The University of Southern California has created four funds to aid USC students, health care workers, community members and employees who are most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, the university’s president announced Monday.
“With our nation and our university facing unprecedented challenges, I wanted to reach out today and thank you personally for your ongoing support and commitment,” USC President Carol L. Folt said in a video posted on YouTube. “As we enter our second week of online learning, I’ve been hearing from so many of you asking how you can help.”
The funds are the:
— USC Student Basic Needs Fund, which will assist USC students with housing expenses, food insecurity, emergency travel, income loss as a result of closed workplaces, technology upgrades required for remote instruction and other unforeseen needs stemming from the crisis;
— the Keck Medicine of USC COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate support to protect healthcare workers with masks, face shields, gowns and gloves and make testing kits and ventilators more readily available. It will also support new quarantining areas for recovering patients who are not yet ready to go home while freeing up hospital beds;
— the USC Community Outreach Fund, which will help to provide meals to local community members, make wellness calls and supportive outreach efforts to senior citizens and the disabled, connect unemployed workers with job opportunities and financial resources, help small businesses and nonprofit organizations recover faster and ensure the university’s neighbors have access to housing and mental health services; and the
— USC Employee Support Fund, which will help university employees being financially impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
Information on the funds is available at giving.usc.edu.
“As we go through these times and I think of your dedication and your commitment it’s a constant reminder to me and to our entire community that we will not only weather this crisis but we will emerge stronger,” Folt said in the video.