Promotoras helped administer COVID tests at the North Shore site.
Alianza is working to slow the pandemic through education and testing targeting East Coachella Valley residents. As part of a collaboration supported by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation, we hosted a COVID testing event in North Shore on Jan. 21, and we are planning several more around the east valley in the coming months.
In order to better inform residents about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and ways to protect themselves and their loved ones, we will be holding a set of focus groups to find out what concerns and questions residents still have regarding COVID. Specifically, we will be talking to local farm workers and young people, including LGBTQ+ young people, to gain insights on the best way to created COVID safety messaging that resonates with these groups.
A year into the pandemic — even as some restrictions are relaxed — this work remains crucially essential. A survey of East Coachella Valley residents by The Desert Sun found that nearly 20% did not trust the information they were getting about COVID-19 and many more were not interested in being tested. Infection rates in the ECV are high and testing remains low, partly because people fear how a positive result would affect their ability to work.
Our goal is to relieve this fear about testing and the vaccine and reduce the inequitable impact COVID is having on east valley residents.
