Brown School

Rural areas are likely to see somewhat lower rates of infection overall due to lower population density; however, high participation in social distancing will further decrease the impact of the virus on these areas, finds a new analysis from Washington University’s Center for Health Economics and Policy.

Moving through a global pandemic has severely impacted every American, but maybe none more than older people. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the deleterious effects of deep-seated ageism, sexism and racism on older Americans, suggests a new paper from the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University in St. Louis.

A new report from the Brown School’s Clark-Fox Policy Institute focuses on the impact that high-quality early childhood care and education can have on children, families and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically brought home the issue’s importance.

Child abuse and neglect hotlines around the country are reporting declines in calls over the last few weeks. While normally this would be welcome news, it does not bode well during stay-at-home orders, says an expert on child abuse and neglect at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Brown School’s Jason Purnell will lead a response team of over 40 St. Louis area nonprofits, social service agencies and governments to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 Regional Response team aims to help people navigate resources and get help with needs including employment, food, housing, child care and legal aid.

A $2 trillion, bipartisan relief package was signed into law on March 27 to address economic downfall fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it help? Research examining how households use similar payouts, like the tax refund, can help shed light on what households might do next, says an expert on asset building at Washington University’s Brown School.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the nation, a number of false conclusions and rumors have spread with it. Three epidemiologists in public health at Washington University in St. Louis separate the truth from myth.

Many countries reacted slowly and inadequately to the spread of COVID-19. Some critics have said this is due to initial reports of the disease, which indicated that it mainly affected older populations. “Older adults are not some kind of expendable commodity,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an international leader in gerontology.

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, larger cities, like New York and Seattle, are dealing with increasing numbers of infections and deaths daily. However, less populated rural areas are not immune from the disease, say two public health experts at Washington University in St. Louis, and controlling it in rural America presents a unique set of challenges.

Tim McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor at Washington University in St. Louis’ Brown School and a leading health economist, said that the coronavirus outbreak will exacerbate problems in Missouri’s public health systems, which were already underfunded relative to most of the rest of the country, as well as issues facing low-income residents with challenges accessing medical care.