NJ HEROES TOO
NJ HEROES TOO, an acronym for New Jersey Healthcare Essential WoRker Outreach and Education Study – Testing Overlooked Occupations, is a Rutgers-that uses the non-invasive Rutgers at-home saliva collection test, NJ HEROES TOO has three primary goals. It aims to (1) better understand COVID-19 testing patterns among underserved and vulnerable populations; (2) strengthen the data on disparities in infection rates, disease progression, and outcomes; and (3) develop strategies to reduce the disparities in COVID-19 testing. The study focuses on the Black and Latinx communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in places where Rutgers academic medical centers are deeply rooted.
The program is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institute of Health.
Peer Reviewed Articles
OUCP/CHECE’s affiliation with NJ ACTS and the New Jersey HEROES TOO project has yielded its first reviewed article entitled “Black and Latinx Community Perspectives on COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviors, Testing and Vaccines”. The paper has been highlighted in the Gothamist and Rutgers Today and is available to view on the JAMA Network and PubMed website.
- JAMA Network Open
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2781957?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=071521
Media Engagement
- Rutgers Press Release
https://www.rutgers.edu/news/black-latinx-people-confident-covid-19-safety-precautions-skeptical-about-vaccines
- Link to the WNYC and NPR segment that aired on Thursday 7/15:
https://www.wnyc.org/story/nj-black-latino-residents-embrace-covid-precautions-still-dont-trust-vaccine-study-says/
- NJ Black, Latino Residents Embrace COVID Precautions But Still Don’t Trust Vaccine, Study Says | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News
The findings add urgency to the state’s vaccination efforts.
- www.wnyc.org
- Why Many Black & Hispanic Americans Distrust COVID Vaccines: US News & World Report
- The pandemic’s fatality rate in the US far outweighs the rate of vaccine adverse events.: The Gothamist quoting NJHEROESTOO’s Dr. Shawna Hudson (RWJMS)
- Black, Latino trust in N.J. public health stops at COVID vaccine, study finds: The Star-Ledger
Why Many Black & Hispanic Americans Distrust COVID Vaccines: HealthDay - Study: Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black, Latinx Populations: Patch NJ
- Rutgers Study: Black, Latinx People Still Skeptical About COVID-19 Vaccines: TAPinto
- NJ Minorities Report Difficulties Getting COVID-19 Tests: Medscape
- NJ minorities report difficulties getting COVID-19 tests, want more transparency about vaccines: MD Alert
- Underserved communities concerned about COVID – but skeptical about vaccine: ROI-NJ
- Why Many Black & Hispanic Americans Distrust COVID Vaccines: Doctor’s Lounge
- Why Many Black & Hispanic Americans Distrust COVID Vaccines: Drugs.com
- Blacks, Latinx skeptical about COVID-19 vaccine, study says: McKnight’s Senior Living