UL, Health Workers Bring COVID-19 Testing to Pinellas County's Undeserved

Pinellas County health workers are making it easier for residents in underserved neighborhoods to get tested for COVID-19. They're operating pop-up testing sites in areas like the North Greenwood section of Clearwater and South St. Petersburg.

These communities have a lot of Black residents who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

On a recent Saturday morning, the parking lot of Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in South St. Petersburg was home to ones of these sites. Every few minutes, a couple cars rolled up to tents where nurses in protective gear screened drivers and used nasal swabs to test them for COVID-19.

It was around 10 a.m., and Rebecca Watson with the Pinellas County Urban League (St. Petersburg, FL) which is leading the initiative, said things were quieting down since dozens of cars lined up ahead of opening.

Weekend hours and a walk-up station for people without cars are meant to remove barriers that can prevent some from getting tested at the county's other sites. Many of those sites also require appointments or ask for health insurance information.

Watson said more than 70 percent of people at this site said it was their first time getting tested.

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