menu

COVID-19 Contributions Highlights

The school recognizes the outstanding contributions that faculty, staff, and students are making responding to the challenges related to COVID-19. Together, we have supported health, wellbeing, and safety within NAWSON, UH and the state.

students working a pod clinic

University of Hawaii

●      Returning to campus: Co-led by the deans of NAWSON and JABSOM, the Manoa campus Health & Well Being Working Group developed guidelines for the safe reopening of campus

●      Managing COVID risk in student residence halls: In partnership with UH Manoa Health Services, the school made PCR screening testing available to students living in dorms  and nursing students made assessment and support visits to students in quarantine and isolation

●      Vaccinating health sciences students, faculty, and frontline staff: On January 16, 2021 and again on February 20, 2021, the School operated a POD that vaccinated nursing, medical, pharmacy, and allied health students and faculty from 3 UH campuses. On April 30, 2021 NAWSON assisted at UH Manoa’s vaccination clinic for students.

NAWSON

●      Pivoting to Online: The School transitioned in-person courses to online learning

●      Providing Options: The School adapted clinical learning experiences to offer alternatives to face-to-face clinical learning for nursing students

●      Students had clinical experience and participated as volunteers in COVID activities including serving as vaccinators at PODs

●      Celebrating Virtually: The School celebrated accomplishments and new beginnings by holding online events, such as the recognition ceremony and pledging ceremony

●      Supporting Employee Wellness: The School continues to provide remote working and hybrid options for faculty and staff

●      Expanding Program Offerings: The School launched a new fully online ADN to BS program with more than 50 students enrolling for the fall semester

hawaii keiki nurses at a pod clinic

Community

●      Caring for Keiki: The Hawaii Keiki: Healthy & Ready to Learn Program, a partnership between the School and the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), has been providing school health nursing services on 4 islands, including a health hotline and telehealth service, support for COVID vaccination clinics, and ongoing Complex Area support. The Hawaii Keiki program added 15 new RNs to serve as COVID-19 resources to schools.

●      Preparing for Reopening of Public School campuses: Hawaii Keiki APRNs and RNs are serving on the DOE COVID response team, completing contingency plans for medically fragile students, and providing school-readiness checks to reopen schools safely

●      Offering Professional Development: The School developed online training materials for the state’s contact tracing training and vaccination POD planning, while also providing nurses and health care workers with the knowledge necessary to assist in delivering care during a pandemic. The free, online training program provided nurses and health care workers with continuing education credits required for licensing

●      Assessing Face Mask Usage: As members of the HI-EMA ESF-8 Community Care Outreach Unit, faculty members of the School coordinated a weekly observational study of face mask usage in the state by the Department of Health. The effort involves coordinating volunteers to record observation data in designated locations statewide. Data collected weekly is reported on the HI DOH COVID-19 data dashboard. Nearly 200 volunteers have contributed to this effort on 5 islands since September 2020, assisting in the state’s efforts to promote preventive behaviors against the spread of COVID-19.

Back To Top