Mayor de Blasio Expands Testing to Communities Hardest Hit by COVID-19

Mayor Bill de Blasio Facebook Page Screenshot

NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio announced on Friday the opening of three COVID-19 testing sites for communities hardest hit by the pandemic. NYC Health + Hospitals/ Gotham Health East New York, Morrisania, and Vanderbilt will offer COVID-19 testing on a walk-in basis, with a priority for those over the age of 65 with pre-existing conditions that put them at risk for serious illness. Two additional sites at NYC Health+ Hospitals/ Queens and NYC Health+ Hospitals/ Sydenham in Manhattan will open on Monday, April 20th.

The City will also partner with One Medical, a national digital health and primary care provider, to offer COVID-19 testing and virtual care services. Appointment-only testing will be prioritized for frontline 1199SEIU members, including adult care employees or those who work with people with disabilities, as well as other non-member healthcare professionals, essential workers, and NYC residents who are 65 and older with preexisting conditions. With its five testing sites, One Medical will be able to conduct 3,500 tests per week throughout New York City

"Communities of color have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We know that widespread testing is a key part of containing the spread of COVID-19, which is why we are doing everything we can to bring more testing to our most vulnerable."

The NYC Health+Hospitals community testing clinics will offer tests by walk-in from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday, through Friday at East New York and Morrisania. Testing at Vanderbilt will be available from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Two additional sites at NYC Health+ Hospitals/ Queens and NYC Health+ Hospitals/Sydenham will open on Monday, April 20th. These five sites will initially be able to conduct a total of 2,400 tests per week. Patients' test results will be available within one to two days via phone call and electronically through MyChart.

Additionally, One Medical's five testing sites—one in each borough—will be open 9:00 AM to 6:00PM -6PM by appointment only. One Medical will be able to do 3,500 tests per week throughout New York City. Brooklyn and Queens are open today and Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island will be open starting Monday, April 20th. Those who meet the testing criteria and would like to schedule an appointment call 1-888-ONEMED1 OR go to onemedical.com and use code NYCCARE30

"On the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, we see clear disparities in communities of color, lower income populations, immigrants, and New Yorkers with multiple comorbid conditions," said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. "Our public health care system has long provided high-quality care to underserved communities in New York City. The community testing clinics will support and improve our efforts to provide critical services to those most in need."

"Communities of color have long experienced inadequate access to health care, housing, healthy food, and economic opportunity, which increases the prevalence of COVID-19 risk factors," said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Medical Officer Machelle Allen, MD. "Offering testing in the most impacted communities will help us to address the disparities and ensure resources are being distributed fairly during this public health crisis."