{"id":144555,"date":"2021-07-02T11:07:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T21:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=144555"},"modified":"2021-07-02T11:09:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T21:09:10","slug":"school-reopening-program-3m-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/02\/school-reopening-program-3m-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"Safer school reopening pilot program gets $3M<\/abbr> boost to expand"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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The National Institutes of Health<\/a> (NIH<\/abbr>) has awarded nearly $3 million to a University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa-led project expanding COVID-19 testing in schools statewide. The funding supports the Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19<\/a> (PAAC<\/abbr>) pilot project, which establishes a novel protocol for rapid testing at schools, collecting behavioral data, and disseminating information on mitigation procedures and vaccination.<\/p>\n

The consortium effort is led by 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>), College of Social Sciences<\/a> and the Accountable Healthcare Alliance of Rural Oʻahu<\/span> (AHARO<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

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COVID-19 testing for Kamaile Academy’s faculty and staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“PAAC<\/abbr>\u2019s goal is to empower educators, students and the community-at-large with education tools and connections with public health services, including those provided by the AHARO<\/abbr> Community Health Centers,” said Associate Professor in Pediatrics and co-investigator May Okihiro<\/strong>. “The plan is for free antigen testing of school teachers and staff to be expanded to schools in Waiʻanae<\/span> and Waim\u0101nalo on Oʻahu<\/span>, H\u0101m\u0101kua-Kohala and Hilo on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island, and on Molokaʻi<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

PAAC<\/abbr>\u2019s novel protocol was successfully tested this spring<\/a> in partnership with Kamaile Academy (K–12) in Waiʻanae<\/span>. The project offered free weekly SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing of teachers and staff.<\/p>\n

“About 87% of participants reported their participation led to a better understanding of the need for antigen testing, and 52% were more likely to be vaccinated as a result of the pilot testing and education program,” said project co-investigator Ruben Juarez<\/strong>, a professor of economics and research fellow in the 糖心视频<\/abbr> Economic Research Organization<\/a> in the College of Social Sciences.<\/p>\n

“The project reaffirms that schools are an asset in preventing the spread of COVID-19 into our communities,” added project co-investigator Alika Maunakea<\/strong>, an associate professor in JABSOM<\/abbr>\u2019s Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry & Physiology and the Institute for Biogenesis Research.<\/p>\n

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糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa is one of 15 institutions to receive a NIH<\/abbr> award through the RADx<\/abbr>-Underserved Populations<\/a> (RADx-UP<\/abbr>) Safe Return to School Diagnostic Testing initiative, a part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics<\/a> (RADx<\/abbr>) initiative.<\/p>\n

“The new awards reaffirm NIH<\/abbr>\u2019s commitment to use evidence-based research to inform policy makers of the safest ways to return to schools in vulnerable and underserved communities,” said Eliseo J. P\u00e9rez-Stable, director of NIH<\/abbr>\u2019s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and co-chair of the RADx-UP<\/abbr> program.<\/p>\n

The initiative will specifically focus on schools with racially and ethnically diverse populations, including African-Americans, Latinos\/Latinas, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans. It will also impact socio-economically disadvantaged populations and school districts where many students are receiving free or reduced price lunch; and students with medical complexities and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

This work is an example of 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goals of Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) and Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), two of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAAC<\/abbr>\u2019s novel protocol was successfully tested this spring in partnership with Kamaile Academy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[301,1411,1416,31,1466,1467,1026,9,343],"class_list":["post-144555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-covid-19","tag-covid-19-uh-helps","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-social-science","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uhero","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t