Geographic location of participants: Montana and Washington state
Institution: Montana State University

Protecting Our Community aims to help American Indian and Latinx communities in Montana and Washington better access at-home COVID-19 testing. Based at the Center for American Indian and rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) at Montana State University, the project draws on existing partnerships with Flathead Reservation to study testing approaches among the area’s Native population. They are also working with community partners in Washington’s Yakima Valley, home to a large Latino population, many of whom are migrant agricultural workers.

“The significant health disparities that already existed among Native and rural communities in Montana and our region have become even more pronounced with COVID-19,” said Alexandra Adams, director of CAIRHE and principal investigator for the project. “Because of poor access to testing in those areas and high rates of existing chronic disease, we are very concerned about the significant impact of COVID-19 in these communities.”

In the Spring of 2021, researchers at CAIRHE and the University of Washington will conduct interviews and focus-groups to compare an “active” approach to at-home testing —in which local health educators or trusted community members deliver tests to study participants and help with the process—and a “passive” approach—in which tests are delivered by mail or picked up. Read more here.