Graceland University Partners with Corteva and CHCSI for COVID-19 Testing

Graceland University has taken multiple actions to ensure the safety and well-being of the Graceland and Lamoni communities as it relates to COVID-19, including a testing requirement and daily health screenings.

“The steps we’re taking toward safety at Graceland are important for many reasons,” shared Graceland University President Patricia Draves. “Of course for the health of our students and employees, and also because Graceland is committed to being a responsible partner in the Lamoni community. In alignment with our mission, it is our goal to continue to provide a learning environment where students develop their potential for meaningful and productive lives, and we do that most effectively by putting the health and well-being of our entire community first.”

Graceland has partnered with Corteva, a major American agricultural chemical and seed company located in Johnston, Iowa, to provide testing with 24-hour results to every student and employee of Graceland as they arrive on campus for the fall semester. The university has worked closely with Community Health Centers of Southern Iowa (CHCSI), who have generously provided health care professionals to assist in the testing, as well as the Decatur County Department of Public Health to implement this testing requirement, and the university is grateful for their participation and support.

Graceland is also requiring all students, faculty, and staff to do daily self-screening to monitor the overall health of the community.

In addition to these new efforts, Graceland has worked the past few months to present a plan as students and employees return to campus this month. The academic calendar has been adjusted in order to complete the full fall semester ahead of Thanksgiving break, limiting travel to and from campus. Visitors to campus will be limited and required to register upon arrival. There is a mask requirement in all buildings on campus, social distancing in classes and during other events, a new maximum capacity outside every public room or space, and virtual options when social distancing is not possible. Graceland has also created the new role of a COVID-19 Coordinator, who will work with students and employees as possible symptoms arise and to address questions related to health and protocols.

Classes begin on August 17, 2020, on the Lamoni campus. Find more COVID-19 information on our Toward Together page.

This article has been edited since it was published.