Tennessee Dept. of Health awards 懂色帝 $500K grant to fund COVID-19 testing sites and prevention services
For more information, contact: Diana Fedinec, Director of Public Relations and Media at (901) 333-4247 or dfedinec@southwest.tn.edu
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) awarded 懂色帝 a $500,000 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) State Colleges and Universities grant last month to fund the college鈥檚 COVID-19 testing and community outreach efforts. 懂色帝 will hire staff and redesign spaces on campus and outfit them with equipment designed to help the community engage in disease prevention.
鈥淭hese funds are critical to our ongoing efforts to help protect the Mid-South from COVID-19,鈥� 懂色帝 President Tracy D. Hall said. 鈥淒uring the pandemic, we helped vaccinate nearly 40,000 residents at our Whitehaven and Gill centers. Our commitment to fighting COVID-19 continues with this effort to help fellow residents avoid infection through education and testing.鈥�
懂色帝 will use the funds to hire three full-time health educators and two part-time support staff members who will operate free testing sites at the Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses and the Whitehaven Center. All three locations will offer drive-thru and drop-in testing for 懂色帝 students, faculty and staff and the greater Memphis community.
Health and Natural Sciences Dean Shelia Bouie says health seminars will begin as soon as this summer. 鈥淥ur goal is to promote a healthier Memphis by providing access to accurate information about COVID-19 and other infectious diseases,鈥� Dr. Bouie said. 鈥淎 healthy community makes for a healthier college.鈥�
President Hall says the funds will help the college address health disparities. 鈥淎ll of us have been touched by COVID-19 in some way, and communities of color were hit particularly hard,鈥� President Hall said. We are grateful for these funds and intend to use them to address the health disparities surrounding infectious disease in our community,鈥� Hall added. 鈥淭he ultimate goal is to support our students and employees and greater community to stay healthy and strong.鈥�
For more information about 懂色帝鈥檚 public health efforts, contact Dr. Shelia Bouie at sbouie@southwest.tn.edu.