OC partners with Latino community group to provide free COVID-19 testing to slow spread in hot spots
Due to the CARES ACT funding, Orange County partnered with Latino Health Access, a community group, to identify vulnerable clusters in both Santa Ana and Anaheim and provide resources to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Cars lined up at Walker Elementary School in Santa Ana for the first of several mobile community clinics that target Orange County hot spots by providing free COVID-19 testing.
This mobile testing site is by reservation only. There were 300 reservation spots open, and all were filled on this first day of testing.
Thanks to the CARES ACT funding, Orange County was able to partner with Latino Health Access to identify vulnerable clusters in both Santa Ana and Anaheim.
Specifically, they're targeting eight zip codes within Santa Ana and Anaheim, which is where they're seeing the highest increase in cases. It's double the rate of the overall county number. They say they're responding to those numbers with priority and equity, putting more resources in these hot spots with more testing, more education and encouraging more isolation.
The virus first appeared to spike in more affluent areas, like Newport Beach, but with more available resources, like the ability to work from home and not worry about food and rent, they were able to quickly bring the numbers.
"If you are an agricultural worker, you need to go and work in a factory, and you cannot isolate because you live in a one bedroom with six people," said Dr. America Bracho with Latino Health Access. "And we knew that, we knew that this community was more vulnerable. We knew that, and we saw it. Latino Health Access saw that for months."
There will be five clinics in Santa Ana per week, three in Anaheim per week for the next 8 weeks. It's all by reservation only. You can make a reservation by calling (714) 805-7838.
