Compton --As stark racial disparities around COVID-19 continue coming to light while deaths by the virus grow across the country, St. John's Well Child and Family Center -- a network of community health centers serving the largest population of African Americans in Los Angeles County and the largest population of undocumented people in the United States, and will be partnering with Compton Unified School District to serve one of those communities: Compton.

Starting Tuesday, April 21, St. John's will begin testing at a mobile unit located at a Compton Unified School District school site each Tuesday through May 26, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with the first site being McKinley Elementary (see schedule below). The mobile testing van partnership with CUSD aims to increase access to COVID-19 testing, reduce racial health and testing disparities, and work to provide the same access offered to upper income and white communities across Southern California.

"The inequities and disparities in testing in Los Angeles end today!" said Jim Mangia, President and CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center "COVID-19 is both revealing and exacerbating the existing gaps in health care access faced by immigrant, undocumented, and Black communities."

"Reports across the country show that African Americans are more likely to contract and die from COVID-19, and undocumented folks were wholly left out of the latest stimulus package passed by the federal government. This is absolutely unacceptable and we are proud to be partnering with Compton Unified School District to attack this issue head on."

"School sites may be closed, but educating our Compton Scholars continues, as is our work of supporting the health and wellbeing of our entire community. Our Healthy Compton partnership with St. John's is vital now more than ever. My hope is that we will at last be able to stem the tide of COVID-19 in the City of Compton," said President Micah Ali.

The mobile unit is by appointment only for people experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. Testing is free. Individuals who are patients of St. Johns and have symptoms or want to speak to a doctor should call 323-541-1611. Those who are NOT patients of St. John's and have symptoms should call their doctor or 211.

The mobile unit schedule will be as follows:
Dock at 7:00 a.m.; begin testing from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; depart by 3:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - McKinley Elementary School - 14431 S. Stanford Ave, Compton, CA 90220
• Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - McKinley Elementary School - 14431 S. Stanford Ave, Compton, CA 90220
• Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Walton Middle School -900 W Greenleaf Blvd, Compton, CA 90220
• Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - Walton Middle School - 900 W Greenleaf Blvd, Compton, CA 90220
• Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - Centennial High School 2606 N Central Ave, Compton, CA 90222
• Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - Centennial High School - 2606 N Central Ave, Compton, CA 90222