Dooly County Schools Receive $459,277 in COVID Supplies through Georgia Southern University’s Mitigation Project
Published 2:24 pm Tuesday, May 30, 2023
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Dooly County Schools has worked with Georgia Southern University in efforts to protect Dooly’s students from COVID-19. The University’s Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA) garnered a $15.7 million contract with the Georgia Department of Public Health to manage COVID-19 mitigation efforts in K-12 schools to help keep them operating safely.
“Despite the belief by many that COVID-19 is no longer a concern, the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to have an impact across the globe,” said Jessica Schwind, Ph.D., director of IHLA. “This impact, coupled with increasing rates of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, can be readily observed in our K-12 schools.”
IHLA staff has supported the implementation of mitigation strategies in the schools through resource acquisition and delivery. Schwind’s team reviewed proposals from the schools to ensure items ordered and delivered can effectively stop the spread of COVID-19. Some mitigation efforts include high-efficiency particulate air fan/filtration systems, Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer to reduce exposure to the virus.
“This is a comprehensive project that will go a long way toward keeping our youngest Georgians safe,” said Schwind, who also is an associate professor of epidemiology in Georgia Southern’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. “This project provides funding for schools to upgrade their ventilation and filtration systems, which will in turn help mitigate other common airborne viruses. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the overall impact of respiratory diseases.”
All public and private K-12 schools in Georgia were eligible to participate in the project upon successful enrollment with Georgia Southern. Dooly County Schools was awarded approximately $459,277 in air purifiers, replacement filters and sanitizing supplies. Every classroom, the media centers, and the cafeterias will have effective air purifiers based on the square footage of the room, the ceiling height, and the hourly occupancy. The system also received a three-year supply of replacement filters to ensure the purifiers work at optimal efficiency, Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer.
