Free COVID-19 testing expands in south Phoenix
An organization offering free driveup COVID-19 testing in south Phoenix is adding four weeks of testing, increasing both the days and hours for testing, and is doubling the number of its testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.
After seeing miles-long lines to get free COVID-19 testing, the HeroZona Foundation added two more hours for free testing, doubled the number of testing sites from two to four and added two more testing days each week.
They will now test on Thursday, July 9 and Friday, July 10 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at South Mountain Community College, located at 7050 S. 24th St. in Phoenix. Starting next week, testing will be available Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. each week through Aug. 7.
The free testing, which is conducted by Lab24, a South Florida family-owned business, does not require insurance or registration. Only a valid ID is needed.
“We are using all of our resources and efforts to focus on testing those who are uninsured, and who are most in need of this service in such a crucial time. We are here for this community, which is one of the most affected by the coronavirus,” Lab24 territory manager Marsha Wood said in a statement released Wednesday.
PRO EM National Event Services will also help with testing by bringing multiple tents, generators and registration booths, according to the statement.
Other partners that helped organize testing include Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, Maricopa County District 5 and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Co-founder of the HeroZona Foundation Alan “AP” Powell said that last Thursday and Friday they did approximately 2,000 tests among their two stations set up at South Mountain Community College.
HeroZona Foundation’s COVID-19 testing site provides free drive-thru testing without appointments in the south Phoenix area. Because patients don’t need to have symptoms or an appointment, many people waited in line in their vehicles for hours last Thursday.
On their first testing day last Thursday, vehicles lined the roads waiting to be tested by 8 a.m., some waiting over eight hours in 100-degree temperatures.
On Friday, their second day of testing, the line went on for miles again with some being turned away after testing supplies ran out.
The testing site organizers had not expected that high of a demand, which is why they have responded by expanding testing. Powell said that along with hoping to decrease their lines, they also want to start the testing earlier to help their technicians avoid the extreme midday heat.
“We took it upon ourselves to try and double the stations so that we can double the quantity of people we can service in the community,” Powell told The Arizona Republic. “Hopefully we can try to (test) 2,000 people each day.”
Of nearly 200 testing locations listed on the Arizona Department of Health Services website, only five are south of Interstate 17 in south Phoenix and Laveen.
“That neighborhood is underserved, so we want to make sure that we support them,” Powell told The Arizona Republic. “It’s nobody’s fault, but we want to make sure they have the same resources there.”
Powell said the HeroZona Foundation hopes the testing can help the underserved people in that South Phoenix community, especially employees who are hoping to get back into the work place but need to get tested first.
“It’s a joined community effort,” Powell said.
The efforts are being supported by the Salt River Project, the Roosevelt Elementary School District 66, the Phoenix Union High School District, the Phoenix National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Greater Phoenix Urban League, 100 Black Men of Phoenix, the Phoenix area American Apostolic Old Catholic Church and the KJAM and KNRJ radio stations.