Nicole A Errett

Nicole A Errett
University of Washington | UW · Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

PhD, MSPH

About

88
Publications
9,745
Reads
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1,556
Citations
Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Additional affiliations
September 2011 - December 2014
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Position
  • PhD Student

Publications

Publications (88)
Article
Full-text available
Social distancing, defined as maintaining a minimum interpersonal distance (often 6 ft or 1.83 m), is a non-pharmaceutical intervention to reduce infectious disease transmission. While numerous quantitative studies have examined people’s social distancing behaviors using mobile phone data, large-scale quantitative analyses of adherence to suggested...
Article
Renters living in subsidized housing managed by Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) are vulnerable to disasters. This study aims to describe barriers, facilitators, and opportunities for the implementation of disaster risk management (DRM) strategies at PHAs. Fifteen semi-structured key informant (KI) interviews with federal and state housing officia...
Article
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Climate change is making disaster events more frequent and intense, increasing the risk to economic security, ecosystem health, and human health and well-being. Hazard mitigation planning, overseen in the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), aims to reduce disaster risk by identifying hazards and taking action to reduce...
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has long advocated for what it calls a “Whole Community approach” to disaster resilience and recovery. This philosophy holds that the priorities of all governmental, commercial, and interest groups should be considered, and their capabilities leveraged, in preparing for and responding to disasters. Acc...
Article
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Climate-sensitive hazards, including extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and rising sea levels, can jeopardize the health of all populations. However, certain population groups are more vulnerable to harm from these hazards. While youth–particularly those from historically marginalized groups and communities–are among those at the highest risk,...
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As the Duwamish Valley community in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. and other environmental justice communities nationally contend with growing risks from climate change, there have been calls for a more community-centered approach to understanding impacts and priorities to inform resilience planning. To engage community members and identify climate ju...
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Street View Images (SVI) are a common source of valuable data for researchers. Researchers have used SVI data for estimating pedestrian volumes, demographic surveillance, and to better understand built and natural environments in cityscapes. However, the most common source of publicly available SVI data is Google Street View. Google Street View ima...
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The intentional inclusion of various perspectives is critical in disaster and hazard research to advance science and promote equitable resilience in a rapidly changing climate. However, historically underrepresented scholars like Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA2S + community members, and women are frequently absent from thes...
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Background At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) of unprecedented scope and duration were implemented to limit community spread of COVID-19. There remains limited evidence about how these measures impacted the lived experience of affected communities. This study captured the early impacts and coping stra...
Article
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A trauma-informed approach to disaster recovery recognizes the potential impacts of trauma, promotes resilience to protect against retraumatization, and can support catering the needs of disaster survivors in affected communities. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that interaction with nature is associated with a number of physical and mental...
Article
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Healthcare workers (HCWs) who come into contact with tuberculosis (TB) patients are at elevated risk of TB infection and disease. The collection and handling of sputum samples for TB diagnosis poses exposure risks to HCWs, particularly in settings where aerosol containment is limited. An alternative sample collection method, tongue swabbing, was de...
Article
Background: Disaster events adversely affect the health of millions of individuals each year. They create exposure to physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial hazards while simultaneously exploiting community and individual-level vulnerabilities that allow such exposures to exert harm. Since 2013, the National Institute of Environmental He...
Article
Background: The adverse health impacts of climate change are increasingly apparent and the need for adaptation activities is pressing. Risks, drivers, and decision contexts vary significantly by location, and high-resolution, place-based information is needed to support decision analysis and risk reduction efforts at scale. Methods: Using the In...
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Extreme smoke events from wildland fires are increasing in frequency and intensity across the country. Risk communication around wildland and prescribed fires is an essential component of both smoke-readiness and resilience. To date, little research has been conducted on how smoke exposure risks can be communicated effectively, especially within th...
Article
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U.S. wildfire activity has increased over the past several decades, disrupting the systems and infrastructure that support community health and resilience. As the cumulative burden of wildfire damage is projected to increase, understanding an effective community recovery process is critically important. Through qualitative interviews with leaders o...
Article
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Background Increasingly frequent and intense extreme heat events (EHEs) are indicative of climate change impacts, and urban areas’ social and built environments increase their risk for health consequences. Heat action plans (HAPs) are a strategy to bolster municipal EHE preparedness. The objective of this research is to characterize municipal inter...
Article
Objectives. To examine commonalities and gaps in the content of local US heat action plans (HAPs) designed to decrease the adverse health effects of extreme heat. Methods. We used content analysis to identify common strategies and gaps in extreme heat preparedness among written HAPs in the United States from jurisdictions that serve municipalities...
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As the impacts of climate change increasingly and disproportionately affect indigenous peoples, equitable approaches to regional climate change adaptation must center the voices, needs, and priorities of Indigenous communities. Although the tribal climate change principles identify actionable recommendations to address the unique needs of Indigenou...
Article
Objective: Although extreme heat can impact the health of anyone, certain groups are disproportionately affected. In urban settings, cooling centers are intended to reduce heat exposure by providing air-conditioned spaces to the public. We examined the characteristics of populations living near cooling centers and how well they serve areas with hi...
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Background As the health implications of climate change become more apparent, agencies and institutions across the United States are developing recommendations for state and territorial health agencies (S/THAs) to implement evidence-informed climate and health adaptation strategies. The CDC established the Building Resilience Against Climate Effect...
Article
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Heat is a dangerous hazard that causes acute heat illness, chronic disease exacerbations, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and a range of injuries. Risks are highest during extreme heat events (EHEs), which challenge the capacity of health systems and other critical infrastructure. EHEs are becoming more frequent and severe, and climate change is drivin...
Article
While increasing physical activity is a public health priority in the United States and is known to improve health and wellbeing, little is known about how disasters influence physical activity among members of impacted communities. This qualitative study examines the experiences and activities of 17 representatives of fitness, parks, and active tr...
Article
This study used a health care claims data set of enrollees in commercial and Medicare Advantage insurance plans to assess the association between the June 2021 heat wave and the rates of emergency department visits in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
Article
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Introduction As wildfire smoke events increase in intensity and frequency in the Pacific Northwest, there is a growing need for effective communication on the health risks of smoke exposure. Delivery through a trusted source or intermediary has been shown to improve reception of risk communication messages. This is especially salient in rural and t...
Article
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Objective: To characterize US State and Territorial Health Agencies' (S/THA) climate change adaptation activities and priorities to facilitate appropriate investments, skills development, and support that will strengthen health sector capacity in response to a changing climate. Design: In 2021, we conducted an online survey of S/THA staff reques...
Article
Objective: Disasters result in impacts to the health and wellbeing of members of affected communities, as well as damage to healthcare infrastructure. These impacts are not experienced equally, and often disproportionately affect those facing higher health, social and economic risks even before a disaster strikes. Recovery planning provides an oppo...
Article
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Looming climate change health impacts among rural communities will require a robust health system response. To reduce health inequities and promote climate justice, rural local health departments (LHDs) must be adequately resourced and supported to engage in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy and program development and implementation....
Article
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Objective To assess the current state of graduate-level disaster-related curricula (i.e., Masters and Doctoral programs, degree concentrations, and graduate certificates) offered by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited public health schools and programs in the US. Methods This research reviewed, evaluated, and summarized th...
Article
Utilizing a longitudinal, observational study, grocery store health and safety controls implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic across stores in two cities were characterized. Sixteen stores between Seattle, WA (n = 9) and Portland, OR (n = 7) were visited monthly by the study team from May 2020 to January 2021, and observations of controls were r...
Article
This study explored the feasibility of using physical activity monitoring app data to track trends and changes in physical activity in a large-scale geographical region following disasters. Strava Metro is a commercial data service that anonymizes, aggregates, and provides activity data (e.g., cycling and running) from Strava app users worldwide. W...
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Disasters are becoming increasingly common and devastating, requiring extensive reconstruction and recovery efforts. At the same time, the level of available resources and the need to rebuild can present opportunities for more resilient land use and infrastructure, and to build healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities. However, disaste...
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Background Extreme, prolonged wildfire smoke (WFS) events are becoming increasingly frequent phenomena across the Western United States. Rural communities, dependent on contributions of nature to people’s quality of life, are particularly hard hit. While prior research has explored the physical health impacts of WFS exposure, little work has been d...
Article
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Research conducted in the context of a disaster or public health emergency is essential to improve knowledge about its short- and long-term health consequences, as well as the implementation and effectiveness of response and recovery strategies. Integrated approaches to conducting Disaster Research Response (DR2) can answer scientific questions, wh...
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The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened food availability, accessibility, and acceptability. Food banks are experiencing increased demand at the same time as operational challenges due to COVID-19. The objective of this study was to assess if and how food banks have utilized web and social media platforms to communicate dynamic information relevant to...
Article
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Background App-based drivers face work disruptions and infection risk during a pandemic due to the nature of their work, interactions with the public, and lack of workplace protections. Limited occupational health research has focused on their experiences. Methods We surveyed 100 app-based drivers in Seattle, WA to assess risk perceptions, support...
Article
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As communities recover from disasters, it is crucial to understand the extent to which states are prepared to support the recovery of health systems and services. This need has been emphasized by the United States’ experience with COVID-19. This study sought to assess public health activities in state disaster recovery implementation plans. In this...
Article
Introduction Climate change is leading to increasingly severe wildfires across the United States. Over the past several years, these events have led to extreme, persistent smoke events in several urban areas across the western U.S. However, the health impacts of smoke events on urban communities are not well understood. Impacts to physical activity...
Article
State statutory laws serve as a vital tool for public health entities to assist communities with recovery from disasters. However, no systematic assessment has examined the content of state law addressing disaster recovery or explored if and how the public health role is discussed in state law addressing disaster recovery. This study examined publi...
Article
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Extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves, cyclones, and floods, are an expression of climate variability. These events and events influenced by climate change, such as wildfires, continue to cause significant human morbidity and mortality and adversely affect mental health and well-being. Although adverse health impacts from extreme e...
Article
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Climate change is considered one of the top health threats in the United States. This research sought to (1) to understand the perceptions of occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals regarding the impacts of climate-related hazards on OHS in Region X, and (2) to explore the ideas of these OHS professionals regarding the content of future...
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A growing body of literature suggests that restrictive public health measures implemented to control COVID-19 have had negative impacts on physical activity. We examined how Stay Home orders in Houston, New York City, and Seattle impacted outdoor physical activity patterns, measured by daily bicycle and pedestrian count data. We assessed changes in...
Article
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In response to wildfire-related air quality issues as well as those associated with winter wood stove use and prescribed and agricultural burning, Clean Air Methow’s Clean Air Ambassador program established a community air monitoring network (CAMN) to provide geospatially specific air quality information and supplement data generated by the two Was...
Article
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Leveraging the community of practice recently established through the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Disaster Research Response (DR2) working group, we used a modified Delphi method to identify and prioritize environmental health sciences Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated C...
Article
Older adults are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes during and after a disaster compared with their younger counterparts. Ageing-in-place organisations such as senior centres and Villages provide social services and programming for older adults and may support older adults’ resilience to disasters. This study examines the role of ageing-in...
Article
Context: Wildfire events are increasing in prevalence and intensity in the Pacific Northwest. Effective communication of health risks and actions to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke is imperative. Objective: We assessed the content of wildfire smoke risk messages from government organizations and mainstream media during a major wildfire smoke e...
Article
Objectives: Pediatric protocols to guide allocation of limited resources during a disaster lack data to validate their use. The 2011 Pediatric Emergency Mass Critical Care Task Force recommended that expected duration of critical care be incorporated into resource allocation algorithms. We aimed to determine whether currently available pediatric i...
Article
In our increasingly interconnected world, the potential for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) to spread globally is of paramount concern. Travel bans—herein defined as the complete restriction of travel from at least one geographic region to at least one other international geographic region—are a potential policy solution to control the global s...
Article
Recognizing the public health professional are critical members of interprofessional teams, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) recently added a required Masters of Public Health (MPH) student competency focused on interprofessional education (IPE). A student-centered approach to the design and evaluation of an emergency preparedness-...
Article
Objectives. To develop a set of indicators to guide and monitor climate change adaptation in US state and local health departments. Methods. We performed a narrative review of literature on indicators of climate change adaptation and public health service capacity, mapped the findings onto activities grouped by the Centers for Disease Control and P...
Article
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Older adults are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes during and after a disaster compared with their younger counterparts. Developing community resilience, or strengthening communities to reduce the negative impacts of disasters, has the potential support older adults’ health and well-being. Community-based organizations (CBOs), such as sen...
Article
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Changes in levels and patterns of physical activity might be a mechanism to assess and inform disaster recovery through the lens of wellbeing. However, few studies have examined disaster impacts on physical activity or the potential for physical activity to serve as an indicator of disaster recovery. In this exploratory study, we examined daily bic...
Article
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Background: As climate change is expected to result in more frequent, larger fires and associated smoke impacts, creating and sustaining wildfire smoke-resilient communities is an urgent public health priority. Following two summers of persistent and extreme wildfire smoke events in Washington state, the need for additional research on wildfire smo...
Article
Objective Disaster research can inform effective, efficient, and evidence-based public health practices and decision making; identify and address knowledge gaps in current disaster preparedness and response efforts; and evaluate disaster response strategies. This study aimed to identify challenges and opportunities experienced by Washington State l...
Article
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Introduction: Disaster research response (DR2) is necessary to answer scientific questions about the environmental health impacts of disasters and the effectiveness of response and recovery strategies. This research explores the preparedness and capacity of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) P30 Core Centers (CCs) to condu...
Article
In our increasingly interconnected world, the potential for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) to spread globally is of paramount concern. Travel bans-herein defined as the complete restriction of travel from at least one geographic region to at least one other international geographic region-are a potential policy solution to control the global s...
Article
Full-text available
Disaster recovery provides an opportunity to build healthier and more resilient communities. However, opportunities and challenges encountered by local health departments (LHDs) when integrating health considerations into recovery have yet to be explored. Following Hurricane Harvey, 17 local health and emergency management officials from 10 agencie...
Article
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The increased number of catastrophic disasters in the United States in recent decades has been accompanied by consequences of climate change, including rising sea levels, floods, storms, extreme temperatures, drought, and wildfires. Climate change and extreme events are interrelated, and climate change is likely to lead to more frequent and severe...
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Objective This study aimed to identify maritime transportation disruption impacts on available health care supplies and workers necessary to deliver hospital-based acute health care in geographically isolated communities post-disaster. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 key informants knowledgeable about the hospital-based a...
Article
Context: Social media is becoming increasingly integrated into disaster response communication strategies of public health and emergency response agencies. Objective: We sought to assess the content, accessibility, and dissemination of social media communications made by government agencies during a disaster response. Design: A cross-sectional...
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Objective: We aimed to quantitatively gauge local public health workers' perceptions toward disaster recovery role expectations among jurisdictions in New Jersey and Maryland affected by Hurricane Sandy. Methods: An online survey was made available in 2014 to all employees in 8 Maryland and New Jersey local health departments whose jurisdictions...
Article
Introduction: Interlocal collaboration, or collaboration among neighboring independent municipalities, has been generally accepted as an emergency preparedness strategy. In the absence of large-scale disasters, emergency preparedness exercises may serve to test the effectiveness of interlocal collaboration on emergency preparedness. However, the u...
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Little is known about safety culture in the area of cardiac surgery as compared with other types of surgery. The unique features of cardiac surgical teams may result in different perceptions of patient safety and patient safety culture. We measured and described safety culture in five cardiovascular surgical centers using the Hospital Survey on Pat...
Article
Local health departments play a critical role in short-, intermediate-, and long-term recovery activities after a public health emergency. However, research has not explored attitudinal determinants of health department workers' participation in the recovery phase following a disaster. Accordingly, this qualitative investigation aims to understand...
Conference Paper
Introduction Local public health agencies (LPHAs) are at the heart of the public health emergency preparedness system, and their workers play critical roles in all disaster phases – including recovery. Despite this, LPHA workers’ perceptions of efficacy toward disaster recovery challenges remain poorly understood. The devastating effects of Hurric...
Conference Paper
Background: While the mantra “every disaster is local” continues to guide public health preparedness efforts, local public health agencies (LPHA) may lack sufficient resources to handle disasters independently. Moreover, public health disasters do not recognize government-imposed geographic boundaries. In response to these challenges, FEMA has admi...
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Regional collaboration has been identified as a potential facilitator of public health preparedness efforts. The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since 2003, has provided 64 high-risk metropolitan areas funding to enhance their regional preparedness capabilities. Thi...
Article
Translation strategies are critical for sharing research with public health practitioners. To disseminate our analyses of legal issues that arise relative to mental and behavioral health during emergencies, we created 10 brief translational tools for members of the public health workforce. In consultation with an interdisciplinary project advisory...
Article
Horizontal intergovernmental coordination, or interlocal collaboration, is an ongoing strategy to enhance public health emergency preparedness in the United States. This study aims to understand the impact of interlocal collaboration on emergency preparedness, and how the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program, a federally administered grant...
Article
Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of a novel multimethod curricular intervention using a train-the-trainer model: the Public Health Infrastructure Training (PHIT). PHIT was designed to 1) modify perceptions of self-efficacy, response efficacy, and threat related to specific hazards and 2) improve the willingness of local health departmen...
Conference Paper
Background In light of an uptick in the number of federally-declared disasters and the concurrent staffing shortage among local health departments (LHDs) nationwide, it is critical that LHDs maintain an all-hands-on-deck approach to public health emergency response. Ensuring such an approach fundamentally requires the willingness of these workers t...
Conference Paper
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's vision for Baltimore is to grow the City by 10,000 families in ten years. In an effort to achieve this vision, she has identified six priority outcomes: Cleaner and Healthier City; Safer Streets; Stronger Economy; Better Schools; and Innovative Government. The Mayor's cabinet has been divided into subcabinets for th...
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This study examines the attitudinal impact of an Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM)-based training curriculum on local public health department (LHD) workers' willingness to respond to representative public health emergency scenarios. Data are from 71 U.S. LHDs in urban and rural settings across nine states. The study explores changes in respon...