photo by: Sara Shepherd

The University of Kansas Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kan., shown from 39th Street facing east, is pictured June 11, 2017.

The University of Kansas Medical Center announced Monday that it would take part in an upcoming clinical trial of the hydroxychloroquine drug often touted by President Donald Trump — without evidence — of curing the novel coronavirus.

The goal of the trial, which begins April 22, is to determine not whether the drug can cure COVID-19, but rather if it can be effective in preventing the infection of the disease in exposed people — specifically, health care workers. Hospitals have estimated that some 20% of the nation’s health care workers are being infected with the respiratory virus and many more exposed, which made the medical industry an ideal candidate for the trial, KU Medical Center said in a news release.

KU is one of 60 trial sites across the country, and it aims to recruit 500 health care workers to participate, according to the release.

“This study is critical for safeguarding the personal health of these workers and for protecting the health care workforce at this critical time,” said Dr. Mario Castro, the vice chair for clinical and translational research at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. “Our hope is that this drug will decrease the risk of exposed workers developing an active COVID-19 infection.”

All health care employees in the U.S. who work in a setting where people are exposed to COVID-19 are eligible to participate in the trial and can sign up through a national registry at heroesresearch.org. The registry will also give applicants the option to indicate their willingness to participate in future COVID-19 related trials.

The study and registry are funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a program funded in 2010 with the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Anyone interested in participating in the hydroxychloroquine clinical trial at KU Medical Center may contact Shelby Almo at salmo@kumc.edu or 913-574-3006.