As the US slowly reopens the economy, a variety of new safety measures will be needed to ensure worker safety, from engineering and administrative interventions for entire facilities down to personal protective equipment. These measures are not meant to hinder economic recovery but rather to reduce the incidence and prevalence of infectious disease to protect American workers and their families.
The Michigan Institute for Data Science announced seven interdisciplinary teams, chosen from 49 submissions, will receive funding of up to $30,000 for COVID-19 research. Several of the projects chosen are from researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Low-income older adults and those with serious health problems are particularly vulnerable to negative health and social impacts caused by social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers from the University of Michigan and partner, Methodist Children’s Home Society, are piloting a virtual senior center that offers enrichment and educational programs via phone to help combat the isolation.
The House of Representative plans to introduce a bipartisan bill that would create a National Public Health Corps similar to AmeriCorps that would hire hundreds of workers to help conduct contact tracing as the US moves to reopen its economy. Angela Beck discusses the idea of such a workforce.
Brian Zikmund-Fisher, associate professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, delves into why wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is an important topic that is currently being discussed by the public, public health experts, and policymakers.
The Yallah Quit program uses culturally specific, text message-based guidance to help Muslims kick the habit of cigarettes and hookah smoking.