Public Health Action Network Delivers Over 15,000 Essential COVID Protections

CA, UNITED STATES, June 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Public Health Action Network (PHAN), a nonprofit public health advocacy and software tools organization, announces that it has helped secure and deliver over 15,000 essential COVID-19 protections across the U.S., including tests and high-filtration masks, to individuals, families, and frontline workers in high-risk communities across the U.S. At the same time, PHAN is piloting two major public health initiatives, CLEAR and SAFER, to scale science-based education, access and accountability for the long term.

As part of its on-the-ground response and in collaboration with several other organizations, PHAN helped secure and distribute:
- Approximately 3,000 Lucira molecular COVID tests in partnership with the New England Community Support and Schooling Network (NECSSN), providing fast and accurate results for vulnerable populations.
- Over 10,000 high-filtration masks, ensuring individuals in under-resourced areas can protect themselves in high-risk settings, in partnership with WellBefore and multiple grassroots mask blocs
- Over 2,000 rapid at-home tests secured for distribution from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, enabling trusted community organizations to expand outreach and early detection efforts.

“These life-saving supplies are helping tens of thousands of individuals and families stay safer as institutional support continues to decline,” says PHAN executive director Tarz Ludwigsen. “Each resource is going directly to people who need it most: families with medically vulnerable members, mutual aid groups, clinics, and under-resourced communities. We’re committed to helping thousands avoid exposure, confirm infection status, and protect themselves and others. This work reflects PHAN’s core mission: protecting public health through direct support, scientific integrity, and systems change. Every test and every mask we distribute is an act of care, and a step toward health equity. Our goal is to bridge the gap between what people need right now and the infrastructure we’re building to keep them safe in the future.”

NECSSN is a volunteer-led community group primarily focused on New England that creates accessible healthcare, educational, and social opportunities for individuals and families, including mutual aid efforts (vaccine, dental, and vision care clinics, test and mask distribution, and more), virtual clubs and classes, and social meet-ups (in-person with mitigations to prevent disease spread as well as online). “We heard about PHAN through a PHAN member/volunteer and we’re delighted to be working with them,” said NECSSN leader Tina Catania. “We hope that PHAN's educational resources and data-driven methods will lead to concrete policy changes at multiple scales to protect those most marginalized by airborne disease spread.”

While PHAN is helping to distribute resources on the ground, it is also piloting two major public health initiatives, CLEAR and SAFER, to scale science-based education, access, and accountability for the long term.

CLEAR (Conversational Library for Evidence-based Accessible Research) is a conversational AI platform that connects thousands of research studies to deliver peer-reviewed, science-based answers to COVID-19 questions at various levels of user expertise, ranging from “what is COVID” to “explain what T-cell exhaustion is”, to ventilation and emerging treatment research. Each answer will be in plain English and will be linked to the relevant research studies so users can read the supporting research directly. When the project is released, PHAN intends to have over 10,000 studies connected to the platform. CLEAR aims to become a trusted resource for the public, clinicians, and researchers alike.

SAFER (Safe Access to Facilities and Essential Resources) is a global directory that will have over 6,000 entities - schools, medical establishments, businesses, and public spaces - that are committed to clean air and airborne disease prevention. Users will be able to search for clean-air-aware businesses and organizations by keyword, map, or category. By helping users identify safer spaces, SAFER supports both individual decision-making and institutional accountability.

Both tools are currently in beta and will be released to the public this year.

About Public Health Action Network:
Founded in late 2024, Public Health Action Network is a forward-thinking public health advocacy and technology organization dedicated to helping people stay healthy by reducing exposure to airborne illnesses like COVID-19. We believe clean air is a basic right and a public health essential. By uniting siloed resources, translating verified research into actionable insights, and developing user-centered tools, we empower individuals and communities with the information they need - whether it's understanding disease risks, finding clean-air-conscious businesses, or accessing Long COVID care. Our board includes Chairman Ian Goodfellow, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, and Philip Alvelda.

Learn more at https://www.publichealthactionnetwork.org.

Tarz Ludwigsen
Public Health Action Network Inc
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