Indio, California, April 29, 2020 – Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine provided over 90 free COVID-19 tests (nucleic acid PCR) to the underserved and uninsured of the East Valley, particularly, farm workers. “Farm workers and all of the residents of the East Valley must be included in our public health efforts as their work is imperative to a robust food chain for all Americans”, states Stewart B. Fleishman, MD, Chair, Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine Board of Directors.
CVVIM was honored to work with Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz who said “Our communities don’t have access to enough testing. That is especially true for the farmworkers we rely on for our nutrition and health. They are at high risk for infection because their jobs and living conditions don’t allow them to social distance. It is important that we work together to create more testing opportunities for all hard to reach communities in order to lower the transmission and save lives in all communities.”
Providing two hundred tests help prevent the virus spread, estimate how many people may need medical intervention before they get very ill, and assess the need for adequate face covers and other personal protective equipment.
A second test date is scheduled for Friday, May 1 from 3:00 to 6:00 at Centro Guadalupano, 65150 Coahuila, Mecca. Please note this is the corrected address.
Thank you to volunteers from CSUSB Palm Desert School of Nursing, College of the Desert School of Nursing, and UCR School of Medicine. These efforts were made in cooperation with the Hemet Valley Medical Center and an anonymous donor.
About Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine
The mission of Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine (CVVIM) is to provide primary health care services to low-income adults living in the Coachella Valley who have no insurance, or who are underinsured. CVVIM is the only no-charge health care clinic in the Coachella Valley. Services include medical and dental care, disease education, case management and community referrals. Conditions seen most commonly include diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which cause serious problems if untreated, but whose complications can be prevented with regular medical care. In addition to never charging a patient for medical or dental care, CVVIM also assumes all associated costs necessary for diagnosis and treatment of illness, such as laboratory tests, imaging and x-rays. Scores of dedicated volunteers – doctors, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical and dental assistants and support volunteers, donate thousands of hours each year to accommodate more than 4,500 patient contacts a year.
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