Responding to COVID-19

As the COVID-19 outbreak grew from a handful of U.S. cases to a full-blown public health emergency with school and business shutdowns, The L.A. Trust moved swiftly — shifting to remote work, connecting with Student and Family Wellness Centers, providing updates to our partners and friends, and sharing fact-based content on how to mitigate the health and economic effects of the crisis. Our programs and outreach adapted, too.

Our nutrition education moved from in-person classes to online workshops that reached ten of thousands. Our student engagement switched to virtual meetings and accelerated its social media. Our first Wellness Center Learning Collaborative on Zoom focused on the coronavirus and reached more than 100 attendees. Our Oral Health Advisory Board met online and reached more partners than ever. The L.A. Trust’s Oral Health Initiative launched Operation Tooth Fairy, distributing more than 100,000 free toothbrushes and gaining widespread media attention.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected everyone — especially our students. According to a study by America’s Progress Alliance, more than half of young people (52%) are much more concerned about their own and their family’s physical and emotional health since the crisis began; 30% have become more concerned about having their basic needs met. More than 1 in 4 young people report an increase in losing sleep because of worry, feeling unhappy or depressed, feeling constantly under strain, or experiencing a loss of confidence in themselves.

We know our students are hurting. We know our lives will be different as we help each other through this crisis. The L.A. Trust is committed to meeting this challenge and helping our students, healthcare partners and educators thrive together.

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