Implementation of Multi-level Interventions to Mitigate Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant at a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Southern United States

Authors

Keena N. Arbuthnot, School of Education, College of Human Sciences and Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Rebecca C. Christofferson, Hazardous Substance Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
Autumn W. Collins, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
Matthew Rodrigue, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
John H. Pardue, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States; Hazardous Substance Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States. Electronic address: jpardue@lsu.edu.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-27-2022

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, navigating the implementation of public health measures in a politically charged environment for a large state entity was challenging. However, Louisiana State University (LSU) leadership developed and deployed an effective, multi-layered mitigation plan and successfully opened in-person learning while managing cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the fourth surge. We describe the plan to provide a framework for other institutions during this and future responses. The goals were 3-fold: maintain a quality learning environment, mitigate risk to the campus community, and ensure that LSU operations did not contribute to health-care stress. As of September 2022, LSU has achieved high compliance with interventions and relatively low virus activity on campus compared with peer institutions. This university model can serve as a template for similar implementation plans in the context of complex socio-political and economic considerations.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Disaster medicine and public health preparedness

First Page

1

Last Page

6

Recommended Citation

Arbuthnot, K. N., Christofferson, R. C., Collins, A. W., Rodrigue, M., & Pardue, J. H. (2022). Implementation of Multi-level Interventions to Mitigate Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant at a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Southern United States. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.179