Community–Academic Partnerships

A Report on the Covid Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative

Bibliographic Data

ID15717289
AuthorsCarmela Rocchetti (Center for Discovery), Srividya Naganathan (0009-0009-5416-5429, Jersey Shore University Medical Center), Michal Divney (Center for Discovery), Joshua Josephs (Center for Discovery), Harpreet Pall (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume9
Issue12
Pages1868-1868
Publication date2022-11-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children9121868
PMID36553312
OpenAlexW4311005610
LanguageEN
References cited14

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted the delivery of education in our school systems and exacerbated pre-existing health and educational disparities. School administrators and staff from underserved communities struggled with continuously changing medical guidance, ensuring equitable education by virtual platforms, and re-opening schools safely. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) partnered with statewide resource-limited school districts to create the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) initiative. This consisted of a physician advisory board, medical student task forces, and community leaders. Numerous sessions were hosted by the COVID SOS team to answer questions, address community needs, and carry out initiatives to meet identified needs. Surveys, including Likert scale questions and open-ended feedback, were administered to all participating school districts. In total, 100% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the COVID SOS program was dedicated to community needs and provided timely support with necessary resources. Open-ended feedback described that the K-12 school districts valued our partnership as well as found the opportunity to engage with other districts informative and rewarding. The partnership between our academic medical institution and community school districts is mutually beneficial, providing an opportunity for medical student service learning as well as imparting medical expertise in times of need

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · General partnership · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Medical education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Service-learning · Global Health Workforce Issues · Medicine · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Psychology · Public Health Policies and Education

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