GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Health Department is partnering with two local organizations to offer a free COVID-19 community testing day on Monday, June 29.
From 2 - 7 p.m., anyone who is over 6-months-old can get tested. The health department teamed up with LINC UP and the Black Impact Collaborative to host the testing event at the Gallery at LINC UP located at 1167 Madison SE.
“We know that COVID-19 has been disproportionately impacting the African American and Latinx communities, so the Black Impact Collaborative wanted to partner with Kent County to make sure that African Americans and Latinxs in our community have the opportunity to get tested,” said Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack. “This is such a needed resource for our community to allow anyone to get tested and we are thankful that the County put this testing day together.”
According to KCHD, members of the Latinx community account for 39.4% of the COVID-19 cases while comprising 10% of the population. And Black Kent County residents account for 19.25% of cases while making up 10% of the population.
Dr. Adam London the director of the Kent County Health Department said that only 6% of Kent County residents live in the 49507 zip code, which is Southeast Grand Rapids, but 17% of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed there.
“This type of data continues to inform our response to COVID-19 and ensures our resources are accessible to the most impacted neighborhoods," said London.
The health department partnered with these community organizations to offer testing in areas that are showing a higher prevalence of cases.
“COVID-19 has further revealed how stark these disparities are and how much needs to change. Partnering with KCHD is a great step forward to improving equity in healthcare. The data shows that Black and Brown communities are at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19 and we are happy to have free tasting available to residents in our neighborhoods," said Vincent Thurman, Communications Manager at LINC UP.
Pre-registration for this event is encouraged by going online or calling 616-632-7200 but walk-in testing is available.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
