Join the AZ HEROES Study

We are enrolling adults and children into our COVID-19 study.

If you are interested in enrolling yourself in the AZ HEROES Study, you can complete the Adult Screening Form and a study team member will contact you if you are eligible.

If you’re interested in enrolling your child in the AZ HEROES Kids Study, you can complete the Child Screening Form on behalf of your child and a study team member will contact you if they are eligible.

Adult Screening Form

Child Screening Form

 

The AZ HEROES Adult study will include participants from the following groups that cannot socially distance to do their jobs. This includes from the following occupational groups:

  • Health care workers 
  • First responders (firefighters, other emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, law enforcement officers and corrections (such as prison and jail) officers and other personnel) 
  • Food service: grocery store workers, agriculture workers, food prep and service (delivery, table, etc.) 
  • Public and other transportation services (bus, taxi, Uber/Lyft etc.) 
  • Solid waste collectors 
  • Warehouse and delivery workers 
  • Utilities (energy, water and wastewater workers) 
  • Construction & maintenance workers
  • Government and community-based services 
  • Childcare workers 
  • Group homes/day programs; disability programs 
  • IT professionals 
  • Environmental Services, Facilities Managers 
  • Educators (P-20) 
  • Front-line financial workers (bank tellers, etc.) 
  • Hospitality (hotel, etc.) workers 
Photo of lab

Inclusion Criteria

  • You can participate in AZ HEROES if you are at least 18 years old and not more than 85 years old 
  • Meet one of these requirements:
    ----- Work at least 20 hours per week in healthcare, as a first responder, frontline/essential worker (retail, hospitality, community services, construction, etc.) OR
    ----- Part-time college student (at least 6 units) and work at least 10 hours per week
  • Participants must have smartphone access or internet access 
  • All participants must have a mailing address and plan to reside in Arizona for 12 months following enrollment 

Exclusion Criteria

  • Unwilling to provide verbal and/or electronic confirmation of consent 
  • Unwilling to self-report occupation, work responsibilities, and prior COVID-19 illness 
  • Unable to conduct study activities in English or Spanish 

All study participants will undergo weekly surveillance and self-collect a respiratory sample for COVID-19, via nasal swab, throughout the duration of the study. This testing is needed to detect when study participants are infected with COVID-19. This applies to both participants that have been infected with COVID-19 prior to the study and participants who are newly infected with COVID-19.  

All study participants will also be tested for antibodies to COVID-19 periodically throughout the study. The reason for this is to understand the length of time for the antibody response to COVID-19. Participants who have tested positive, via nasal swab, with new COVID-19 infection will be tested for antibodies again.

AZ HEROES Participants will:

  • Participate in weekly & illness surveillance through short surveys and at-home COVID-19 tests
  • Complete surveys about their COVID-19 history, risks, and occupational exposure
  • Go to Sonora Quest for blood draws to test for antibodies
  • Be entered into drawings to earn gift cards weekly based upon surveillance participation

Participants will receive:

  • Access to weekly COVID-19 test results
  • Pride that comes with advancing the science of COVID-19

The AZ HEROES Kids Study is enrolling children ages 4 months to 17 years old.

Inclusion Criteria for Children

  • Age 4 months – 17 years old
  • Can read English or Spanish

With Parent/Guardian assistance, participants will:

  • Participate in weekly surveillance through at-home COVID-19 tests
  • Answer questions and complete at-home COVID-19 tests if they become ill during the study
  • Complete monthly surveys about the child and the household
  • Go to Sonora Quest Lab for a blood draw between 1 to 4 times to test for COVID-19 antibodies (optional)

Participants will receive:

  • COVID-19 test results
  • New information and updates on COVID-19
  • $15 each week for completing weekly study activities and $50 for each blood draw (optional)

AZ HEROES is working in coordination with the statewide AZ COVID-19 Antibody Testing Initiative (ATI) conducted by the University of Arizona. The ATI is funded by the State of Arizona to provide COVID-19 serological testing of up to 250,000 Arizonans, including healthcare care personnel, first responders and essential workers statewide. If you are interested in the Antibody Testing Initiative, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu