Full article: https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/fairfield/solano-company-lands-200000-grant-to-provide-mobile-covid-testing/
Solano company lands $200,000 grant to provide mobile Covid testing
Funding makes sites available for next 6 months
FAIRFIELD — A local company has been awarded a $200,000 grant to bring on-demand mobile Covid-19 testing to Solano County just days after a statewide indoor mask mandate went into place to slow the spread of the disease.
BrandGOV, a public outreach firm, partnered with the California Department of Public Health and will run the rapid-response program for the next six months. Testing availability begins Monday.
The program will operate through BrandGOV’s outreach initiative, Empower Solano, and will focus on the needs of hard-to-reach communities of color, low-income and homeless residents.
“Readily available, convenient, on-site testing couldn’t come at a better time,” K. Patrice Williams, BrandGOV’s CEO and executive director for Empower Solano, said in a press release. “There may be a winter surge in Covid cases. Identifying cases quickly and getting people the help they need will be essential to controlling and stopping the virus in our community.”
Announcement of the grant and the local mobile testing initiative comes as the omicron variant continues its march across the nation. The fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus was first identified in South Africa and was designated a variant of concern Nov. 26. Health officials confirmed Dec. 1 the first U.S. case of a person infected with the omicron variant was discovered in San Francisco in an airline passenger returning to the U.S. from South Africa.
The variant as of Sunday had been detected in 44 states as well as the nation’s capital and in Puerto Rico. A statewide indoor mask mandate was put into place Wednesday to slow the spread of the virus, regardless of variant type.
Two testing events are planned before the Christmas holiday in Vallejo, one from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday at Emmanuel Temple Apostolic Church, 900 6th St., the other from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Food is Free Solano booth at the Solano County Fairgrounds, 600 Fairgrounds Drive. Both are open to the general public. No appointments are needed and walk-ins are welcome.
Future testing sites are expected to include grocery stores, churches, laundromats, low-income apartment complexes, transitional homes, homeless shelters, businesses and special events held by community and civic organizations, among others.
“We will show up anywhere there is an opportunity and a need,” Williams said in the press release.
To schedule a testing event, send an email to testing@brandgov.com.
The mobile testing effort is the latest in a series of outreach, health and public safety programs BrandGOV has created or been a part of during the pandemic. The company founded Empower Solano in March 2020 and has since worked with community and civic groups to conduct a variety of public education campaigns, including ones to encourage mask-wearing and Covid-19 vaccinations; promote safe participation in county and state elections and the U.S. Census; and demonstrate ways to prepare for natural disasters.
“The state was impressed with the local, grassroots work we’ve done over the last nearly two years, and the community trust we’ve built with the success of our projects,” Williams said in the press release.
The company’s past outreach initiatives have led to in-person or virtual interactions with more than 100,000 Solano County residents.
The California Department of Public Health funds were granted under the auspices of BrandGOV’s fiscal sponsor, Match2Hire, a nonprofit that specializes in employment assistance. To learn more about the work being done through Empower Solano and how to get involved, visit www.empowersolano.com.
