HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Public Health is asking members of the community to do their part in COVID-19 mitigation on the island through two initiatives – becoming a Public Health AmeriCorps service member or ordering at-home test kits.
The Department of Public Health and Social Services on Saturday announced the beginning of the recruitment period for its AmeriCorps program – the first of its kind in a continued effort to combat COVID-19 on Guam.
“Joining the Department of Public Health and Social Services through the Public Health AmeriCorps program is your chance to gain valuable experience and to make an impact on the health and well-being of our community,” DPHSS Director Arthur San Agustin said in a press release.
Those who join AmeriCorps will help the department combat the effects of COVID-19, address long-standing health disparities, and prepare the community to respond to public health needs, he said.
“Public Health AmeriCorps is committed to nurturing a new generation of public health leaders, and wants you to be a part of the experience,” Public Health said in the release.
Along the way, Public Health AmeriCorps members will “earn valuable experience, enjoy national service benefits and engage in projects aligning with your interests.”
Each Public Health AmeriCorps member will receive a $700 monthly living allowance for 12 months, earn a $3,247.50 educational award upon completion of the service term and gain access to professional development opportunities.
To become a member, candidates must be a U.S. citizen 17 years of age or older and must clear national criminal history checks.
Interested individuals need to submit an application by Tuesday, Sept. 26, to Public Health’s AmeriCorps program. For more information, people can email julia.rivera@americorps.guam.gov or marian.aguon@americorps.guam.gov.
Free COVID-19 at-home test kits
Also, beginning Tuesday, island residents will be able to place orders for at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits.
Ordering is free, according to Public Health.
“Residents can order online at https://www.covid.gov/tests, or https://special.usps.com/testkits. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test kits will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2023,” Public Health said.
Each household or mailing address is limited to four test kits.
“By taking advantage of these no-cost COVID-19 test kits, you are doing your part in helping us stay ahead of the virus,” said San Agustin.
If the use of an at-home test kit results in a positive result for COVID-19, Public Health reminds the community to report the result to dphss.surveillance@dphss.guam.gov with the following information:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Date of test
- Result
- Contact information
- Picture of the test result
People who test positive are asked to isolate for five days, regardless of vaccination status, after symptom onset date or test collection date.
Public Health issued both releases to the community two weeks after confirming that two positive cases of the Eris subvariant of the omicron virus was detected on the island.
Although health officials noted that the EG.5 strain was “not as severe,” it is transmissible, and the agency encourages island residents to take precautionary measures to reduce and mitigate the spread of infection.
Department of Public Health and Social Services Director Arthur San Agustin, right, gives a presentation during a fiscal year 2024 budget hearing at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
