Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative
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 virtu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Children |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/12/1868 |
| _version_ | 1797460891956936704 |
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| author | Carmela Rocchetti Srividya Naganathan Michal Divney Joshua Josephs Harpreet Pall |
| author_facet | Carmela Rocchetti Srividya Naganathan Michal Divney Joshua Josephs Harpreet Pall |
| author_sort | Carmela Rocchetti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:11:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9e36a60291ef4a02849d8b851f8dd430 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:11:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-9e36a60291ef4a02849d8b851f8dd4302023-11-24T14:01:08ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672022-11-01912186810.3390/children9121868Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) InitiativeCarmela Rocchetti0Srividya Naganathan1Michal Divney2Joshua Josephs3Harpreet Pall4Department of Internal Medicine, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ 07110, USADepartment of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, K Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ 07753, USAHuman Dimension and Community Programs, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ 07110, USADepartment of Internal Medicine, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ 07110, USADepartment of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, K Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ 07753, USAThe 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/12/1868academic health departmentscommunity–academic partnershipeducational disparitiesmedical student engagement |
| spellingShingle | Carmela Rocchetti Srividya Naganathan Michal Divney Joshua Josephs Harpreet Pall Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative Children academic health departments community–academic partnership educational disparities medical student engagement |
| title | Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative |
| title_full | Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative |
| title_fullStr | Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative |
| title_short | Community–Academic Partnerships: A Report on the COVID Support Our Schools (SOS) Initiative |
| title_sort | community academic partnerships a report on the covid support our schools sos initiative |
| topic | academic health departments community–academic partnership educational disparities medical student engagement |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/12/1868 |
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