Beth E Meyerson

Interests

Teaching

public policy analysis and engagement. sexual health.

Research

Most of her research is interdisciplinary, combining policy and organizational science with behavioral and clinical outcomes research. Dr. Meyerson’s research interests include public health policy and systems to advance population health with focus on sexual health and harm reduction. Her research is oriented as translational to program and policy through the application of implementation science and community-based participatory research. Beth's systems research includes the identification of need and opportunities for system expansion to improve access to sexual health and harm reduction services. Examples are the study of alternative screening and follow-up venues for cervical cancer (STD clinics), HIV testing (pharmacies and community health centers), and PrEP, addictions screening, syringe and naloxone access for HIV, hepatitis C and overdose reduction (pharmacy practice expansion). Policy research includes policy behaviors and their measurement, particularly by public institutions including studies of state STD investment, local public health accreditation, reported policy behaviors of state STD programs and local health departments, country-level policy planning, and policy adoption for syringe access.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Brady, B. R., Meyerson, B. E., & Bentele, K. G. (2023). Flying blind: Struggle to engage methadone and buprenorphine providers in practice-based survey research in Arizona . Survey Methods: Insights from the Field. doi:https://surveyinsights.org/?p=17985
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  Survey studies of clinicians often face the challenge of reaching sufficient or representative response rates to adequately understand  practice realities. We briefly report our experience recruiting a representative sample of providers of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to study implementation of federally allowed regulatory flexibilities for methadone and buprenorphine access during COVID in a southwestern U.S. state (Arizona). After multiple and varied recruitment approaches using a modified Dillman method, the response rate was 5.5% which was significantly lower than reported rates ranging from 43-48%. We report these results to engage survey and practice based researchers to help problem solve for the critical task of identifying how to appeal to clinicians who are important MOUD entry points to this lifesaving, but difficult-to-access treatment for opioid use disorder.
• Carter, G. A., Meyerson, B. E., Rivers, P. S., Crosby, R. A., Lawrence, C. A., Cope, S. D., David, D., Levin, S., Meeks, W., Thomas, C., Turner, B., Abert, C., Coles, H. B., Grivois-Shah, R., Gonzalez Fagoaga, J. E., & Allen, A. M. (2020). Living at the confluence of stigmas: PrEP awareness and feasibility among people who inject drugs in two rural/urban states.. AIDS and Behavior.
• Dutta, T., Meyerson, B. E., Agley, J. D., Barnes, P., Sherwood-Laughlin, C., & Nicholson-Crotty, J. (2020). Enablers and barriers of community engagement for vaccination in India: a socioecological analysis.. (International journal of policy).
• Frank, D., Elliott, L., Cleland, C. M., Walters, S. M., Joudrey, P. J., Russell, D. M., Meyerson, B. E., & Bennett, A. S. (2023). "As safe as possible": a qualitative study of opioid withdrawal and risk behavior among people who use illegal opioids. Harm reduction journal, 20(1), 158.
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  Opioid withdrawal is a regular occurrence among many people who use illicit opioids (PWUIO) that has also been shown to increase their willingness to engage in risk-involved behavior. The proliferation of fentanyl in the illicit opioid market may have amplified this relationship, potentially putting PWUIO at greater risk of negative health outcomes. Understanding the relationship between withdrawal and risk-involved behavior may also have important implications for the ways that problematic drug use is conceptualized, particularly in disease models of addiction, which position risk behavior as evidence of pathology that helps to justify ontological distinctions between addicts and non-addicts. Examining withdrawal, and its role in PWUIO's willingness to engage in risk, may aid in the development of alternative theories of risk involvement and create discursive spaces for de-medicalizing and de-othering people who use illegal drugs.
• Meyerson, B. E., Moehling, T. J., Agley, J. D., Coles, H. B., & Phillips, J. (2021). Insufficient access: Naloxone availability to laypersons in Arizona and Indiana, 2018.. J Health Care Poor Underserved, in press, issue 32:1 or 32:2, 2021.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., Downer, M., Alfar, A., Garnette, I., Lowther, J., Lutz, R., Mahoney, A., Moore, J., Nuñez, G., Samorano, S., Brady, B. R., Bentele, K. G., & Granillo, A. B. (2022). Opportunities and Challenges: Hepatitis C testing and treatment access experiences among people in methadone and buprenorphine treatment during COVID, Arizona,. AJPM FOCUS. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2022.100047
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  IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to characterize hepatitis C virus screening and treatment access experiences among people in treatment for opioid use disorder in Arizona during COVID-19.MethodsArizonans receiving treatment for opioid use disorder from methadone clinics and buprenorphine providers during COVID-19 were interviewed about hepatitis C virus testing, curative treatment, and knowledge about screening recommendations. Interviews were conducted with 121 people from August 4, 2021 to October 10, 2021. Qualitative data were coded using the categories of hepatitis C virus testing, knowledge of screening recommendations, diagnosis, and experiences seeking curative treatment. Data were also quantitated for bivariate testing with outcome variables of last hepatitis C virus test, diagnosis, and curative treatment process. Findings were arrayed along an adapted hepatitis C virus cascade framework to inform program and policy improvements.ResultsJust over half of the sample reported ever having tested for hepatitis C virus (51.2%, n=62) and of this group, 58.1% were tested in the past 12 months. Among those who were ever tested, 54.8% reported a hepatitis C virus diagnosis and 16.1% reported either being in treatment or having been declared cured of the hepatitis C virus. Among those who were diagnosed with hepatitis C, 14.7% indicated that they unsuccessfully tried to access curative treatment and would not attempt to again. Reasons cited for not accessing or receiving curative treatment included beliefs about treatment safety, barriers created by access requirements, natural resolution of the infection, and issues with healthcare coverage and authorization.ConclusionsStructural barriers continue to prevent curative hepatitis C virus treatment access. Given that methadone and buprenorphine treatment providers serve patients who are largely undiagnosed or treated for hepatitis C virus, opportunities exist for them to screen their patients regularly and provide support for and/or navigation to hepatitis C virus curative treatment.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., Kichler, M., Atkin, T., Fox, G., & Coles, H. B. (2021). I don't even want to go to the doctor when I get sick now: Healthcare experiences and discrimination reported by People who Use Drugs, Arizona 2019.. International Journal of Drug Policy.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., Mahoney, A., Garnett, I., & Samorano, S. (2023).

  SI-CBPAR: Toward Structural Indicators of Community Based Participatory Action Research

  . Drug and Alcohol Review. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13764
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  IntroductionStructural aspects of community-engaged research are not well measured yet have critical implications for community research empowerment. This is particularly so with people who use drugs. We introduce the Structural Indicators of Community-Based Participatory Action Research (SI-CBPAR) to measure structural indicators of community-research entity relationships.MethodsA three-phased process of iterative development, feasibility and applicability assessment was used to examine the instrument with community-engaged studies as a first stage of instrument development. The development team included people with university, non-government organisation and lived/ing drug use experience. Four studies on the health of people who use drugs were reviewed for indicator evidence followed by iterative discussion about construct and item discrepancies. Indicators were measured for the degree to which they were observed using a three-point scale.ResultsAll but two constructs were confirmed for meaning. Constructs of ‘community’ and ‘coalition’ required revision and explanation. The need for further exploration of power differentials between community and community-based organisations was identified. Indicator evidence was found for all six categories across studies. The instrument was deemed applicable and easy to use. It was observed that categories could apply to studies with various degrees of community engagement and to other research focal areas.Discussion and ConclusionsSI-CBPAR applicability testing and initial category confirmation indicate its potential utility for community research collaboratives. The next phase of development involves cognitive interviewing with researchers from across community engaged research orientations, and with communities engaged in research beyond drug user health.
• Vadiei, N., Eldridge, L., Meyerson, B. E., & Agley, J. D. (2021). The Gatekeepers in Prevention: Community pharmacist perceptions of their role in the opioid epidemic.. (pharmacy journal).
• Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Eldridge, L., Meyerson, B., & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2022). Beliefs and misperceptions about naloxone and overdose among U.S. laypersons: a cross-sectional study. BMC public health, 22(1), 924.
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  Overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) to laypersons are key approaches to reduce the incidence of opioid-involved overdoses. While some research has examined attitudes toward OEND, especially among pharmacists and first responders, our understanding of what laypersons believe about overdose and naloxone is surprisingly limited. Further, some scholars have expressed concerns about the prevalence of non-evidence-based beliefs about overdose and naloxone. We designed this study to analyze the prevalence, nature, and context of beliefs about naloxone and overdose among U.S. laypersons.
• Eldridge, L. A., Agley, J., Meyerson, B. E., & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2022). The PharmNet Harm Reduction Intervention for Community Pharmacies: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR research protocols, 11(10), e42373.
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  The overdose epidemic in the United States has continued to worsen despite substantial efforts to mitigate its harms. The opioid antagonist naloxone has been identified as a key means of reducing the prevalence of fatal overdoses. An important evidence-based approach to optimizing naloxone's impact is to seed it throughout the community, because bystanders are often able to reverse overdoses more quickly than first responders and sometimes are the only possible means of overdose reversal. As part of a multipronged approach to distributing naloxone nationwide, community pharmacies have been identified as ideal venues for naloxone dispensing, especially under standing orders. However, dispensing rates remain surprisingly low, and there is a need to understand how best to engage community pharmacies in naloxone-based harm reduction services.
• Eldridge, L. A., Meyerson, B. E., & Agley, J. (2022). Pilot implementation of the PharmNet naloxone program in an independent pharmacy. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA.
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  The U.S. overdose epidemic has continued to escalate with more than 100,000 deaths per year in the past several years, most of which involve opioids. Widespread availability of naloxone is part of a national solution to the crisis, and community pharmacies are well-poised to facilitate such distribution and provide additional harm reduction services.
• Meyerson, B. E., Bentele, K. G., Russell, D. M., Brady, B. R., Downer, M., Garcia, R. C., Garnett, I., Lutz, R., Mahoney, A., Samorano, S., Arredondo, C., Andres, H. J., Coles, H., & Granillo, B. (2022). Nothing really changed: Arizona patient experience of methadone and buprenorphine access during COVID. PloS one, 17(10), e0274094.
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  To understand patient experience of federal regulatory changes governing methadone and buprenorphine (MOUD) access in Arizona during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Meyerson, B., Snyder, C., Broman, K., Choudhury, T., Rosa, J. D., Garcia, R. C., Lizarraga, A. G., Levin, S., Sieloff, D., Sweet, R., Weiss, T., Wettemann, C., & Yamaguchi, D. (2022). Community Reach: Community-Based Screening Program for Hepatitis C Among People Who Use Drugs, Arizona. Sci J Health Sci Res. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1805545/v1
• Snyder, C., Broman, K., Meyerson, B. E., Choudry, T., De La Rosa, J., Garcia, R., Garcia Lizarraga, A., Levin, S., Seiloff, D., Sweet, R., Weiss, T., Wettemann, C., & Yamaguchi, D. (2022). Community Reach: Community-Based Screening Program for Hepatitis C Among People Who Use Drugs, Arizona. . Sci J Health Sci Res, 1(2), 74-80.
• Agley, J., Meyerson, B. E., Eldridge, L. A., Crosby, R. A., Bentele, K. G., Jun, M., Vadiei, N., Kennedy, A., & Anderson, K. (2021). Exploration of pharmacist comfort with harm reduction behaviors: Cross-sectional latent class analysis. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA.
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  Pharmacists are positioned to play important roles in implementing evidence-based prevention and harm reduction approaches for opioid misuse and related health care outcomes such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. More research is needed to understand how best to facilitate harm reduction practices among pharmacists.
• Agley, J., Meyerson, B. E., Eldridge, L. A., Crosby, R. A., Bentele, K. G., Jun, M., Vadiei, N., Kennedy, A., & Anderson, K. (2021). Exploration of pharmacist comfort with harm reduction behaviors: Cross-sectional latent class analysis. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 1-9.
• Carter, G., Meyerson, B., Rivers, P., Crosby, R., Lawrence, C., Cope, S. D., DeBruicker, D., Levin, S., Meeks, W., Thomas, C., Turner, B., Abert, C., Coles, H., Allen, A., Gonzalez-Fagoaga, E., & Grivois-Shah, R. (2021). Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States. AIDS and behavior, 25(10), 3085-3096.
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  We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states. We conducted interviews with 65 current or former PWID aged 18 years or older and living in Arizona or Indiana. Most (63%) of the interviewees were not aware of PrEP. They often confused PrEP with HIV treatment, and many believed that PrEP was only for sexual risk or gay sexual risk. Once they understood that PrEP was recommended for PWID, the participants held a positive view of PrEP and felt that a once-daily pill was feasible. Experiences of stigma about drug use remained a crucial barrier to accessing healthcare and PrEP. This was often linked with anticipated or expressed homophobia. PrEP interventions among PWID must focus on education and the confluence of stigmas in which PWID find themselves when considering PrEP.
• Dutta, T., Agley, J., Meyerson, B. E., Barnes, P. A., Sherwood-Laughlin, C., & Nicholson-Crotty, J. (2021). Perceived enablers and barriers of community engagement for vaccination in India: Using socioecological analysis. PloS one, 16(6), e0253318.
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  There is high level policy consensus in India that community engagement (CE) improves vaccination uptake and reduces burden of vaccine preventable diseases. However, to date, vaccination studies in the country have not explicitly focused on CE as an outcome in and of itself. Therefore, this study sought to examine the barriers and enablers of community engagement for vaccination in India.
• Exten, C., Pinto, C. N., Gaynor, A. M., Meyerson, B., Griner, S. B., Van Der Pol, B., & , B. o. (2021). Direct-to-Consumer Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Services: A Position Statement from the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. Sexually transmitted diseases, 48(11), e155-e159.
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  Direct-to-consumer test services have gained popularity for sexually transmitted infections in recent years, with substantially increased use as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 (CoVID-19) global pandemic. This method of access has been variously known as "self-testing," "home testing," and "direct access testing." Although these online services may be offered through different mechanisms, here we focus on those that are consumer-driven and require self-collected samples, and sample shipment to a centralized laboratory without involvement of health care providers and/or local health departments. We provide the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association's position on utilization of these services and recommendations for both consumers and health care providers.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2021). Effects of political versus expert messaging on vaccination intentions of Trump voters. PLOS ONE.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2021). “The gatekeepers in prevention”: Community pharmacist perceptions of their role in the opioid epidemic. Substance Abuse.
• Meyerson, B. E., Moehling, T. J., Agley, J. D., Coles, H. B., & Phillips, J. (2021). Insufficient Access: Naloxone Availability to Laypeople in Arizona and Indiana, 2018. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 32(2), 819-829.
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  To understand naloxone availability to laypeople in Arizona (Ariz.) and Indiana (Ind.).
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., Kichler, M., Atkin, T., Fox, G., & Coles, H. B. (2021). I don't even want to go to the doctor when I get sick now: Healthcare experiences and discrimination reported by people who use drugs, Arizona 2019. The International journal on drug policy, 93, 103112.
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  People who use drugs experience severe health inequities created by structural and social barriers related to healthcare access. This includes stigma.
• Robertson, C. T., Bentele, K., Meyerson, B., Wood, A. S., & Salwa, J. (2021). Effects of political versus expert messaging on vaccination intentions of Trump voters. PloS one, 16(9), e0257988.
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  To increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in resistant populations, such as Republicans, focus groups suggest that it is best to de-politicize the issue by sharing five facts from a public health expert. Yet polls suggest that Trump voters trust former President Donald Trump for medical advice more than they trust experts. We conducted an online, randomized, national experiment among 387 non-vaccinated Trump voters, using two brief audiovisual artifacts from Spring 2021, either facts delivered by an expert versus political claims delivered by President Trump. Relative to the control group, Trump voters who viewed the video of Trump endorsing the vaccine were 85% more likely to answer "yes" as opposed to "no" in their intention to get fully vaccinated (RRR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.40; P = .048). There were no significant differences between those hearing the public health expert excerpt and the control group (for "yes" relative to "no" RRR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.12; P = .68). These findings suggest that a political speaker's endorsement of the COVID-19 vaccine may increase uptake among those who identify with that speaker. Contrary to highly-publicized focus group findings, our randomized experiment found that an expert's factually accurate message may not be effectual to increase vaccination intentions.
• Salwa, J., Wood, A. S., Meyerson, B. E., Bentele, K. G., & Robertson, C. T. (2021). Effects of Political versus Expert Messaging on Vaccination Intentions of Trump Voters. PLoS ONE, 16(9), 1-7. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257988
• Dutta, T., Meyerson, B. E., Agley, J. D., Barnes, P., Sherwoode-Laughlin, C., & Nicholson-Crotty, J. A. (2020). A qualitative analysis of vaccine decision-makers’ conceptualization and fostering of ‘community engagement’ in India. Int J Equity Health, 19(185). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01290-5
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  BackgroundGlobally, and in India, research has highlighted the importance of community engagement in achieving national vaccination goals and in promoting health equity. However, community engagement is not well-defined and remains an underutilized approach. There is also paucity of literature on community engagement’s effectiveness in achieving vaccination outcomes. To address that gap, this study interviewed Indian vaccination decision makers to derive a shared understanding of the evolving conceptualization of community engagement, and how it has been fostered during India’s Decade of Vaccines (2010-2020).MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 purposefully sampled national-level vaccine decision makers in India, including policymakers, immunization program heads, and vaccine technical committee leads. Participants were identified by their ‘elite’ status among decisionmakers in the Indian vaccination space. Schutz’ Social Phenomenological Theory guided development of an a priori framework derived from the Social Ecological Model. The framework helped organize participants’ conceptualizations of communities, community engagement, and related themes. Inter-rater reliability was computed for a subsample of coded interviews, and findings were validated in a one-day member check-in meeting with study participants and teams.ResultsThe interviews successfully elucidated participants’ understanding of key terminology (“community”) and approaches to community engagement propagated by the vaccine decision makers. Participants conceptualized ‘communities’ as vaccine-eligible children, their parents, frontline healthcare workers, and vaccination influencers. Engagement with those communities was understood to mean vaccine outreach, capacity-building of healthcare workers, and information dissemination. However, participants indicated that there were neither explicit policy guidelines defining community engagement nor pertinent evaluation metrics, despite awareness that community engagement is complex and under-researched. Examples of different approaches to community engagement ranged from vaccine imposition to empowered community vaccination decision-making. Finally, participants proposed an operational definition of community engagement and discussed concerns related to implementing it.ConclusionsAlthough decision makers had different perceptions about what constitutes a community, and how community engagement should optimally function, the combined group articulated its importance to ensure vaccination equity and reiterated the need for concerted political will to build trust with communities. At the same time, work remains to be done both in terms of research on community engagement as well as development of appropriate implementation and outcome metrics.
• Eldridge, L. A., Agley, J. D., & Meyerson, B. E. (2020). Naloxone availability and dispensing in Indiana pharmacies two years after implementation of a statewide standing order. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003), 60(3), 470-474. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2019.11.024
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  ObjectivesThis study examined changes in rates of pharmacy naloxone stocking and dispensing in Indiana between 2016 and 2018 and explored supplemental variables and factors that may have affected observed differences.MethodsResearchers used data from 2 existing datasets that were collected from managing pharmacists who responded to statewide pharmacy censuses in 2016 and 2018. After identifying all cases in which a pharmacy’s managing pharmacist responded in both 2016 and 2018 censuses, researchers conducted a nonparametric statistical comparison of naloxone stocking and dispensing rates in 107 Indiana pharmacies. Additional descriptive data regarding naloxone-related pharmacy policies and educational programs during those years were collected in 2019 from pharmacy corporations operating food stores or chain pharmacies in Indiana and from the Indiana Pharmacists Association.ResultsPharmacy stocking and dispensing in Indiana increased from 2016 to 2018. In 2016, 57% of pharmacies reported stocking naloxone compared with 92.5% in 2018 (P < 0.001). Similarly, 23.4% of pharmacies reported dispensing naloxone in 2016 compared with 76.6% of pharmacies in 2018 (P < 0.001). All responding pharmacy corporations and the state pharmacy association reported offering self-directed volunteer-training programs regarding naloxone since 2016. In addition, they reported that company policy and procedures regarding naloxone were put into place in response to the 2016 statewide standing order.ConclusionPharmacy naloxone stocking and dispensing increased in the 2 years after the statewide standing order was issued. The effect of the order itself was likely moderated or mediated by corporate responses to the law. Research examining the impact of naloxone-availability policies on pharmacy practice and patient incomes should longitudinally examine data after policy implementation and with covariates that include type of pharmacy (e.g., chain or independent), location, and opioid overdose–associated mortality rates.
• Hoss, A., Meyerson, B. E., & Zimet, G. D. (2019). State statutes and regulations related to human papillomavirus vaccination. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 15(7-8), 1519-1526. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2019.1627817
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  A cross-sectional analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine statutes and regulations from states and the District of Columbia in the United States (U.S.) was conducted from September-November 2018 to advance analyses of policy impact on HPV vaccination uptake. A search was conducted using WestlawNext, a legal research database. Statutes and regulations relevant to the study were analyzed and coded based on their legal attributes into ten broad coding questions and several sub-questions. Of the 212 laws identified by the initial search string, 93 (43.9%) reference HPV vaccination in statute or regulation. An additional three laws were added following subsequent review. There was a total of 52 statutes and 44 regulations from 34 states and the District of Columbia. Most laws were related to developing and distributing HPV vaccination materials for parents, and mechanisms to fund and reimburse for the vaccination. This study can be used by policymakers in jurisdictions that are considering establishing HPV vaccination promotion interventions in state law and highlighting the limited statutory and regulatory efforts that have been implemented to promote HPV vaccination. Importantly, this study can also be used to conduct evaluations of the efficacy of statutory and regulatory strategies in increasing HPV vaccination rates.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2020).

  A qualitative analysis of vaccine decision-makers’ conceptualization and fostering of ‘community engagement’ in India

  . Int J Equity Health, 19, 185ff. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01290-5
• Meyerson, B. E., Reno, H., Fox, B., Highfill, C., McKee, A., Trolard, A., Liang, S. Y., & Stoner, B. P. (2020). The Emerging Intersection Between Injection Drug Use and Early Syphilis in Nonurban Areas of Missouri, 2012–2018. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 222(Supplement_5), S465-S470. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa056
• Meyerson, B., Dutta, T., Agley, J., Barnes, P., Sherwood-Laughlin, C., & Nicholson-Crotty, J. (2020). A qualitative analysis of vaccine decision-makers’ conceptualization and fostering of ‘community engagement’ in India. Int J Equity Health. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-29175/v4
• Reno, H., Fox, B., Highfill, C., McKee, A., Trolard, A., Liang, S. Y., Stoner, B. P., & Meyerson, B. E. (2020). The emerging intersection between injection drug use and early syphilis in rural areas of Missouri, 2012-2018.. J Infectious Disease, 222(5), S465-S470. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa056
• Jayawardene, W., Carter, G., Agley, J., Meyerson, B., Garcia, J. R., & Miller, W. (2019). HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake by advanced practice nurses: Interplay of agency, community and attitudinal factors. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(11), 2559-2569.
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  To identify associations among agency, community, personal and attitudinal factors that affect advanced practice nurses' uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, an intervention consists of emtricitabine/tenofovir once-daily pill, along with sexual risk reduction education.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). Existence, Distribution, and Characteristics of STD Clinics in the United States, 2017. Public Health Reports.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake by advanced practice nurses: Interplay of agency, community and attitudinal factors.. Journal of advanced nursing.
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  AIMS:To identify associations among agency, community, personal and attitudinal factors that affect advanced practice nurses' uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, an intervention consists of emtricitabine/tenofovir once-daily pill, along with sexual risk reduction education. DESIGN:Cross-sectional. METHODS:During March-May 2017, randomly selected Indiana advanced practice nurses were invited to complete an online survey, consisted of several validated self-rating measures (N = 1,358; response = 32.3%). Final sample (N = 369) was predominantly White, non-Hispanic, female advanced practice nurses in urban practices (mean age = 46). Conceptual model for structural equation model included 29 original/composite variables and five latent factors. RESULTS:Final model consisted of 11 variables and four factors: agency, community, HIV prevention practices (including screening) and motivation to adopt evidence-based practices overall. Community had direct effects on HIV prevention practices (estimate = 0.28) and agency (estimate = 0.29). Agency had direct effects on HIV prevention practices (estimate = 0.74) and motivation to adopt evidence-based practices (estimate = 0.24). Community had indirect effects, through agency, on the two remaining factors. CONCLUSION:Barriers exist against pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation, although practice guidelines are available. HIV prevention practices must be integrated across organizational structures, especially in high-risk communities, whereas practice change is more effective when focused on changing providers' attitudes towards intervention. When planning a pre-exposure prophylaxis intervention, advancing inputs from healthcare professionals, organizational leadership and community members, is crucial to success. IMPACT:In settings where advanced practice nurses are primary contact points for health care, they may be best positioned to have an impact on implementation of HIV risk reduction strategies. Further research is needed to optimize their contributions to pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). I could take the judgment if you could just provide the service: non-prescription syringe purchase experience at Arizona pharmacies, 2018. Harm Reduction Journal.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). Just the fax, please: Updating electronic/hybrid methods for surveying pharmacists. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). Predicting Pharmacist Dispensing Practices and Comfort Related to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention (PrEP). AIDS and Behavior.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019). State statutes and regulations related to human papillomavirus vaccination. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics.
• Meyerson, B. E., Agley, J. D., Jayawardene, W., Eldridge, L. A., Arora, P., Smith, C., Vadiei, N., Kennedy, A. K., & Moehling, T. (2020). Feasibility of a pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C – Indiana, 2019. Res Soc Admin Pharm, 13(5), 644-652. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.08.026
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  Background: Evidence-based harm reduction intervention components which might benefit pharmacy patients have not been integrated and studied.Objective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a proposed pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C called PharmNet.Methods: Indiana managing pharmacists were surveyed in 2018 to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention for opioid misuse screening, brief intervention, syringe and naloxone dispensing, and referrals provision. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research informed the survey development and analysis.Results: The sample included 303 (30.8%) pharmacists; 215 (70.9%) provided detailed written comments. Intervention Characteristics: 83.3% believed PharmNet would benefit patients, and that staff could deliver the intervention with adequate training (70.0%). Inner Setting: While 77.2% believed their pharmacy culture supported practice change, 57.5% of chain pharmacists believed their pharmacies would not have time for PharmNet. Outer Setting: 73.3% believed additional addiction and overdose screening is needed in their community, and pharmacies should offer new services to help reduce opioid overdose and addiction among their patients (79.5%). A vast majority (97.7%) were asked by patients in the past 2 years about syringe related issues;67.7% were asked about syringes for non-prescription injection drug use. Individuals Involved: While 62.4% believed PharmNet was within pharmacy scope of practice and 90.1% were comfortable consulting about syringe use, pharmacists reported that they had limited control over the implementation environment. Process: 38.0% of pharmacists indicated interest in advising the development of PharmNet.Conclusions: An implementation trial of a modified version of PharmNet is likely feasible; yet will be challenged by structural pressures particularly in chain pharmacies. Successful implementation will involve the development of resources and policy components to manage outer and inner setting characteristics and align the intervention to the implementation environment.
• Meyerson, B. E., Dinh, P. C., Agley, J. D., Hill, B. J., Motley, D. N., Carter, G. A., Jayawardene, W., & Ryder, P. T. (2019). Predicting Pharmacist Dispensing Practices and Comfort Related to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention (PrEP). AIDS and Behavior, 23(7), 1925-1938. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007
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  To identify factors associated with pharmacist dispensing practice and comfort counseling patients about pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP). Cross-sectional 2016 census of Indiana managing pharmacists measured PrEP awareness, comfort dispensing and counseling patients. Modified Poisson models with robust error variance estimated relative risks and confidence intervals. 15.8% of 284 pharmacists had dispensed PrEP and 11.6% had consulted about it. Dispensing and comfort counseling were associated with confidence in knowledge about PrEP medication adherence and adverse effects of PrEP medication; awareness about PrEP before the survey, number of full time pharmacists in their pharmacy, and increases in new HIV cases from 2015 to 2016 in communities served. Comfort counseling about PrEP was associated with the belief that pharmacists can be an important resource for HIV and HCV treatment.
• Meyerson, B. E., Meyerson, B. E., Lawrence, C. A., Lawrence, C. A., Cope, S. D., Cope, S. D., Levin, S., Levin, S., Thomas, C., Thomas, C., Eldridge, L. A., Eldridge, L. A., Coles, H. B., Coles, H. B., Vadiei, N., Vadiei, N., Kennedy, A. K., & Kennedy, A. K. (2019). I could take the judgement if you could just provide the service: non-prescription syringe purchase experience in Arizona pharmacies. BMC Harm Reduction, 16(57), 1-9. doi:doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-019-0327-1
• Moehling, T., Meyerson, B. E., Agley, J. D., Kennedy, A. K., Jayawardene, W., Vadiei, N., Smith, C., Eldridge, L. A., Arora, P., Arora, P., Eldridge, L. A., Smith, C., Jayawardene, W., Vadiei, N., Agley, J. D., Kennedy, A. K., Moehling, T., Meyerson, B. E., Meyerson, B. E., , Agley, J. D., et al. (2019). Feasibility of a pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C – Indiana, 2019. Res Soc Admin Pharm, 13, 644-652. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.08.026
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  Background: Evidence-based harm reduction intervention components which might benefit pharmacy patients have not been integrated and studied.Objective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a proposed pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C called PharmNet.Methods: Indiana managing pharmacists were surveyed in 2018 to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention for opioid misuse screening, brief intervention, syringe and naloxone dispensing, and referrals provision. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research informed the survey development and analysis.Results: The sample included 303 (30.8%) pharmacists; 215 (70.9%) provided detailed written comments. Intervention Characteristics: 83.3% believed PharmNet would benefit patients, and that staff could deliver the intervention with adequate training (70.0%). Inner Setting: While 77.2% believed their pharmacy culture supported practice change, 57.5% of chain pharmacists believed their pharmacies would not have time for PharmNet. Outer Setting: 73.3% believed additional addiction and overdose screening is needed in their community, and pharmacies should offer new services to help reduce opioid overdose and addiction among their patients (79.5%). A vast majority (97.7%) were asked by patients in the past 2 years about syringe related issues;67.7% were asked about syringes for non-prescription injection drug use. Individuals Involved: While 62.4% believed PharmNet was within pharmacy scope of practice and 90.1% were comfortable consulting about syringe use, pharmacists reported that they had limited control over the implementation environment. Process: 38.0% of pharmacists indicated interest in advising the development of PharmNet.Conclusions: An implementation trial of a modified version of PharmNet is likely feasible; yet will be challenged by structural pressures particularly in chain pharmacies. Successful implementation will involve the development of resources and policy components to manage outer and inner setting characteristics and align the intervention to the implementation environment.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). African cervical cancer prevention and control plans: A scoping review. Journal of Cancer Policy.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). Association Between Individual and Intimate Partner Factors and Cervical Cancer Screening in Kenya.. Preventing chronic disease.
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  INTRODUCTION:Cervical cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in Kenya. Although cervical cancer screening could reduce illness and death, screening rates remain low. Kenyan women's individual characteristics and intimate partner factors may be associated with cervical cancer screening; however, a lack of nationally representative data has precluded study until recently. The objective of our study was to examine individual and intimate partner factors associated with cervical cancer screening in Kenya. METHODS:We conducted secondary data analysis of responses by women who completed the cervical cancer screening and domestic violence questions in the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2014 (N = 3,222). By using multivariable regression analyses, we calculated the association of cervical cancer screening with age, religion, education, wealth, recent exposure to family planning on television, head of household's sex, and experience of intimate partner violence. RESULTS:Rates of cervical cancer screening among women in Kenya increased with age. The wealthiest women and women with post-secondary education had greater odds of reporting being screened for cervical cancer than the poorest women and uneducated women. Christians and women exposed to prevention messaging on television had higher odds of screening than Muslims and women with no exposure. Victims of intimate partner violence had lower odds of being screened than women who had not experienced intimate partner violence. CONCLUSION:Identified barriers to screening in this sample mirror previous findings, though with additional nuances. Model fit data and theoretical review suggest that additional, unmeasured variables may contribute to variability in cervical cancer screening rates. Inclusion of additional variables specific to cervical cancer in future national surveys could strengthen the ability to identify factors associated with screening.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). Learning in the zone: toward workforce development of evidence-based public policy communication. BMC Public Health.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). Predicting pharmacy naloxone stocking and dispensing following a statewide standing order, Indiana 2016.. Drug and alcohol dependence.
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  BACKGROUND:While naloxone, the overdose reversal medication, has been available for decades, factors associated with its availability through pharmacies remain unclear. Studies suggest that policy and pharmacist beliefs may impact availability. Indiana passed a standing order law for naloxone in 2015 to increase access to naloxone. OBJECTIVE:To identify factors associated with community pharmacy naloxone stocking and dispensing following the enactment of a statewide naloxone standing order. METHODS:A 2016 cross-sectional census of Indiana community pharmacists was conducted following a naloxone standing order. Community, pharmacy, and pharmacist characteristics, and pharmacist attitudes about naloxone dispensing, access, and perceptions of the standing order were measured. Modified Poisson and binary logistic regression models attempted to predict naloxone stocking and dispensing, respectively. RESULTS:Over half (58.1%) of pharmacies stocked naloxone, yet 23.6% of pharmacists dispensed it. Most (72.5%) pharmacists believed the standing order would increase naloxone stocking, and 66.5% believed it would increase dispensing. Chain pharmacies were 3.2 times as likely to stock naloxone. Naloxone stocking was 1.6 times as likely in pharmacies with more than one full-time pharmacist. Pharmacies where pharmacists received naloxone continuing education in the past two years were 1.3 times as likely to stock naloxone. The attempted dispensing model yielded no improvement over the constant-only model. CONCLUSIONS:Pharmacies with larger capacity took advantage of the naloxone standing order. Predictors of pharmacist naloxone dispensing should continue to be explored to maximize naloxone access.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). Predicting pharmacy syringe sales to people who inject drugs: Policy, practice and perceptions.. The International journal on drug policy.
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  BACKGROUND:Pharmacies have much to contribute to the health of people who inject drugs (PWID) and to community efforts in HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) prevention through syringe access. However, little is known about what predicts pharmacy syringe sales without a prescription. OBJECTIVE:To identify factors predicting pharmacy syringes sales to PWID. METHODS:A hybrid staggered online survey of 298 Indiana community pharmacists occurred from July-September 2016 measuring pharmacy policy, practice, and pharmacist perceptions about syringe sales to PWID. Separate bivariate logistical regressions were followed by multivariable logistic regression to predict pharmacy syringe sales and pharmacist comfort dispensing syringes to PWID. RESULTS:Half (50.5%) of Indiana pharmacies sold syringes without a prescription to PWID. Pharmacy syringe sales was strongly associated with pharmacist supportive beliefs about syringe access by PWID and their comfort level selling syringes to PWID. Notably, pharmacies located in communities with high rates of opioid overdose mortality were 56% less likely to sell syringes without a prescription than those in communities with lower rates. Pharmacist comfort dispensing syringes was associated with being male, working at a pharmacy that sold syringes to PWID and one that stocked naloxone, having been asked about syringe access by medical providers, and agreement that PWID should be able to buy syringes without a prescription. CONCLUSIONS:As communities with high rates of opioid overdose mortality were less likely to have pharmacies that dispensed syringes to PWID, a concerted effort with these communities and their pharmacies should be made to understand opportunities to increase syringe access. Future studies should explore nuances between theoretical support for syringe access by PWID without a prescription and actual dispensing behaviors. Addressing potential policy conflicts and offering continuing education on non-prescription syringe distribution for pharmacists may improve comfort distributing syringes to PWID, and therefore increase pharmacy syringe sales.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2018). They Shall Be One: Sexual Satisfaction Among Men and Women Married in the LDS Faith.. Journal of sex & marital therapy.
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  Sexual satisfaction is understudied among highly religious communities, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Through an Internet-based self-report survey, this study (N = 266) examined potential predictors of sexual satisfaction among adults living in Utah who had married in the LDS faith, regardless of current faith practice. Both men and women reported their perceived partner satisfaction as the top contributing factor to their own overall sexual satisfaction. These findings have implications for clinicians, educators, and researchers evaluating the sexual lives, including sexual satisfaction, of men and women who have married in the LDS faith.
• Francis, H., & Meyerson, B. E. (2017). If you build it, they will come: Feasibility of sexual health research among individuals married within the Latter Day Saint Faith. Sexuality & Culture, 21(1), 49-61. doi:10.1007/s12119-016-9378-6
• Meyerson, B. E. (2017). Against the Odds: Syringe Exchange Policy Implementation in Indiana.. AIDS and behavior.
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  Indiana recently passed legislation allowing local governments to establish syringe exchanges. While the effectiveness of syringe exchange programming is established, there is a dearth of studies about associated policy adoption and implementation. This study documents the experiences of 24 Indiana counties engaged in the process of establishing syringe exchange programming under new state law. A mixed method, qualitative, exploratory case study was conducted from May 2015 to April 2016. We observed rapid and widespread policy adoption interest, and yet counties reported significant policy ambiguity, epidemiologic and resource capacity issues. The emergence of health commons involving information and tangible resource sharing networks allowed institutional rearrangement in the midst of resource scarcity; however, such rearrangement appeared to be a central threat to policy adoption and implementation given state structural barriers. The emerging commons could be a critical policy success factor, as it would achieve efficiencies not possible in the current resource environment, and can help achieve institutional rearrangement for the improvement of population health. Several recommendations for improvement are offered.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2017). Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention in 78 Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics-United States, 2014-2015.. Sexually transmitted diseases.
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  BACKGROUND:Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause approximately 30,700 cancers annually among US men and women, cervical cancer being the most common. Human papillomavirus vaccination is recommended routinely for US girls and boys at age 11 to 12 years, and for those not previously vaccinated, through age 26 and 21 years for women and men, respectively. Our objective was to assess current cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination practices among sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in the United States. METHODS:We surveyed a geographically diverse convenience sample of US STD clinics identified by members of the National Coalition of STD Directors within 65 state, territorial, and local jurisdictions. An online multiple-choice survey about clinical services was administered to clinic directors or designees during October 2014 to February 2015. RESULTS:Survey respondents included 78 clinics from 46 states and territories. Of these clinics, 31 (39.7%) offered both cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination, 6 (7.7%) offered cervical cancer screening only, 21 (26.9%) offered HPV vaccination only, and 20 (25.6%) offered neither cervical cancer prevention service. Among those not offering the service, the most commonly reported barrier to cervical cancer screening was time constraints (25/41, 61.0%); for HPV vaccination it was reimbursement (11/26, 42.3%). CONCLUSIONS:By early 2015, in a geographically diverse group of 78 STD clinics, 39.7% provided nationally recommended HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, whereas 25.6% provided neither. Further research could identify strategies for STD clinics to reduce HPV-associated cancers by increasing provision of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening services, particularly among medically underserved populations.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2017). Drivers and Barriers for Adopting Accreditation at Local Health Departments for Their Performance Improvement Effort.. Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP.
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  CONTEXT:A national system of voluntary public health accreditation for state, local, and tribal health departments (local health departments [LHDs]) is part of a movement that aims to improve public health performance with ultimate impact on population health outcomes. Indiana is a good setting for the study of LHD accreditation adoption because several LHDs reported de-adopting accreditation in a recent statewide survey and because 71% of Indiana counties serve populations of 50 000 or less. DESIGN:A systematic method of analyzing qualitative data based on the Performance Improvement Model framework to expand our understanding of de-adoption of public health accreditation. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS:In 2015, we conducted a key informant interview study of the 3 LHDs that decided to delay their engagement in the accreditation based on findings from an Indiana survey on LHD accreditation adoption. The study is an exploration of LHD accreditation de-adoption and of the contributions made to its understanding by the Performance Improvement Model. RESULT:The study found that top management team members are those who champion accreditation adoption, and that organizational structure and culture facilitate the staff's embracing of the change. The Performance Improvement Model was found to enhance the elucidation of the inner domain elements of Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in the context of de-adoption of public health accreditation. CONCLUSION:Governing entities' policies and priorities appear to mediate whether the LHDs are able to continue accreditation pursuit. Lacking any of these driving forces appears to be associated with decisions to de-adoption of accreditation. Further work is necessary to discern specific elements mediating decisions to pursue accreditation. This study demonstrates the added knowledge of Performance Improvement Model (PIM) to the CFIR framework. A large scale study is called to further clarify and discern supports of specific to the needs of individual LHDs for their performance improvement effort.
• Agley, J., Meyerson, B. E., Shannon, D. J., Ryder, P. T., Ritchie, K., & Gassman, R. A. (2016). Using the hybrid method to survey U.S. pharmacists: Applying lessons learned to leverage technology. Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, 13(1), 250-252.
• Davis, A., Best, J., Luo, J., Van Der Pol, B., Dodge, B., Meyerson, B., Aalsma, M., Wei, C., Tucker, J. D., & , S. E. (2016). Differences in risk behaviours, HIV/STI testing and HIV/STI prevalence between men who have sex with men and men who have sex with both men and women in China. International journal of STD & AIDS, 27(10), 840-9.
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  Differences in risk behaviours between men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) have important implications for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission. We examined differences in risk behaviours, HIV/STI testing, self-reported HIV/STI diagnoses, and linkage to HIV care between MSM and MSMW across China. Participants were recruited through three MSM-focused websites in China. An online survey containing items on socio-demographics, risk behaviours, testing history, self-reported HIV/STI diagnosis, and linkage to and retention in HIV care was completed from September to October 2014. Chi square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted. MSMW were less likely to use a condom during last anal sex (p ≤ 0.01) and more likely to engage in group sex (p ≤ 0.01) and transactional sex (p ≤ 0.01) compared to MSM. Self-reported HIV/STI testing and positivity rates between MSM and MSMW were similar. Among HIV-infected MSM, there was no difference in rates of linkage to or retention in antiretroviral therapy when comparing MSM and MSMW. Chinese MSM and MSMW may benefit from different HIV and STI intervention and prevention strategies. Achieving a successful decrease in HIV/STI epidemics among Chinese MSM and MSMW will depend on the ability of targeted and culturally congruent HIV/STI control programmes to facilitate a reduction in risk behaviours.
• Davis, A., Meyerson, B. E., Aghaulor, B., Brown, K., Watson, A., Muessig, K. E., Yang, L., & Tucker, J. D. (2016). Barriers to health service access among female migrant Ugandan sex workers in Guangzhou, China. International journal for equity in health, 15(1), 170.
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  Increased trade between China and Uganda has fueled trafficking of female Ugandans into China. These women may face challenges accessing health services. This study focused on examining barriers to health care access among female Ugandan sex workers in China.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2016). Characterizing Sexual Orientation Disclosure to Health Care Providers: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Perspectives.. Health communication.
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  This study examines lesbian, gay, and bisexual patients' disclosure patterns of sexual orientation to health care providers. Using a semistructured interview format, researchers conducted interviews with 24 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) adults about sexual orientation disclosure strategies. All interviews were transcribed and independently coded using thematic analysis. Results suggest that patient sexual orientation disclosure may be patient initiated and may occur to clarify or correct provider misinformation. Participants disclosed their orientation early in the medical visit during introductions, during small talk with the provider, and during the history-taking phase of the visit. Participants characterized sexual orientation disclosures as presented with minimal information, casually, and often indirectly. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
• Meyerson, B. E., & Sayegh, M. A. (2016). State Size and Government Level Matter Most: A Structural Equation Model of Local Health Department Policy Behaviors. Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP, 22(2), 157-63.
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  To explore relationships between local health department policy behaviors, levels of government activity, policy focus areas, and selected health department characteristics.
• Meyerson, B. E., Carter, G., Lawrence, C., Jimison, L., Rush, N., Carter, C., Coleman, D., King, A., Buckner, D., Harvey, R., Parker, T., Gillespie, A., & Ohmit, A. (2016). Expanding HIV Testing in African American Communities Through Community-Based Distribution of Home-Test Vouchers. AIDS patient care and STDs, 30(3), 141-5.
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  We investigated the implementation feasibility and effectiveness of community-based HIV home-test voucher distribution in three Indianapolis African American communities. Community-based organizations augmented traditional outreach methods to distribute vouchers for home HIV tests redeemable at three pharmacies during three distribution waves from February to April 30, 2015. Voucher redemption served as a proxy indicator of intent to test for HIV. 315 vouchers were distributed and 47 vouchers were redeemed for a 14.9% redemption rate. Distribution was 46% of plan. Vouchers were redeemed at all three pharmacies, and 21% of visits involved redemption of more than one voucher. The original team of seven distributors in three organizations reduced to a remaining five distributors in two organizations by wave 2. This study suggests that outreach organizations could implement HIV home test voucher distribution, and that people would redeem the vouchers at a pharmacy for an HIV test. Future studies should explore how voucher distribution can expand the current HIV testing system.
• Meyerson, B. E., King, J., Comer, K. F., Liu, S. S., & Miller, L. (2016). It’s not just a yes or no answer: Expression of local health department accreditation. Frontiers in Public Health, 4(21), 1-7. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00021
• Simmons, M., Guerra-Reyes, L., Meyerson, B., Adams, K., & Sanders, S. (2016). Exploring Provider Perspectives as Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of Quality Family Planning Recommendations at Title X Clinics: A Qualitative Study. Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, 26(6), 628-633.
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  In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of Population Affairs released a document entitled Providing Quality Family Planning Services (QFP), which outlined recommendations for delivery of family planning services using a client-centered approach. These aimed to standardize service provision and address numerous reproductive health challenges. To date, little is known about QFP implementation or the factors influencing its adoption by clinicians.
• Davis, A., Best, J., Wei, C., Luo, J., Van Der Pol, B., Meyerson, B., Dodge, B., Aalsma, M., Tucker, J., & , S. E. (2015). Intimate Partner Violence and Correlates With Risk Behaviors and HIV/STI Diagnoses Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Men Who Have Sex With Men and Women in China: A Hidden Epidemic. Sexually transmitted diseases, 42(7), 387-92.
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  Intimate partner violence (IPV) research has primarily focused on heterosexual couples but has largely ignored IPV among men who have sex with men (MSM). We examined IPV prevalence among MSM and men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) in China.
• Meyerson, B. E., Barnes, P. R., King, J., Degi, L. S., Halverson, P. K., & Polmanski, H. F. (2015). Measuring Accreditation Activity and Progress: Findings from a Survey of Indiana Local Health Departments, 2013. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 130(5), 447-52.
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  A 2013 survey of Indiana local health departments (LHDs) measured accreditation activity and progress. Reported activities were categorized using the Public Health Accreditation Board's (PHAB's) accreditation steps as a guiding framework and matched with selected sociodemographic, organizational, and technical assistance variables. Findings indicated that 42 (59.2%) of responding Indiana LHDs reported pursuing accreditation. Of LHDs pursuing accreditation, 21 were at the initial introductory step, 18 were at the prerequisite step, one reported submitting an application to PHAB, and two reported no activity, yet intent to pursue accreditation. Reported receipt of technical assistance was associated with accreditation progress (p=0.01) and, specifically, with being at the prerequisite step. Facilitating the pursuit of LHD accreditation in states with low public health investment is possible with targeted accreditation resources. Finding meaningful measures of accreditation progress will help advance the study of factors associated with LHD accreditation on a broad scale and for the long term.
• Meyerson, B. E., Navale, S. M., Gillespie, A., & Ohmit, A. (2015). Routine HIV Testing in Indiana Community Health Centers. American journal of public health, 105(1), 91-95.
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  Objectives. We assessed routine HIV testing in Indiana community health centers (CHCs). Methods. CHC medical directors reported HIV services, testing behaviors, barriers, and health center characteristics via survey from April to May 2013. Standard of care testing was measured by the extent to which CHCs complied with national guidelines for routine HIV testing in clinical settings. Results. Most (85.7%) CHCs reported HIV testing, primarily at patient request or if the patient was symptomatic. Routine HIV testing was provided for pregnant women by 60.7% of CHCs. Only 10.7% provided routine testing for adolescents to adults up to age 65 years. Routine testing was reported by 14.3% for gay and bisexual men, although 46.4% of CHCs reported asking patients about sexual orientation. Linkage to care services for HIV-positive patients, counseling for HIV treatment adherence, and partner testing generally was not provided. Conclusions. Most CHCs reported HIV testing, but such testing did not reflect the standard of care, because it depended on patient request or symptoms. One approach in future studies may be to allow respondents to compare current testing with standard of care and then reflect on barriers to and facilitators of adoption and implementation of routine HIV testing.
• Meyerson, B. E., Sayegh, M. A., Davis, A., Arno, J. N., Zimet, G. D., LeMonte, A. M., Williams, J. A., Barclay, L., & Van Der Pol, B. (2015). Cervical cancer screening in a sexually transmitted disease clinic: screening adoption experiences from a midwestern clinic. American journal of public health, 105 Suppl 2, e8-14.
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  We examined whether a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic could reach women who had not received a Papanicolau (Pap) test in the past 3 years. We also explored staff attitudes and implementation of cervical cancer screening.
• Meyerson, B. E., Zimet, G. D., Multani, G. S., Levell, C., Lawrence, C. A., & Smith, J. S. (2015). Increasing Efforts to Reduce Cervical Cancer through State-Level Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning. Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.), 8(7), 636-41.
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  Reducing cervical cancer disparities in the United States requires intentional focus on structural barriers such as systems and policy that impact access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and treatment. Such changes are difficult and often politicized. State comprehensive cancer control (CCC) plans are vehicles that, if designed well, can help build collective focus on structural changes. Study objectives were to identify the prioritization of cervical cancer in state CCC plans, the conceptualization of HPV within these plans, and the focus of plans on structural changes to reduce cervical cancer disparities. Data were gathered by systematic content analysis of CCC plans from 50 states and the District of Columbia from February-June 2014 for evidence of cervical cancer prioritization, conceptualization of HPV, and focus on structural barriers to cervical cancer vaccination, screening or treatment. Findings indicate that prioritization of cervical cancer within state CCC plans may not be a strong indicator of state efforts to reduce screening and treatment disparities. While a majority of plans reflected scientific evidence that HPV causes cervical and other cancers, they did not focus on structural elements impacting access to evidence-based interventions. Opportunities exist to improve state CCC plans by increasing their focus on structural interventions that impact cervical cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, particularly for the 41% of plans ending in 2015 and the 31% ending between 2016 and 2020. Future studies should focus on the use of policy tools in state CCC plans and their application to cervical cancer prevention and treatment.
• Silverman, R. D., Meyerson, B., & Priest, C. F. (2015). Needle Exchange Programs for HIV Outbreaks. JAMA, 314(19), 2085.
• Meyerson, B. E., Emetu, R. E., Sanders, S. A., Bailey, M. M., Ryder, P. T., & Armstrong, J. (2014). Preferences of Gay and Bisexual Men for Pharmacy-Based HIV Testing and Over-the-Counter HIV Tests. LGBT health, 1(3), 225-8.
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  A 2013 study among 169 Indiana men aged 18-45 who have sex with men assessed the acceptability of and preferences for pharmacy-based and over-the-counter (OTC) HIV testing. Rural men in general and men who did not know their HIV status were more likely to purchase an OTC HIV test. Men who did not know their HIV status also preferred an OTC HIV test to pharmacy-based testing. Pharmacies should enhance information around the sale of OTC HIV tests, particularly in rural areas. Information should include test results, opportunities for consultation, and linkage to care.
• Meyerson, B., Barnes, P., Emetu, R., Bailey, M., Ohmit, A., & Gillespie, A. (2014). Institutional and structural barriers to HIV testing: elements for a theoretical framework. AIDS patient care and STDs, 28(1), 22-7.
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  Stigma is a barrier to HIV health seeking, but little is known about institutional and structural expressions of stigma in HIV testing. This study examines evidence of institutional and structural stigma in the HIV testing process. A qualitative, grounded theory study was conducted using secondary data from a 2011 HIV test site evaluation data in a Midwestern, moderate HIV incidence state. Expressions of structural and institutional stigma were found with over half of the testing sites and at three stages of the HIV testing visit. Examples of structural stigma included social geography, organization, and staff behavior at first encounter and reception, and staff behavior when experiencing the actual HIV test. Institutional stigma was socially expressed through staff behavior at entry/reception and when experiencing the HIV test. The emerging elements demonstrate the potential compounding of stigma experiences with deleterious effect. Study findings may inform future development of a theoretical framework. In practice, findings can guide organizations seeking to reduce HIV testing barriers, as they provide a window into how test seekers experience HIV test sites at first encounter, entry/reception, and at testing stages; and can identify how stigma might be intensified by structural and institutional expressions.
• Navale, S. M., Meyerson, B. E., Gillespie, A., & Ohmit, A. (2014). Are community health centers offering standard of care STD services?. Sexually Transmitted Disease, 41(11), 684-689.
• Meyerson, B. E., Ryder, P. T., & Richey-Smith, C. (2013). Achieving pharmacy-based public health: a call for public health engagement. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 128(3), 140-3.
• Meyerson, B. E., Ryder, P. T., von Hippel, C., & Coy, K. (2013). We can do more than just sell the test: pharmacist perspectives about over-the-counter rapid HIV tests. AIDS and behavior, 17(6), 2109-13.
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  Pharmacist attitudes about the over-the-counter (OTC) sale of HIV rapid tests in pharmacies were explored through interviews conducted among 17 licensed community pharmacists in a Midwestern, moderate HIV incidence state between May and September 2012. Participants recognized that OTC rapid HIV tests would increase the number of people aware of their HIV status. Concerns included linkage to care and results consultation for those who test HIV-positive. Point of sale was identified as an opportunity for consultation about the test and to establish a relationship for future discussion about results and linkage to care. Pharmacists could provide initial test consultation or information, and consultation about the test results in order to provide post diagnosis support and facilitate linkage to care.
• Ryder, P. T., Meyerson, B. E., Coy, K. C., & von Hippel, C. D. (2013). Pharmacists' perspectives on HIV testing in community pharmacies. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA, 53(6), 595-600.
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  To assess the feasibility, readiness, and acceptability of offering rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in community pharmacies.
• Meyerson, B. E., Crosby, R. A., Van Der Pol, B. J., & Zimet, G. D. (2012). Thinking differently about cervical cancer screening in high-risk populations. American journal of preventive medicine, 43(2), 221-4.
• Meyerson, B. E., & Gilbert, L. K. (2010). Show me the money: state contributions toward STD prevention, 2007. Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP, 16(3), 232-9.
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  The importance of state investment in sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention has been discussed since the mid-1990s; however, little has become known about state public health funding for STD prevention. To establish a baseline understanding of state STD prevention funding, financial data for fiscal year 2007 were gathered by survey of state STD, immunization, laboratory, and hepatitis program directors. Results revealed that on average states funded 25.8 percent of their total STD prevention budgets and invested $0.23 per capita in STD prevention. The percentage of state funding in the total state STD prevention budget ranged from 0 percent to 70.2 percent, and state investment in STD prevention ranged from $0.00 to $1.55 per capita. The direction and expenditure of state STD prevention resources was also examined. This study strengthens the national understanding of what states are doing to fund STD prevention, and it broadens state public health awareness of the overall STD prevention investment at the state level. The inclusion of Medicaid data and expenditure of federal resources by states would strengthen the study and assist longitudinal analyses focused on the impact of investment on epidemiologic indicators.
• Chu, B., Meyerson, B. E., & Raphael, T. (2003).

  STD Program Activity in State Policy Processes, 1995 and 2000

  . Sexually Transmitted Diseases. doi:10.1097/01.olq.0000085182.97442.75

Presentations

• Ferrell, C., Newgass, K., & Meyerson, B. E. (2023, October). Come back when you’re sick: syringe access in Arizona pharmacies. International Drug Policy Reform Conference, Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona: Drug Policy Alliance.
• Meyerson, B. E., & Ferrell, C. (2023, April 26, 2023). Moving the Needle: Syringe access in Arizona pharmacies.. 2023 Arizona Integrated HIV/STI/HCV Symposium.. Mesa, Arizona: Arizona Department of Health Services.
• Meyerson, B. E., Dromgoole-Hernandez, J., Newgass, K., & Bartes, G. (2023, April 27, 2023). Evidence to Action: Assuring access to curative HCV treatment in AZ.. Arizona Integrated HIV/STI/HCV Symposium. Mesa, Arizona: Arizona Department of Health Services.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., & Mahoney, A. (2023, February 10, 2023). Lost in translation: Federal policy changes did not result in safer or sustained MOUD treatment access during COVID in Arizona. Arizona MOUD ECHO meeting. zoom: Arizona MOUD ECHO.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D. M., Mahoney, A., Samorano, S., & Garnett, I. (2023, 17-20 October, 2023). Nothing about us without us: Toward structural indicators of community-based participatory action research (SI-CBPAR) to improve drug user health.. International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, 11th Annual International Conference. Geneva Switzerland: International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU).
• Meyerson, B. E., Shatzkes, K., Crystal, S., Neighbors, C., & Jordan, A. (2023, April 13-16). Policy/Practice Lessons in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment from COVID-19 Natural Experiments. American Society of Addiction Medicine 54th Annual Conference. Washington, DC: American Society of Addiction Medicine.
• Russell, D. M., Meyerson, B. E., Mahoney, A., Crosby, R. A., Samorano, S., & Garnett, I. (2023, 17-20 October, 2023). Health Un/Care: Missed opportunities in pharmacy interactions with PWID seeking sterile syringes.. International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, 11th Annual International Conference. Geneva Switzerland: International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU),.
• Bentele, K. G., Vadiei, N., Agley, J., Russell, D., & Meyerson, B. E. (2021, June). ASAP: Access to Syringes at Pharmacies. Reducing Pharmacy-Based Stigma to Increase the Sale and Purchase of Over-the-counter Syringes.. Stigma of Addiction Summit RegionalUniversity of Texas.
• Meyerson, B. E. (2019, March). Saving our lives together: Harm reduction opportunities in Arizona and Indiana.. Key Note presentation. Pima County Community Prevention Coalition and Diverse Voices in Prevention annual cultural competency conference.. Tucson: Pima County Community Prevention Coalition and Diverse Voices in Prevention.
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  Keynote Address

Poster Presentations

• Agley, J. D., Eldridge, L., & Meyerson, B. E. (2023, November 12-15, 2023). Procedural considerations for pragmatic implementation studies in independent pharmacies. American Public Health Association 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo.. Atlanta, Georgia.
• Garnett, I., & Meyerson, B. E. (2023, September 21-22, 2023). Drug Policy Research and Advocacy Board (DPRAB): Sending MAT to Rehab- Transforming MOUD Through Community-focused research and Evidence-based advocacy.. Liberating Methadone Conference. New York, New York: PEW Charitable Trusts and New York University..
• Meyerson, B. E., & Garnett, I. (2023, September 21-22, 2023). SI-CBPAR: Structural indicators of Community Based Participatory and Action Research.. Liberating Methadone Conference. New York, New York: PEW Charitable Trusts and New York University.
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D., & Mahoney, A. (2023, 17-20 October, 2023). Lost in Translation: U.S. Federal policy changes did not result in sustained methadone treatment changes during COVID, Arizona. International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU), 11th Annual International Conference,. Geneva, Switzerland: International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU).
• Meyerson, B. E., Russell, D., Mahoney, A., Krieger, L. B., Carter, G. A., & Brady, B. R. (2023, 17-20 October, 2023.). MPACT: Methadone patient access to collaborative treatment.. International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU), 11th Annual International Conference. Geneva, Switzerland: International Network for Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU).

Others

• Meyerson, B. E., & Russell, D. (2020, December). (Opinion Editorial) It’s time to normalize methadone treatment. December 23, 2020 Arizona Capitol Times.. Arizona Capitol Times (https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/12/23/its-time-to-normalize-methadone-treatment/ ). https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/12/23/its-time-to-normalize-methadone-treatment/
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  Opinion editorial focused on MOUD policy and normalizing methadone access in Arizona.