability of true power sharing within the government seems less and less likely. Whatever the political outcome in Iraq, discussing demographic patterns and trends in the country is a difficult endeavor given the continuing conflict there. Estimates of Iraq’s overall population today range from 28.92 to 33 million people. Because of the current context, however, the demography of ethnicity in Iraq is rapidly shifting. This chapter thus attempts to trace the historical roots of Iraq’s demographic and ethnic makeup as well as looking at its current demographic character and changes taking place. Finally, it explores the linkages and disputes surrounding ethnicity, sectarianism, and demography in Iraq.