ASU Health Services Awarded $750,000 to Continue Its Fight against COVID for Both the Community and Campus
- New $250,000 Grant added to previous $500,000 in funding for ASU Health Services.
- Allows ASU to extend vaccination and testing efforts into the underserved Black-Belt and other areas, while continuing programs on campus and in the city.
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
In its ongoing, proactive and pioneering efforts to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic both within the outlying community and on campus, Alabama State University's department of Health Services is recipient of two grants totaling $750,000.
ASU's senior director of Health Services, Dr. Joyce Loyd-Davis, said her department first received a grant of $500,000, awarded by the Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA) Service Corp and funded by the Alabama Department of Public Health, in 2021. The renewal grant from APA is for $250,000.
"This money will continue to help to fuel the campus and community efforts that Alabama State University has put forth since 2020 under the leadership and support of President Quinton T. Ross, Jr. for such items as COVID vaccinations, testing and health promotion and prevention efforts," stated Loyd-Davis. "This will allow us to better help and continue to extend services to the underserved residents of Montgomery, Alabama's Black-Belt counties, the Hornet Nation campus and other areas that deserve healthcare assistance so our citizens and the campus community will continue to have the best access possible for COVID testing, vaccinations and receive important and current information."
ASU AN EARLY LEADER IN COMBATING COVID
President Ross first launched ASU’s groundbreaking initiatives to protect the campus and community from COVID-19 in early 2020 when the Pandemic began. Loyd-Davis and the Health Services team were at the forefront of the President’s “Comm-University” efforts related to COVID. With the two state grants, Health Services will continue to expand its health and safety programs beyond the boundaries of the ASU campus and outside of Montgomery.
"Thanks to the APA Service Corps and the Alabama Department of Public Health's renewal grant that we have just received, we will now be able to help make a better difference within underserved areas where residents have a hard time to get these healthcare services and especially within not only Montgomery but also Alabama's Black-Belt counties where we will begin our initial effort into Perry and Lowndes counties, as well as Crenshaw and Conecuh counties. This is President Ross's ideal of 'Comm-University' in action, which is ASU reaching out to help those within the community with services and outreach programs from the University," Loyd-Davis stated.
GRANT PROVIDES VEHICLE FOR BETTER OUTREACH
ASU's Health Services director said that part of the renewal grant provides her department a COVID support vehicle that will give her team more mobility as they extend vaccination and testing efforts into other areas.
"It is important for ASU's Health Services to stay in the vanguard as a community and campus leader to do all it can do to help control and eliminate the COVID Pandemic. CommUniversity is an important part of ASU’s Strategic Plan, and thanks to our grant funding partners, we will continue our efforts to uplift the health and welfare of the campus and our greater community of residents. That is the ASU way," Loyd-Davis said.
News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.
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