The UBC Okanagan campus in Kelowna is pictured in this undated photo.
Image Credit: UBC Okanagan
February 18, 2021 - 7:00 PM
Researchers at universities in B.C. have received $150,000 from the Ministry of Health to work on understanding the harmful impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on people and communities.
The province has funded five research projects through the Interior University Research Coalition, a partnership between Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, University of B.C. in Kelowna and University of Northern B.C. in Prince George. The B.C. Ministry of Health has provided the research coalition with $150,000 to understand the harmful effects of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact.
"The projects being funded range from identifying the effects of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of people living in rural communities to developing telehealth programs that will engage older adults outside urban centres. Other projects include a focus on improving the lifespan of N95 masks, as well as building a better understanding of whether new technologies are improving the resiliency of rural health-care practitioners," reads a UBCO news release.
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A COVID-19 risk assessment tool that identifies home care clients who are at greatest risk of contracting the virus is currently being developed by UNBC nursing professor Shannon Freeman and TRU computer science professor Piper Jackson.
UBCO’s School of Engineering researchers Jian Liu and Abbas Milani are working with UNBC's Hossein Kazemian to improve the lifespan of nanofibres and activated carbon mats in N95 masks.
A student-delivered community outreach program that engages older adults outside of urban centres and establishes best health support practices during the pandemic for them is being developed by researchers at UBCO, UNBC and Interior Health.
TRU’s Bala Nikku has teamed up with UBCO's Khalad Hasan and UNBC's Rahul Jain to understand whether new technologies are improving the resiliency of rural health care practitioners.
UBCO nursing professor Nelly Oelke and scientific director of the Rural Coordination Centre of B.C., will be collaborating with UBCO’s Donna Kurtz, UNBC’s Davina Banner-Lukaris and TRU’s Bonnie Fournier to expand research exploring the mental health impacts of climate change events. The new study will identify the effects of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of people living in rural communities to help foster resilience.
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