{"id":143794,"date":"2021-06-17T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T18:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=143794"},"modified":"2021-06-17T14:25:19","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T00:25:19","slug":"safer-school-reopening-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/06\/17\/safer-school-reopening-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Safer school reopening model spearheaded by <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_143831\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-143831\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-covid19-testing-kamaile-2.jpg\" alt=\"person getting nose swabbed\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-143831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-covid19-testing-kamaile-2.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-covid19-testing-kamaile-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-covid19-testing-kamaile-2-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-143831\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">COVID-19 testing for Kamaile Academy&#8217;s faculty and staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span>\u2019s progress in controlling the spread of COVID-19 infections and in administering vaccinations, significant gaps remain in the state\u2019s underserved communities, further widening health disparities. But a <span aria-label=\"Waianae\">Wai&#699;anae<\/span> charter school\u2019s success this spring as a pilot project for free weekly SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing of its teachers and staff could lead to safer school reopenings in the fall statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Approximately 80&#37; of the 120 teachers and staff at Kamaile Academy (K&#8211;12) volunteered to take free rapid antigen testing starting in March 2021. The pilot program concluded in late May, with the participating teachers and staff undergoing the nasal swab tests&#8212;many of them swabbing their own noses&#8212;and the majority being tested more than once, some on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About 87&#37; of participants reported their participation led to a better understanding of the need for antigen testing<\/li>\n<li>52&#37; were more likely to be vaccinated as a result of the pilot testing and education program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paac.info\/\">Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19<\/a> (<abbr>PAAC<\/abbr>) project is a consortium effort of the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/jabsom.hawaii.edu\/\">John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (<abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr>), <a href=\"https:\/\/socialsciences.manoa.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Social Sciences<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/coe.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Education<\/a>, and the Accountable Healthcare Alliance of Rural <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span>. <abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> partnered with the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> State Department of Health and the <span aria-label=\"Waianae\">Wai&#699;anae<\/span> Coast Comprehensive Health Center for the pilot program at Kamaile Academy, a large charter school on <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> serving a Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (<abbr>NHPI<\/abbr>) enriched community. <abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> is funded by the National Institutes of Health through a supplemental award to the Ola-<span aria-label=\"HAWAII\">HAWAI&#699;I<\/span> grant led by <abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr> Dean <strong>Jerris Hedges<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This pilot testing is invaluable as schools are poised to reopen this fall,&rdquo; said Hedges. &ldquo;It is wonderful to see this collaboration between physicians, educators and social scientists, and our <abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> interdisciplinary experts. They are all working together to keep our communities safe, especially those that have been hardest-hit by COVID-19.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander community<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-covid19-testing-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"exterior of building\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-143802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-covid19-testing-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-covid19-testing-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-covid19-testing.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><abbr>NHPI<\/abbr>s rank among the highest ethnic groups disproportionately burdened by SARS-COV-2 in the U.S., which is compounded by long standing disparities in pre-existing conditions, subjecting those populations to a higher risk of COVID-19 mortality.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The results of the pilot are excellent and truly reflect the rapport that the team built with Kamaile Academy participants,&rdquo; said project co-lead <strong>Ruben Juarez<\/strong>, professor of economics and research fellow with the <a href=\"https:\/\/uhero.hawaii.edu\/\"><abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Economic Research Organization<\/a> in the College of Social Sciences. &ldquo;This is important given the disproportionate adverse impacts of COVID-19 on <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> communities coupled with pervasive vaccine hesitancy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>College of Social Sciences Dean <strong>Denise Eby Konan<\/strong> added, &ldquo;We are so proud of this pilot project, whose primary goal is safer school reopenings, especially in underserved communities with higher health disparities. This multidisciplinary approach empowers <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> to work with our health-focused partners, and recognizes how teachers and staff can be among the brightest warriors in the front-line fight against COVID-19.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Community-based approach<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"people in protective gear sitting in front of a computer\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-143832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/manoa-social-sciences-kamaile-academy-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> believes that a community-based model can be developed for the safe and sustainable return of in-person K&#8211;12 classes statewide, and is inviting grade 6&#8211;12 teachers in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> public, private and charter schools to test its curriculum, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paac.info\/feedback\">provide feedback<\/a> and receive a $25 gift card for participation. Interested teachers can also become COVID-19 certified educators and earn up to $200 after completing the modules and passing 10-question quizzes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This project re-envisions the professionalization of teachers as knowledge workers and partners in health research,&rdquo; said <strong>Pauline Chinn<\/strong>, a professor in the College of Education\u2019s Department of Curriculum Studies. &ldquo;The central role of teachers and schools in the lives of children supports place-based, culturally sustaining teaching and learning. We just completed four videos that span the history of infectious diseases in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> to current news on variants, vaccines and testing. These videos and the Kamaile video may be viewed at www.paac.info.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> team hopes to expand the pilot project this summer throughout the state (including schools on Moloka\u02bbi and <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> Island), via the Accountable Healthcare Alliance of Rural <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> network of health centers, said project co-lead <strong>Alika Maunakea<\/strong>, a Native Hawaiian associate professor at <abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr> who was born and raised in <span aria-label=\"Waianae\">Wai&#699;anae<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These efforts highlight the resilience of our <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> communities and showcase how health inequities can be eradicated when we draw on these strengths and rally together,&rdquo; Maunakea said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May Okihiro<\/strong>, associate professor of pediatrics at <abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr> and co-lead of the study added, &ldquo;We have witnessed first-hand the impact of COVID-19 on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span>\u2019s rural and economically disadvantaged communities. Our community health centers and schools have risen to the challenge with a response that is amazing, creative and energetic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For more information, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paac.info\/\">visit the <abbr>PAAC<\/abbr> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This work is an example of <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Strategic Plan<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_70573\"  width=\"676\" height=\"380\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kndyl9_VeW0?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"PAAC at Kamaile Academy\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The project offered COVID-19 tests to Kamaile Academy\u2019s faculty and staff.<\/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":[95,301,1411,1417,204,31,1467,1363,1026,9,343,56],"class_list":["post-143794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-education","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-covid-19","tag-covid-19-research","tag-education","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-social-science","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uhero","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143794"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143833,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143794\/revisions\/143833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}