Additional COVID-19 test sites have been announced in Wyandotte County.
The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force announced that it has increased the number of pop-up COVID-19 testing sites being offered throughout the county during the month of May.
The mission of the Task Force is to make testing and other resources more accessible and equitable to underserved members of the community, according to a spokesman.
“To reach more of our community members, we need to hold testing clinics at locations in peoples’ neighborhoods, at organizations they know and trust,” said Patrick Sallee, CEO of Vibrant Health. “From the race and ethnicity data we have seen for our county, we know that the COVID-19 virus, as well as many chronic health conditions that increase risk with COVID-19, do not impact everyone in our community equally. This means it is especially important for us to make testing more accessible.”
Testing opportunities
The Task Force held its first pop-up testing event on Monday, April 20, at All Saints Parish (Todos Los Santos). Since then, several other pop-ups have been held at a variety of community host sites, including a local college, a public library and other area churches.
So far, approximately 200 community members have been tested through these events.
Multiple drive-thru testing sites in Wyandotte County have been scheduled for the month of May at locations throughout the community. These locations were selected to increase access to COVID-19 testing for underserved populations. Testing events are held in coordination with Vibrant Health and Swope Health.
Upcoming sites include:
Date, Time, Location and Partner
Monday, 5/11, 3-6 p.m., Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Pkwy., Vibrant Health
Tuesday, 5/12, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Roswell Church of Christ, 2900 Roswell Ave., Vibrant Health
Wednesday, 5/13, 3-6 p.m., New Bethel Church, 745 Walker Ave., Vibrant Health
Thursday, 5/14, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., La Fe en Jesu Cristo, 1500 Central Ave., Swope Health
Thursday, 5/14, 3-6 p.m., Cross-Lines Community Outreach, 736 Shawnee Ave., Vibrant Health
Friday, 5/15, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Zotung Christan Church, 5041 State Ave., Vibrant Health
Testing is provided free of charge to Wyandotte County residents. Individuals who want to be tested must register in advance by calling 913-371-9298 (calls answered by Community Health Council of Wyandotte County). Testing is provided regardless of a person’s immigration status, health coverage or ability to pay.
Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force
The Task Force was formed in response to the race and ethnicity COVID-19 data, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority communities. The group focuses on making testing and other resources more accessible and equitable to underserved members of the community. The Task Force represents a partnership of community organizations including:
• Argentine Assembly of God, Hosanna Christian Network Radio
• Bethel Neighborhood Center
• Calvary Temple Baptist Church
• Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, MORE2, and Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR)
• Groundwork NRG
• JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health
• Livable Neighborhoods Taskforce
• NBC Community Development Corporation
• Salem Baptist Church
• Unified Government
• Unified Government Public Health Department
• University of Kansas Family Medicine
• University of Kansas Health System
• University of Kansas Medical Center
• Vibrant Health
• Wyandotte Health Foundation
• Wyandotte residents
The Health Equity Task Force is in the process of scheduling multiple testing sites each week throughout the month of May. A map of testing locations and other testing details can be found on the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage at www.wycokck.org/COVID-19. Click on the COVID Hub, then click on the section that says “Experiencing Symptoms? Get Tested!”