The COVID-19 pandemic has been hardest on the most vulnerable people, and Arizona State University students have been working to help one group in downtown Phoenix.

Residents at the Westward Ho apartments – low-income older adults and those with disabilities – have faced extra burdens over the past year. A population that was already susceptible to loneliness was further isolated when they couldn’t see friends and family in person. They were unable to access services in their building, like the computer room, which was closed. Some residents didn’t always have enough to eat.

• Read more about ASU students support Westward Ho residents during pandemic isolation

Maricopa County residents realized a $4.85 return on investment for every dollar the county Parks and Recreation Department spent on operating costs at its eight parks in 2019, according to an ASU economic impact study. 

• Read more about Research finds taxpayers get more than 4 times return on investment in Maricopa County parks and recreation

ASU ShapingEDU brings together a community of changemakers who not only envision a more positive future, but undertake concrete actions to create those futures together. With this driving motivation, ShapingEDU’s most recent digital immersive event, Winter Games, set forth to make a global impact for the future of learning and living, while also serving the local Arizona community.

• Read more about ASU partners with Human Services Campus to give back

A Maricopa County COVID-19 case investigative team consisting of Arizona State University students, assisted by faculty and staff from the ASU School of Social Work in Tucson, has closed nearly 15,000 cases since June through extensive interviews and contact tracing.

Effective contact tracing involves identifying infected individuals and anyone with whom they’ve been in contact, then working with those people to halt further spread of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Read more about COVID-19 contact-tracing team of ASU students closes nearly 15K cases in 6 months

Arizona State University is conducting coronavirus testing for a vulnerable population — those who work with people experiencing homelessness — with help from a $45,000 grant from the BHHS Legacy Foundation.

The testing is funded as a result of the generous support of the BHHS Legacy Foundation, an Arizona charitable organization whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves.

• Read more about Grant funds coronavirus testing for those working closely with individuals experiencing homelessness

• Read more about Grad's passion for working with children and sports led her to pursue degree in community sports management

• Read more about Students transform fall grad celebration from in-person to virtual, earn ASU sustainability award

Researchers at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions have identified the first of 10 ZIP codes where during the next two years they will conduct 29,000 coronavirus tests among members of the most vulnerable populations in Arizona.

Testing will begin Nov. 7 in an area of southwest Phoenix whose ZIP Code is 85041. The others are still being determined.

• Read more about First underserved population identified for ASU to administer COVID-19 tests

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• Read more about ASU, Mayo Clinic and Maricopa County Department of Public Health collaborate on antibody survey