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Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 e RAND Corporation is a nonprot institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. is electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service of the RAND Corporation. CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EDUCATION AND THE ARTS ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY is product is part of the RAND Corporation corporate publication series. Corporate publications describe or promote RAND divisions and programs, summarize research results, or announce upcoming events. Committed to the Region and the Well-Being of Its Residents www.rand.org | www.rand.org/gulf-states Focus on the U.S. Gulf States he RAND Gulf States Policy Institute started in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina to inform policies for long- term recovery and economic development in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. In the months following the storm, the RAND Corporation contributed its services and tackled issues such as housing and health care as well as other needs of families affected by the storm. Years later, we have offices in New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, and remain committed to the region for the long term. Expertise to Tackle the Big Challenges RAND Gulf States harnesses the expertise of RAND’s more than 1,200 researchers to inform a wide variety of policy and technical subjects critical to the region. These include: • coastal protection and disaster preparedness • environment, energy, and transportation • health and community resilience • economic development • education and workforce development • safety and justice. T Objective Analysis. Effective Solutions. RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. Our goal is to help planners and policymakers make informed choices and develop sound public policy based on facts, data, and evidence. As a nonpartisan organization, RAND is widely respected for operating independent of political and commercial pressures. RAND Gulf States engages regional leaders and residents with practical, action-oriented research in the public interest. Our products are available to the public online at no cost at www.rand.org/gulf-states Headquarters Campus 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138 Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 CP-710 COASTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION. RAND Gulf States played a key role in the development of Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan by creating two models: a new hurricane flood risk model to assess projects designed to reduce flood damage and a planning framework and decision support model to develop and compare different risk reduction and restoration projects. We continue to support the implementation of the Master Plan through updated, novel research methods. COMMUNITY RESILIENCE. As the U.S. East Coast recovers from Superstorm Sandy and plans for the future, it can look to the Gulf States and RAND expertise on resilience, which is the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters. We developed an emergency planning toolkit that presents high-priority preparedness activities and documents to help child-serving organizations customize their emergency plans. Also, researchers testified before Congress on ways that governments can leverage the strengths of nongovernmental organizations in disaster response and improve ways that spending is managed. HOUSING AND DEMOGRAPHICS. One of RAND Gulf States’ first projects was to describe the pre-hurricane housing markets in Mississippi’s three coastal counties, the damage they sustained, and what might inhibit recovery. Other studies have proposed goals for an effective U.S. Gulf Coast residential insurance market and changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. HEALTH. Three of the five American cities most affected by new HIV and AIDS cases in recent years are located in the Gulf States region, according to the latest data released by the Washington, DC • Pittsburgh, PA • New Orleans, LA • Jackson, MS • Boston, MA • Doha, QA • Cambridge, UK • Brussels, BE GULF STATES POLICY INSTITUTE Gary Cecchine Director Email: cecchine@rand.org Phone: 504.299.3432 650 Poydras Street, Suite 1400 • New Orleans, LA 70130 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RAND researchers have examined attitudes, beliefs, and actions of several ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic populations with regard to HIV and AIDS. These studies can help congressional, state, and local policymakers understand how to approach the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS. MENTAL HEALTH. Events at Sandy Hook Elementary School highlight the risk of violence in the lives of our nation’s children. RAND collaborated with a team of professionals to develop, implement, and evaluate a school-based intervention to help children traumatized by violence, natural disasters, accidents, and traumatic losses. The program, based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, was used successfully to help children who showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress after Hurricane Katrina. EDUCATION. After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans replaced the city’s existing school system with a decentralized choice- based system of both charter and district-run schools. An examination of principal, teacher, and parent surveys found many similarities between charter and traditional schools’ performance but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children’s schools, as well as more perceived choices. PUBLIC SAFETY. In one early project, RAND Gulf States worked with the New Orleans Police Department in its effort to recruit and retain officers that began after Hurricane Katrina, and to improve recruitment, retention, and the skill mix of the force. More recently, RAND Gulf States completed a study on the public health implications of former prisoners reentering society. Examples of How We Make a Difference “RAND Gulf States is committed toworking with partners in the region to takeon the Gulf’s most critical issuesthrough objective analysis.” Gary Cecchine, Director . Region and the Well-Being of Its Residents www.rand.org | www.rand.org /gulf- states Focus on the U. S. Gulf States he RAND Gulf States Policy Institute started. DEMOGRAPHICS. One of RAND Gulf States first projects was to describe the pre-hurricane housing markets in Mississippi s three coastal counties, the damage they