# PA-20-070: Addressing the Delivery of School-Based Services in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

> **NIH AHRQ R01** · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $399,933

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Our ongoing AHRQ grant “Evaluation of an Innovative School-Based Initiative to Improve Receipt of
Preventive Dental Care among Children Enrolled in Medicaid” (R01-HS025430-01A1), which spans the time
period (7-1-2019 thru 6-30-2022), evaluates the causal impact of a highly innovative school-based
program dental care delivery program specifically tailored to address unmet dental needs among low-
income children. We propose a supplemental project under PA-20-070 to expand our ongoing work to
determine how the delivery of school-based health and dental services may be altered in light of the unique
circumstances posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has disrupted daily routines for all
Americans, but this is especially the case for school-age children. Schools offer an important setting for the
delivery of many health care services, including preventive dental services – the topic of our parent grant.
However, it remains unclear if and how schools will continue to support the delivery of school-based health and
dental services given the disruptions to educational instructional and heightened risks associated with COVID-
19. Our supplement application entitled “PA-20-070: Addressing the Delivery of School-Based Services in the
Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic” proposes to develop, test, and administer an online survey of principals
and school nurses at elementary schools in the state of Virginia to assess their plans, experiences and
opinions regarding the provision of school-based health and dental services during the pandemic.
 To accomplish this objective, we intend to complete the following four steps. First, during the fall of
2020, we will conduct virtual site visits with principals and nurses at eight elementary schools to discuss
perceived and real challenges to providing school-based health and dental services and planned or potential
modifications to the delivery of these services. Information obtained during site visits, along with an updated
environmental scan of recommendations for the safe delivery of health care services in the context of COVID-
19, will inform the development of the survey instrument. Second, we will develop and test our survey
instrument with school principals and nurses to ensure that the survey captures critical information and that
respondents fully understand the survey items. Third, during the winter of 2021, we will administer our online
survey to all 1,145 elementary schools in Virginia. Fourth, during the spring and summer of 2020, we will
analyze the survey data and prepare a manuscript and PowerPoint presentation for key stakeholders including
schools, county health departments and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). We anticipate our findings
will provide valuable information to school administrators, school nurses, and county, state, and federal public
health officials as they navigate the unprecedented challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses in the
development and implementat...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10174480
- **Project number:** 3R01HS025430-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jean M Mitchell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $399,933
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10174480

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10174480, PA-20-070: Addressing the Delivery of School-Based Services in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic (3R01HS025430-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10174480. Licensed CC0.

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