NACCHO has been releasing bi-weekly blogs consisting of an up-to-date collection of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resources for our members working at the intersection of environmental health and COVID-19. See past resource roundups here.
May 26, 2021
Across NACCHO
Funding Opportunity: Scaling Up COVID-19 Prevention and Mitigation Strategies with Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Communities
NACCHO has announced a funding opportunity to local health departments (LHDs) to rapidly scale up innovative COVID-19 education, testing, contact tracing, vaccination, and other prevention and mitigation strategies with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities. Applicants can request up to $175,000 to conduct activities under Tier One, which includes the implementation of at least one primary prevention strategy, or up to $250,000 to conduct activities under Tier Two, which involves implementing a second primary or secondary prevention activity. Applications are due June 11 at 11:59 PM PT.
NACCHO Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Text Messaging Strategies
Join NACCHO and CareMessage on Tuesday, June 8, 3-4 PM ET, to hear how safety net organizations throughout the country are using text messaging to execute their vaccine communication strategy for their underserved patients. This session will be focused on helping NACCHO members maximize the power of text messaging for both COVID-19 vaccine patient communication and additional clinical workflows. CareMessage is a 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on leveraging texting to help safety net organizations reach underserved populations, especially during the evolution of COVID-19 and vaccinations. During this webinar, they will share their free, easy-to-use COVID-19 messaging platform (CMLight) designed especially to help organizations reach thousands of patients quickly and effectively.
NACCHO COVID-19 Webinar: Infection Prevention and Control in Schools
NACCHO invites local health department leadership and staff to participate in a webinar, Infection Prevention and Control in Schools, on Thursday, June 10, 3-4 PM ET. As more schools return to in-person learning, the work of balancing the best possible education while keeping students and staff safe has become even more challenging. The Infection Prevention and Control in Schools Task Force, led by Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor and Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, will discuss a roadmap that will support education and public health leaders in building the organizational capacity and partnership needed for maintaining healthy schools in this pandemic and the next.
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- The recent Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR) found that COVID-19 cases were 37% lower in schools that required masks for teachers and their staff, and 39% lower in schools that improved ventilation strategies.
- In an analysis of more than 400 childcare facilities in D.C., there were records of both singular COVID-19 cases and outbreak-associated cases. It was found that the risk of an outbreak rises in facilities less than three years old.
From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Webinar: Emergency Response Research Webinar: COVID-19—Real-World Residual Efficacy and Cleaning Methods (June 17).
- According to EPA, “this webinar series on emergency response covers the latest information on research supporting EPA’s response to chemical, biological, and radiological incidents, as well as natural disasters.”
- Registration link will be made available here.
- You can receive updates for upcoming research webinars with EPA at https://www.epa.gov/research/forms/receive-notifications-upcoming-research-webinars.
From the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing’s Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health, and Informed Green Solutions.
A second edition of the Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting Toolkit for Early Care and Education is now available. The toolkit includes an easy-to-use checklist, curriculum, and posters for reducing environmental hazards to both children and staff while cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting effectively.
- Curriculum: https://wspehsu.ucsf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ECECurriculum.pdf
- Checklist: https://wspehsu.ucsf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Checklist2013.pdf
See any EH and COVID-19 categories missing on this bi-weekly blog? Let us know by emailing [email protected]. Continue to check back with NACCHO’s Essential Elements for COVID-19 and local health resources.