Suffolk opens COVID-19 testing site aimed at aiding minority communities

Suffolk County has opened another testing site as part of a program targeting minority communities that are seeing a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

News 12 Staff

Apr 8, 2020, 9:08 PM

Updated 1,692 days ago

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Suffolk County has opened another testing site as part of a program targeting minority communities that are seeing a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.
The site is up and running at Huntington High School and is appointment only, as explained by bilingual signs at the entrance.
County Executive Steve Bellone says the goal is to directly connect affected families with resources that can provide help.
"We'll be opening sites in Brentwood and Riverhead on Friday -- again with the intent to make sure we're getting the message out to those hard to reach communities," says Bellone.
Community activists say more access to testing is a step in the right direction, but they say a lot more is needed to be done.
"What we need from Nassau and Suffolk county is a massive outreach and public education program so that these communities that are seeing the spike understand exactly what is happening with the pandemic and understand exactly what the risks are and just how real and dangerous this is for communities," says Lucas Sanchez of NY Communities For Change.
Nassau Executive Laura Curran is now asking the state for county-specific demographic data so she can put an action plan in place.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also addressed the disparity in cases and care, calling for more testing and research into possible contributing factors.
"We'll do more testing in minority communities now with more data research done now, so let's learn now," says Cuomo.