Ruben Juarez
New publication reveals possible reasons behind vaccine hesitancy among Native Hawaiians
Congratulations to Ruben Juarez and team for their new publication in Vaccines. To understand vaccine hesitancy, the team surveyed 1124 adults residing in a region with one of the lowest vaccination rates in Hawaii during their COVID-19 testing program. The analyses offer novel insight on the role of trust in COVID-19 mitigation efforts in populations […]
Read MoreUHERO Public Health Report: Health Effects and Views of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant adverse impacts in the state of Hawai‘i beyond the direct effects of COVID-19 itself, including indirect effects on mental health, food security, job security, housing, poverty, etc. In order to address these adversities systematically, the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) is developing infrastructure to inform the design […]
Read MoreNew publication in Journal of General Internal Medicine
A new publication led by UHERO’s Tim Halliday and Ruben Juarez describes how the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic created a perfect storm in which private laboratories can earn huge profits from PCR testing while potentially impacting health care premium costs. Halliday, T., Tan, C., Juarez, R. et al. Financial Implications of COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests on […]
Read MoreOpposing Role of Trust as a Modifier of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in an Indigenous Population
Abstract: Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and remain significantly under-vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. To understand vaccine hesitancy, we surveyed 1124 adults residing in a region with one of the lowest vaccination rates in Hawaii during our COVID-19 testing program. Probit regression analysis revealed that race/ethnicity was not directly associated […]
Read MoreFinancial Implications of COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests on Independent Laboratories
During the COVID-19 pandemic, independent laboratories provided critically needed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests (Current Procedure Terminology Code: 87635) to identify positive COVID-19 patients. The Families First and Coronavirus Relief Act and CARES Act require commercial insurance plans to cover COVID-19 testing costs without any cost-sharing for patients, but do not set the price.1,2 Prior […]
Read MoreUHERO Rapid Health Survey: Longitudinal analysis of health disparities in Hawai’i
The UHERO Rapid Health Survey is building the data infrastructure at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and UHERO that will allow us to inform the design and execution of public health programs in the state of Hawaii for COVID-19 and other disasters while simultaneously addressing health disparities. The study is open to adults in […]
Read MoreThe effects of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Hawai‘i
Having been affected by the highest increase in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, Honolulu and Maui counties in Hawaii implemented vaccine passport mandates for select industries in September 2021. However, the degree to which such mandates impacted COVID-19 mitigation efforts and economics remains poorly understood. Herein, we describe the effects of these […]
Read MoreThe Efficacy of Hawaii COVID-19 Business Mandates
By Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea, May Okihiro, and Carl Bonham Despite the national attention around COVID-19 vaccination mandates for businesses, including President Biden’s recent announcement, the actual impacts on vaccination uptake have yet to be reported. In September, two counties in Hawaii implemented mandates for employees in select businesses to be either vaccinated or enroll […]
Read MoreBlog: COVID-19 Mandates: Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Businesses
By Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea, May Okihiro, and Carl Bonham Faced with the largest increase in cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii needs effective solutions that would reduce the number of cases disproportionately ravaging communities in the state. In August 2021, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the Pacific Alliance […]
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