News from the WHI Study

The WHI Clinical Coordinating Center is pleased to announce that it was selected as the recipient of a COVID-19 Response Grant, an award funded by the Andy Hill CARE Fund, the Washington State-sponsored cancer research endowment named in honor the late state senator. COVID-19 Response Grants “seek to advance research at the intersection of COVID-19 and cancer.”

During the second half of 2020, the WHI study distributed an initial COVID-19 survey to participants, seeking information concerning the pandemic’s effects on health care access and utilization, COVID-19 testing, quality of life and mental health, and adherence to recommended public health measures. With the financial assistance provided by the COVID-19 Response Grant, a follow-up survey is set to be distributed beginning early this summer, in which newly formulated questions will be asked pertaining to vaccination status, along with access to and potential delays in obtaining medical care, including cancer diagnosis and treatment services. As the CARE Fund notes, “this information will help determine successes and failures in protecting the elderly from the pandemic’s impact on cancer screening and treatment and on broader health needs of this large and vulnerable population and guiding interventions to promote vaccination.”