Monmouth College is the recipient of a grant to help the local community battle against COVID-19.
The college received a $150,000 grant from the Community Health Foundation of Warren and Henderson Counties to purchase 5,000 of the highly-accurate SHIELD Illinois tests.
The college plans to administer these tests to the community for a nominal fee beginning on the school’s campus in January. Tests are expected to be available two days a week to any organization or individuals in Warren County.
“From the beginning of this pandemic, Monmouth College faculty, staff, and students have pursued the twin goals of safeguarding each other’s health and delivering our educational experience as effectively as possible,” said Monmouth President Clarence R. Wyatt in a Thursday press release. “In the current climate of COVID-19, Monmouth College also realizes our duty to the city of Monmouth and to Warren County to do our part in the mitigation of the virus.
“The College has long been supported by the local community that appreciates the benefits that a strong academic institution brings to the town and region. We are grateful that this broad community support continues to this day, and we are glad this initiative will help mitigate the spread of the virus, especially through peak cold and flu season.”
The innovative saliva-based SHIELD Illinois test is non-invasive and does not require medically trained personnel to collect samples, carrying a 99.8-99.9 percent accuracy level with very few false positives.
Results from a SHIELD Illinois test are known in about 12 hours after the test is delivered to a lab, compared to a two-to three-day wait for most other available tests.
Community Health Foundation of Warren and Henderson Counties Board Chair Dorothy A. Ricketts said the foundation “is pleased to provide funding to assist Monmouth College in implementing the SHIELD Illinois test service.”
“The foundation board recognizes that the initiative will reach many people in our community, and matches the mission of the foundation, which is to maintain, enhance and improve health services available in our area,” said Ricketts.
“Providing rapid results in the case of a positive test for students or employees will allow Monmouth College to take swift action to reduce the spread of the virus,” Wyatt said. “We hope to identify infected individuals early and save lives by curbing the spread of COVID-19 while reducing productivity loss and prioritizing the wellbeing of our students, employees, and members of the Monmouth-Warren County community as a whole.”
