BYU–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III Sponsors No-Cost Testing to Students and Staff as Part of the State’s Most Robust COVID-19 Response
Laie, HI and Orem, UT—December 23, 2020 - BYU–Hawaii, the preeminent international center of learning in the Pacific, launched a comprehensive COVID-19 testing program for university students and staff, together with leading national testing provider Nomi Health. Available at no cost to the University’s 3,200 students and staff through April 2021, the end-to-end COVID-19 testing initiative is part of BYU–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III’s robust pandemic response, among the most thorough in the entire state.
“Keeping our BYU–Hawaii and Ko’olauloa community safe is paramount,” said BYU–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III. “Scientific data continues to prove the critical role of testing, especially among young populations, in managing the spread of COVID-19. We’ve implemented a comprehensive pandemic response and required a testing partner who can meet the rigorous standards we put in place to keep our students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible. We were impressed by Nomi’s testing capabilities and program management experience along with their engagement to meet our specific needs to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within our campus community.”
Per the University’s guidelines, weekly participation in testing is required for faculty, staff, and students working or studying on campus or using on-campus resources. University students and staff—as well as employees of the nearby landmark Polynesian Cultural Center—register online for a testing appointment on campus, where they receive a saliva-based PCR test at no cost. Test results are reported by email and text the following day. The program has the capacity to scale to up to 5,000 tests each week.
“BYU is a trailblazer as the first higher education institution in Hawaii to roll out such a comprehensive program for COVID testing,” shared Mark Newman, co-founder, and CEO, Nomi Health. “We are especially proud to support BYU–Hawaii as we are headquartered near the campus’ sister school in Utah, one of several states where we also operate successful testing programs. We applaud President Kauwe for his quick and thorough response in service to his community, particularly given the University’s rich international population and Oahu’s position as the gateway to Hawaii.”
To register for a test and for more information, participants can visit https://www.byuh.edu/covid-19/seasider-testing.
About Nomi Health
The way we pay for healthcare in America today is fundamentally broken, burdened by layers of avoidable inefficiencies that drive up costs while creating damaging delays in the process. Nomi Health was founded in 2019 as a direct healthcare company with a simple yet bold mission: retool how we pay for healthcare to create a more cost-effective—and simply effective—experience for employers, patients and providers alike. The Nomi Health team, now 70 employees strong worldwide, collaborate under the leadership of game-changing executives hailing from the likes of Imagine Health, Optum, HireVue and Goldman Sachs. In the face of the pandemic, Nomi Health put its direct healthcare model to work, mobilizing to create and deliver effective, efficient and quality COVID-19 solutions to local governments, employers and organizations. As a leading COVID-19 testing provider in the U.S., Nomi Health has helped complete more than 4 million online COVID-19 health assessments and conducts more than 30,000 PCR and antigen tests every day, at a cost savings of 30 percent. Nomi Health's end-to-end testing solution includes health assessment technology, testing infrastructure and certified labs. Find out more at nomihealth.com.
About BYU–Hawaii
Brigham Young University–Hawaii is the preeminent international center of learning in the Pacific. Its small campus is a unique laboratory of intercultural leadership development, where a diverse population of 3,200 students representing over 70 countries live, study and work together. Small classes taught by expert faculty empower students to master a challenging and relevant curriculum. Affordable tuition, financial aid, and online study options make this valuable education more accessible. Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a total BYU–Hawaii education involves not only intellectual learning and career preparation, but also moral, ethical, and spiritual enrichment. All the while, students enjoy living and learning in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Graduates go forth to serve, prepared to promote peace and prosperity as leaders worldwide.
Media Contacts
Shari Nakakura
mPR, Inc. for Nomi Health
shari@mpublicrelations.com
(509) 366-7778
Laura Tevaga
BYU–Hawaii
laura.tevaga@byuh.edu
(808) 675-3669