A no-cost COVID-19 testing and food distribution event is being held Dec. 12 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Global Scholars Academy located at 311 Dowd St. in Durham. The event is being sponsored by Union Baptist Church and The Episcopal Church El Buen Pastor, both located in Durham. Registration for the event is preferred but not required. You can register online for the Global Scholars Academy Community Testing Event, or over the phone by calling 984-222-8000 and choosing option 2. For Spanish, call 984-664-4132. If you are prompted to leave a voicemail, please provide your name, date of birth and contact information and you will be automatically registered for the event.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the African American and LatinX/Hispanic communities have been hit particularly hard with disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The Dec. 12 event is part of an ongoing effort to increase targeted testing in areas with a high percentage of historically marginalized populations and is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the NC Department of Health and Human Services, an African American church and a LatinX/Hispanic church to combat COVID-19.