Community Organizations, Local Health Equity Action Teams, and a Learning Collaborative to Address COVID-19 Disparities in Urban and Rural Communities

Am J Public Health. 2024 Nov;114(11):1202-1206. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307771. Epub 2024 Aug 22.

Abstract

Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) Kansas worked with 10 Kansas counties from November 2020 through June 2022 to form local health equity action teams (LHEATs), develop COVID-19 testing strategies, foster communication about COVID-19, and share best practices through a learning collaborative. Participating counties documented 693 distinct COVID-19 testing and 178 communication activities. Although the intervention was not associated with changes in the proportion of positive COVID-19 tests, LHEATs in the learning collaborative implemented new testing strategies and responded to emerging COVID-19 challenges. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(11):1202-1206. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307771).

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 Testing
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Health Equity*
  • Health Status Disparities
  • Humans
  • Kansas
  • Rural Population*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Urban Population