Westfield State has been awarded a Higher Education COVID-19 Response Grant of $318,325 from the U.S. Department of Education Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEERF).
The funding comes from approximately $3 billion set aside for GEERF by Congress from the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economy Security) Act. Grant amounts are awarded based on a formula stipulated in the legislation, relating to the State’s relative population of individuals aged 5–24 and the State’s relative number of children counted according to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
“All of these funds are being used to support COVID-19 testing for the Westfield State community,” said Stephen Taksar, the University’s vice president for administration and finance. “While this funding will not cover the full cost of testing, it will help to provide needed support for testing during the pandemic.”
The University has partnered with The Broad Institute to supply COVID-19 test kits and process results, which are expected within 48 hours. The University has also contracted with On-site Medical to manage the administering of the tests. The test collects samples from the front of the nose, is minimally invasive, and results in less patient discomfort than other types of COVID-19 tests.
In addition to the recent round of testing that took place on Sept. 24–27, future rounds of asymptomatic testing will take place on Oct. 13–16, Nov. 2–5, and Nov. 30–Dec. 3, 2020.
For more information visit the University’s Safe Fall Opening site.