A pandemic-era program that ended July 31 brought thousands of air purifiers to schools statewide.

The “COVID Testing and Prevention in Alabama’s K-12 Schools” effort was a collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the State Department of Education, and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

However, the statewide initiative, funded by a $146 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rapidly expanded not because of the pandemic but due to one local environmental disaster.

Project director Dr. Angela Sullivan, with UAB’s School of Public Health, said the program began in 2021 with COVID-19 testing in schools. The program expanded to offer five – then 10 – purifiers per school and two years’ worth of filters in 2022. Then reports came in from the St. Clair County Commission about the landfill fire near Moody. The fire burned for months and the smell wafted up to 15 miles away.

“We thought, ‘Oh, we could actually help with this,’” Sullivan said. “So we shifted from offering 10 units per school to offering units for every single classroom within a 10-mile radius of this fire.” The team decided to offer this to other school systems around the state.

In total, 717 schools chose to participate in the program, and the team distributed 24,044 air purifiers and 76,642 filters. Sullivan said they received tearful thanks from recipients near Moody and overwhelmingly positive responses from administrators, teachers, students and parents around the state.

Andalusia City Schools received 125 air purifiers, enough to put one purifier in every classroom, plus public areas like gyms and cafeterias. Lead nurse Melinda Carrasco said she appreciated this program and that it’s provided a “huge benefit” to their school system.

“Anything that we can do to help keep our students and our staff healthy, we’re all about doing that,” Carrasco said. “So this is just another added layer of protection that we have to help us fight bacteria and viruses.”

Dr. Marcia Smiley, superintendent at Perry County Schools, echoed gratitude for the opportunity to receive free cleaners and filters and that students, faculty, and staff loved them. According to a report provided by ADPH, Perry County schools received 349 air purifiers.

“It will cut down on infectious disease and just make a more appeasing environment that is conducive to learning,” Smiley said.

Nancy Tindell, the lead nurse at Geneva County Schools, said everyone was excited to receive 311 air purifiers to cover every classroom and other spaces where students congregate.

“Your air does affect your overall health,” Tindell said. “So it was a really big deal for us.” She added that people with allergies or asthma will benefit from the fresher air.

Sullivan said the project cost about $22.3 million, and the program is shifting to assisted living facilities such as nursing homes. She said they could replicate the process should more funding be available for K-12 schools in the future.