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WHEN:
Friday, August 7, 2020
9:30 AM - at Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center Surge Tent where people are being triaged and receiving donations of masks and care kits with food, hand sanitizer, and other helpful items
ADDRESS: 1670 E. 120th St., Los Angeles, CA 90059
10 AM - at the newly opened Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Campus Walk-Up Testing Site, LA County’s first COVID-19 testing site that does NOT require appointments to help bridge the digital divide and increase access to testing in an area with high rates of uninsured and unemployed, as well as high rates of COVID-19.
ADDRESS: 12021 S. Wilmington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90059
WHO:
- Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
- David Carlisle and Dr. Roberto Vargas, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
- Yolanda Vera, LA County Dept. of Health Services, MLK Outpatient Center
- Elaine Batchlor, Dr. Jorge Reyno and Dr. Oscar Casillas, MLK Community Hospital
- Arturo Ybarra, Watts Community Latino Organization
- Rita Haft, Moldex
- Margaret Kelly, United Health Group
WHAT:
With Latinx and Black residents disproportionately affected by the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and community partners will talk about how Los Angeles County has ramped up efforts to serve as the safety net for particularly vulnerable communities in South and Southeast LA – regardless of ability to pay or immigration status.
- This includes expanding testing capacity countywide to up to 55,000 residents a week, a 40 percent increase, with a focus on high-need areas;
- The relocation of the County’s first walk-up testing site to the MLK Medical Campus, which is hosting the testing site in front of the Martin Luther King Community Hospital’s new Medical Office Building. This testing site is designed to serve approximately 500 people a day, no appointment needed
- Next week, expanded opportunities for testing in Southeast LA are expected to open at Gonzales Park in Compton, Roosevelt Park in Florence-Firestone, and at the Forum in Inglewood.
LA County has also partnered with the private sector to provide additional services that are particularly critical to Latinx, Black and other communities of color disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including:
- 10,000 free care kits and other helpful items, donated by United Healthcare at the MLK Outpatient Center
- 100,000 N-95 masks donated by Moldex, of which 10,000 will go to healthcare workers and clients at the MLK Medical Campus, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the Watts Community Latino Organization
- Mobile-based health screenings, education and prevention services at the MLK Community Hospital in coordination with the walk-up testing site
- Free food, donated by the LA Food Bank and other nonprofits, at various sites countywide
More help still is on the way. In the coming weeks, LA County is poised to roll out hundreds of millions in wraparound services to people struggling to pay rent, keep their jobs and businesses, including:
- $100M rent relief program
- $10M eviction defense program
- at least $160M in grants to help small businesses
LA County will also establish public health councils to support low-income workers so they can feel comfortable reporting cases or concerns within workplace settings.
These are only the latest of a wide variety of services provided by LA County since the start of the pandemic.
CONTACT:
Christina Villacorte
Phone: (213) 447-1277
Email: cvillacorte@bos.lacounty.gov
Ariana Drummond
Phone: (213) 319-7558
Email: adrummond@bos.lacounty.gov
COVID-19 County websites:
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